Best Supporting Actress 2018

05. Michelle Williams in I Feel Pretty - Michelle Williams is one of the most talented actresses working today. If there was any justice, she would already have an Oscar. It's a good thing she'll have plenty of future chances, because she's surely not going to win it for this movie. I Feel Pretty is by no means a good movie. It's mediocre at best, but Williams work is still impossibly delightful. With the breathy voice and the airhead Barbie looks, Williams steals every scene she is in and makes this mediocre movie something you can actually sit through. Shining so brightly in such a dull movie is just further proof of how very talented she is.

04. Thomasin McKenzie in Leave No Trace - Director Debra Granik has an eye for talent. She gave Jennifer Lawrence her breakthrough role with Winter's Bone, and now it looks like she'll do the same with McKenzie. As the daughter of a survivalist with PTSD, McKenzie shines as a young woman who spent her life living in the wilderness trying to adapt to a normal life. She has very little dialogue throughout the movie, but you still feel every emotion she wants you to. Chemistry with movie dad Ben Foster surely helps, but this is a raw and authentic performance from a talent so young, that it makes you excited for what she will do next (hopefully she won't follow the same route as Lawrence and become a caricature of herself).

03. Claire Foy in First Man - First Man is basically a boys club. The entire cast is almost entirely male. Maybe that makes Foy even better, because she stands out in every single scene she is involved in. She's a supportive wife and mother, struggling with a husband who would rather go to the moon than stay on earth with his family. She is loving and tender, sassy and tough. She is a force to be reckoned with, and that scene where she goes to NASA headquarters to demand answers is a gem.

02. Ashlie Atkinson in Blackkklansman - There are quite a few stand out performances in Blackkklansman. Adam Driver and John David Washington are rightly getting awards season attention. But no one is talking about Atkinson, who plays the wife of a white supremacist / KKK member. She is at once a friendly and welcoming hostess, and a hateful, self-righteous bigot. It's a performance so layered, it feels so intimately authentic, that it will leave you feeling chilled to the bone. Her Connie is just as likely to bake you a pie with a smile on her face than she is to put a pipe bomb in your mail box. She's riveting to watch.

01. Elizabeth Debicki in Widows - Debicki is a revelation. In a star-studded cast that stars a who's who of the most talented character actors and movie stars, Debicki steals every single second of screen time she has. As an abused widow whose gone from her mom's house to her husband's house, she starts the movie as a lost and terrified little girl who doesn't know how to do anything on her own. Throughout the movie, we watch as she grows before our eyes, with the movies best (maybe only?) character arc. She learns to wield her sex appeal to get things done. She learns to read people's wants, needs and desires to get them to do what she needs them to. And she finally stands up for herself, and refuses to be anyone's punching bag. In the hands of a lesser actor, this role would have diminished to the background in such a talented cast. Instead, she becomes the best part of the movie.

Best Supporting Actress 2016

05. Rachel Weisz in The Light Between Oceans - As a grieving mother, she is the heart and soul of this movie, which maybe feels a bit melodramatic at times, but her performance is never anything less than perfection.

04. Rachel Weisz in The Lobster - Starring as the love interest in a romantic dark comedy may not sound like it is ripe for solid acting performances, but when the movie is as bizarre and wonderful as The Lobster, and the performance is a textured and complicated as Weisz', then you've got yourself an exception to the rule.

03. Jena Malone in The Neon Demon - One of the weirder movies of the year... Without giving anything away, I will say that Malone has a certain scene that took a ton of balls, and she nailed it. I have always been impressed with actors who are gutsy and fearless, and so that is why Malone earns a spot on my list. But trust me when I say the Oscars wouldn't touch this performance with a ten foot pole.

02. Michelle Williams in Manchester By The Sea - One of the things I love so much about Manchester By The Sea (and there are many things I love) is how restrained it is. They easily could have given Williams a huge sobbing emotional breakdown scene, but they didn't. And the fact that she is still on this list is a testament to how great she truly is.

01. Viola Davis in Fences - There is a certain scene in this movie, and it's about 5 minutes long, that is, I think, the best 5 minutes of acting in the entire year. And those 5 minutes belong entirely to Viola Davis. She is extraordinary, and as good as her scene partner Denzel Washington is, Viola Davis makes you forget all about his existence. She is strong and she is fierce, and the Oscars might as well already engrave her name on the Best Supporting Actress statue because she more than deserves it.

DVD Mini Reviews

Time again to get caught up on some of the 2012 movies I've missed in theaters.

Girl in Progress
Starring: Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, Cierra Ramirez, Patricia Arquette
Plot: A young girl with a flighty mom decides to become a woman and experience certain cliched coming of age actions in order to grow up.
Thoughts: I guess this was the movie that was supposed to make me a believer in Mendes and her acting talents but it didn't quite work that way. The only parts of the movie that are at all interesting, are the ones featuring Ramirez, who is sort of a find and needs a better movie than this.
Grade: C-

Lola Versus
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman, Bill Pullman
Plot: Lola has a pretty great life, engaged to a hottie and just about to finish graduate school, but then her life is turned upside down when her fiancee unceremoniously dumps her and she has to try to figure out things while her life becomes more and more of a mess.
Thoughts: I sort of loved this movie. I know that it wasn't necessarily a good movie but it was quirky and cute and Gerwig is totally loveable, even as Lola is making all kinds of bad decisions. Maybe it was just a good movie for me at a certain time in my life, but I liked it.
Grade: B

Take This Waltz
Starring: Michelle Williams, Luke Kirby, Seth Rogen
Plot: A seemingly happily married woman meets a stranger on a business trip and falls hard for him. This is further complicates her life when she realizes that he is her neighbor.
Thoughts: I mean, if you can get over Michelle Williams talking like a baby and being a generally bad person, then the movie isn't so bad. Luke Kirby, who I've never seen before, is sort of the saving grace of the film. He is so fun to watch and Kirby and Williams have great chemistry. Still, this movie is more annoying than good.
Grade: C-

The Raven
Starring: John Cusack, Alice Eve
Plot: In the last days of Edgar Allan Poe, he becomes involved in solving a series of murders that are based upon his stories.
Thoughts: Why, John Cusack, why??? This movie is a huge, terrible mess. I kept telling myself, "It can't be that bad, right?" Well, yes, yes, it can. Also, the acting M.O. of just about everyone in the movie seems to be: Let's all yell as loud as we can and assume that this shows emotion.
Grade: D

Ruby Sparks
Starring: Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Chris Messina
Plot: A young man struggling with writing and relationships finds a way out of it by writing the perfect woman... who comes to life and starts living with him.
Thoughts: I loved this movie so much. It was super cute although it did have its flaws. Kazan, who also wrote the film, is beyond adorable and she and Dano have a great, natural chemistry.
Grade: B (B+ if I'm feeling nice on any given day)

My Week With Marilyn

Let's be honest, My Week with Marilyn is a good movie, not great or spectacular by any means. It keeps your attention, it's interesting in the kind of way that any story about fascinating people is interesting: it doesn't have to be any better than it is. But the bigger picture here is its star: Michelle Williams, who turns in the sort of fierce, star making performance that no wonder she has been getting nominated for every single award so far this season.
My Week with Marilyn is a story about the most famous actress of all time, Marilyn Monroe. But it is also a story about Colin Clark, a 23 year old boy from an overachieving family who dreams of becoming a filmmaker. So the movie, based on his memoir, follows the young man as he gets his very first job working on what looks to be a ghastly musical comedy eventually entitled The Prince and the Showgirl. He is the third assistant director, which is really just a gopher. However, the position puts him into the thick of the film. He is practically the assistant to the great Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh), who is the star and director of the film. Colin's story chronicles the difficult relationship between Olivier and Monroe. Despite being married to Vivien Leigh (Julia Ormond), Olivier is at times jealous of her super stardom (he is a great actor who wants to be a superstar and she is a superstar who wants to be a great actor, madly in love with her, and short tempered with her difficulties.
Colin not only is privy to the inside track of the film, but also he becomes one of Marilyn's only friends during filming. The notorious actress hated to be alone and when her new husband of less than a month, Arthur Miller, leaves London, she clings to the young boy, who quickly falls in love with her, despite a budding romance with Emma Watson's Lucy, a wardrobe girl. And so, Colin gets to spend a week or so with Marilyn, and what follows is a sometime riveting, sometime frivolous look at young love, rejection, heartache, and of course, the portrait of a troubled and sad young woman.
The film itself is good at times, but lacking. It's inconsistent when it could have been something great. All the right pieces were in position, they just somehow weren't utilized properly. But the performances save the movie, for sure. Judi Dench, who seems to be everywhere this year, lighting up films that could definitely use it, is a hoot as the sweet natured actress who lends a helping hand to the scared Marilyn. Eddie Redmayne is sweet and charming as the young Colin Clark who falls in love despite everyone telling him not to and ends up getting his heart broken "a little." (Emma Watson's perfect response? "Good."). Kenneth Branagh is just fantastic as the mercurial Olivier, the greatest actor of his generation who both hated and loved Marilyn. But it's Michelle Williams, who I have long admired and is becoming a genuine favorite of mine, who is the crowning jewel here. She doesn't simply play Marilyn Monroe here. She becomes her. She so easily and simply transforms before our eyes into this sexy, charming, deeply trouble superstar, the icon who still endures all these years later. Her Monroe is all things at once: so simply turning from sexy and charming and flirtatious to scared and timid, paranoid and insecure. She's this sexy, sensual woman and also just a little girl who ultimately wants to be loved, not like the goddess she was but also like the normal girl she so desperately wanted to be. There is a fantastic scene between Marilyn and Colin in her bedroom where she tells him about her childhood and her plans to settle down and leave it all behind. She tells him that people want to love her as Marilyn Monroe but when they find out that not who she is they leave her and run away. It will break your heart, as does Williams' devastating beauty as the icon that you just can't take your eyes off of. Is an Oscar win in her near future? I think so.
Grade: B

Top Ten List: Best Actress of the Decade

10. Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (2004) - My position on Swank is probably known by now. I'm not her biggest fan. However, good acting is good acting and you can't deny she's incredible in this film. I can't say its her best work (I still love her Boys Don't Cry performance) but she has moved past acting with this role. She simply exists in her character and it's great to watch.

09. Ellen Page in Hard Candy (2005) - Two years before Juno, there was Hard Candy. Page was something like 17 or 18 when she filmed this movie and she manages to give a master's class in acting, delivering a performance so layered and subtle that actors twice or three times her age had to be crazy jealous of her undeniable talent.

08. Julie Christie in Away From Her (2007) - It was the Oscars in 2008 and Julie Christie was flat out robbed by Marion Cotillard in a performance that I can barely even remember. Christie, however, has stuck in my mind, managing to be, dare I say, unforgettable as an Alzheimer patient. Beautiful and tragic, Christie is divine.

07. Michelle Williams in Wendy and Lucy (2008) - Quite possibly the most underrated performance of the year (or maybe even the decade), Williams commands the screen in this slow, bittersweet indie film about the friendship between a woman and her dog on a cross country road trip. Williams is so perfect as a lonely woman who has managed to fall between the cracks; a good person who society has managed to forget about.

06. Naomi Watts in 21 Grams (2003) - Watts has always been a good actress, but she's simply great here. Not only is she remarkably belieavable as a suffering widow but she brings so much gut wrenching emotion to her performance. The movie is presented so strongly out of context and that decision simply makes the performances that much more powerful, especially by Watts who shines as part of a truly impressive ensemble.

05. Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream (2000) - Quite possibly the most depressing movie I have ever seen and part of that is thanks to Burstyn's killer performance. There's no sugar coating this tale of addicts with Burstyn starring as a sweet Jewish wido who almost unknowingly becomes addicted to prescription diet pills that help her lose weight but plunge her into a terrifying world of paranoia and hallucinations.

04. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) - I was going to pick her Doubt performance but let's face it. Meryl can do that kind of thing in her sleep. What impressed me so much about The Devil Wears Prada is Meryl's ability to prove she really can do anything at all, including taking a co-starring role, turning it into a terrifying amalgamation of Cruella DeVille and Anna Wintour and proving that she can be one of the most bankable movie stars in the world. And this is why Meryl Streep is queen. That's all.

03. Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006) - Mirren doesn't merely play Queen Elizabeth II, she becomes Queen Elizabeth II. Her performance is simply superb. Thanks to Mirren, the Queen comes off as complicated and reserved, cold and yet jarringly open. Mirren manages to take this Queen who seems so closed up and larger than life and make her human. The performance is as fascinating as it is entertaining.

02. Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! (2001) - There are times when Kidman comes off as a reserved, closed up actress. But in Moulin Rouge! she is sexy, warm, stunning, loveable, and even a little goofy. Kidman has never been better than playing the born entertainer Satine. From those intricate, lavish and slightly twisted musical numbers to her electrifying chemistry with Ewan McGregor, Kidman is simply - Spectacular, Spectacular!

01. Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - Eternal Sunshine is easily the most original love story of the decade and Winslet, who is brilliant in EVERYTHING, doesn't disappoint with her performance here. She plays a woman who craves attention as much as she craves intimacy. She is a little mean but totally loveable. She is a jumble of paradoxes and it's easy to see why anyone would fall madly in love with her. She even manages to be funnier than Jim Carrey. I would only want to erase her and this performance from my memory so I can experience it again for the first time. Simply brilliant.

Top Ten List: Best Supporting Actress of the Decade

Disclaimer: I've agonized for weeks about these lists. I know I forgot an actor or a movie. But I'm done thinking about it so that's that.

Best Supporting Actress of the Decade

10. Holly Hunter in Thirteen (2003) - Hunter is always superb but she's never been better than the caring mother of a wild teenager in Thirteen. She loves her daugther but doesn't recognize she's spiraling out of control. Her performance is sweet and tender but also painful to watch. It's a powerhouse performance which easily shows up an impressive turn by Evan Rachel Wood as said daughter.

09. Michelle Williams in Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Williams was the one ray of hope on Dawson's Creek. You always just knew she didn't really belong on such a cheesy (at least in its later years) show. She was always destined for greatness and her performance in Brokeback Mountain proves it. Maybe it was her electrifying chemistry with then boyfriend Heath Ledger. Maybe it was just the perfect role for her. But her performance as Alma, the long suffering, vulnerable housewife who discovers something she can't quite understand.

08. Natalie Portman in Closer (2004) - Portman plays the paradoxes of Alice so easily. Alice appears to be wide eyed and innocent... but she is a stripper. Alice is seemingly the most emotionally honest character in the film... yet she turns out to be the biggest liar of all. She's never been better and her best scenes are those where she goes head to head with Clive Owen. The one scene that always sticks out is that brilliantly directed and acted scene at the strip club where Portman and Owen are just the essence of acting perfection.

07. Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - Prior to this film, I wasn't such a big fan of Cruz's. Her acting always lacked a lot for me. I had heard she was a much better actress in her native tongue though I never liked her enough to even seek out a Spanish film of hers. Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona changed all that. Cruz is a firecracker, exploding on to the screen and taking no prisoners. She has steamy chemistry with Javier Bardem (...and Scarlett Johansson). She's sassy and spunky and hilarious and terrifying and just riveting to watch.

06. Amy Adams in Junebug (2005) - When you think "Amy Adams," you think adorable. And that's because she is - especially in Junebug - but she's so much more than that as well. Her performance as Ashley is so layered and textured. She's charming and witty, heartwarming and optimistic. Best of all, she's sincere and you can feel her honesty in every scene. It's why her performance isn't so much a scene-stealer as a scene-enhancer. She just makes this movie so much better than it would have been without her.

05. Mo' Nique in Precious (2009) - I am all about Mo' Nique this year. The comedian has been written off as not being able to act. Well, guess what? She can and she's a powerhouse. As the cruel, emotionally and physically abusing mother of an overweight illiterate teen, she owns this movie. Even without that final scene - where she breaks down in a social worker's office - her performance was amazing enough. But add that one scene where you actually begin to understand this monster and you've got a performance more than worthy of praise for years to come.

04. Frances McDormand in Almost Famous (2000) - As an over-protective and borderline over-bearing mother, McDormand brings laughs... and a whole lotta heart to her role in Cameron Crowe's rock star film. She means well and only wants to protect her shy and awkward son William as he embarks as a journalist on tour with a band. Her scenes where she connects with the bands lead guitarist are some of her best. As is her line reading of, "Rock stars have kidnapped my son!"

03. Kate Hudson in Almost Famous (2000) - Almost Famous is the single reason I haven't given up on Hudson yet. She's been biding her time with romantic comedies but I know she's got it in her to deliver at least one more knockout performance like she did in Almost Famous. As the perennial groupie Penny Lane, Hudson is the essence of free spirited sweetness. She's got tension filled chemistry with Billy Crudup and a sweet sort of childlike chemistry with Patrick Fugit. When she finally overdoses at the end, it's almost a pleasure to watch the way she crumbles and falls apart. And kudos for that "What kind of beer?" line reading. Beauty and optimism through tears. Hudson has never been - maybe will never be - better.

02. Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River (2003) - When you're in a movie with a ton of big name actors and on particular guy (Sean Penn) who is giving the performance of his career (up until that point, anyway), it's kind of hard to get noticed. Not if you're my dear, sweet, amazing Marcia. In the film she plays the wife of Tim Robbins character. She's sweet-natured and trusting. She's simply outstanding as the loving wife who has to struggle with the biggest moral dilemma faced by any of the characters. She's brilliant and amazing and that's just one of the reasons why she's my very favorite actress ever! (FYI - Her performance in The Dead Girl just missed out on the top ten list!).

01. Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There (2007) - The short version: She plays Bob Dylan!!! The long version: Not many female actresses would have the balls to play Bob Dylan. Not many could pull it off. Okay, I can't think of anyone else who could have pulled it off. Only Blanchett in all of her nose-twitching, eye-rubbing brilliance. She's subdued and mellow but quick to lash out with sharp wit. Her section of the bizarre but wonderful film is the most straight forward and so she has to be the most like the actual Bob Dylan. She doesn't just mimic him, she becomes him (and looks shockingly like him) in a strange way that's so effective since the character is being played by a woman. Blanchett is simply amazing as she continues to build a resume of quirky, powerhouse performances that not many other actresses could even come close to.

The Last House on the Left + more

The Last House on the Left - Here's something that bodes well for the upcoming remake of Nightmare on Elm Street: it seems Hollywood is only capable of remaking Wes Craven movies. A few years ago, the remake of The Hills Have Eyes was released and I still stand by the fact that it's the only remake ever to surpass the original. I won't go quite so far as to say that with The Last House on the Left remake... but it's still a hell of a good movie.
First of all, the direction by Dennis Iliadis is superb. You can tell he's trying to give the studio what they want while still trying to stay true to a certain artsy sensibility. Some of the shots in the movie are downright beautiful and don't necessarily belong in a genre film. There is a particular shot of it beginning to rain while a young girl floats in a lake that is just breathtaking.
The violence in the movie is immediate and it is unflinching and relentless. But horror movies were always made to push boundaries and cross lines. This is a horror movie (and I don't even really like calling it a horror movie because it's so not) that illustrates the difference between gore and violence for the sake of being shocking and gore and violence for the sake of emotion. Without a grisly, raw, disturbing torture and rape sequence, the subsequent actions of a mother and father would make no sense. You need to see what happens to a young girl in order to feel the need for revenge.
The movie mostly stays true to the plot of the original film (a remake itself): Mari (Sara Paxton) is on vacation with her doctor father (Tony Goldwyn) and teacher mother (Monica Potter). The family is mourning the loss of a son and they decide to get away to their lake house for vacation. Mari escapes into town to hang out with her friend Paige (Martha MacIssac) who works at the local general store. The two run into Justin, a teen (Spencer Treat Clark) who promises that if Paige sells him cigarettes, he'll get them weed. Soon they are off to a cabin to smoke weed together. Justin's family isn't supposed to be home... but guess what? They show up and they are not friendly people. They are led by a murderer (Garret Dillahunt) who recently escaped on his way to prison with the help of his brother Francis (Aaron Paul) and his girlfriend Sadie (Riki Lindhome). Then the unthinkable happens. After a car accident, Mari is raped and left for dead, shot and floating in a lake, likely to drown (little do the killers know, she's a very good swimmer!). Crew and his gang walk to the nearest house to escape an incoming store. Ironic twist! It happens to be the house of Mari's parents. When Mari stumbles to the house on her last leg, her parents exact revenge on the men (and woman) who tried to kill their daughter.
The performances are all great with Best in Show awards going to Potter as the kick ass vengeful mom and Dillahunt as the madman con. Paxton is so moving and heartbreaking during her torture scenes and while Goldwyn might be the weakest link, he's still effective as the stoic doctor trying to be strong for his family. The director adds a touch of emotion that's not necesarily found in the orignal. Combine that with great photography and great performances and you've got yourself a pretty good thriller. Sure, it drags at times. It could have been edited a bit quicker. There's a particular death scene that seems to last for 30 minutes. Some of the scenes might be a little too much. But mostly, it's a good film.
The Last House on the Left is more than a violent, bloody gore movie. It's a parents worst nightmare and it has a surprising amount of emotion and when the film is at its best, it's oddly beautiful.
Grade: B-
EDIT: The more I think about this movie, the more I really love it. It sticks with you, that's for sure. Despite the fact that it becomes a typical thriller in the last 20 minutes or so (and even when it's typical, it's still fricking awesome), it's still the best slasher genre film in the last few years. It's artistic and intelligent and well done. So I'm changing my grade even though I don't like to do that. Also, watching Aaron Paul, who plays Francis so well, get his ass kicked on Breaking Bad on Sunday night was kind of cathartic.
New Grade: B+

Mini reviews...
Battle in Seattle - Directed by actor Stuart Townsend and featuring top notch performances from Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Martin Henderson, Jennifer Carpenter, Woody Harrelson and Ray Liotta, Battle in Seattle is based on the true story of peaceful activism that went horribly wrong in Seattle in 1999. For anyone who ever wished the world was a better place - this movie is for you.
Grade: A

Synecdoche, New York - Another ensemble cast featuring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Emily Watson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis and Dianne Wiest, Synecdoche is the directorial debut of fiercly brilliant and unique screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. And guess what? It's fiercly brilliant and unique! A lot of people might find it pretentious and that's fine. It is pretentious. But it's also one of the most deeply affecting movies I've seen in a very long time. Had I seen it before 2008 ended, it would have ended up nicely at number 2 on my top 10 list. It's almost impossible to give a plot summary. Go to imdb. Go to the memorable quotes. There is a particular monologue given by "Minister" that more or less sums up the entire point of the movie. It's almost impossible to sum up in words how I feel about this movie other than to say this - it's brilliant.
Grade: A+

Top Ten List - Best Actress 2008

Honorable Mention - Johanna Day in August: Osage County - Not a film performance, but a riveting, intensely controlled (and some time delightfully out of control) stage performance. If August was a movie (which apparently it's going to be) and Day was in it (which hopefully she will be), she would be at the top of this list, for sure. She's in charge now, for sure.

10. Angelina Jolie in Changeling - We all know I'm not the biggest Angelina fan. Still, you can't deny talent and her performance, although often one note, is still extremely powerful at times. That one specific scene (you know, the one in all the previews, "I want MY son back") is even more intense once you see the context of it - she's yelling this at a 10 year old boy.

09. Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Cate has never looked more beautiful. And I am in the corner with people who think Cate can do no wrong. It's true here, as she makes a very flawed, very narcisstic and stubborn character so loveable. Benjamin Button falls in love with her and so do we.

08. Keira Knightley in The Duchess - Although the movie itself is highly flawed, the performances are nearly flawless. Ralph Fiennes just missed my Best Supporting Actor list for his skeevy Duke (and for his hilarious turn in the wonderful In Bruges), but Kiera makes the list for her witty, charming role as the lonely Duchess - forced to choose between love and her family.

07. Summer Bishil in Towelhead - An extremely interesting and well done performance for someone so young! She's truly impressive as a young actress dealing with very, very heavy subject matter. She pulls it off with grace, innocence and beauty.

06. Rebecca Hall in Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Cruz may be getting all the buzz (and she is more than deserving) but Hall is spectacularly funny as well. She plays a cynical spitfire, about to marry a man she doesn't necessarily love while discovering her sexuality with a sexy artist.

05. Naomi Watts in Funny Games - Throughout the entire second half of the film, Watts is in a constant state of duress. Crying, screaming, desperately clinging to some kind of hope while nearly giving up on everything. Her performance is intensely moving.

04. Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road - Winslet's April is a dreamer, for sure. She dreams of a better life with her husband but she's surely not a happy character. There's all those intense screaming matches with DiCaprio. Then there's sexy love scenes. And, of course, my very favorite scene. DiCaprio has just confessed that he's cheated on her. She is very unemotional about the whole thing. He's screaming at her, asking her why, to which she responds, very quietly, very calmly with a slight smile, "Fuck who'd you like, dear." Perfect line reading.

03. Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married - Maybe the most revelatory performance of the year. I never liked Anne Hathaway, sure. I also never necessarily thought she was a good actress. But her performance as Kym here is so alive and so unlike anything she's ever done. It's impressive and welcomed.

02. Meryl Streep in Doubt - Doubt may be about the wonderful script and the great source material. Sure, there's Hoffman and Adams and Davis, but make no mistake - this is all about Meryl. As it should be. Her stubborn, hard headed, wickedly funny take on the nun is perfection.

01. Michelle Williams in Wendy and Lucy - Wendy and Lucy is a movie where not much happens. It's a movie without a lot of dialogue. It's a movie where, for much of the movie, Williams' Wendy is walking around a small unknown town searching for her dog. With very little to work with, Williams has given her best performance to date. Her quietly effective work will break your heart. There's been little as moving this year as the final ten minutes in this movie - and that's thanks to Michelle!