The subject came up somewhere on the internet today of the best film performances of the decade thus far. As a bit of a prelude to my upcoming Oscar picks, if figure I might as well post my list here. Split into the four categories, the nominees for the best performances from 2000-2006 are:

Actors:

Tony Leung – 2046
Steve Coogan – 24 Hour Party People
Tadanobu Asano – Last Life In The Universe
Johnny Depp – Pirates Of The Caribbean
Bill Murray – Lost In Translation
Will Farrell – Anchorman
Clint Eastwood – Million Dollar Baby
Sasha Baron Cohen – Borat

Actresses:

Maggie Cheung – In The Mood For Love
Shu Qi – Millenium Mambo
Audrey Tautou – Amelie
Zhang Ziyi – House Of Flying Daggers
Zhang Ziyi – 2046
Zhao Tao – The World
Julie Delpy – Before Sunset
Q’orianka Kilcher – The New World

Supporting Actors:

Ian McKellen – The Fellowship Of The Ring
Daniel Day-Lewis – Gangs Of New York
Seu Jorge – City Of God
Andy Lau – House Of Flying Daggers
Jason Bateman – Dodgeball
Mickey Rourke – Sin City
Ian McDiarmid – Revenge Of The Sith
Jack Nicholson – The Departed

Supporting Actresses:

Zhang Ziyi – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Gwynneth Paltrow – The Royal Tenenbaums
Cate Blanchett – The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Faye Wong – 2046
Michelle Williams – Brokeback Mountain
Maria Bello – A History Of Violence
Michelle Yeoh – Memoirs Of A Geisha
Gong Li – Miami Vice

And the winners are:

Actor: Tony Leung – 2046
Actress: Q’orianka Kilcher – The New World
Sup. Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis – Gangs Of New York
Sup. Actress: Michelle Williams – Brokeback Mountain