Top Ten List: Best Actors of the Decade

10. Michael Shannon in Bug (2007) - Shannon's work as a possibly mentally ill ex-soldier is so intense that it just sticks so firmly in my mind. This performance could be outlandish but he makes it real. His performance is fearless and his chemistry with Ashley Judd is out of this world.

09. Emile Hirsch in Into the Wild (2007) - Hirsch is funny, charming and a little cocky in this film as he builds his supertramp character who doesn't think he needs human contact for happiness. Still, it's his moments with other characters that are truly divine. Plus, his final few moments on screen are guaranteed to break your heart.

08. Bill Murray in Lost in Translation (2003) - This is Murray at his best. This is a completely different side to him which is impressive in itself. He captures this role with such precision that you believe it was tailer made just for him. His chemistry with Scarlett Johansson is surprisingly realistic and complex. And he has a good singing voice!

07. Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler (2008) - Everyone says he made a hell of a comeback, but for people who are real Rourke fans, they know he never really went anywhere (see also: Spun). The film is about a wrestler struggling with the fact that his career is just about done. He has burned every bridge in his personal life, his looks are fading, he's damaged himself pysically and emotionally for years and years. Rourke probably didn't have to look far for inspiration and it shows with this knock-out performance.

06. Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain (2005) - The Dark Knight was a showier role, sure, but at the end of the day, I truly believe Ledger will be remembered for his role as a cowboy in love in Brokeback Mountain. His performance was so simple and so understated that it just seemed so much more realistic. His Joker may be a hell of a lot more fun but it's so much harder to do a quiet, understated performance like he did in Brokeback Mountain.

05. Tom Wilkinson in In the Bedroom (2001) - The movie excellent but mostly it just reminds me of the astounding talents of Tom Wilkinson. He is so perfect as a grieving father and when he sets out to exact his revenge, he acts with intelligence and compassion.

04. Sean Penn in Mystic River (2003) - Penn never misses a beat as a man dealing with the worst possible thing a parent can face - the death of a child. Penn is left playing a complicated character - a grieving father but also a cold-blooded ex-con. He manages to make his performance so intense, so passionate, so realistic and so damn good.

03. Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed (2006) - DiCaprio is an actor who keeps getting better. In The Departed, he manages to wear his emotions on his sleeve, playing such a vulnerable, terrified, yet tough character. The crazy paradoxes to his character are impressive and DiCaprio simply nails it. He embodies this modern day tragic hero with such grace and ease.

02. Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood (2007) - Make no mistake, There Will Be Blood is a movie made for Day-Lewis to do whatever the hell he wants. This is HIS show. His performance is such a powerhouse that it puts most other actors to shame. Then there's that final scene when director Paul Thomas Anderson really lets Day-Lewis off his leash, so to speak. Because, let's face it, he was a sweet little kitten up until that point.

01. Sean Penn in Milk (2008) - Sean Penn is known for his moody, intense work (see number 4) so it's refreshing to see him play someone like Harvey Milk, so carefree and emotionally open. He embodies Harvey Milk and literally becomes him. Penn even inhabits and exudes a sweetness (yes, sweetness... yes, Sean Penn). He plays Harvey to perfection and definitely deserved that second Oscar.

Top Ten List - Best Actor 2008

10. Richard Jenkins in The Visitor - One of the best character actors out there, Jenkins delivers a subtle and emotionally complex leading man performance. He's charming, nuanced and completely natural.

09. James Franco in Pineapple Express - Even the picture on the cover is hilarious. Franco shines as a drug dealer who is surprisingly deep in this comic gem from the summer. Franco, who is usually a brooding, serious leading man, shows he can do comedy with just as much ease.

08. Frank Langella in Frost / Nixon - My distaste for the movie is maybe why he's so low on my list. Langella, however, does become Richard Nixon. It's a great and total transformation. The movie may not be spectacular but his performance is awfully good. He steals the show.

07. Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man - It's the perfect role for Downey, actually. He's always been a person who I thought of as charming, witty, just a little cocky. That's who Tony Stark is, essentially as well. Downey probably had no trouble channeling those traits to use for the role. He also managed to be heroic as well.

06. Sam Rockwell in Snow Angels - Probably one of the most underrated actors out there, Rockwell always shines playing complex characters. This time around he's playing a born again Christian struggling with his demons and with his ex-wife moving on when all he wants to do is work things out. It's a frighteningly real performance.

05. Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt - Hoffman and Streep go toe to toe and prove that they are two of the living greats. Hoffman has a difficult job - making his priest seem trustworthy and honest but still managing to make him just a little creepy. You don't know if you should trust him or not. There's a particular scene between Hoffman and Streep and I didn't think either one of them was going to make it out of there alive!

04. Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road - His Frank Wheeler is deeply complex. And DiCaprio plays him with such ease. Maybe its because he's such a phenomenal actor. Maybe it's because he's with Kate again. But his performance here just may be his best ever (or, maybe, second only to The Departed). Frank is unhappy and lonely, struggling with the fact that his wife may not love him anymore. Winslet's got the showier, louder role, for sure, but DiCaprio is perfection as well.

03. Colin Farrell in In Bruges - It's been a long time since we've seen what Farrell could do acting wise. He's long just been a tabloid staple. But guess what? That potential that we all saw back in the days of Phone Booth, that has had everyone saying for the last decade, "If only he could find the right part..." well, it finally shines through. In Bruges is the right part for Farrell and it manages to show his range. He could be depressing, funny, charming, dark and witty all at the same time. I knew he could do it.

02. Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler - Probably the comeback of the year, it's nice to see Rourke, who was once considered the next Robert DeNiro, on top again. Darren Aronofsky took a chance on him and it pays off. The movie is about a wrestler struggling with the fact that his career is just about done, he has burned every bridge in his personal life, his youth is gone, his looks are gone, he's damaged himself physically and emotionally for years and years. Rourke probably didn't have to look far for inspiration.

01. Sean Penn in Milk - I'll say it right here and now - Sean Penn is in the top three of the greatest living actors. I can't decide yet where he would fall in the top three, but he's definitely in there. Penn becomes Harvey Milk. He inhabits this sweetness (yes, sweetness... yes, Sean Penn) and charm and becomes Harvey Milk. We're so used to seeing him play characters who are fiery and intense. Here he takes that passion and channels it in a different way. He plays Harvey to perfection, helping to create one of the two best performances of the year (he's probably tied with Ledger). Penn never ceases to amaze.

Tomorrow - Best Films!