Top Ten List - Best Actor 2009

10. Peter Sarsgaard in An Education - Once again, An Education belongs to Carey Mulligan but Sarsgaard is also pretty damn good as an older, "worldly" man who seduces the 16 year old student. He takes her to Paris and on romantic weekends and convinces her he'll marry her. All the while Sarsgaard is charming everyone, there's that slight creepiness that makes the audience realize something isn't right here.

09. Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes - Downey is good at lots of stuff but very, very good at one thing - playing flawed leading men, men who are suave and charming and a little bit cocky. Add Sherlock Holmes to that list. With Downey in the role, Holmes becomes a sexy, charming, clever cad. Plus, his is a pretty convincing British accent.

08. George Clooney in Up in the Air - Clooney could probably play this role in his sleep - uber suave and charming man coming to terms with getting older, unable to settle down, flying from one city to another just about every day. Still, Clooney layers the role with a sense of naturalism and subtlety and is still impressive. He may take a backseat to the ladies in the film, but he's still the classic example of a leading man.

07. Joaquin Phoenix in Two Lovers - If Joaquin Phoenix really is retiring from acting, well, then, at least he went out on top. Two Lovers is the perfect showcase for him and he gives his character so much depth and so much emotion that it's hard to not cheer for him, even when he's playing with the emotions of a perfectly nice girl so he can try his hand at the unattainable beauty.

06. Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are - In a perfect adaptation of the classic kids book, Records shines as the lead - disobedient, rebellious, and so perfectly childlike. It's really a testament to the child actor. He's so good that he makes you feel Max's pain and his hope and his utter and unabashed joy.

05. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer - I've been a fan of Gordon-Levitt's for, well, ever. He's FINALLY breaking into mainstream consciousness and I couldn't think of a better movie that the utterly unique (500) Days of Summer. Gordon-Levitt is perfect as Tom, the idealistic greeting card writer who yearns for true love with Summer, the girl who doesn't believe in love. He's hopeful and romantic, the ideal of a perfect boyfriend. Then he gets his heart ripped out and you feel his pain. He's also damn funny too. Great performance all around.

04. Tobey Maguire in Brothers - The most suprising thing about Brothers, for me, was Maguire's performance. I really didn't know he had this kind of intense, layered, totally passionate kind of performance in him. I knew he was a good actor but I really didn't realize how really, really good he could be.

03. Sharlto Copley in District 9 - Another surprise of the year. Not the fact that District 9 is one of the best movies, but the fact that Sharlto Copley, a complete unknown, is so good in the lead role. He doesn't waste time trying to get you to like him. In fact, he's not very likeable at all. I mean, he's actually kind of a jerk. Still, his performance is really remarkable. His character was so complex but never felt forced. It only ever felt sincere.

02. Matt Damon in The Informant! - Damon gained a ton of weight and put on a really terrible wig and managed to give one of the best performances of the year. His character in The Informant! is making lots of money every year but still decides to turn over evidence against his company to the police. He's naive enough to believe he'll be made the head of the company and he starts playing everyone against each other. His performance is so tricky and so utterly fun to watch that it almost makes you forget how boring the movie really is.

01. Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker - I've also loved Renner since I saw him in Dahmer and knew what an amazing actor he was and could be if he got the right roles. Well, guess what? This is the right role for him. As James, he's addicted to war and, really, the adrenaline that comes with defusing bombs for a living. He's fearless and reckless but yet cares about his teammates. There are certain scenes that are filled with so much tension and intensity and emotion and Renner is just perfection.

Tomorrow - Best (and worst) Films!