Amazon Blogs: Armchair Commentary Daily Digest

Check out these Updates from Armchair Commentary for December 29, 2009.

Best Actor, 2000-2009: Your Thoughts? December 29, 2009 Forget Oscars. Forget box office. Which leading actor and actress had the best batting average of the last 10 years? The most consistent body of work, the highest good-to-bad, one-for-me, one-for-them ratio? In this case, one or two totally awesome movies does not a contender make if they filled the rest of the years with total dreck (that's you, Hilary Swank). Also, we're focusing on leading actors and actresses vs. more supporting/character actors/scene stealers (the John C. Reillys and Alan Rickmans of the world) because so much more weight and expectation is carried on a lead. (Plus, supporting actors do a lot of dreck too.) So here are our nominations for Best Leading Actor, 2000-2009 (Best Actress and Director to come in later posts). Voice acting and cameos not included, wins/losses are a carefully calculated formula of box office and overall critical reception--or, just a gut feeling. Johnny Depp (*Amazon Movies staff pick) Wins: Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Sweeney Todd, Finding Neverland, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Before Night Falls, Blow, Chocolat On the fence: Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, From Hell, Public Enemies Losses: The Libertine, Secret Window, Once Upon a Time in Mexico Christian Bale Wins: Batman Begins/Dark Knight, The Prestige, 3:10 to Yuma, I’m Not There, Rescue Dawn, The New World, The Machinist, American Psycho, Shaft On the fence: Public Enemies, Terminator Salvation, Harsh Times Losses: Equilibrium, Reign of Fire, Laurel Canyon, Captain Corelli's Mandolin George Clooney Wins: Up in the Air, Syriana, Ocean’s 11 and 13, Michael Clayton, Good Night and Good Luck, O Brother Where Art Thou , The Perfect Storm On the fence: Intolerable Cruelty, Leatherheads, Ocean's 12, Burn After Reading Losses: The Men Who Stare at Goats, The Good German, Solaris, Welcome to Collinwood Philip Seymour Hoffman Wins: Almost Famous, Capote, M:I-3, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Charlie Wilson’s War, Doubt, The 25th Hour, Punch-Drunk Love, State and Main On the fence: Synecdoche, NY, Pirate Radio, Cold Mountain, Owning Mahowny, Red Dragon, Love Liza Losses: Along Came Polly Leonardo DiCaprio Wins: Revolutionary Road, Body of Lies, Blood Diamond, The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Catch Me if You Can Losses: The Beach Sean Penn Wins: Milk, Mystic River, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, 21 Grams, I Am Sam, Before Night Falls On the fence: The Interpreter, Up at the Villa Losses: All the King’s Men, It's All About Love, The Weight of Water Who else would you add to the list? --Ellen

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