Best Performances of 2010 - Dynamic List

My ‘Best Performances’ dynamic lists are a lot like my Film lists, but slightly different.  For starters, while every film I see makes it onto my Film lists… only the most noteworthy performance make it onto my Best Performances lists.  Also, I only rank order what I consider the Top 5 Performances of the year.  However, I also maintain an Honorable Mentions list for each category, which is populated by performances that have either been bumped from the Top 5 or performances that are particularly noteworthy but not Top 5 worthy.  The honorable mentions are listed in alphabetical order by last name and are not rank ordered. 

That said, my Best Performances lists is just as dynamic and ever changing as my Film lists.

Best Performances of 2010:

Best Actor

1. James Franco – 127 Hours
2. Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
3. Ryan Gosling – Blue Valentine
4. Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
5. Russell Crowe – The Next Three Days

Honorable Mentions:

• Jeff Bridges – True Grit
• Steve Carell – Date Night
• Michael Cera – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
• Michael Cera – Youth in Revolt
• George Clooney – The American
• Rob Corddry – Hot Tub Time Machine
• Russell Crowe – Robin Hood
• Leonardo DiCaprio - Inception
• Zach Galifianakis – It’s Kind of a Funny Story
• John C. Reilly - Cyrus
• Mark Wahlberg – The Fighter

Best Actress

1. Natalie Portman – Black Swan
2. Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
3. Tina Fey – Date Night
4. Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
5. Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone

Honorable Mentions:

• Cate Blanchett – Robin Hood
• Dakota Fanning – The Runaways
• Rebecca Hall – The Town
• Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
• Julianne Moore – The Kids Are All Right
• Ellen Page - Inception
• Mary-Louise Parker - RED
• Emma Stone – Easy A

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christian Bale – The Fighter
2. Michael Shannon – The Runaways
3. Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Inception
5. Anthony Hopkins – You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Honorable Mentions:

• Russell Brand – Get Him to the Greek
• Josh Brolin – True Grit
• Nicolas Cage – Kick-Ass
• Thomas Haden Church – Easy A
• John Hawkes – Winter’s Bone
• Jonah Hill - Cyrus
• Jon Lovitz – Casino Jack
• John Malkovich – RED
• Liam Neeson – The Next Three Days
• Jeremy Renner – The Town
• Mickey Rourke – Iron Man 2
• Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right
• Justin Timberlake – The Social Network
• Stanley Tucci – Easy A
• Mark Wahlberg – Date Night

Best Supporting Actress

1. Melissa Leo – The Fighter
2. Jackie Weaver – Animal Kingdom
3. Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
4. Amy Adams – The Fighter
5. Marisa Tomei - Cyrus

Honorable Mentions:

• Elizabeth Banks – The Next Three Days
• Irina Bjorklund – The American
• Patricia Clarkson – Easy A
• Emily Meade - Twelve
• Helen Mirren - RED
• Chloe Grace Moretz – Kick-Ass
• Lucy Punch – You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
• Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit