Meryl Streep for "August: Osage County "and Sandra Bullock for "Gravity" are amongst our top 5 predictions for the Best Actress Academy Award 2014.

Both actress have given an epic performance in their respective films and the battle for the trophy is evident. Streep is a legend and has to her credit a slew of Academy Awards where as Sandra Bullock who won the Best Actress trophy in 2010 for "The Blind Side", has an undeniable charm. She can easily sweep off the feet of the judges once again with her power-packed performance in Gravity

So between the two actresses, who is a stronger bet for Oscar 2014 Best Actress Award?

Meryl Streep is a veteran and she plays any role given to her with utmost brilliance. Streep has an ability to connect with us in every role she plays, whether it is a light hearted role in "Julie vs Julia" or her forcefull performance as Violet (who suffers from Oral Cancer) in "August: Osage County". What is really remarkable about Streep's performance in "August: Osage County" is her sudden emotional transformations. For a moment she would be fuming and another moment she would be calm.

Richard Corliss of The Times wrote in his review of "August -Osage County that "Streep will more than likely win the Oscar for her over-the-top, loud and cantankerous performance. He even credits her hairstylist (in some scenes in the movie, her hair is a kinky, grey dishevelled mane, the result of chemotherapy), which isn't too far off the mark. It's almost like Streep playing Streep, chewing the scenery ... actually, make that gnashing at the scenery".

Coming to Sandra Bullock's performance in "Gravity," Bullock plays a scientist who gets lost in the space after her space shuttle breaks down. The film shows her struggle to go back to Earth and her quest to survive. Bullock remarkably portrays the emotions of fear with her facial expression. This is a kind of movie which is not only tough to enact but with all the space graphics hovering over you in every scene, standing out as an actress is a challenge. And Bullock deserves kudos for not letting anything distract her from giving one hell of a performance.

Both the actresses have given marvelous performance and it is difficult to say who would take away the trophy. Just a little glimpse of the past: in 2010, Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) defeated Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia), so would history repeat itself?