Smackdown

So, now the winner was... 2008 Best Actress. Well, last year Kate Winslet finally won her anticipated Oscar. I think she should have won for Sense and Sensibility instead, but of course that's me. But now let's just see them one by one in my ranking, which was absolutely the most difficult one to make but now it's time to share it with you:

1. Meryl Streep in Doubt: Surprised, huh? Well, yes I'm a huge fan of Meryl and I'm shocked that this performance of hers is so underrated, but if you really look into it, you will see the brilliance, which makes this one, one of her best works. It's so full of humor, drama and some of her scenes she's simply chilling. I might be a bit blinded by my love for her, but in my humble opinion she managed to get across the feelings of this very complex and difficult character. Thirlling work by one of the greatest actresses.
Grade:*****

2. Melissa Leo in Frozen River: This performance is very complicated. At first I was very impressed by her and she was my win, but my love for her cooled a little bit. I still love her, but somehow this performance does not live in my as intensely as Meryl's. Still, she's magnificent, extremely realistic and very impressive. Her movie in itself was a bit too "independent" for me. There's some real drama in this character who is desperate... to simply survive. Again, very impressive.
Grade:****

3. Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married: Well, if you had asked me a week ago, she would have been the fourth, but the more I thought about her, the more convinced I was where to put her. Yes, sometimes she was annoying and yes she's a bit overrated, but Hathaway was able to put on not only a very honest performance, but also a very understandable (yes, I mean it) character. Her great monologue was simply heartbreaking and her confrontation scene with her mother was breathtaking. Well, the more I'm writing about her, the more tempted I am to make her #2.
Grade:****

4. Kate Winslet in The Reader: Again, did she need to beg for this award? Yes, I was rooting for her, but why did she have to humiliate herself? This performance started rather slowly, but in the end she was amazing. Had she been nominated in the supporting category, she would be my pick, even though I think she's rather a co-lead. Her scenes as the older Hana were much better than the younger one. Her initial mediocrity becomes something interesting and in the end we get a great performance by a great actress. And this career-Oscar hurt much less than Bullock's will this year.
Grade:***

5. Angelina Jolie in Changeling: What the hell was this? OK, simply put, this performance is hysterical, over-the-top, waaaay to much and much less heartbreaking than it inteded to be. I mean what was she doing to get the nomination of Sally Hawkins? Screaming: I WANT MY OSCAR!, I mean I WANT MY SON BACK!. YAY! This is a bit unfair from me, because I love Angie in general, but this work of hers really did not hit me.
Grade:*

So, what do YOU think?