You know the drill


Here are the nominees in concern:


2006:

Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)


2005:

Keira Knightley (Pride and Prejudice)
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)
Charlize Theron (North Country)
Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
Judi Dench (Lady Henderson Presents)


2004:

Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby)
Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake)
Annette Bening (Being Julia)
Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the spotless Mind)
Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace)


2003:

Charlize Theron (Monster)
Diane Keaton (Something's Gotta Give)
Naomi Watts (21 Grams)
Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider)
Samantha Morton (In America)


2002:

Julianne Moore (Far from Heaven)
Nicole Kidman (The Hours)
Renée Zellweger (Chicago)
Diane Lane (Unfaithful)
Salma Hayek (Frida)


2001:

Halle Berry (Monster's Ball)
Sissy Spacek (In the Bedroom)
Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge)
Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones's Diary)
Judi Dench (Iris)


2000:

Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich)
Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me)
Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream)
Juliette Binoche (Chocolat)
Joan Allen (The Contender)


1999:

Annette Bening (American Beauty)
Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry)
Julianne Moore (The End of the Affair)
Janet McTeer (Tumbleweeds)
Meryl Streep (Music of the Heart)


1998:

Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth)
Meryl Streep (One True Thing)
Emily Watson (Hilary and Jackie)
Fernanda Montenegro (Central Station)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love)


1997:

Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets)
Julie Christie (Afterglow)
Helena Bonham Carter (The Wings of the Dove)
Judi Dench (Mrs. Brown)
Kate Winslet (Titanic)


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They all are at least solid, but my least favorites would be:

1. Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones's Diary) (though she was great in Chicago and CM)
2. Penelope Cruz (Volver)
3. Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love)

Charlize Theron, North Country.

... really wasn't that great of a performance.

I haven't seen very many of those, but I'd have to go with Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give. She just shrieked her way through that flick.

Juliette Binoche in Chocolat. OK performance, but nothing great.

Samantha Morton was good in In America, but I don't know if she was worthy of a Best Actress nom.

And as much as I love Meryl, I think her acting in Music of the Heart was not really some of her strongest.

Juliette Binoche for Chocolat, Renee Zellwegger (particulary in Chicago, but also in Bridget Jones - she was sooo snubbed for Nurse Betty) and Imelda Staunton for Vera Drake (didn't like the film and her performace is just average in it imo).

'05
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)
Charlize Theron (North Country)

'03
Diane Keaton (Something's Gotta Give)
Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider)

'02
Renée Zellweger (Chicago)
Diane Lane (Unfaithful)

Witherspoon was very good in Walk the Line, but she didn't deserve the win. It just seemed to be by the numbers. Same with Charlize Theron except she didn't even have a good film to back her up.

I like Diane Keaton. I like her performances, but she hasn't done really anything great for about 20 years. SGG was likeable and I liked her in it, but she actually got nominated for that? As for Hughes, I wasn't exactly blown away by Whale Rider. I thought she was good, but once again not good enough to be nominated.

Renee was much better in Bridget Jones's Diary than in Chicago. That might be due to my overwhelming hate for this film, but I thought she gave a much better all around performance in the former. And as for Diane Lane in Unfaithful, did the voters even see the film? She was decent at best in the film. Nothing legendary, nothing memorable, nothing remarkable, just meh. '02 must have been a real slow year for her to have been nominated.

Those would be my picks as well for those exact reasons. I would also add Charlize Theron for North Country. Good performance, but not worthy of a nomination.

Diane Keaton in SGG for me.

Renée Zellweger in Chicago, Juliette Binoche, and Samantha Morton.

2000 Juliette Binoche/Joan Allen
2004 Annette Benning
2005 Judi Dench

Renée Zellweger in Chicago sticks out as the performance that hurt the movie more than helped it.