Academy Award - Actress In A Leading Role

One of the big awards of the night, This years nominee's have delivered awe inspiring performances. Here are this years nominee's.
Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Naomi Watts (Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer)

Her Character is Maria, is caught up in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, she is separated from her husband and two youngest children, but finds her eldest son. The performance Watts gives is nothing short of spellbinding, she is genuine, emotion filled and more importantly believable. You really feel for her as she fights to stay by her son, the anguish on her face is quite moving, she really shines and gives credit to a good movie that is made all the better due to the performances of its cast, particularly its leading lady, in what has to be the years most underrated movie.
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Jennifer Lawrence on the red carpet at the 83rd Academy Awards (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Playing young widow and recovering sex addict, and an all round unstable young woman can never be easy, and Tiffany Maxwell is just that. Lawrence plays this role to perfection, bouncing off Bradley Cooper with the ease of an actress far above her years. This role proves that Jennifer Lawrence is here to stay, shedding her previous Hunger Games role. To play mental illness and grief with this kind of genuine confusion is impressive, and I am sure she won't mind me saying, it is a pleasant surprise from this rising star. This will not be her last nomination if she carries on with performances like this.

Jessica Chastain 07 (Photo credit: GabboT)

Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

A female CIA agent, dedicated to finding the worlds most notorious terrorist mastermind and in countries that don't appreciate women is a challenging role, but one pivotal to the telling of the story. Chastain plays this demanding role excellently, a female lead overshadowing her male counterparts really sets this performance apart. Her dedication is portrayed with an honesty that really climbs above the sometimes hard subject matter. This performance is stand out, and she holds her own in a high quality group of nominee's
Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts Of The Southern Wild

Anyone who says the Oscars lack surprise need shooting, a 9 year old girl has a nomination in the category of Best Actress, and she deserves to be here. Her performance is amazing, she saves the movie she is in and frankly puts to shame every young actress that's come before her, all the way back to Drew Barrymore. This performance is edgy, and I really don't think it can be fully appreciated until you watch this movie. I would love to see her win, but part of me can't see it happening, however to be able to say you stood your own in this years category is no mean feat for an established actress, never mind a child, I can't wait to see her smiling as her name is read as a nominee.
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

Emmanuelle RIVA (actrice) (Photo credit: startinghere71)

Playing illness is always a challenge, but playing a woman fading following a failed surgery that leaves her paralyzed down her left side, and keeping it genuine is a different matter all together. It was a performance that was very hard to watch, but even having to read subtitles didn't spoil the highly emotional scenes. Playing the majority of her scenes in bed, helpless and confused, Riva puts on a polished, emotional performance that really has you feeling for not only her character, but also the husband having to watch his beloved fade. The final scenes are terrible, and quite shocking, a very impressive performance from the oldest woman ever to be nominated for Best Actress.
And The Winner Is..............

Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Her performance is genuine and heartfelt, its always more difficult doing justice to a true story, but Watts does it with poise and grace. This is as expected a high quality field, but Naomi Watts delivers, for me, the best performance.