Fifth place goes to Jeff Bridges, who took a Wrestler-esque role about a country/western musician on a downward spiral and turned it into something heart-rending and unforgettable. Sure, Bridges has turned in some stellar work before (The Dude springs instantly to mind), but Bad Blake comes to life so completely that you forget you're watching Jeff Bridges on the screen. That sort of honesty should be the goal of every actor in the business.

Matt Damon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt take the sixth and seventh spots, for The Informant! and (500) Days of Summer, respectively. Damon is getting to be about as consistent as they come, and 2009 was a very good year for him considering that he got plenty of positive reviews for The Informant! and also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Invictus. He did more than just gain weight and look dumpy for The Informant!, though, as he fully embraced the goofiness of the story and gave us a Mark Whitacre that was probably nothing like the average movie-goers expectations. Gordon-Levitt has caught our attention before for films like The Lookout, Brick, Mysterious Skin and 10 Things I Hate About You, but (500) Days of Summer feels like the movie that pushes him to the next level. His movement from glee to angst is palpable and believable, and even though we know his character's story isn't going to have a conventional happy ending, we're with him all the way.

The final three spots in the top ten are taken by some big, big names – Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds), Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) and Russell Crowe (State of Play). Pitt's goofy Appalachian accent makes Aldo Raine almost irresistible. We're giggling at him even as he commits violent, stunning acts (he's a good guy, though, so rah rah rah!). We're still solidly on board the Robert Downey Jr. train, and love the new sensibility he's injected into Sherlock Holmes. Finally, Crowe is surprisingly engaging in State of Play, playing the character as a bit sloppy and even dislikable at times. It adds a touch of realism to the character, and helps us to forget that "hey, it's Maximus!" on the big screen.

Performances that didn't quite make the cut this year include Souleymane Sy Savane for Goodbye Solo, Chris Pine in Star Trek (there's that sci-fi again!), the great Colin Firth in a Single Man, Liam Neeson in Taken and Johnny Depp for Public Enemies. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Breakthrough Performance
Best Cast
Best Director
Best DVD
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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