I had a chuckle this morning reading "Best Performance, Male: Nicolas Cage". The words came from a press release from the Toronto Film Critics Association listing its 2009 Award Winners. I have to admit that Cage's performance as a crooked cop in Herzog's The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans was unexpected and wild, and probably even deserves this acknowledgment.

Steve McQueen's "Hunger" and Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" share top prize as best film of 2009.

The Toronto Film Critics Association will have a toast to the winners on January 12, 2010 at Nota Bene, with a dinner hosted by TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey and a yet to be announced Best Canadian Feature Award to be presented by David Cronenberg. Check out the winner list.

Best Picture (Tie)
"Hunger" (Maple Pictures)
"Inglourious Basterds" (Alliance Films)
Runner-up:
"The Hurt Locker" (Maple Pictures)

Best Performance, Male
Nicolas Cage, "The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"
Runners-up:
George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
Michael Fassbender, "Hunger"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Viggo Mortensen, "The Road"

Best Performance, Female
Carey Mulligan, "An Education"
Runners-up:
Arta Dobroshi, "Le Silence de Lorna"
Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"

Best Supporting Performance, Male
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"
Runners-up:
Christian McKay, "Me & Orson Welles"
Timothy Olyphant, "A Perfect Getaway"

Best Supporting Performance, Female
Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"
Runners-up:
Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"
Mo'nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"
Runners-up:
Steve McQueen, "Hunger"
Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Screenplay (Tie)
"Inglourious Basterds", written by Quentin Tarantino
"Up in the Air", written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner based on the novel by Walter Kirn
Runner-up:
"A Serious Man", written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Best First Feature
"Hunger", directed by Steve McQueen
Runners-up:
"District 9", directed by Neill Blomkamp
"(500) Days of Summer", directed by Marc Webb

Best Animated Feature
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (Fox Searchlight)
Runners-up:
"Coraline" (Alliance Films)
"Up" (Disney-Pixar)

Best Foreign-Language Film
"The White Ribbon" (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up:
"Police, adjective" (filmswelike)
"Summer Hours" (E1 Entertainment)

Best Documentary Feature
"The Cove" (Maple Pictures)
Runners-up:
"Anvil! The Story of Anvil" (filmswelike)
"The Beaches of Agnes" (E1 Entertainment)