The Top 10 Performances of 2013

2013 was the year of passionate, fiery, heart driven, multi layered...completely alive performances. It is almost impossible to find an underlying theme to this list...other than the fact that these are real people. Interesting people. Beautiful in their damage. These actors are an inspiration....

1. Adele Exarchopoulos, "Blue is the Warmest Color"

I have not stopped thinking about Adele, the beautiful character at the center of the absolutely brilliant "Blue is the Warmest Color." For as long as I can remember I haven't seen a performance so utterly alive on screen. Watching Adele fall in love, have sex, question that love, confront it head on, and ultimately face the consequences of other desires...well...it all seems absolutely new here. I care for Adele...I want to know that she is ok...and has found love again. I need to know. But I never will. And all of this is due to the performance by the real Adele Exarchopoulos. The absolute best performance of the year.

2. Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"

I have always been a huge fan of Julia Roberts. People love to hate on her...and still a few critics (including the New York Times's A.O. Scott) just can't resist saying something negative about her. But very few people can deny what she does here. First of all, people mistake what she does as "playing herself." The best, most truthful acting is tapping into a part of who you are and expanding upon it. Julia is still there...but it is a darker side. There is a real back story to Julia's Barb...and it shows. And then there is Meryl Streep. Wow. This is a balls to the wall, 120%, pill soaked operatic performance. And I honestly believe no one else could have done what she did. Streep has somehow made her character completely real. Yet again. I think it is her best performance in a very long time. Too bad they already gave her the Oscar for "The Iron Lady."

3. Hugh Dancy, "Hannibal"

Hugh Dancy is probably the most underrated actor we have. He has always done remarkable work both in film (He was great in "Adam") and on stage (Broadway's "Journey's End," in a role I auditioned for!). But it is his characterization of Will Graham in "Hannibal" that is a career best...at least for now. Will is seriously damaged goods with a miraculous ability to see through a killer's eyes. He is sensitive, lost...a tad weak...but somehow completely sexy all at the same time.

4. Amy Adams and Christian Bale, "American Hustle"

I have always loved Amy Adams, but her performance in "American Hustle" goes beyond what she has done in the past. Always able to create a wonderful and interesting character (Ashley in "Junebug," Sister James in "Doubt") Adams shines in almost everything she does. Hard to believe she has 4 Oscar nominations! But in "American Hustle" she digs deeper than she ever has. There are so many facets to Sydney, it is one of the most detailed and complicated roles of the year. (Sometimes even switching between alter egos mid sentence!) And then there is her counterpart, Christian Bale. Not to dwell too much on years, performances or Oscar wins of the past...but Bale truly deserves praise for this one. His Irving is still wild and interesting, but this time it is based in truth.

5. The cast of "Breaking Bad.”

Everyone in this remarkable cast deserves special recognition. Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Besty Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Charles Baker, Jesse Plemons, Laura Fraser, Matt Jones. These actors made the final episodes of "Breaking Bad" the best television may have ever seen. (For more check out my top 10 television shows of the year.)

6. Cate Blanchet, “Blue Jasmine”

Cate Blanchet has done so much in so little time. Almost every performance she give is knock out of the ballpark. But paired with Woody Allen to create Jasmine, she absolutely radiates with insanity. In a performance that will more than likely win her an Oscar, Blanchet makes us laugh, while somehow managing to infuriate and extract pity from us...all at the same time.

7. Julie Delpy, “Before Midnight”

The "Before" series has been special to me since I first rented the VHS tape of "Before Sunrise" and watched it at my parents house in Mississippi back in 1994. Julie "Celine," is a bit crazy, full of passion, questioning love, motives, life...everything under the sun, pun intended. In "Before Midnight" we se a character that has truly grown 20 years, with every single life experience tacked on, leading to a spectacular scene in a hotel room between her and the also wonderful Ethan Hawke. (More on that in my top scenes of the year!)

8. Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Going into "Dallas Buyers Club" I was quite aware that Jared Leto was sweeping the Best Supporting Actor category in the Oscar precursors (at least pre guilds, that is). And I was a bit apprehensive. This role is total Oscar bait. Leto hasn't acted in 5 years, he lost tons of weight. He is straight, playing gay, with AIDS. Blah, blah, blah. Well...no amount of hype can take away from this incredible performance. Much has been said about Rayon, and I'm not sure I can ad much to it. Other than the fact that he does transform into her, allowing us to forget the Oscar story and simply watch the (hopefully!) Oscar winning performance.

9. Shailene Woodley, "The Spectacular Now"

Shailene Woodley is about to have a crazy year. Although she was removed from the second "Amazing Spiderman" film (and lost the lead role in "50 Shades of Grey...." thank goodness!) she still has "Divergent" and "The Fault in Our Stars" coming up. I'm sure she will be amazing. But "The Spectacular Now" continues the promise she showed us in "The Descendants." I really loved "The Spectacular Now," and I would have liked to included it in my top 10 list, but here is where I will honor it. Shailine (along with Jennifer Lawrence) is the future of young actresses in America. Electric and true. Her Aimee in "TSN" is painfully real...falling in love with the wrong boy for the first time. We want so badly for everything to work out for her in the end. And...well...I don't want to spoil the film for you! See it!

10. Melonie Diaz "Fruitvale Station"

"Fruitvale Station" is an absolutely incredible film, one I hope the Academy doesn't ignore for Best Picture. And while Octavia Spencer will probably get the Oscar nomination (although not the sure thing it was a few months ago) the heart of the film, for me, lies with Melonie Diaz, who plays Sophina, Oscar Grant's girlfriend. When things start to go horribly wrong on the train platform it is Diaz's stunning performance that begins the heart ripping process we have sadly been anticipating the entire film.

Honorable mention
Brie Larson, "Short Term12"
Paulina Garcia, "Gloria"
Emma Watson, “The Bling Ring”
Daniel Radclife and Dane DeHaan "Kill Your Darlings"
Leonardo DiCapril and Jonah Hill "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Emma Thompson and Colin Farrell in "Saving Mr. Banks."
Tom Hanks in "Captain Phillips"
Daniel Bruhl, "Rush"
Lindsay Lohan, "The Canyons"