Maybe 2007 left us spoiled. With future classics like "Zodiac," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" gracing our screens, 2008, so far, feels a little less ... significant. But that was on first glimpse; now that we've dug in and really looked back through the entire year, we can safely say (and the year's not over yet) that 2008 has been interesting, unexpected -- especially when it comes to performers.

Comedians who are usually funny, like Mike Myers and Will Ferrell, were outshined by actors who are usually brooding, like James Franco, care of his brilliant comedic turn in "Pineapple Express." Actors who used to open movies large, like Meg Ryan or Nicolas Cage, were blown away by the box office power that is ... Robert Downey Jr. (Yes!) Meryl Streep sang ABBA songs, Anne Hathaway played a drug addict, Josh Brolin aped George W. Bush and Harvey Milk assassin Dan White, Tom Cruise wore a fat suit and M. Night Shyamalan made one of the funniest movies of the year (OK, unintentionally, but still). With this in mind, we're looking at the best and worst careers of 2008 -- a weird year, a year not filled with classics, but one we might remember more than we know.

Best! Robert Downey Jr.: For me, Robert Downey Jr. was back in 2006, thanks to his wry and kookily soulful performance in Shane Black's vastly underrated "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." But no one saw that movie (big hint: Rent it). But there's no denying that 2008 has been the year, the comeback for this sometimes brilliant, always unique, scene-stealing talent. This is the year he became a full-fledged movie star. Years back, when he suffered on the brink of chemical destruction, when he was falling asleep on strangers' couches, when he was serving jail time, one might have never imagined such a thing. But in an inspirational turnaround, Downey soared, not only with the box office smash "Iron Man," a movie that's grossed more than half a billion dollars, but with his daring performance (in blackface!) in "Tropic Thunder," a movie he stole from the likes of Ben Stiller and Jack Black. And he's now officially on a roll. Next up, "The Soloist" with Jamie Foxx (directed by Joe Wright, who handled "Atonement") and the role of a certain famed detective in a picture Guy Ritchie better not botch: "Sherlock Holmes." But no worries: With Downey in the lead, there's no way the picture can't be interesting. Damn, the guy really is some kind of superhero.

WORST! Meg Ryan: Ah, I feel terrible putting adorable, mop-topped Meg Ryan in the worst category. For one, Hollywood is unkind to aging actresses, especially if they excel at playing the constantly frustrated cutie-pie (Helen Mirren roles will not be coming their way). And for two, Miss Ryan probably thought starring in the remake of George Cukor's 1939 classic "The Women" was just the ticket to her possible Michelle Pfeiffer-like, I'm-still-here splash. But alas, the movie was a dud, even when Ryan surrounded herself with actresses who've handled themselves quite well past their 40s (Annette Bening, Bette Midler, Candice Bergen, Carrie Fisher and Cloris Leachman). I'm not sure what could restore Ryan's career (a sequel to "When Harry Met Sally," only darker and directed by Neil LaBute?), but she needs to reassess her projects. Or nab a hit TV show. Help her, Candice Bergen.

Read my entire list including Danny McBride and Mickey Rourke (god bless him!) here.

--posted by Kim