Top Ten List: Best Actress of 2009

10. Julia Roberts in Duplicity - Roberts is a charming sweetheart and she's got great chemistry with co-star Clive Owen. They play off each other so well and look like they are having so much fun as they double cross each other that it really sticks with the audience.

09. Maya Rudolph in Away We Go - The movie was a little heavy handed for me, but Rudolph proved she's more than just a funny girl from SNL. She can do drama too and her performance was most definitely the best thing about this movie.

08. Natalie Portman in Brothers - Portman is devastating as a young mother who seemingly loses her husband in Afghanistan and then finds herself mourning and falling for his brother. She plays the different facets of her character with such ease and subtlety.

07. Rachel Weisz in The Brothers Bloom - I will say this about Weisz in The Brothers Bloom - the girl knows how to make an entrance! And her entrance is probably the best of the year. As an eccentric millionaire who is so bored with her life that she collects hobbies (photography, break dancing, rapping, being a con artist, etc.), Weisz is so quirky and so much fun!

06. Gwyneth Paltrow in Two Lovers - It's been a while since Paltrow has really wowed me, but she does her. She's the girl of every man's dreams. She's perfect, she's beautiful, she's very nearly unattainable. She walks an emotional tightrope and, while she appears perfect and happy, is ready to fall apart at any given second. She's changing her mind constantly yet is so alluring you understand completely why Joaquin Phoenix falls so hard for her.

05. Zoe Saldana in Avatar - There's a debate going on at the Awards Daily website about whether or not Saldana should be included in the Best Actress race. I think she should. Her character is one of the most kick ass, fascinating female characters of the year. It doesn't matter if she's a nine foot tall blue alien on screen because she still exudes passion and emotion. Her performance is really ground breaking.

04. Gabourey Sidibe in Precious - Sidibe may be the find of the year. She stars as Precious, an illiterate Harlem teen who is pregant for the second time (her dad is the father). Her mom (Future Oscar Winner Mo' Nique) abuses her mentally and physically. Yet, she's funny. She's sweet. She's hopeful. She wants to live her life to the fullest. The film may be a real downer at times but it's also strangely uplifting.

03. Carey Mulligan in An Education - Or maybe Mulligan is the find of the year. She perfectly plays the complex role of a young girl who talks and acts like an adult (she's obsessed with Parisian culture and going to Oxford) but is still such a child in a lot of ways. Her performance is so, so good that you just can't wait to see what else she can do. Her performance is simply remarkable.

02. Abbie Cornish in Bright Star - Everything about this movie is so good and one of the best things is Cornish's performance. There were times during the film where I just kept thinking, "My God, she's brilliant!" And it's true. You really get a sense of the love between her Fanny and John Keats (Ben Whishaw). Not just swooning or anything but real deep love with pain and doubt and such strong emotion. It's simply a great performance.

01. Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia - Queen Meryl can do ANYTHING. That seems to include becoming Julia Child. Not just doing a pitch perfect impersonation, but really becoming her. She even managed to somehow grow ten inches. Meryl is funny and sincere and just perfect as always. She truly is the greatest living actress. Meryl can do no wrong.