MOVIES: Best of 2005 -- actress

This is probably the category where I'm most in line with what the Academy will actually do; three of my top five have a good chance to be nominated.

The runners-up:

• Miranda July, Me and You and Everyone We Know
• Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
• Lisa Kudrow, Happy Endings
• Laura Linney, The Squid and the Whale

The finalists:

• Joan Allen, The Upside of Anger -- What I love about Allen in this movie is her utter refusal to care about whether we like her or not; she is every bit as selfish and unkind and hateful as the character needs to be, and she's not afraid to be hated.
• Felicity Huffman, Transamerica -- Yes, the physical transformation is impressive -- the lowering of the voice, the poorly trimmed nails, the awkward gait -- but Huffman also nails the emotional turmoil of a woman who's still learning how to be a woman. The final decision in this category was a tough one, and Huffman almost took the prize.
• Connie Nielsen, Brothers -- Even as she's still struggling with the news of her husband's death, Nielsen has to contend with a brother-in-law who wants to take his place; the grief and confusion are palpable, and Nielsen is so solid that she carries us through the movie's more florid moments of melodrama.
• Meryl Streep, Prime -- In drama, Streep is our most overrated actress, stiff and mannered; in comedy, she's like a different person entirely. She's spontaneous and natural, and never more so than here; she's particularly funny in the first half of the movie, when she's the only character who knows the big secret. The movie's dreck, but Streep's magnificent.

The winner:

• Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line -- What can I say about this one that hasn't already been said? It's an impeccable performance, and I especially admire the way Witherspoon captures both the professional insecurities and the steely confidence with which June controls her personal life.