Top Ten Best Performances of 2020

10. Julia Garner as Jane in The Assistant - The Assistant is not an exciting movie.  In fact, not much explicably happens as we follow Garner's put upon assistant throughout a day in her life working for a Harvey Weinstein-esque producer in New York City.  Still, her performance is so taut and controlled, it steadies the movie into becoming compulsively watchable, especially when it's unsettling nature creeps up on you. 

09. Mia Goth as Harriet Smith in Emma. - I've seen Mia Goth in a few different projects now, and she always seems to play someone who is a little strange or a little weird.  I honestly wasn't expecting this kind of performance from her - so pure and innocent, and full of joy.  She inhabits the naivety, childlike wonder and hopeless romanticism of Harriet so perfectly. 

08. Ben Affleck as Jack in The Way Back - As an alcoholic construction worker reeling from a phenomenal personal loss, Affleck is utter, heartbreaking perfection as the messed up Jack.  It's a performance that is so engrossing and so simply outstanding, that it often elevates the story, which is sort of formulaic, but with Affleck at the center, is never boring. 

07. Eliza Scanlen as Milla in Babyteeth - As far as I'm concerned, Scanlen is going to be a huge star.  How someone can go from playing evil Amma in Sharp Objects to sweet Beth in Little Women is beyond me, but now add in this layered and powerful performance as a dying teenager falling in love for the first time, and you are left with someone whose future is very bright.  I read a review where they referred to the movie as "delicate, but never precious" and I think that is an apt description of Scanlen's powerful performance as well.  

06. Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma in Emma. - Taylor-Joy has always seemed like she is of another time or place, so transferring her back to the time of Jane Austen seems like a perfect decision... and it is.  Though we've seen it before, this version of Emma seems absolutely modern, and Taylor-Joy is perfect as the haughty, tunnel vision matchmaker.  She is funny and clever and you just can't take your eyes off of her. 

05. Hayley Bennett as Hunter in Swallow - In a movie that feels like a spiritual successor to Rosemary's Baby, Bennett slays as Hunter, a newly married woman who starts eating inedible things.  Swallow may not sound like a good movie, but it happens to be an unsettling slow burn of a film, with Bennett further making a case for herself as one of the most exciting working actresses today.  

04. Elisabeth Moss as Cecelia in The Invisible Man - **Sigh**  Maybe one day Elisabeth Moss will find a movie that is as good as she is.  Because right now, her talent far outweighs any movie project she has ever been involved with.  She has a knack for choosing great TV roles on great TV shows (Mad Men, Top of the Lake, Handmaid's Tale), but the movies she has been in are below par.  However, she is always great in them, and that is the case here as well.  I found The Invisible Man to be merely average, but Moss is stunning, as usual.  If you want evidence, you only need to watch the first 10 minutes where she wordlessly escapes from an abusive relationship in the dead of night.  She is terrified but determined and resilient.  It's utter perfection.  

03. George MacKay as Ned Kelly in True History of the Kelly Gang - Remember when Marcia Gay Harden invented acting in The Mist?  Watching MacKay carry this movie on his back and act circles around everyone and be simultaneously sensitive and violent, brooding and emotive is sort of like that.  

02. Sidney Flanigan as Autumn in Never Rarely Sometimes Always - This is a movie and a performance that I keep coming back to.  I just can't get either out of my head.  As a 17 year old from rural Pennsylvania with an unwanted pregnancy, this slow and subtle movie follows Flanigan as she travels to New York City to get an abortion.  Her performance is so powerful, made even more so by how small it is.  There are no big emotional outbursts, no yelling, no screaming, no "meaty" actor scenes.  In fact, the most powerful scene is when Autumn has to answer a questionnaire administered by a clerk at the clinic.  The camera never leaves her face as she is asked progressively more excruciatingly intimate questions that she has to answer with either "never," "rarely," "sometimes," or "always."  It's one of the quietest scenes of the year, and one of the most unforgettable. 

01. Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon as Alison, Gabe and Blair in Black Bear - All the passive aggression and aggressive aggression, the bizarre love triangle argumentative spirit, the subtle sexiness, the manipulation and, just, general mind fuckery.  This trio gets all the mind blown, fire emojis.  

Best Lead Actor and Actress 2019

Lead Actor

05. Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Maybe people don't take Leo seriously because of the whole teen idol / Titanic / dates exclusively 20 year old models thing. But besides all that, he is one of our best actors and best movie stars. His role as a washed up TV actor in Once Upon a Time, requires a movie star with superb acting chops, and he delivers. There is a long sequence that features his work on a Western and he is top notch in every single moment of that film. Plus, he's totally badass with a flame thrower.

04. Brad Pitt in Ad Astra - In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Pitt was charming and cool and tough. In Ad Astra, he is quiet and interior and sad. Both performances are extraordinary. Obviously, I prefer the quiet, pretty movie to the talky, loud movie. Like DiCaprio, Pitt is a rare breed - a movie star who is actually a great actor as well, hindered by his good looks a little bit, maybe. This beautiful and sad space movie is a slow, sad fever dream and Pitt nails it.

03. Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems - Look, I'm as surprised as you are. I wondered if my undying devotion to the gritty raw power of the directing Safdie brothers would outweigh my ambivalence bordering on disdain for Adam Sandler. The Safdie brothers manage to draw out a performance from Sandler that is so impressive, it may change the way you look at him. Honestly, Sandler kills it on a jeweler with a gambling problem who has a really, really rough few days. And if the fast talking, charm he oozes doesn't convince you he could give a heavy weight acting performance, just watch the expression on his face when he's watching his daughter in her high school play. Dude has been quietly hiding all this ability for decades.

02. Joaquin Phoenix in Joker - To this day, I cannot decide if I liked the movie Joker, or if I was just so blown away by Phoenix's performance, that it made me believe I saw a better movie than I did. Because Phoenix is THAT GOOD in this role. Between his physical transformation, and his quiet building rage, he delivers one of the knock out performances of the year. Heath Ledger may be a better Batman villain Joker, but Phoenix has to deliver in every single scene of the movie - and he does - giving a daring portrait of mental illness, all capped off with a stunning final showdown.

01. Adam Driver in Marriage Story - The saddest part of Marriage Story is the fact that Driver is going to lose his Best Actor Oscar to a guy playing a clown. Adam Driver is the kind of actor you can't take your eyes off of, ever since he stormed through the HBO series Girls, elevating that mess and becoming the only reason to watch it. Since then, he's become a bonafide movie star. He's excellent in everything, but in Marriage Story, he is perfect. He's playing a good man and a good father, who is just not a great husband, and he is perfection from the small intimate moments, to the big, huge fight scene, to singing sad songs from Company at karaoke. Give him all the awards!


Lead Actress

05. Awkwafina in The Farewell - Like Sandler, I never thought Awkwafina would be on a list for best acting, but 2019 was a weird year, and here we are. She's very funny, but in The Farewell she gets serious, as a Chinese artist living in America, who has to travel back to China after her beloved grandmother becomes terminally ill. Instead of telling the grandmother she is dying, the family stages a fake wedding as an excuse for everyone to return to China. The movie is heartwarming and sad and bittersweet and lovely, and Awkwafina carries it along on her shoulders as the most unwilling of participants. She's a revelation here.

04. Saoirse Ronan in Little Women - Every little girl growing up, reading Little Women a dozen times, wanted to grow up to be Jo - tough, resilient, smart, but also stubborn, lonely, quick to anger, unwilling to fall in love (even with the super cute boy next door). Jo, like all the March sisters, is a complicated woman. She's not just one thing, refusing to succumb to her destiny to be the romantic heroine of her life story. She wants more than that in a time when women didn't get that chance very often. Ronan - who is arguably the best actress of her generation - nails it all, from the cockiness to the neediness, from the strength to the sadness. She's the perfect Jo, and she makes it all look easy.

03. Lupita Nyong'o in Us - If you haven't seen Us, I urge you to do so as soon as possible. It gets a little weird, but if you give in to the weirdness, it definitely pays off. And a big part of why you should watch it is this women right here, who gives a stunning, high wire act like performance as two separate characters - a hard working, constantly worried, tough mom... and her wild eyed untethered counter part, a character who only communicates in guttural sounds and animalistic movements. It's a pleasure to watch an actor be so fearless on screen.

02. Florence Pugh in Midsommar - Let's rename 2019 as the year of Florence Pugh. She elevated spoiled brat Amy March to someone almost likable in Little Women, and she embodied the overwhelming nature of grief in Midsommar. From start to finish, it appears as though she went through hell for her Midsommar performance, and she is stunning in every frame. From grieving and unsure little girl, to the queen who rides alone at the end, and everything in between, there isn't a false note. I don't know what it is about director Ari Aster, but he has a knack from getting career best performances from his leading ladies (see also: Toni Collette in Hereditary).

01. Elisabeth Moss in Her Smell - Like Pugh, Moss gave two killer performances this year. The second, the better of the two, is as a former junkie and self-destructive rock star, trying to make a comeback. I didn't love the movie - I thought it was too long and bordered on indulgence, but Moss is amazing. She is relentless, raging through the movie with an all-encompassing manic energy, devouring every inch of the screen. Even if the movie around her isn't great, you can't take your eyes off of Moss.

Best Actress 2018

05. Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place - Blunt has been doing solid and impressive work for decades, but never has she been as good as she is here. A Quiet Place has minimal dialogue, but Blunt manages to create a fully formed character anyway. That scene where she is trying to quietly give birth in a bathtub while monsters attack her house is one of the best of the year, and her performance there is unforgettable.

04. Lady Gaga in A Star is Born - It's impressive enough that someone who is such a confident global superstar make an audience believe that she is an unsure nobody with stage fright. That's the big picture gist of what Gaga has to do in this movie. But then it's all the little things too, that makes her performance truly shine. It's the lights out chemistry with Bradley Cooper. It's the subtle looks and sighs. I'm fully convinced that a few of her best moments are things she messed up on a little bit, but went with anyway. That instinct helps her deliver one of the most exciting performances of the year.

03. Blake Lively in A Simple Favor - There is a lot I can't really say about this movie because the plot gets progressively more bonkers as it goes on, and I truly don't want to give anything away (although the film loses it's footing and can't land the ending, it's still a pretty fun ride and worth a watch, for sure). But one thing I can say is this: Blake Lively is an f-ing delight in this movie. I've been reminded lately that she's kind of good in everything she does, although for some reason, I don't ever think that. But she's a treat here. Give her more work like this, please!

02. Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade - It takes a lot to completely and utterly carry a movie. There are very few actors that can do it (Tom Hanks, Leo DiCaprio, maybe that's it). But in Eighth Grade, a teenage girl with little acting experience carries the movie with ease. Fisher is a revelation. She's awkward and unsure. She's snotty and rude to her father. She's trying desperately to fit in at school. She makes you laugh and then rips your heart out. Forget Lady Gaga - it's here that a star is born.

01. Toni Collette in Hereditary - This movie, this performance! I have not been able to stop thinking about either for six months. Collette is a wrecking ball, coming through this movie like a house on fire. It's a ballsy, take no prisoners kind of performance. It's the kind of role that I think would scare off a lot of actresses, but Collette commits 110% and ends up giving one of the most gut-wrenching performances of the year.

Best Actress 2017

05. Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman - I think we can all agree that 2017 was a pretty shitty year, but at the very least we can all agree that at least 2017 gave us one good and pure thing - bonafide movie star Gal Gadot. Her female empowerment film became a blockbuster success thanks to her endearing, adorable, ass-kicking charm and general badassery. From casually wearing weaponry with formal wear to that sweet chemistry with Chris Pine to that time she had ice cream and saw it snow for the first time, Gal Gadot became a goddamn national treasure. Here's to more bad ass female superheroes in movies directed by bad ass female directors.

04. Nicole Kidman in The Beguiled - Kidman has had a hell of a year. She is one of the few female movie stars that seem to be getting even more interesting parts in her 40s and 50s than she did in her 20s and 30s. In 2017 alone, she played a supporting role in Top of the Lake, went toe to toe with Colin Farrell in Killing of a Sacred Deer, and pretty much showed that she was the finest working actress who deserved every award under the sun in Big Little Lies. Something about Kidman screams out that she was born for period pieces, and she proves that with a perfect nuanced performance in The Beguiled. She's a prudish and haughty school marm who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and get a little, well, bloody.

03. Kristen Stewart in Personal Shopper - I guess the one good thing about making tons of money in a franchise about vampires when you are super young is that it affords you the opportunity to do the work you really want to do and make tiny little ghost stories for probably no money. Post-Twilight, Kristen Stewart has become one of the most interesting and exciting young actresses out there. Her role here is difficult because she spends the majority of the movie alone, and texting on the phone with a maybe ghost. Yet, her performance still manages to be subtle and raw and real, and yes, a little bit awkward, but also a lot sexy.

02. Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird - I want to scream from the rooftops about how much I love every single thing about Lady Bird, from the script to the music (even that Dave Matthews Band song!) to the direction to the performances. And while every single character is real and excellent, Ronan shines as the conflicting teenager Lady Bird, who is both insecure and entirely self-assured. Her performance is as unique as the character and here Ronan is so fearless. In a genre filled with career defining performances for teenage girls, Ronan's might just be the very best.

01. Florence Pugh in Lady MacBeth - Enter all the on fire emojis here, because Pugh is a live wire from start to finish. Who is this girl, and why isn't she a household name? Because she should be, and she probably will be. It's not usually pretty young girls who get to make movies where they start off as a sympathetic figure and end up as a raving sociopath. But Pugh delivers from start to finish, from looking pretty as a picture in a dress to becoming conniving and manipulative, from sweetness to sexiness. This is a career making performance and a master class of acting.

Best Lead Actress 2016

05. Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen - Teen comedies don't get enough credit, nor do the performances that come from them, but this is an iconic performance. Steinfeld may look like a supermodel in real life, but she pulls off awkward and angsty teen so, so well.

04. Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins - Overrated, she is not. In fact, Streep is arguably (not really) our greatest living actress, and this movie sort of proves why. Here she plays the world's worst opera singer, and while the movie isn't exactly groundbreaking or amazing, she heightens it to being entertaining and charming.

03. Amy Adams in Arrival - Adams can do no wrong in my book, and she is mesmerizing as a linguistic expert who is struggling to communicate with an alien race in the smartest sci fi movie of the year.

02. Emma Stone in La La Land - I was just having a conversation about Emma Stone. The person said he doesn't take her seriously as an actress because most of her work has been comedic. I disagree. I think no one else could have played this role except for Emma, with her pitch perfect comedic timing and adorable charm. She can sing! She can dance! She can be cute and sexy and is endlessly lovable! What can't Emma do!?

01. Sasha Lane in American Honey - I honestly can't believe this girl never acted before. Her performance and screen presence is absolutely mesmerizing. She is a force of nature, a wild child, a spark of light. This movie is nearly 3 hours long but  I would have watched 3 more hours of her.

Best Lead Actress 2015

05. Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road - The most bad ass, action packed movie of the year is secretly a big ol' feminist manifesto and Theron's turn as a tough as nails, empowered, kick ass slave is, maybe, the best thing she has ever done.

04. Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl - This Transgender love story was supposed to be Eddie Redmayne's movie, but then Vikander went and showed him up with her sexy, understated turn as his supportive but confused wife.

03. Cate Blanchett in Carol - Blanchett has long been one of my absolute favorite actresses and she continues to prove why here. As a lesbian in a time when that sort of thing wasn't accepted, she shines as the sexy, frustrated Carol. It's not hard to believe a young shop girl would become enamored with her.

02. Rooney Mara in Carol - Mara's sweet natured shop girl who is so used to making everyone else happy that she doesn't even know how to make herself happy. Her delicate beauty (somehow so ferocious in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) only helps her impressive portrayal of innocence and eagerness and first love and heartbreak.

01. Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn - Like her male counterpart on my Lead Actor list, so much of her performance is in her eyes and face. Ronan is nothing short of amazing as the young Irish girl who leaves home for a better opportunity. The home sickness, the struggle to belong, the heart ache and loneliness and eventual happiness are perfectly portrayed in every movement and moment.

Best Actress 2014

05. Elisabeth Moss in The One I Love - For embracing the duality of her role with the utmost of ease. For playing a real woman full of mood swings and emotion who is smart and complicated and not always likeable. For that wicked / sweet smile at the end.

04. Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow - For playing a bad ass heroine with depth and complexity.  For being the only woman (ever??) to steal a movie away from superstar Tom Cruise.  For the "Let's reboot" scene.

03. Scarlett Johansson in Under The Skin - For being sexy and stunning and utterly controlled. For exuding a total lack of emotion that somehow still makes her sympathetic. For the restaurant scene.

02. Reese Witherspoon in Wild - For giving a fearless, gritty, de-glammed performance flawlessly. For playing a haunted woman filled with regret and loss struggling to find her true self. For the scene where she meets the little boy on the trail.

01. Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl - For playing three roles in one; the perfect wife in flashbacks,  the enigmatic missing woman and the brilliant possibly sociopathic true self. For being a ballsy, fearless,  dark, twisted revelation. For the cool girl speech.

Best Lead Actress 2013

Honorable Mention: Judi Dench for Philomena, Amy Adams for American Hustle

05. Julie Delpy for Before Midnight - It must be nice, as an actress, to have a role feel so lived in. For Julie Delpy, she has been creating Celine for over 20 years. She first played this role in Before Sunrise, and now she has even co-written both sequels. Celine is as much her creation as anything else. So, kudos to her for creating a character this go around that isn't exactly easy, or charming, or likable. Celine is a fiercely intelligent character who is far from a cookie cutter cliche female character. In fact, out of every female character in film this year, Celine might be the most realistic. And that's mostly because of Julie Delpy and her smart, fearless portrayal.

04. Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks - As troublesome writer P.L. Travers, Emma Thompson absolutely kills it as the tough as nails children's writer. Her performance is utterly wonderful. She manages to make Travers dislikeable, but also sympathetic at the same time. This is the sort of role in which you can only imagine one person nailing the character and that person is Emma Thompson. No one else could have taken on this performance and played this character so well. She makes you laugh, cringe, cry and more. It's a layered, wonderful performance.

03. Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha - Frances Ha is one of my favorite movies of this past year, and a lot of that has to do with just how much I relate to Greta Gerwig and her portrayal of Frances as a lonely, quirky girl who just keeps getting beaten down by the world. Of course, Frances never gives up. Frances rolls with the punches. Sure, she'll go to Paris for a long weekend for virtually no reason. Sure, she'll embarrassingly work at a summer camp at the college she used to attend because she has no where else to live. And Gerwig plays this wonderful, lived in character with so much spark, so much charisma, so much childlike wonder, that you can't help falling completely under the spell of Frances Ha and Greta.

02. Sandra Bullock in Gravity - The problem with Gravity is the script and nothing else. There's basically no story, so the movie relies entirely on the technical achievements (which are amazing) and Sandra Bullock's starring performance. Sure, George Clooney is in the movie as well, but as Tina Fey said at last night's Golden Globes, he'd rather drift away into space than spend another minute with a woman his own age. So, we're left with Bullock and her tour de force performance as a woman quite literally lost in space, as a woman who is terrified beyond measure, but who remains a fighter down to the last moment, down to her core. And Bullock's performance is truly something special, something unforgettable.

01. Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine - There was a time when there was only one thing that mattered in the films of 2013 and that one thing was Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. She's a snotty, rich New Yorker one instant and a semi-crazy down on her luck homeless woman the next. And Blanchett switches between every facet of Jasmine's being with an ease not very many others can accomplish. Her performance is one of the finest of the year, one of the finest in this history of Woody Allen's films. I often say that Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is the single greatest performance in the history of film. Well, Blanchett in this film reminds me of that performance so very much. Cate Blanchett is perfect for this role and she'll likely deservedly win a second Oscar come March.

Friday Top Five: Best of the Year (So Far...)

I honestly can't even tell you where summer went. It seems like it just started and yet it's just about September. Which is bad because I hate all things winter related, but good because now it's time to get into the good movies. Summer was mostly disappointing as far as movies go. Still, there are a few movies and performances that really stuck with me through summer and, really, the first eight months of the year. In January of every year, I make top ten lists of my favorite movies and acting performances of the year, but often a few performances from the earlier parts of the year fall off the radar by then. So, this week's top five is really FIVE top fives - my favorites in each category, so far.

Best Film
01. The Place Beyond the Pines
02. Blue Jasmine
03. Fruitvale Station
04. Mud
05. You're Next

Best Actor
01. Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station
02. Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines
03. Jude Law in Side Effects
04. Tye Sheridan in Mud
05. Brad Pitt in World War Z

Best Actress
01. Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
02. Mia Wasikowska in Stoker
03. Jane Levy in Evil Dead
04. Rooney Mara in Side Effects
05. Sharni Vinson in You're Next

Best Supporting Actor
01. Ben Mendelsohn in The Place Beyond the Pines
02. Sam Rockwell in The Way Way Back
03. Sharlto Copley in Elysium
04. Matthew Goode in Stoker
05. Matthew McConaughey in Mud

Best Supporting Actress
01. Emma Watson in The Bling Ring
02. Melonie Diaz in Fruitvale Station
03. Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine
04. Nicole Kidman in Stoker
05. Leslie Mann in The Bling Ring

This weekend sucks for movies so unless the boyfriend agrees to take me to see the One Direction movie, I won't be seeing anything. (And I'm really only half joking about that last sentence). But, I leave you with this question: How many award worthy performances in a row can Matthew McConaughey give?? By my count, we are up to four now with possibly / probably two more on the way.

Best of 2012: Best Actresses and Actors

Best Actress
10. Kirsten Dunst in Bachelorette - For giving a snarky, sassy, fun mean girl performance.
09. Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games - For becoming the most famous girl in the world by playing a tough, take no prisoners, bad ass role model.
08. Noomi Rapace in Prometheus - For that abortion scene alone.
07. RoseMarie DeWitt in Your Sister's Sister - For playing a complicated character with charm and ease.
06. Rachel Weisz in The Deep Blue Sea - For turning an unlikable character into someone we actually care for deeply.
05. Naomi Watts in The Impossible - For showing the strength of a mother taking care of her son even though she needs to be taken care of.
04. Brit Marling in Sound of My Voice - For being beautiful, ethereal, wicked and so stunning you can't take your eyes off of her.
03. Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild - For commanding the screen in a way that no one else did this year, and for being a tiny little force to be reckoned with.
02. Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook - For proving she's at a point in her career where she can do any damn thing she pleases, for that scene in which she yells in Robert DeNiro's face, for the dancing!
01. Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty - For being utterly fearless, for playing an unlikable character and commanding we take notice of her poise, grace and feral determination.

Best Actor
10. Tom Holland in The Impossible - For showing raw emotion in his first film role.
09. Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained - For managing to be the bounty hunting slave hero of a Quentin Tarantino movie quietly and subtly, something I didn't know was possible.
08. Dane DeHaan in Chronicle - For coming out of nowhere to become the most exciting new actor thanks to his Magneto meets high school coming of age monster of a performance.
07. Joaquin Phoenix in The Master - For being completely unhinged, out of control and wild.
06. Richard Gere in Arbitrage - For playing such a snake with so much charm and charisma.
05. Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook - For making me forget about all his douchebag, frat guy characters with that Hemingway scene alone.
04. Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master - For being terrifying and compelling all at once.
03. Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained - For being born to speak Quentin Tarantino dialogue.
02. Denzel Washington in Flight - For reminding us why he's one of the biggest, most likable stars on the planet, and for being a joy to watch as a boozy, egotistical asshole.
01. Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln - For becoming Abraham Lincoln, absolutely and undoubtedly, for continuing to prove why he's a living legend worthy of every award and then some.

Tomorrow - Best Films of 2012!

Top Ten List: Best Actress 2011

10. Michelle Williams for Meek's Cutoff - Williams gave two great performances last year, the first of which was as a strong, silent pioneer woman in the visually stunning but ultimately flawed Meek's Cutoff. Her performance is largely in her eyes and expressions and she is flawless as usual.

09. Emma Stone for The Help - Emma proves she's not just a one hit wonder with Easy A by starring in one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It's also, arguably, the best acting ensemble of the year and she holds her own with a bevy of wonderfully talented women.

08. Saoirse Ronan for Hanna - 2011 was a great year for younger actors and actresses, with Ronan as a huge standout. She is going to be a huge star and her performance as the deadly child assassin, who has no idea what the radio is and only really wants to kiss a boy, is mesmerizing.

07. Elle Fanning for Super 8 - Another young actress that is talented beyond her years, Fanning is amazing as the wannabe actress who causes all the boys in the neighborhood to fall in love. She's also acting within her acting here, and it's simply a joy to watch.

06. Viola Davis for The Help - Another amazing, layered performance in The Help, this time Davis as a maid who has recently lost her only child and wants nothing more than to keep tending to the white child of the family she works for. Davis will most likely be nominated for an Oscar in a few weeks for her great performance.

05. Carey Mulligan for Drive - Ryan Gosling isn't the only one who smolders in drive. Carey Mulligan, as the object of his affection, is pretty damn great too. She plays a young, working mother who is caught between her deadly neighbor and her baby daddy, just released from prison.

04. Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids - Bridesmaids is the one movie that gives The Help a run for its money in the best ensemble category. It's also the funniest movie of the year and that is thanks to its star (and co-writer) Kristin Wiig. Anyone who has ever watched SNL knows that Wiig is funny but here she is also deeply touching and sympathetic. Also, I probably related to her character more than any other in the entire 2011 movie season.

03. Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - I still think I prefer Noomi Rapace - the original girl with the dragon tattoo - but Mara, who was practically a nobody before this role, was definitely the right choice for Lisbeth. She is sensational as the tough, empowering computer hacker. With her tattoos and mohawk and black clothes, she's an unlikely but understandable female heroine.

02. Charlize Theron for Young Adult - I very nearly almost gave Theron the top spot on this list. She's the best she's ever been (yes, better than her Oscar winning role in Monster) as Mavis Gary, a very likely mentally ill failing Young Adult writer who goes back to her hometown to steal her high school boyfriend who is married with a newborn baby. Likeable?? Not at all. Hilarious?? Totally.

01. Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn - Ultimately, the top spot had to go to future Oscar winner (yes, as in, in less than two months) Michelle Williams who doesn't just play or portray or impersonate Marilyn Monroe... she becomes her, right down to her wiggle and her breathy voice and her seductive everything. She's perfection in every single way. If she doesn't win an Oscar in February than something is very, very wrong in Hollywood!

Top Ten List: Best Actress 2010

10. Carey Mulligan in The Greatest - In such an underground movie, one that not many people have seen or even heard of, it sure has some great acting by the entire cast. Best of all is Mulligan, an actress who is slowly making a name for herself thanks to last year's An Education. She's even better here as a young woman, pregnant, mourning the death of the man she loved but didn't really know all that well. She struggles to find out the most about him while dealing with his mourning family. She's simply excellent.

09. Rebecca Hall in The Town - Sure, Jeremy Renner is getting all the buzz (and rightfully so), but Hall is damn good as a bank manager dealing with being taken hostage and then falling in love (unknowingly) with one of the men who took her. The layers of her performance are so impressive, it's hard to believe she isn't a bigger more famous star at this point.

08. Olivia Williams in The Ghost Writer - Although I enjoyed The Ghost Writer, I had my problems with this film (sort of typical, right down to the male casting). However, Williams was a truly wonderful addition to the film. As the sexy and vulnerable wife of a prime minister, she steals every single scene from two men (Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan) who are far more famous than she is.

07. Noomi Rapace in The Girl Who Played with Fire - It's no surprise that I have sort of latched onto Lisbeth Salander as a character that I admire. She's badass, tough, and lives life by her own rules. I was very concerned with who they would choose for the American remake. While I'm not positive I approve of Rooney Mara, it may just be because she will never ever live up to Noomi Rapace who is pure perfection. As you can imagine, more later...

06. Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right - She may be the only person who could beat Natalie Portman at the Oscars, but she didn't even crack my top 5. Bening is good, sure. She's always good. And that's part of the problem. We've all seen her do this type-A personality role before. I don't want to take anything away from her wonderful performance but, honestly, there were better this year.

05. Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right - While Bening played the exact same character she always plays, Moore struck out and paved new territory as the slightly ditzy, underappreciated wife of Bening's. She's a free spirit always changing her mind about everything, including her profession. And, I mean, kudos for all those super sweaty sex scenes!

04. Emma Stone in Easy A - Since she broke out, we knew she could be the funny girl (Superbad, Zombieland). But in Easy A, she is the funny girl but also the smart girl and the sexy girl and the girl who you really want to be best friends with. She takes what could have been a cliche teen comedy character and turns her into a real person, someone you feel like you know personally. Plus, she's got perfect comedic timing, but that should be no surprise!

03. Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone - So, I didn't like this movie. I mean, I didn't hate it either but like The Kids Are All Right, I don't get all the buzz. Also like The Kids Are All Right, one thing I can't complain about is the acting (her co-star John Hawkes just missed my Best Supporting Actor list yesterday). Lawrence is a revelation. It's the sort of breakthrough role that will most certainly send her into a whole new stratosphere, playing a tough teenger in the hardened mid-West, trying to take care of a sick mom and her younger siblings, all while searching for her father amidst some really creepy and crazy people. Lawrence truly shines.

02. Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Like I said, she's the perfect Lisbeth. Rapace manages to make the most of playing the badass computer hacker with the traumatic past by basing her performance in real emotion. She's got tattoos, an intimidating stare and an "i don't take shit" expression on her face at all times, but there is something so much more behind those eyes and Rapace manages to get that across to the audience which is why she is so brilliant here. Plus, there's the way she deals with a sexual predator that will truly make you want to stand up and applaud her badassery.

01. Natalie Portman in Black Swan - Portman, for me, has always been a little rigid on film. She sort of reminds me of Nicole Kidman in that neither actress really breaks out of their comfort zone too often. But when they do (Kidman in Moulin Rouge, Portman in Closer), it's a pure pleasure. This is Portman breaking out of her comfort zone BIG TIME. As Nina, a ballerina who wants nothing more than to be perfect, she walks the perfect line between sweet, naive, soft spoken little girl and, later, a woman full of passion and danger and sexuality. Her transformation is truly impressive and something that everyone is taking about (and for good reason). As a girl cracking under so much pressure, Portman hammers it out of the park and here's hoping Oscar rewards her.

Tomorrow - Best Actor!

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.

Top Ten List - Best Actress 2008

Honorable Mention - Johanna Day in August: Osage County - Not a film performance, but a riveting, intensely controlled (and some time delightfully out of control) stage performance. If August was a movie (which apparently it's going to be) and Day was in it (which hopefully she will be), she would be at the top of this list, for sure. She's in charge now, for sure.

10. Angelina Jolie in Changeling - We all know I'm not the biggest Angelina fan. Still, you can't deny talent and her performance, although often one note, is still extremely powerful at times. That one specific scene (you know, the one in all the previews, "I want MY son back") is even more intense once you see the context of it - she's yelling this at a 10 year old boy.

09. Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Cate has never looked more beautiful. And I am in the corner with people who think Cate can do no wrong. It's true here, as she makes a very flawed, very narcisstic and stubborn character so loveable. Benjamin Button falls in love with her and so do we.

08. Keira Knightley in The Duchess - Although the movie itself is highly flawed, the performances are nearly flawless. Ralph Fiennes just missed my Best Supporting Actor list for his skeevy Duke (and for his hilarious turn in the wonderful In Bruges), but Kiera makes the list for her witty, charming role as the lonely Duchess - forced to choose between love and her family.

07. Summer Bishil in Towelhead - An extremely interesting and well done performance for someone so young! She's truly impressive as a young actress dealing with very, very heavy subject matter. She pulls it off with grace, innocence and beauty.

06. Rebecca Hall in Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Cruz may be getting all the buzz (and she is more than deserving) but Hall is spectacularly funny as well. She plays a cynical spitfire, about to marry a man she doesn't necessarily love while discovering her sexuality with a sexy artist.

05. Naomi Watts in Funny Games - Throughout the entire second half of the film, Watts is in a constant state of duress. Crying, screaming, desperately clinging to some kind of hope while nearly giving up on everything. Her performance is intensely moving.

04. Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road - Winslet's April is a dreamer, for sure. She dreams of a better life with her husband but she's surely not a happy character. There's all those intense screaming matches with DiCaprio. Then there's sexy love scenes. And, of course, my very favorite scene. DiCaprio has just confessed that he's cheated on her. She is very unemotional about the whole thing. He's screaming at her, asking her why, to which she responds, very quietly, very calmly with a slight smile, "Fuck who'd you like, dear." Perfect line reading.

03. Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married - Maybe the most revelatory performance of the year. I never liked Anne Hathaway, sure. I also never necessarily thought she was a good actress. But her performance as Kym here is so alive and so unlike anything she's ever done. It's impressive and welcomed.

02. Meryl Streep in Doubt - Doubt may be about the wonderful script and the great source material. Sure, there's Hoffman and Adams and Davis, but make no mistake - this is all about Meryl. As it should be. Her stubborn, hard headed, wickedly funny take on the nun is perfection.

01. Michelle Williams in Wendy and Lucy - Wendy and Lucy is a movie where not much happens. It's a movie without a lot of dialogue. It's a movie where, for much of the movie, Williams' Wendy is walking around a small unknown town searching for her dog. With very little to work with, Williams has given her best performance to date. Her quietly effective work will break your heart. There's been little as moving this year as the final ten minutes in this movie - and that's thanks to Michelle!