Best Actress 2018

05. Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place - Blunt has been doing solid and impressive work for decades, but never has she been as good as she is here. A Quiet Place has minimal dialogue, but Blunt manages to create a fully formed character anyway. That scene where she is trying to quietly give birth in a bathtub while monsters attack her house is one of the best of the year, and her performance there is unforgettable.

04. Lady Gaga in A Star is Born - It's impressive enough that someone who is such a confident global superstar make an audience believe that she is an unsure nobody with stage fright. That's the big picture gist of what Gaga has to do in this movie. But then it's all the little things too, that makes her performance truly shine. It's the lights out chemistry with Bradley Cooper. It's the subtle looks and sighs. I'm fully convinced that a few of her best moments are things she messed up on a little bit, but went with anyway. That instinct helps her deliver one of the most exciting performances of the year.

03. Blake Lively in A Simple Favor - There is a lot I can't really say about this movie because the plot gets progressively more bonkers as it goes on, and I truly don't want to give anything away (although the film loses it's footing and can't land the ending, it's still a pretty fun ride and worth a watch, for sure). But one thing I can say is this: Blake Lively is an f-ing delight in this movie. I've been reminded lately that she's kind of good in everything she does, although for some reason, I don't ever think that. But she's a treat here. Give her more work like this, please!

02. Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade - It takes a lot to completely and utterly carry a movie. There are very few actors that can do it (Tom Hanks, Leo DiCaprio, maybe that's it). But in Eighth Grade, a teenage girl with little acting experience carries the movie with ease. Fisher is a revelation. She's awkward and unsure. She's snotty and rude to her father. She's trying desperately to fit in at school. She makes you laugh and then rips your heart out. Forget Lady Gaga - it's here that a star is born.

01. Toni Collette in Hereditary - This movie, this performance! I have not been able to stop thinking about either for six months. Collette is a wrecking ball, coming through this movie like a house on fire. It's a ballsy, take no prisoners kind of performance. It's the kind of role that I think would scare off a lot of actresses, but Collette commits 110% and ends up giving one of the most gut-wrenching performances of the year.