We totally get it, and we’re not going to deny it: Viola Davis is a revelation. If she wins, she’ll have earned it. But man, Rooney Mara really did kick our mental, metaphorical asses in David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel about hyper-intelligent hacker Lisbeth Salander. “Fearless” gets needlessly thrown around a lot as an adjective to describe the performances of actors, and it’s a bit trite. But if you ask us, Mara stared down an incredibly harrowing role and didn’t blink once. That’s fearless.

If we ruled the Academy: There would be an Oscar for Best Actress in a Role Involving Hacking and Getting Revenge Using Dildos.