Best actors of 2006

Now that the ladies have gone first, it's time for the gents, and you'll soon see that I have a definite preference for good comedic performances. So, without any more delay and with the single proviso that I have yet to see Peter O'Toole in "Venus" (though my mother assures me he is amazing), here are 11 actors in 10 flicks that I just enjoyed in 2006.

Steve Coogan - "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story"
Sure, Steve Coogan has made a living out of playing the arrogant, out-of-touch artist, but his act still works for me. In this latest installment in his fruitful relationship with director Michael Winterbottom, he tempers his performance as the titular character with a big dose of humanity to make it all go down that much sweeter.

Aaron Eckhart - "Thank You for Smoking"
Call this one my official long-shot for a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Though the academy did reach out to Johnny Depp's Captain Jack a few years ago, it doesn't seem likely they'll have the sense to recognize this pitch-perfect performance from Mr. Eckhart as tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor in Jason Reitman's very smart satire.

Paul Dano - "Little Miss Sunshine"
Sure, he doesn't have anything to say for about 3/4 of the flick, but even when he's quiet he carries the movie along with young Abigail Breslin, even with the presence of a slew of almost-A-list actors on hand. And when he finally does open up, he and Steve Carell at that hideous pageant are simply hilarious. Keep your eyes on Mr. Dano.

Nathan Fillion - "Slither"
OK, so maybe Mr. Fillion just made this list out of devotion to his role as Capt. Mal Reynolds of the Serenity, but it's my list, so just deal with it. Besides, I know I was only one of about 15 people who bothered to see this horror-comedy flick from Troma director James Gunn, but I still assert that Mr. Fillion was very funny as the sheriff in the middle of a shitstorm of gore and guffaws.

Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland"
OK, I promise that things will get more serious from here on out as we head into Africa and back again. If not for Mr. O'Toole, Forest would be the hands-down frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar, and he's got my vote. While you're watching his constantly sweaty Idi Amin, you never forget that it was basically a big kid that led Uganda down its road to ruin. A truly chilling performance.

Derek Luke - "Catch a Fire"
Along with Mr. Dano and the upcoming Daniel Craig and Adam Beach, Mr. Luke delivered the other truly breakthrough performance of the year for me. He definitely does have a fire as the oil factory worker suspected of and eventually driven to terrorism by the apartheid policies of the South African government. Besides, he's from Jersey City, New Jersey, and what's not to like about that?

Adam Beach - "Flags of Our Fathers"
Are American-Indian actors resigned to simply playing American-Indian parts? I hadn't seen the great Mr. Beach since his debut (at least for me) in "Smoke Signals," and he was definitely missed by me. His performance as the soldier battling the bottle and other demons after he returned from Iwo Jima was easily the highlight of Clint Eastwood's rather pedestrian war flick. As far as the movies go, I'm expecting much better things from the second chapter, "Letters from Iwo Jima."

Leo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson - "The Departed"
My apologies to Matt Damon, Marky Wahlberg and the other A-listers who contributed to this great return to form for Martin Scorsese, but these two just rose above the rest of the bunch. I've finally had to concede that Leo is a great actor, though giving him two Golden Globe nods (for this and "Blood Diamond") is just sick. And it was clear from his opening monologue that Jack was just having great fun playing the crazy mob boss Frank Costello.

Daniel Craig - "Casino Royale"
Now, in the homestretch, we get the new Bond and the would-be Bond, who many people wanted to see get the part. I admit I too had my doubts, but Mr. Craig just takes over the role of 007, and breathes new life into the franchise that should sustain it for at least another 10 flicks.

Clive Owen - "Children of Men"
Though he missed out on being Bond, Mr. Owen got a great consolation prize by playing the lead in this Alfonso Cuaron flick, which I just managed to see Saturday. He's on a slow burn throughout this one as civil servant-turned-reluctant-revolutionary Theodore Faron, and its his ability to bring us along on the journey that vaults this into contention as one of my favorite flicks of 2006.

Honorable mention: Limiting myself at the outset to just 10 flicks meant snubbing these fine performances: Ben Affleck, "Hollywoodland"; Michael Sheen, "The Queen"; Sasha Baron Cohen, "Borat"; Will Ferrell, "Stranger Than Fiction"; and Rudy Youngblood, "Apocalypto." My apologies to all.

And there you have it. Please feel free to add any I may have omitted, or any you just thoroughly enjoyed watching this year, and have a great day full of football.