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Is it the high level of the work, which ensures theres almost never a down year?
Sure, both are part of it.
But Id venture its also that the women competing just feel a tiny bit more likecharactersthan the guys.
But in general, the Meryls and the Katharines cast a longer Oscar shadow than the Jacks and Denzels.
Which is why Im so excited for this years version of the race.
(You could maybe quibble with some of her vocal choices, but Idouhnt.)
Their challenge will be to manage the transition from embattled minority to awards-season frontrunners with dignity and grace.
(Even if reviews for the film have beensomewhat less positive.)
For starters, you will probably not see a more physically transformative performance this fall.
But while the scriptand the makeup teamoccasionally turn Bakker into a caricature, Chastains performance never does.
In every scene, shes able to locate the real human hiding under those infamous eyelashes.
As withAmy Adams, theres a vague sense of promise unfulfilled in her Oscar story.
Perhaps for this reason, Chastains fans seem to be slighter older and mellower than Stewarts.
But theyve stuck with her through theMiss Sloanes andMollys Games, and endured hervery disrespectfulsnub forA Most Violent Year.
Of course, movie-star fandom is one thing; pop-star fans are another, more frightening thing entirely.
Will voters take her more seriously this time around?
Even a few low-key potential nominees are packing more online support than in a typical year.
Take Catriona Balfe ofBelfast, the TIFF Audience Award winner that seems likely to become an all-around contender.
Have you ever met anOutlanderstan?
Theyll mess you up.
I should note that these five actresses are not the only ones on the trail this year.
McDormands back withThe Tragedy of Macbeth, and the well-respected Jennifer Hudson has her Aretha Franklin biopic.
