Best Actor of the Decade Tournament

Top 2

Sean Penn vs. Philip Seymour Hoffman
Quantity: Penn has done 12 films while Hoffman has done 18. Round - Hoffman.
Quality: Look, these guys are two of the best actors around. Basically, it's going to come down to their best performances, both of which were for practically becoming someone else. Hoffman as Capote vs. Penn as Milk. Both were spectacular. But Penn gave one of, if not the, best performance of the decade. Round - Penn.
Oscar Nominations: Both were nominated three times. Hoffman for Capote, Charlie Wilson's War and Doubt. Penn for I Am Sam, Mystic River and Milk. Hoffman won for Capote. Penn won for Mystic River and Milk. Round - Penn.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Penn directed one of my favorite films of the decade - Into the Wild. Round - Penn.
Winner = Penn.


Coming up... reviews of The Informant and Pandorum as well as a Best Actress of the Decade Tournament (starting October 14).

Best Actor of the Decade Tournament

Top 4

Johnny Depp vs. Sean Penn
Quantity: Depp has done 16 films while Penn has only done 12. Round - Depp.
Quality: Depp was great in Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd, Public Enemies and the Pirates movies. Penn has been great in I Am Sam, 21 Grams and the Assassination of Richard Nixon. And he's been beyond great in Mystic River and Milk. Round - Penn.
Oscar Nominations: Depp has three nominations this decade for the first Pirates film, Finding Neverland and Sweeney Todd. Penn has also been nominated three times for I Am Sam, Mystic River (he won) and Milk (he won again). Round - Penn.
Shared Screen: They were both in Before Night Falls which I have not seen so I can't say who was better. Round - Tie.
Extra Curriculars: Penn directed Into the Wild, one of the best films of the decade. Round - Penn.
Winner = Penn.

Philip Seymour Hoffman vs. Matt Damon
Quantity: Damon's 19 films just barely beats out Hoffman's 18. Round - Damon.
Quality: Damon was great in All the Pretty Horses, Gerry, Syriana, The Departed, The Informant! and the Bourne trilogy. Meanwhile, Hoffman was great in Almost Famous, Capote, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Synecdoche New York and Doubt. It's close but when you put their best performances (Capote vs. The Departed) against each other, Hoffman just barely wins out. Round - Hoffman.
Oscar Nominations: Damon has shockingly not been nominated this decade while Hoffman has two nominations (Charlie Wilson's War and Doubt) and one win (Capote). Round - Hoffman.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Damon is a Red Sox fan. Hoffman was in Empire Falls. I would give it to one or the other but then I'd have to make a tie breaking decision and that's not a choice I want to make. I'm going to call it a tie and let the other categories decide it. Round - Tie.
Winner = Hoffman.

On Sunday, the final face-off between Sean Penn and Philip Seymour Hoffman for Best Actor of the Decade...

Best Actor of the Decade Tournament

Top 8



Johnny Depp vs. Russell Crowe

Quantity: Crowe has only done 11 movies in the past 10 years while Depp has done 16. Round - Depp.
Quality: Depp's best work has been in Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd, Public Enemies and the Pirates trilogy. Meanwhile, Crowe has been great in Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, 3:10 to Yuma, American Gangster, Body of Lies and State of Play. Round - Tie.
Oscar Nominations: Depp has been nominated three times for the first Pirate film, Finding Neverland, and Sweeney Todd. Crowe has only been nominated twice for Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind... but he won for Gladiator. Round - Crowe.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Depp does voice work in films including the Corpse Bride. Round - Depp.
Winner = Depp.



Javier Bardem vs. Sean Penn
Quantity: Penn hasn't done many films in the last ten years... only 12. Bardem works even less though and has done only 9. Round - Penn.
Quality: Penn has been nothing short of amazing in I Am Sam, Mystic River, 21 Grams, The Assassination of Richard Nixon and Milk. Bardem has been stellar in Goya's Ghost, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and especially No Country For Old Men. His No Country role pulls a lot of weight... unfortunately it loses out against Penn's amazing transformation in Milk. Round - Penn.
Oscar Nominations: Bardem was nominated for Before Night Falls and won for No Country for Old Men. Penn was nominated for I Am Sam and won for both Mystic River and Milk. Round - Penn.
Shared Screen: They both appeared in Before Night Falls. Bardem was Oscar nominated for his role so I guess he was better. Unfortunately I didn't see the film so I can't really decide.
Extra Curriculars: Penn directed the amazing film Into the Wild. Round - Penn.
Winner = Penn.



Philip Seymour Hoffman vs. Heath Ledger
Quantity: Ledger's 13 films loses out to Hoffman's 18. Round - Hoffman.
Quality: Both actors did their best work in the later part of the decade. Hoffman killed it in Almost Famous, Capote, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Synecdoche New York and Doubt. Meanwhile, Ledger was great in Lords of Dogtown, Monsters Ball, Brokeback Mountain, Candy, I'm Not There and especially The Dark Knight. Six great performances each. I'm giving Ledger the edge for his Joker performance. Round - Ledger.
Oscar Nominations: Ledger and Hoffman were nominated against each other for their roles in Brokeback Mountain and Capote, respectively. Hoffman won. A few years later they were nominated against each other again for their roles in The Dark Knight and Doubt, respectively. Ledger won. Hoffman also picked up a third nod for Charlie Wilson's War. Round - Hoffman.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Hoffman appeared in Empire Falls. Ledger was lost far too soon. Round - Tie.
Winner = Hoffman.



Matt Damon vs. George Clooney
Quantity: Damon's 19 films just barely beats out Clooney's 17. Round - Damon.
Quality: Damon was best in All the Pretty Horses, Gerry, The Departed, Syriana and the Bourne trilogy. Clooney was great in Syriana, Michael Clayton and Burn After Reading. Round - Damon.
Oscar Nominations: Damon hasn't been nominated this decade (WHAT!?). Clooney won for Syriana and was nominated a second time for Michael Clayton. Round - Clooney.
Shared Screen: Okay. These guys are total besties and work with each other A LOT. They both appeared in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (Clooney was better because Damon was only in it for three seconds), Syriana (Clooney was better because he was amazing in it), and the Ocean's trilogy (Damon was better because, frankly, he was the only thing I could stand about Ocean's 12 and 13). Round - Damon.
Extra Curriculars: Clooney wrote and directed Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck, the latter of which earned him Oscar nominations. Damon is a Red Sox fan. Round - Clooney.
Winner = Damon.

On Wednesday, we'll carry on with the final four - Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Matt Damon.

Best Actor of the Decade Tournament

Top 16

Johnny Depp vs. Viggo Mortensen
Quantity: Depp has done 16 films this decade while Mortensen has only done 9. Round - Depp.
Quality: Depp was great in Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd, Public Enemies and the Pirates Trilogy while Mortensen was best in History of Violence, Eastern Promises and Appaloosa. Round - Depp.
Oscar Nominations: Mortensen has one nomination for Eastern Promises while Depp has three for the first Pirates film, Finding Neverland and Sweeney Todd. Round - Depp.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Depp has done a lot of voice work. Mortensen is sexy. Round - Mortensen.
Winner = Depp.

Russell Crowe vs. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Quantity: Crowe's 11 loses out to Gordon-Levitt's 15. Round - Gordon-Levitt.
Quality: Gordon-Levitt has been stellar in Mysterious Skin, Brick, The Lookout, Stop Loss and (500) Days of Summer. Meanwhile, Crowe has been great in Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, 3:10 to Yuma, American Gangster, Body of Lies and State of Play. Round - Crowe.
Oscar Nominations: Gordon-Levitt has never been nominated. Crowe won for Gladiator and was nominated for A Beautiful Mind. Round - Crowe.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Gordon-Levitt's Hit Record website still wins out. Round - Gordon-Levitt.
Tie Breaker: I don't want it to be this way but I am trying to stay objective. Round - Crowe.
Winner = Crowe.

Jake Gyllenhaal vs. Javier Bardem
Quantity: Gyllenhaal's 12 beats out Bardem's 9. Round - Gyllenhaal.
Quality: Gyllenhaal was best in Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead and Zodiac. Bardem was best in No Country For Old Men, Goya's Ghost and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Still, his work in No Country counts for a lot. Round - Bardem.
Oscar Nominations: Gyllenhaal was nominated for Brokeback Mountain while Bardem was nominated for Before Night Falls and won for No Country for Old Men. Round - Bardem.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Bardem's No Country For Old Men performance will surely be battling for the top spot on my list of the best performances of the decade (coming later this year!!). Round - Bardem.
Winner = Bardem.

Ben Kingsley vs. Sean Penn
Quantity: Kingsley's 22 films beat out Penn's 12. Round - Kingsley.
Quality: Kingsley was best in Sexy Beast, House of Sand and Fog, The Wackness, Transsiberian and Elegy. Meanwhile, Penn was best in I Am Sam, Mystic River, 21 Grams, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, and Milk. Again, Penn's work in Mystic River and Milk count double. Round - Penn.
Oscar Nominations: Kingsley was nominated twice for Sexy Beast and House of Sand and Fog. Penn won twice for Mystic River and Milk. He was also nominated for I Am Sam. Round - Penn.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Penn directed the breathtaking Into the Wild. Round - Penn.
Winner = Penn.

Philip Seymour Hoffman vs. Colin Farrell
Quantity: Farrell's 19 just beats out Hoffman's 18. Round - Farrell.
Quality: Hoffman was best in Almost Famous, Capote, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Synecdoche New York and Doubt. Meanwhile, Farrell has been great in Phone Booth, A Home at the End of the World, The New World, Ask the Dust and In Bruges. Round - Hoffman.
Oscar Nominations: Farrell has never been nominated. Hoffman won for Capote and was nominated for Charlie Wilson's War and Doubt. Round - Hoffman.
Shared Screen: They never shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Hoffman appeared in the TV movie Empire Falls. Round - Hoffman.
Winner = Hoffman.

Heath Ledger vs. Alec Baldwin
Quantity: Ledger's 13 pales in comparison to Baldwin's 21. Round - Baldwin.
Quality: Baldwin was great in The Cooler, The Departed and Running with Scissors. Ledger was great in Lords of Dogtown, Brokeback Mountain, Candy, I'm Not There and The Dark Knight. Round - Ledger.
Oscar Nominations: Baldwin was nominated for The Cooler. Ledger was nominated for Brokeback Mountain and won for The Dark Knight. Round - Ledger.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Baldwin does lots of great TV work including stints on Friends, SNL, Will and Grace and, of course, 30 Rock. Round - Baldwin.
Tie Breaker: Not only was Ledger lost too soon, but also his career was shaping up to be astounding. Round - Ledger.
Winner = Ledger.

Leonardo DiCaprio vs. Matt Damon
Quantity: DiCaprio has only done 9 films and Damon more than doubles that with 19. Round - Damon.
Quality: DiCaprio was great in The Beach, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond and Revolutionary Road. Meanwhile, Damon was great in All The Pretty Horses, Gerry, The Departed and the Bourne Trilogy. Round - Tie.
Oscar Nominations: Damon has not been nominated this decade. DiCaprio was nominated for The Aviator and Blood Diamond. Round - DiCaprio.
Shared Screen: They were on opposite sides of the law in The Departed. Both were stellar. It happens to be my favorite DiCaprio performance. Round - DiCaprio.
Extra Curriculars: Damon and DiCaprio are both environmentalists. But Damon is also a Red Sox fan. Round - Damon.
Tie Breaker: Toughest decision ever. As much as I love DiCaprio, I think I'm going to have to go against him here. Round - Damon.
Winner = Damon.

George Clooney vs. James Franco
Quantity: Clooney has done 17 films while Franco has done 32. Round - Franco.
Quality: Clooney has been great in Syriana, Michael Clayton and Burn After Reading. Meanwhile, Franco has been great in Pineapple Express and Milk. Round - Clooney.
Oscar Nominations: Franco has never been nominated. Clooney won for Syriana and was nominated for Michael Clayton. Round - Clooney.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Franco has appeared on Freaks and Geeks. Meanwhile, Clooney is also a director and writer and was Oscar nominated for Good Night, and Good Luck. Round - Clooney.
Winner = Clooney.

...And then there were eight.

Best Actor of the Decade Tournament

Top 32 - Round 2

Casey Affleck vs. Philip Seymour Hoffman
Quantity: Affleck has done 14 films in the last decade while Hoffman has done 18. Round - Hoffman.
Quality: Affleck's best work in Gerry, Lonesome Jim, The Assassination of Jesse James and Gone Baby Gone pales in comparison to Hoffman's best work in Almost Famous, Capote, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Synecdoche New York and Doubt. Round - Hoffman.
Oscar Nominations: Affleck was nominated for his turn as Robert Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Hoffman was nominated for Charlie Wilson's War and Doubt. He also won for his complete transformation in Capote. Round - Hoffman.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Hoffman was in the TV movie Empire Falls but Affleck is a Red Sox fan. Round - Affleck.
Winner = Hoffman.

Michael Shannon vs. Colin Farrell
Quantity: Shannon has done 26 films this decade while Farrell has only done 19. Round - Shannon.
Quality: Sure, Shannon was in Kangaroo Jack. But he was also kickass in Bug, Shotgun Stories and Revolutionary Road. Meanwhile, Farrell has been amazing in Phone Booth, A Home at the End of the World, Ask the Dust and In Bruges. Round - Farrell.
Oscar Nominations: Farrell has never been nominated but Shannon was nominated for Revolutionary Road. Round - Shannon.
Shared Screen: Both actors appeared in the movie Tigerland. I saw it many, many years ago and I don't even remember Shannon being in it. Round - Farrell.
Extra Curriculars: Farrell won a very much deserved Golden Globe for his INCREDIBLE performance in In Bruges. Round - Farrell.
Winner = Farrell.

Robert Downey Jr. vs. Heath Ledger
Quantity: Downey has worked a lot this decade, appearing in 21 films while Ledger only starred in 13. Round - Downey.
Quality: Downey was great in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Zodiac, Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. Meanwhile, Ledger was great in Monster's Ball, Lords of Dogtown, Brokeback Mountain, Candy, and I'm Not There. And he was perfection in The Dark Knight. Round - Ledger.
Oscar Nominations: Downey lost Best Supporting Actor in Tropic Thunder to Ledger for The Dark Knight. Ledger was also nominated for Brokeback Mountain. Round - Ledger.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Downey was great on Ally McBeal but Ledger has still got that "gone way too soon" thing going on. Round - Ledger.
Winner = Ledger.

Alec Baldwin vs. Will Smith
Quantity: Baldwin works a lot and his 21 films wins over Smith's 10. Round - Baldwin.
Quality: Baldwin was great in The Cooler, The Departed and Running with Scissors. Smith was great in Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds. Baldwin was one of my favorite things about The Departed so he gets a slight edge. Round - Baldwin.
Oscar Nominations: Baldwin was nominated once for The Cooler. Smith was nominated twice for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. Round - Smith.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Baldwin has done hilarious guest appearances on Friends and Will and Grace. He's probably the best Saturday Night Live host ever. And he kills it weekly on 30 Rock. Round - Baldwin.
Winner = Baldwin.

Mickey Rourke vs. Leonardo DiCaprio
Quantity: Rourke has done 15 films in the last 10 years while DiCaprio has only done 9. Round - Rourke.
Quality: Rourke was great in Spun, Sin City, The Wrestler and Killshot but DiCaprio was great in The Beach, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond and Revolutionary Road. Round - DiCaprio.
Oscar Nominations: Rourke made his comeback last year by getting a nomination for The Wrestler. DiCaprio has been nominated twice this decade for The Aviator and Blood Diamond. Round - DiCaprio.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Rourke and I share a birthday! But DiCaprio is an environmentalist and produced the documentary 11th Hour. Round - DiCaprio.
Winner = DiCaprio.

Sam Rockwell vs. Matt Damon
Quantity: Rockwell has done 23 films which beats out Damon's 19. Round - Rockwell.
Quality: Both of these guys do great work. Rockwell in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Matchstick Men, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Snow Angels and Choke. Damon in All the Pretty Horses, Gerry, Syriana, The Departed and the Bourne Trilogy. Round - Damon.
Oscar Nominations: Rockwell has SHOCKINGLY never been nominated. Damon, also shockingly, hasn't been nominated this decade. Round - Tie.
Shared Screen: Both actors were in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Damon made a small category and Rockwell tore it up in a great performance. Round - Rockwell.
Extra Curriculars: Damon has a great sense of humor and showed it in "I'm F**king Matt Damon" with Sarah Silverman. He's also a Red Sox fan. Round - Damon.
Tie Breaker: If I was deciding my favorite actor, I might pick Rockwell. But I'm trying to be objective and find the best actor so I'm going to go with Damon. Round - Damon.
Winner = Damon.

Jude Law vs. George Clooney
Quantity: Law and Clooney have both done 17 films in the past decade. Round - Tie.
Quality: Law was great in Cold Mountain, I Heart Huckabees and Closer. Meanwhile, Clooney was great in Syriana, Michael Clayton and Burn After Reading. Clooney's performance in Syriana gives him the slight edge. Round - Clooney.
Oscar Nominations: Law was nominated for Cold Mountain. Meanwhile, Clooney was nominated for Michael Clayton and won for Syriana. Round - Clooney.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Clooney wrote and directed Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck. He was Oscar nominated for the latter. Round - Clooney.
Winner = Clooney.

Stellan Skarsgard vs. James Franco
Quantity: Skarsgard has done 26 films in the last 10 years while Franco has done 32! Round - Franco.
Quality: Skarsgard was great in Dancer in the Dark, Dogville and Goya's Ghosts. Franco was great in Pineapple Express and Milk. Round - Skarsgard.
Oscar Nominations: Neither have been nominated.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Skarsgard is the father of the sexiest man alive, Alexander Skarsgard. Franco did a hell of a job as James Dean in a TV movie. He also appeared on the second best show of the decade, Freaks and Geeks, and made a funny cameo in Knocked Up. Round - Franco.
Winner = Franco.

My prediction is a Sean Penn vs. Philip Seymour Hoffman finale. On Wednesday, we'll move one step closer to finding out if I'm right.

Best Actor of the Decade Tournament

Top 32 - Round 1

Morgan Freeman vs. Johnny Depp
Quantity: Freeman works a lot - a lot, a lot! - and has done 28 films compared to Depp's 16. Round - Freeman.
Quality: Freeman was best in Million Dollar Baby, Batman Begins, Gone Baby Gone and The Dark Knight. Meanwhile, Depp has been just as great in the Pirates trilogy, Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd and Public Enemies. Round - Depp.
Oscar Nominations: Freeman won for Million Dollar Baby. Depp hasn't won - yet - but he's been nominated 3 times for the first Pirates film, Finding Neverland and Sweeney Todd. Round - Depp.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Morgan Freeman has the best voice in Hollywood and narrates everything. Depp does a lot of voice work on cartoons and was the main voice in Corpse Bride. Plus, he's a musician. Round - Depp.
Winner = Depp.

Jackie Earle Haley vs. Viggo Mortensen
Quantity: Viggo doesn't really work that much and has only done 9 films this decade. However, Haley works even less and only appeared in 5. Round - Mortensen.
Quality: Eventhough Haley was amazing in Little Children and the best thing about Watchmen, it can't compare to Mortensen's amazing work in Appaloosa, A History of Violence and especially Eastern Promises. Round - Mortensen.
Oscar Nominations: Both were nominated once. Haley for Little Children and Mortensen for Eastern Promises. Round - TIE.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: I love Haley a lot and am so glad he's making a comeback but Mortensen is the artistic type - he's a poet and artist. Plus, he's on my top 5 sexiest men alive list. Round - Mortensen.
Winner = Mortensen.

Kevin Spacey vs. Russell Crowe
Quantity: Crowe's 11 just barely loses to Spacey's 13. Round - Spacey.
Quality: Unfortunately, Spacey did his best work in the 90s. Still, he's been great this decade in the United States of Leland and The Life of David Gale. Meanwhile, Crowe has been killing it in Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, 3:10 to Yuma, American Gangster, Body of Lies and State of Play. Round - Crowe.
Oscar Nominations: Spacey hasn't been nominated this decade. Crowe was nominated twice for A Beautiful Mind and Gladiator (for which he won). Round - Crowe.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Spacey was fantastic in the TV movie Recount. Round - Spacey.
Tie Breaker: This is difficult. If I was including movies pre-2000, then this would be a no-brainer and Spacey would easily walk away with it. However, since it's only this decade, I'm going to have to be objective and give it to Crowe. Round - Crowe.
Winner = Crowe.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt vs. Brad Pitt
Quantity: Both Gordon-Levitt and Pitt have made 15 films. Round - TIE.
Quality: Pitt has been great in The Assassination of Jesse James, Burn After Reading, The Curious Case of Benjaming Button and Burn After Reading. Gordon-Levitt has been amazing in indies like Manic, Mysterious Skin, Brick, The Lookout, Stop Loss, and (500) Days of Summer. Round - Gordon-Levitt.
Oscar Nominations: Gordon-Levitt has yet to be nominated while Pitt was for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Round - Pitt.
Shared screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Pitt does a lot of humanitarian work while Levitt was on 3rd Rock from the Sun and runs the awesome Hit Record website. Round - Gordon-Levitt.
Winner = Gordon-Levitt.

Will Ferrell vs. Jake Gyllenhaal
Quantity: Ferrell works a lot and therefore crushes Gyllenhaal's 12 with his 28. Round - Ferrell.
Quality: Ferrell's best work in Winter Passing and Stranger Than Fiction pales in comparison to Gyllenhaal's work in Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead and Zodiac. Round - Gyllenhaal.
Oscar Nominations: Ferrell has never been nominated and Gyllenhaal has been once for Brokeback Mountain. Round - Gyllenhaal.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Ferrell appeared on Undeclared, Eastbound and Down and, of course, Saturday Night Live. Round - Ferrell.
Tie Breaker: I can't feel good about myself as a person if Will Ferrell makes it any further in this competition. Round - Gyllenhaal.
Winner = Gyllenhaal.

Javier Bardem vs. Ryan Gosling
Quantity: Neither work very much so Gosling's 10 beats out Bardem's 9. Round - Gosling.
Quality: They were both great in three films. Gosling in The Believer, Half Nelson and Lars and the Real Girl. Bardem in Goya's Ghost, No Country for Old Men and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Bardem's performance in No Country for Old Men is enough to give him the win, though. Round - Bardem.
Oscar Nominations: Gosling was nominated for his turn as a druggy teacher in Half Nelson. Meanwhile, Bardem was nominated for Before Night Falls and won for No Country for Old Men. Round - Bardem.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Gosling has a kick ass band called Dead Man's Bones. Round - Gosling.
Tie Breaker: Another tough decision but, fortunately for Bardem, his performance in No Country for Old Men pulls a lot of weight with me. Round - Bardem.
Winner = Bardem.

Denzel Washington vs. Ben Kingsley
Quantity: Washington's done 12 films in 10 years while Kingsley has done 22. Round - Kingsley.
Quality: Washington was great in Training Day, Inside Man and American Gangster but Kingsley's been doing a lot more work and he's been great in Sexy Beast, House of Sand and Fog, You Kill Me, The Wackness, Transsiberian and Elegy. Round - Kingsley.
Oscar Nominations: Washington won for Trainging Day but Kingsley has been nominated twice for Sexy Beast and The House of Sand and Fog. Round - Kingsley.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Kingsley is a sir! Round - Kingsley.
Winner = Kingsley.

Sean Penn vs. Forest Whitaker
Quantity: Whitaker works a little more than Penn. Whitaker has done 20 films in 10 years while Penn has only done 12. Round - Whitaker.
Quality: Whitaker was great in The Last King of Scotland while Penn's been great in I Am Sam, Mystic River, 21 Grams, The Assassination of Richard Nixon and Milk. Round - Penn.
Oscar Nominations: Whitaker won for The Last King of Scotland. Penn was nominated for I Am Sam and won for Mystic River and Milk. Round - Penn.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Whitaker appeared on The Shield. Penn directed Into the Wild, one of my favorite films of the decade. Round - Penn.
Winner = Penn.

Next post won't be on Sunday - either Saturday or Monday (depending on when I have more time). But there will be crazy showdowns like Robert Downey Jr. vs. Heath Ledger, Mickey Rourke vs. Leo DiCaprio and Matt Damon vs. Sam Rockwell!

Best and Worst of Summer 2009

The best and worst of the summer of 2009 from Memorial Day to Labor Day...

Great

Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino's epic war film follows a group of Jewish soldiers who take out the Nazi's one by one. Meanwhile, a Jewish survivor disguising herself as a French cinema owner plans to take out the top dog himself - Hitler - at the premiere of a war film. Melanie Laurent is mind blowing but Christoph Waltz gives the best performance of the year (so far). Not my favorite Tarantino film (that's Reservior Dogs) but definitely his best.

(500) Days of Summer - A unique take on the romance genre, (500) Days of Summer follows the relationship between uber romantic Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and the object of his affection Summer (Zooey Deschannel), who doesn't believe in love. The film jumps around between the highs (a song and dance number after they first have sex) and lows (Tom telling a post-break up date "She literally shit on my face."). It's a unique, sexy, funny film.

District 9 - The most surprising film of the year, for me, District 9 is a low budget sci-fi movie about a group of aliens who land in South Africa and the cultural impact their arrival has on the city. Set up as a documentary, it follows a man as he tries to evict them from their slum. The movie is so intense, has great action scenes and a lot of really well done surprises.

Good

Funny People - Judd Apatow's most well-rounded film, Funny People is seriously funny and seriously well done. It stars Adam Sandler as a washed up comedian who finds out he's probably dying from cancer. He befriends Seth Rogen and tries to win back the one who got away (the amazingly hilarious and so, so, so talented Leslie Mann). Jonah Hill steals the show.

Whatever Works - Woody Allen just can't disappoint me. Sure, it's not as good as Vicky Cristina Barcelona or even Match Point, but it's still very funny and very clever. Even when Woody isn't perfect, he's still so much better than everyone else. Patricia Clarkson is spot on as a redneck Southern woman who turns into a free-loving hippie artist.

The Hangover - The funniest movie of the year (and I don't think anything else will match it at this point). The plot is so simple - a group of guys have a bachelor party in Las Vegas. Craziness ensues, none of which we see. The cast is hilarious and it's so much better as a film than it has to be. It could have gotten by on the laughs alone but technically, it's a great film.

Up - Perhaps the most depressing kids movie I ever saw. That's not to say it isn't good because it's very, very good. But it is about a man who loses everyone he loves. He wakes up old and alone. None of his dreams ever came true. Now the government wants to tear down his house. So he ties a ton of balloons to the house and it takes him to paradise. There he gets chased by a creepy bird and an even creepier "environmentalist."

Public Enemies - My main problem with this film was that it went nowhere. There was no development. They cast all these amazing actors and gave them a line or two here and there. Giovanni Ribisi was lucky and got two entire scenes! Still, John Dillinger, as a rule, is an interesting character and Johnny Depp does a hell of a job recreating his bad ass swagger.

Average

The Proposal - Sure, it's absolutely your cliched romantic comedy. But The Proposal has a very likeable cast (Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenenberger, BETTY WHITE, Craig T. Nelson) and that sure makes it easier to sit through.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra - Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a super genius evil mastermind? Sienna Miller as a bad ass babe in leather? Channing Tatum shirtless? Sign me up. Even if it is a little cheesy, who even cares?

Land of the Lost - Danny McBride helps make this mediocre comedy worth sitting through. The scenes at the hotel were hilarious.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - Not nearly as good as the original, but still a decent way to kill a couple hours. Denzel Washington and John Travolta do their best with the material.

Bad

The Time Traveler's Wife - I'm not Rachel McAdams biggest fan. I could care less about Eric Bana. I thought it looked sweet and romantic. Little did I know it would be so mind-boggling-ly ridiculous.

Year One - Unfortunately, the funniest parts are in the trailer. Even Michael Cera's natural hilarity and Christopher Mintz-Plasse's adorable-ness can't save this mess.

Orphan - I'll say it again: Orphan is the perfect example of a TERRIBLE ending ruining a completely mediocre movie.

Worst

Drag Me To Hell - I might be the only one who didn't like it and that's fine. This movie was just too ridiculous and not even close to be scary or creepy or terrifying. The talking goat just completely lost me.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Just a huge mess of a movie. I have absolutely nothing nice to say about it at all.

Halloween 2 - Rob Zombie continues to make a mockery out of the single greatest horror movie franchise of all time. Donald Pleasance is rolling over in his grave right now at what they've done to the character of Dr. Loomis.

Best Actor of the Decade Tournament

Top 64 - Round 4

Steve Carrell vs. Mickey Rourke
Quantity: Steve Carrell has done 12 movies in the past 10 years. Meanwhile, even though Rourke recently had his "comeback" with The Wrestler, he's done 15. Round - Rourke.
Quality: Carrell is always funny but he was best in The 40 Year Old Virgin and Little Miss Sunshine. Even if Rourke hadn't done gone work in Spun, Sin City and Killshot, he still would have won based on his amazing performance in The Wrestler. Round - Rourke.
Oscar Nominations: Rourke was nominated for The Wrestler. Round - Rourke.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Carrell was hilarious on The Daily Show and kills it weekly on The Office. Round - Carrell.
Winner = Rourke.

Leonardo DiCaprio vs. John Malkovich
Quantity: DiCaprio is definitely quality over quantity and he's only appeared in 9 films in the last 10 years. Meanwhile, Malkovich has done 25. Round - Malkovich.
Quality: DiCaprio is great in everything he does, most notably The Beach, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond and Revolutionary Road. Malkovich plays a little stranger and was amazing in Shadow of a Vampire, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Art School Confidential, Changeling and, especially Burn After Reading. Round - DiCaprio.
Oscar Nominations: Malkovich hasn't been nominated this decade and DiCaprio has been nominated twice for The Aviator and Blood Diamond. Round - DiCaprio.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: DiCaprio produced the 11th Hour and he's an environmentalist. Malkovich appeared in a Les Miserables mini series and is the most bad ass man alive. TIE.
Winner = DiCaprio.

William Hurt vs. Sam Rockwell
Quantity: Hurt and Rockwell are pretty evenly matched here but Rockwell's 23 films just edges out Hurt's 22. Round - Rockwell.
Quality: Hurt's best work this decade has been in The Village, The King, A History of Violence, and Into the Wild. Meanwhile, Rockwell has been stellar in Matchstick Men, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Choke and especially Snow Angels. Round - Rockwell.
Oscar Nominations: Rockwell has shockingly never been nominated and Hurt was for A History of Violence. Round - Hurt.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Hurt was fantastic on this past season of Damages. Round - Hurt.
Tie Breaker: I don't want to have to pick between these two men. They are honestly two of my favorites. I'm going to do this the fairest way possible - Eeny, meeny, miny, mo. Round - Rockwell.
Winner = Rockwell.

Josh Brolin vs. Matt Damon
Quantity: Brolin has done 14 films in the past 10 years while Damon has done 19. Round - Damon.
Quality: Brolin hit his stride in the past few years by stealing scenes in The Dead Girl, No Country For Old Men, Planet Terror, American Gangster, W., and Milk. Meanwhile, Damon is always amazing especially in All the Pretty Horses, Gerry, Syriana, The Departed, and the Bourne trilogy. Round - Damon.
Oscar Nominations: Damon hasn't been nominated this decade (although he should have been for The Departed). Meanwhile, Brolin picked up a nomination for Milk. Round - Brolin.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Damon appeared in the HILARIOUS Sarah Silverman video "I'm F**king Matt Damon." Plus, he's a Red Sox fan. Round - Damon.
Winner = Damon.

Jamie Foxx vs. Jude Law
Quantity: Jude Law was working a lot in 2004 and 2005 which helps his 17 beat out Foxx's 13. Round - Law.
Quality: I'm not Foxx's biggest fan but no one can deny that he was anything short of amazing in Ray. However, I loved Law in Closer, I Heart Huckabees and Cold Mountain. Round - Law.
Oscar Nominations: Law was nominated for Cold Mountain. Foxx was nominated for Collateral and won for Ray. Round - Foxx.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Foxx went on a public tirade and bad mouthed 16 year old Miley Cyrus. Law cheated on his wife with Sienna Miller and then Sienna Miller with a nanny... I don't think anyone really wins here.
Winner = Law.

George Clooney vs. Joaquin Phoenix
Quantity: Pheonix has apparently retired from acting but he still did 13 films this decade. Meanwhile, Clooney has done 17. Round - Clooney.
Quality: Clooney was great in Syriana, Michael Clayton and Burn After Reading. Meanwhile, Phoenix was great in Gladiator, The Village, Walk the Line, Reservation Road and Two Lovers. Round - Phoenix.
Oscar Nominations: Phoenix was nominated for Gladiator and Walk the Line. Clooney has been nominated for directing and writing as well as acting in Michael Clayton and Syriana (for which he won). Round - Clooney.
Shared Screen: They haven't shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Clooney wrote and directed Good Night, and Good Luck and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He also directed Leatherheads but we won't hold that against him. Round - Clooney.
Winner = Clooney.

Stellan Skarsgard vs. Hugh Jackman
Quantity: Jackman has worked a lot, starring in 16 films (he played Wolverine in 4 of them). Meanwhile, Skarsgard switches between English films and Swedish films and has done 26. Round - Skarsgard.
Quality: Jackman doesn't really do it for me although he was quite good in Australia. Skarsgard has been great in Dancer in the Dark, Dogville and Goya's Ghost. He didn't even see too embarrassed in Mamma Mia! Round - Skarsgard.
Oscar Nominations: Neither have been nominated.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: People Magazine claims Jackman is the Sexiest Man Alive. Skarsgard is the father of the REAL sexiest man alive, Alexander Skarsgard. Round - Skarsgard.
Winner = Skarsgard.

James Franco vs. Edward Norton
Quantity: Franco has done 32 films in the past 10 years while Norton has only done 13. Round - Franco.
Quality: Franco has really been stepping it up lately and was great in Pineapple Express and Milk. Meanwhile, Norton did his best work in the 90s but was still great in Down in the Valley, The Painted Veil and Pride and Glory. Round - Norton.
Oscar Nominations: Neither have been nominated.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Franco appeared in the second greatest TV show of all time - Freaks and Geeks. He also appeared as James Dean in a TV movie about the iconic actor. And he helped out his F&G pals by doing a funny cameo in Knocked Up. Round - Franco.
Winner = Franco.

On Wednesday, the top 32 begins and we'll see if Morgan Freeman, Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt can survive.

Best Actor of the Decade Tournament

Round 3 - Top 64

Casey Affleck vs. Nicolas Cage
Quantity: Affleck has done 14 films in 10 years while Cage has done 17. Round - Cage.
Quality: The difference between Affleck and Cage is that Affleck started out the decade at the beginning of his career so his choices in roles have progressively gotten better and better. Meanwhile, Cage is in a huge down swing since Leaving Las Vegas and he keeps getting worse and worse. He's only done one good movie this decade - Adaptation. Meanwhile, Affleck has done Gerry, Lonesome Jim, The Assassination of Jesse James and Gone Baby Gone. Round - Affleck.
Oscar Nominations: They have both been nominated once. Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Cage for Adaptation. Round - Tie.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Affleck is a Red Sox fan! Round - Affleck.
Winner = Affleck.

Ben Stiller vs. Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Quantity: It seems like Stiller is in every movie but he's only done 19 films this decade. Meanwhile, Hoffman has done one less with 18. Round - Stiller.
Quality: Even Stiller's best work in Tropic Thunder can't even compare in the smallest way to Hoffman's work in Almost Famous, Capote, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Synecdoche, New York and Doubt. Round - Hoffman.
Oscar Nominations: Stiller has never been nominated. Hoffman was nominated for Charlie Wilson's War and Doubt. He also won for Capote. Round - Hoffman.
Shared Screen: They both appeared in Along Came Polly. Even though Stiller was the star, Hoffman stole the scenes. Round - Hoffman.
Extra Curriculars: Hoffman appeared in the TV movie Empire Falls and is just all around awesome. However, Stiller appeared on my two favorite TV shows of the decade - Undeclared and Arrested Development. He also directed Tropic Thunder. Round - Stiller.
Winner = Hoffman.

Michael Shannon vs. Robert De Niro
Quantity: De Niro has done 16 films in the last ten years (although it sure doesn't feel like it). Meanwhile, Shannon has been working hard appearing in 26 films. Round - Shannon.
Quality: De Niro is one of the greatest actors of all time but this decade he hasn't really shown it. Meanwhile, Shannon has been killing it in movies like Bug, Shotgun Stories and Revolutionary Road. Round - Shannon.
Oscar Nominations: De Niro hasn't been nominated this decade and Shannon has been nominated for Revolutionary Road. Round - Shannon.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: De Niro directed the star studded The Good Shepherd. Round - De Niro.
Winner = Shannon.

Christian Bale vs. Colin Farrell
Quantity: Both actors are pretty closely matched. Bale has done 17 while Farrell has done 19. Round - Farrell.
Quality: Bale has been in more high profile roles lately such as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Terminator: Salvation, I'm Not There and 3:10 to Yuma. But has he really been the best thing about any of them? Meanwhile, Farrell has been doing smaller projects and he's been very good in Phone Booth, Home at the End of the World, Ask the Dust, The New World and In Bruges. Still, Bale was once a good actor and his work in American Psycho and The Machinist win it for him. Round - Bale.
Oscar Nominations: Neither have been nominated.
Shared Screen: They both appeared in The New World which is a beautiful and underrated film. Bale's role was very small and Farrell was the star. It was also probably his second best performance. Round - Farrell.
Extra Curriculars: Farrell won a much deserved Golden Globe for his BRILLIANT work in In Bruges. Round - Farrell.
Winner = Farrell.

Robert Downey Jr. vs. Kevin Bacon
Quantity: Kevin Bacon, who is supposed to be one of the busiest men in show biz, only did 17 films this decade while Downey has done 21. Round - Downey.
Quality: Bacon was great in Mystic River even though he got overshadowed by his Oscar winning co-stars. He was also stellar in Rails and Ties and Frost / Nixon. Meanwhile, Downey has been on a huge upswing lately and has been great in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Zodiac, Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. Round - Downey.
Oscar Nominations: Bacon has shockingly never ever been nominated. Meanwhile, Downey was nominated for Tropic Thunder. Round - Downey.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Bacon sometimes directs his wife's show The Closer. However, Downey was the source of my high school crush when he appeared on Ally McBeal. Round - Downey.
Winner = Downey.

Christopher Walken vs. Heath Ledger
Quantity: Even though Ledger's life was tragically cut short, he still only did 13 films this decade. Meanwhile, Walken works hard and often and he appeared in 29. Round - Walken.
Quality: Walken is always entertaining and he was great in Catch Me If You Can, Wedding Crashers, Hairspray and Poolhall Junkies. However, Ledger was well on his way to becoming the greatest actor of my generation. He was superb in Lords of Dogtown, Brokeback Mountain, I'm Not There and Candy. And he was mind blowingly amazing in The Dark Knight. Round - Ledger.
Oscar Nominations: Walken was nominated for Catch Me If You Can. Ledger was nominated for Brokeback Mountain and he won posthumously for The Dark Knight. Round - Ledger.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Walken appeared in Julius Caesar. Meanwhile, Ledger directed a kick ass Modest Mouse music video. Round - Ledger.
Winner = Ledger.

Alec Baldwin vs. John Cusack
Quantity: Baldwin is a busy man and has appeared in 21 films this decade compared to Cusack's 13. Round - Baldwin.
Quality: Cusack was best in High Fidelity, Identity, Runaway Jury, and Grace is Gone. Meanwhile, Baldwin was best in The Cooler, The Departed and Running with Scissors. Round - Cusack.
Oscar Nominations: Like Kevin Bacon, Cusack has shockingly never ever been nominated for an Oscar. Meanwhile, Baldwin was nominated for The Cooler. Round - Baldwin.
Shared Screen: They have never shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: I love John Cusack and he's done a lot of voice work. However, Baldwin has been equally busy on TV by appearing on Friends, Will and Grace, Saturday Night Live (is he not the best host ever?!) and, of course, 30 Rock. Round - Baldwin.
Winner = Baldwin.

Will Smith vs. Seth Rogen
Quantity: Smith had done 10 films in 10 years while Rogen has done 13. Round - Rogen.
Quality: Even Rogen's best and funniest work in Superbad and Knocked Up can't compare to Smith's best work in Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds. Round - Smith.
Oscar Nominations: Rogen has never been nominated while Smith was nominated for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. Round - Smith.
Shared Screen: They have never shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Rogen does a ton of voice work. He's also appeared on the great underappreciated Undeclared. And he wrote Pineapple Express and Superbad (which is probably the funniest movie of the decade). Round - Rogen.
Tie Breaker: As much as I love and adore Seth Rogen, Smith is simply a better actor at this point. Round - Smith.
Winner = Smith.

On Sunday, the final round of the top 64 featuring some of my personal favorites (Malkovich, Rockwell, Hurt and DiCaprio).