There are a ton of highly-anticipated movies coming this year, movies that everyone thinks will be great. My personal favorite part of movies is the acting, so I wanted to look back and reflect on some of the best acting performances in recent movie history. There are some widely renowned acting performances that I have not yet seen, so here is a few honorable mentions first: Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception), Daniel Day Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Hugh Jackman (Prisoners).

10. Jake Gyllenhaal- Jarhead (2005)

Jake Gyllenhaal is constantly forced to play in the most miserable roles ever, and this is no different in a war movie. Gyllenhaal is one of my favorite actors for being able to embody sorrow so beautifully, which he does here with his character Anthony Swofford. Jarhead is a traditional war movie, but Gyllenhaal elevates it so much with the way he embodies the despair in such awful times. 4.2/5

9. Robin Williams- Good Will Hunting (1997)

This is the first of two performances from Good Will Hunting on my list. Robin Williams plays as a co-star as teacher and therapist Sean Maguire, embodying personal care and fatherly affection. Sean MaGuire is put in place as a therapist for a kid by former friend current rival, and he puts aside his vendetta to truly help a kid in need. It shows how love should truly function, pouring out despite all outside noise. Robin Williams truly has such a unique way of acting, meshing philosophy and solemn speaking with joy and comedy and it is so beautiful to me. 4.5/5

8. Guy Pearce- Memento (2000)

Without giving too much away about this movie, Guy Pearce, who looks a lot like Brad Pitt, plays a former insurance investigator who lost his short term memory. A man broke into Leonard’s (Guy Pearce) home and murdered his wife, also hitting Leonard on the head and giving him anterograde amnesia. Critics around the globe, and psychologists, say this movie is the most accurate interpretation of how anterograde amnesia actually functions. That isn’t only because of Christopher Nolan, but the acting as well. When watching this movie, you feel truly immersed in the role and way that this form of amnesia works. It is insane. 4.6/5

7. Robin Williams- Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Robin Williams plays the lead role in this movie, Mrs. Doubtfire, really Daniel Hillard. He is a divorced dad who will go to any measure to get his kids back, and in so he began posing as a female Scottish housekeeper (Mrs. Doubtfire). Robin Williams consistently has a way to balance emotion with comedy, something that is so underappreciated in acting. Beneath the jolly character, he captured the pain of a father who desires to be close to his kids again, which just feels so real in every sense. 4.6/5

6. Casey Affleck- Manchester By The Sea (2016)

This is one of the two most heart-tugging movies I have ever seen, with Casey Affleck playing lead role Lee Chandler, an absolutely miserable man. Lee loses his brother at the beginning of the movie, and he made Lee the sole guardian of his teenage nephew Patrick. Lee is forced to take time off of his job to care for the kid and deal with the funeral. As we go on, we discover more about his past as Lee feels he is reliving it. The way Casey Affleck embodies the misery in this movie is so real and vivid, and shows the true gloom in a rotten past. 4.6/5

5. Will Smith- Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

In one of the most emotional movies I have ever seen, Will Smith plays the lead, Christopher Gardner, perfectly. In this movie, Smith plays a father in a failing relationship and business with a very young son. He is attempting to sustain both his life and his kids while making no money, but Chris Gardner refuses to give up hope as he strives for a happy life. This is one of the best purposefully-sad movies I have ever seen, and the way Smith portrays that sorrow-to-victory makes it so much better. 4.7/5

4. Leonardo DiCaprio- Shutter Island (2010)

I can’t say too much about this role without spoiling the whole movie, but DiCaprio acts as the lead role in this movie: Teddy Daniels. Teddy Daniels embarks on an investigation as a US Marshall with co-star Mark Ruffalo trying to find an escaped patient at a mental asylum. With the role that DiCaprio has, he plays it perfectly. That’s all I am going to say. 4.8/5

3. Heath Ledger- The Dark Knight (2008)

In one of Christopher Nolan’s best films, Heath Ledger plays one of the most important characters: the Joker. Ledger completely disappears into the role of the Joker, fullying embodying the eeriness of the concept. His voice, mannerisms, everything down to his posture makes the character feel real; which is so terrifying. Ledger embodies chaos as a person in this role, making a comic book villain feel alive entirely. It is amazing. 4.9/5.

2. Matthew McConaughey- Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar might be the best movie of all time as a consensus, and the acting in this movie is a huge part of the reason. Matthew McConaughey plays the lead role of Cooper in this movie, a man who leaves his home and beloved daughter to save the planet on an intergalactic journey. He poses scenes with raw and genuine emotion, some of the most real-looking I’ve scene in cinema, on top of action and triumph throughout the movie. He does everything, and he does it perfectly. This performance, as well as the next, are absolutely interchangable. 5/5.

1. Matt Damon- Good Will Hunting (1997)

Matt Damon plays Will Hunting in this movie, one of the lead roles and main character. Will Hunting is one of the most uniquely written characters in film history, a troubled kid-genius limited by his past and lack of drive. Will Hunting is a sarcastic, cocky, conceited character. He has a love interest in the movie who he pushes away due to an attachment disorder in one of the most emotional and beautiful scenes of the movie which, acting wise, is one of the best ever. Towards the end of the movie, costar Robin Williams as Sean Maguire finally gets will to break in simply the best scene I have ever watched. Looking at pure acting, Matt Damon is a pure 5/5. There isn’t a dry moment, a slip up, or a mistake in any moment of the whole movie. It feels so real, especially for such a unique character. There’s emotion, sarcasm, joking, joy, anger, and ultimately the breaking down of walls.