from thelw.com

Okay Movie buffs, the glamour and glitz of the Oscars are fast approaching.

But who of the big movie stars sauntering down the red carpet will win the Grand Prize?

This year saw plenty of strong performances by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, as well as some of the newest. Let’s take a look.

Actor in a Leading Role

• Demián Bichir in A Better Life
• George Clooney in The Descendants
• Jean Dujardin in The Artist
• Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• Brad Pitt in Moneyball

This is actually an interesting category for two reasons: Bichir and Oldman. I doubt anyone was guessing Demián Bichir would get nominated for his impressive work in the movie that stuck to the indie circuit without a huge amount of buzz.

It isn’t as much of a surprise, (but still fantastic) that Gary Oldman was finally recognized with his first nomination after decades of impressive acting work. His ability to meld into a role, sometimes beyond recognition, has deserved this sort of honor. His performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy merits it.

However, there were definitely a few actors that were deserving as well. Most notably was Michael Fassbender’s heart wrenching and nuanced performance as a sex addict in Shame and was predicted to get a nod. Also Ryan Gosling was acclaimed as the Driver in the indie favorite Drive and Michael Shannon as the psychologically tormented Curtis in Take Shelter. The last two might have lacked as much momentum behind them.

This category as a whole does not necessarily have very weak points. George Clooney seems to be the favorite with his work in The Descendants, although some argue it wasn’t really that challenging or stand out–just Clooney being Clooney. We appreciated his performance but could see Dujardin stealing away the award if The Artist sweeps. Brad Pitt just seems to be at the middle of this group of nominees.

Actress in a Leading Role

• Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis in The Help
• Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
• Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

This category is filled with mostly strong performances in otherwise mediocre movies, save for Rooney Mara. None of the other four movies were very well received.

The Help was a huge box office sensation but received mixed to favorable reviews and we think that Viola Davis will take home the award based on this fact despite the heavy competition, especially from 17-times nominated Streep.

If we had our way Rooney Mara would be taking home this Oscar. Her performance required the most commitment and commanded the screen completely elevating The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. We think she made this Hollywood take on the source material well worth it despite initial negative reactions from some fans of the Swedish version.

Mara’s Lisbeth Salander was our favorite performance from any actor or actress this year but her chances to win seem slim, considering it was a surprise that she was even nominated.

Some snubs include Tilda Swinton as the mother of a sociopath in We Need to Talk About Kevin, who seemed a sure-fire nominee. Charlize Theron’s work as the somewhat-crazy Mavis in Young Adult was just on the brink of a nod. One of our favorites was seemingly completely overlooked. Elizabeth Olsen (yes the other Olsen sister) was magnetic and compelling as a former cult member in Martha Marcy May Marlene but didn’t really seem on the Oscar radar at all.

What were your favorite performances of the year? Who do you think deserves the win?