New York Times Magazine has put together a little over seven-minute video with 14 of 2009’s notable actors discussing some of what they consider to be the best performances of the last decade. The names included are Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Christoph Waltz, Sam Worthington, Vera Farmiga, Tobey Maguire, Colin Firth, Zoe Saldana and George Clooney.
It’s an interesting video, but at the same time sitting down to consider the best of the last ten years seems so arbitrary to me. It has that “too soon” feel to it, which is why I didn’t personally create a “Best of the Decade” list like everyone else. I’m still forming opinions on the films I’ve seen over the last ten years and how exactly do you compare a performance you saw in 2009 to one you saw in 2000 in terms of greatness? In terms of films, there are films I saw in 2003 and graded as high as an “A-” that may actually struggle to earn a “B-” from me now.
Nevertheless, I can understand how one or two performances can stick out in the minds of some as the best they can recall, but I’m more like Colin Firth in this video when he says, “I don’t know where to put anything in time anymore,” which is probably why his answer seems the most genuine to me. As for why Sandra Bullock is sporting a rat’s nest on her head — that I can’t explain.
