Academy Award - Best Actress In A Supporting Role

I have done this in a different order because for the first year certainly that I can remember, the award for Supporting Actress is a much stronger category than Best Actress, the performances are all phenomenally good, and that is reflected in the fact that I feel the Supporting acting categories are the hardest to predict.
Amy Adams - The Master

Actress Amy Adams (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is Amy Adams fourth nomination in this category, and her performance here only makes you ask one question, how has she not won already. I have been a huge fan of Adams since Drop Dead Gorgeous, Buffy The Vampire Slayer (series) and The West Wing, she acts in a way that never fails to captiva
te, she has an honest girl next-door quality, but backed up by deep emotional depth, something that comes across in this movie. Her male co-stars are huge characters, but Adams surpasses all her previous roles, and in places outshines them. Amy Adams has proved she can sing, be immensely funny and be intensely dramatic, without ever changing the root of who she actually is, and The Master proves she is here to stay.
Sally Field - Lincoln

Sally Field taken at the 62nd Academy Awards 3/26/90 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What can I say about this performance that has not already been said, the casting of Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln was pure genius, by the time she has finished her first lines, you can't imagine anyone else playing her. Its not until you do your homework that you realize Field never actually stops working, quietly and not always noticed, yet every now and then she pulls out a performance that gets us all sitting up and paying attention. She has a classic, old style of acting, up there with Meryl Streep, and that's what comes across here, her style works in Lincoln because its the same style as her co-stars, in fact the whole cast, It is an amazing performance, and will be how the future reference Mary Todd Lincoln, and will be remembered as one of Sally Fields finest moments.

Anne Hathaway Deauville 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

Anne Hathaway just continues to grow and develop into a fine actress in front of our very eyes, and this performance shows her real star power. The emotional intensity of her Les Miserables performance is quite overwhelming, it had me in tears less than 30 minutes into the movie. She has a poise and screen
 presence most actresses her age would kill for, she is a pleasure to watch, and great in this movie. The acting performance aside, singing live to camera in a movie musical is unheard of, a feat Hathaway accomplishes with the polish of a season Broadway veteran. As Anne Hathaway develops movie by movie she is rapidly becoming the next really amazing actress.
Helen Hunt - The Sessions

English: Actress Helen Hunt at Grand Rapids in 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Helen Hunt is a very good actress, and she does her role here very well, even better considering how poor the movie was in comparison to the movies spawning our other nominees in this category. She has a self confidence that is somewhat infectious as you watch, the fact she spends most of her time totally naked, yet still pulls off a great role is testament to her ability. It is quite easy to underestimate Hunt while watching this movie, the script is very weak, but the performance is far above the material she is given to work with, something a lot of actresses would not have risen above, let alone deliver this caliber of performance.
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

This Jacki Weavers second nomination in this category, the first coming in 2011 for Animal Kingdom, in Silver Linings Playbook she plays the mother of Bradley Coopers character, she is a doting mother hell bent on the idea that family can heal her sons mental scars. She plays the role very well, never being outshone by her co-stars, the relationship with her husband (Robert De Niro) is excellent and the chemistry on screen is great to watch. The role of mother seems to come naturally to Weaver, her portrayal is heartfelt, yet as is in life, funny at times. Her nomination here among such strong performances really gives credit to how good she was in this movie.
And The Winner Is........

Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

This was a hard choice, as I genuinely think Amy Adams should win, however I think Hathaway will actually scoop the award. Her performance in Les Miserables uses a whole different set of skills to the other great performances, live to camera singing and the intense emotional nature of the performance will win her favor with the Academy.