I always talk about movies as I am a self-proclaimed movie buff. I love this time of year because some of the best movies are released, hoping to score some Oscar gold.

I've been on a mission, as I am each year, to watch every movie that is in talks for award season. I've seen many so far this round, including all the movies which scored acting nominations for their female leads.

All of them were AMAZING. Every nominee for Oscar's Best Actress this year is great beyond words. They are all playing someone completely different and unique. Some are serious performances. Others are comedic. All of them are outstanding.

Now that I've seen every performance, here's how I'd give out the gold on Oscar night.

  • 1

    Margot Robbie in I, Tonya

    This was the last film I had to see in order to see each Best Actress nominee. Apparently I saved the best for last. Robbie plays disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding and goes all in. She really lays it all out there. She is funny. She is sad. She is serious. This role has everything AND she learned how to ice skate for the film, which is no easy task when you're portraying an Olympian. How has she not swept awards season for this reason alone?!

  • 2

    Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

    This is one of the more isolating films of the year but no matter how you feel about it, you can't deny McDormand's killer performance. She plays a grieving mother who goes up against the police to get them to solve her daughter's murder. She's mad and she stays mad but she does it better than any other performer in recent movie history. I would be happy to see her take home her second Oscar for it (yes, her performance is that good) and there's a good chance she will.

  • 3

    Sally Hawkins in The Shape Of Water

    The unusual thing about Hawkins role in the film is that she doesn't speak. Not a word. She plays a mute woman who rescues a human-like fish and falls in love with it. She tells the entire story flawlessly without ever uttering a sound and she makes it look easy while doing it. She makes you feel her heartbreak, which isn't easy when you can speak. She does it without ever opening her mouth.

  • 4

    Saoirse Ronan

    Ronan plays a teenager growing up in Sacramento in this female-driven coming-of-age favorite. She plays an American so well in the film, you wouldn't know she has a thick Irish accent. She lets loose here, which we don't see her do too often, as she deals with growing up and her tumultuous relationship with her mother. She'll make you laugh one second and cry the next. Her big Oscar moment comes at the end. She should get a trophy for that minute alone.

  • 5

    Meryl Streep in The Post

    You know it's a good category when Streep isn't the front runner because let's face it, she's perfect in everything. This role is no different. She plays the owner of the Washington Post who has to decide whether or not to publish government secrets. She's fantastic and understated and totally worthy of a nomination but the movie doesn't allow you to connect with her as much as the other performances in this category.

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