Ben's Best Performances of 2008!

First the male performances.....

1. Mickey Rourke in the Wrestler - Yes, my number one is the same as Zach's.  What I want to know is why anyone wouldn't choose this as their number one.

2. Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight - No explanation needed.  Just watch the Dark Knight, which you probably already have.

3. Colin Farrell/Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges - The only tie on my list.  "If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me.  But I didn't, so it doesn't." My favorite line of the year, delivered brilliantly by Farrell.  Just like everything he does in this movie.  Gleeson is also hilarious as his partner in crime.

4. Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire - A fantastic performance in Patel's first feature film role.

5. Richard Jenkins in The Visitor - Completely understated and not over the top.  A great performance.

Now the Ladies.....

1. Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler - My favorite performance of the year by an Oscar winner. She does great in this film as the "stripper with a heart of gold," Cassidy.

2. Amy Adams in Doubt - The most underrated performance of the year.  Even though she is nominated for an Oscar, barely anyone has her on their performances list, and I think she belongs on all of them.

3. Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona - A great, funny performance in her best role. Yes, believe it or not, it is better than her performance in Sahara ;).

4. Angelina Jolie in Changeling - Although she most likely will not win the Oscar, she does great job in this film.

5. Cate Blanchett in the Curious Case of Benjamin Button - I think this is the best performance in the movie.

-Ben