The Oscar for Best Actress…My head and heart picks…

Jasmine portrayed by Cate Blanchet and written by Woody Allen had provided the cinematic world with 21st century’s “Blanche DuBois” in “Blue Jasmine. The performance is the strongest, craziest, and most powerful female character Mr. Allen has ever written; and a few of his leading and supporting ladies have won those gold statues. No one but Mr. Allen could have written this character and Mr. Tennessee Williams would have been incredibly impressed-or not with this legendary performance. Now that leaves the rest of the field. Tiger Woods in his prime used to light up sports talk with the question would you take Tiger or the rest of the field? Of course Tiger was the sane bet at one time. Same could be said here. Sandra Bullock, carried the film “Gravity” but her solo scenes paled in comparison to the “solo” scenes of Jasmine while other people where in the shot. Judi Dench, played “Philomena” with such sweet simplicity and earnest compasion that she would have won any other year. I hope she gets another lead or two in the near future because she still has her powerful ability to not keep your eyes off of her. Meryl Streep has lost more Oscars than she should have and I would not be upset if this was another loss. Her performance as the pill-addicted matriarch of Oklahoman erudite living was her “Pacinoesque” over the top performance but you just can’t wait to see what she’ll do next. Amy Adams is slightly taller than an Oscar and the fact that she doesn’t have a few of her own already is criminal but typical. She carried “American Hustle” like she’s carried several films (The Fighter, The Master, etc…) and I don’t think she’s going to win tonight but if you love “American Hustle” like I do she’s the main reason.

So, my heart says Amy Adams my mind says Cate Blanchet.  

Oscars:Best Actress

The voting membership from one day to the next changes generations wise by two. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) sometimes get it right; and when they flub so seriously  like Mr. Ben Affleck‘s snub for Best Director which followed in his sweeping every awards season leading up to last week’s WGA Awards.

So, the story is no longer lack of roles for women. The story is women are becoming more and more powerful on screen, behind the scenes and in the direction of film (Megan Ellison,.

This years crop of Best Actresses seems like a two person race but the depth of the nominees mean that the remaining three would have won easily in other years.

However, if international voters and awards ceremonies like bafta.org and the César Awards are any indication there is an 85 year old grand damé in the mix who is a generational peer of most Academy voters by the name of Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour.” She blinks, she disappears mentally right before your eyes and portrays dementia as painfully accurate as possible. It’s a dire, bleak film without anything but performances to keep it a once must see.

Quvenzhané Wallis plays the only “adult” in the splendid film “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” She’d make Oscar history in the other opposite age spectrum from Ms. Riva. She was five when she auditioned and six when filming began and to see her at the ripe old age of 9 doing press for the film it makes her performance even more surreal and that no one else in the world could have played this role with the conviction and power she did and if she could do that at six she’ll be among the elite five for long, long periods of time.

Naomi Watts played the real life Maria Belon and her unexpected reality with tsunami in Thailand and the disaster of losing contact with her family and the strong drive she had to put back all the pieces. “The Impossible” was a little seen film but those who saw it know Ms. Watts deserves her nomination.

The race begins here between Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain for their roles in “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Zero Dark Thirty” respectively. Both stars keep your eyes off their cast mates and in the case of Ms. Lawrence that remarkable considering who her cast mates were. Tiffany is a widow, and is processing that burden her way. She has a “perfect” sister that impedes her focus and she deals with her issues with the therapeutic power of dance. Her character has the strength to add the most unlikely of partners and either by design or divine changes a man who changes her.

Ms. Chastain is a composite of an actual CIA operative who after 9/11 must deal with the procedural differences in transitional presidential administrations. Torture, information, and prisoners are in her opinion worthless unless for the pursuit of the sole target of her desire, Osama Bin Laden. Ms. Chastain is relentless and her character conveys the red tape and hesitancy in progress in governmental machinery decisions. If it weren’t for her character and the facts are accurate Mr. Obama would never have had the ability to claim Bin Laden’s end on his watch without her.

My heart and head say this is the year of Jennifer Lawrence but because this is the Academy and there are those in Ms. Riva’s age bracket at the very least I label her the longshot who sometimes ends up in the winner’s circle.