Once again I am sticking to the “Live Era,” here (meaning I made my choices at year’s end). This is the third such article I’ve posted chronicling my choices in my personal awards (here are links to Best Actress and Best Picture).

2022 Nicolas Cage The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

2021 Nicolas Cage Pig

2020 Sacha Baron Cohen Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm

2019 Joaquin Phoenix Joker

2018 Kodi Smit-McPhee Alpha 

2017 James McAvoy Split

2016 Leonardo DiCaprio The Revenant

2015 David Gulpilil Charlie’s Country

2014 Brendan Gleeson Calvary

2013 Johan Heldenbergh The Broken Circle Breakdown

2012 Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln

2011 Michael Shannon Take Shelter

2010 Bill Nighy Wild Target

2009 Colin Firth A Single Man

2008 Sean Penn Milk

2007 Leonardo DiCaprio The Departed

2006 Nicholas Hoult Wah-Wah

2005 Philip Seymour Hoffman Capote

2004 Jim Caviezel The Passion of the Christ

2003 Jeremy Sumpter Peter Pan

2002 Christian Bale Equilibrium

2001 Haley Joel Osment Artificial Intelligence: A.I.

2000 Kevin Spacey Pay it Forward

1999 Haley Joel Osment The Sixth Sense

1998 Jack Nicholson As Good as it Gets

1997 Billy Bob Thornton Sling Blade

1996 Nick Nolte Mulholland Falls