Best Leading Actress 2012

5. Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
This is not a bad performance by Chastain. She is trying to do, what she can, but the film just doesn't give her many acting opportunities. This character could've been played as a strong and self-minded young woman, but Chastain never knows, what she wants to do. Sometimes she is trying to go with this portrayal, but then she takes a step back and portrays Maya as a shy and unexperienced woman. There are some fine seen, but in the rest of the film she is just too lackluster...

4. Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
This is a very enjoyable performance by Lawrence. She definitely enjoys playing Tiffany and so do we enjoy watching her. It's a quite remarkable performance that is going to be iconic, in my opinion. Some of her scenes are really powerful, but on the other hand there are some extremely overacted moments, which are just too unnatural and which are taking her the points away.

3. Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Though in the second part of the film she doesn't have many things to do, the first half can easily give her so many points. She shows the motherly love flawlessly and we are completely with her. We care about her and her children. The scene of the tsunami is the best of the film also because of her. You will certainly remember this portrayal a long time after watching the film.

2. Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild
I never thought that such a young girl will ever be able to give so complex performance. Every scene is a joy to watch, because of her. The is the soul of the film, which is - by the way - also very great. Her chemistry with Dwight Henry is just fabulous and their common scenes are wonderful. Her portrayal of a little naive, but strong girl, which thinks that the world is spinning around her is so great, that some older actresses should learn from her.

1. Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
An old likable lady and a little likable girl were fighting for my win, with the first one winning, finally. Her character gives her many acting opportunities and she uses them perfectly. There's just no way you won't like this performance. Her chemistry with Trignant is also very great and helps her a lot. I know she is not going to win, but she definitely should.

My Nominees:
1. Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
2. Quvenzhané Wallis - Beats of the Southern Wild
3. Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
4. Naomi Watts - The Impossible
5. Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Leading Actress 2012: Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

Amour is a great film about the marriage at the end of the life, when one suffers from an illness and the other one takes care of him. It's really a beautiful story full of emotions and it's really disturbing, especially for a young man like me to watch something like this. I don't want to talk too much about it, so I wouldn't spoil the experience of those, who haven't seen it yet.
Emmanuelle Riva play a woman, which suffers from multiple strokes and her husband must take care of her. The film wonderfully show the love of the married couple. Even after all those years. Riva's character changes throughout the film. At the beginning she is an ordinary nice old lady that is extremely easy to love. After her first stroke she is the same old lady with some physical disorder, but the more of them she has, the more disordered she is. What I'm trying to say is, that this character gives her many acting opportunities. I mean, if this film was made in Hollywood and Riva's character was played by someone else, no one would have doubts about her winning. But this way she should be happy even for her nomination...
The worst thing about great performances is, that it's hard to talk about them. They're great and that's it. When you're talking about a bad performance, you can name the bad things about it, but you can't name what was good about good performance. The great was everything. How wonderfully she handles every scene, how greatly she shows the love to her husband, how greatly she shows the pain of her character, how great the chemistry between her and Trignant is, how well she handles the character and how you just love her performance because of her.
This is that kind of performance, which you can't say is not good. It's so remarkable and powerful, that you just can't resist it and deny the fact, it's excellent. For instance, Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream, or Kathy Bates in Misery also belong here. I don't know what else to say, this is the truly perfect and flawless performance...

Next Year: Best Leading Actress 2012

The Nominees:
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook (predicted winner)
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

I'm going to finish best supporting actress 1945 soon, but for some time I'm putting it under ice. It may took some time to do best leading actresses of this year, because of the school, but I'll do my best. So, please, comment. Who was snubbed? How would your nominees look like? Who would you like to win? Who do you think I'll let win? And how do you think I'll rate these performances?