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This year's Best Actor/Movie competition for the 2009 Portal Awards almost came down to a competition between "The Dark Knight" and "Star Trek."

Both films made a lot of money (of course, "Dark Knight" made far more), and both were well received by critics around the world.

But now they are going nearly head to head with a little "Watchmen" mixed in.

The late Heath Ledger, who won an Oscar posthumously for his work as The Joker in "The Dark Knight," was unquestionably going to make the list of best actors. If he didn't, how could we even claim legitimacy of these awards?

Leaving us more than a year and a half ago now, Ledger was an actor who could put on so many hats, and be completely lost in roles. The first time I saw him was in the Mel Gibson movie "The Patriot" back in 2000, a film he shined in despite the presence of not only Gibson, but other great actors like Joely Richardson (now on "Nip/Tuck"), Jason Isaacs (who would later join the Harry Potter movie franchise) and even "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's" Rene Auberjonois.

Ledger continued to make solid appearances and film after film following that, whether he was a knight hearing modern rock tunes to a gay cowboy spending way too much time on a mountain, Ledger proved he was a master of his craft, and The Joker would be the final bow of his legacy.

With all the buzz surrounding Ledger, it seems that the film's actual star, Christian Bale, was lost in the shuffle. But he wasn't. Bale brought Batman back to life and played him better than ever. While it seemed that Batman himself could've used a throat lozenge, we saw a much darker Bruce Wayne this time around, especially one who was willing to sacrifice his hero for the good of Gotham.

On the "Star Trek" side, it's not William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Instead, it's two new people playing the iconic roles of Kirk and Spock: Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.

Pretty much an unknown character actor from shows like "CSI: Miami" and "Six Feet Under," Pine had a lot of people asking "Who?" when director J.J. Abrams announced his pick for Kirk. But Pine not only looked the part ... he is Kirk.

Quinto, on the other hand, had "Heroes" fans campaigning for him. Not just because of how much they enjoyed his work as the evil Sylar in the NBC series, but because he seemed to have a passing resemblance to Nimoy.

But there is more to Hollywood than just looks, and Quinto was able to fill those big boots amazingly. Presenting a character who remained in conflict between his human and Vulcan sides, there may not have been a ton of emotion coming through Quinto's face in "Star Trek," but there certainly was emotion in his eyes and his overall movement.

He may never be loved as much as Nimoy, but the older actor should be proud of who has taken over his role.

And then there was Jackie Earle Haley. After getting a huge break in 1976 for "The Bad News Bears," Haley practically fell off the face of the planet in the early 1990s, not to resurface again until 2006 when he appeared in "Little Children." And now audiences can't get enough of him.

Shaving his now trademark goatee and covering his bald head, Haley created two amazing characters in Walter Kovacs and Rorschach. If there wasn't enough excitement about the comic adaptation already, Haley provided even more in a portrayal that is as haunting as it is spectacular.

In the Best Movie category, there will likely be some debate on whether or not "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" should qualify as a genre film. All I have to say is that unless someone can show me someone who was born old, and grew young, it's as science-fiction as it gets.

But it was a mainstream hit starring Brad Pitt and Portal Award nominee Cate Blanchett, and will very much earn the votes of many of our readers.

Of course, if we're going to nominate two people each from "Star Trek" and "The Dark Knight," one would think the movies would have to be here as well. And so is "Watchmen," even thought I felt it could use another long visit with the editor.

However, one film that seemed to slip in a bit surprisingly was "The Incredible Hulk." It's hard to watch that movie and not think about that film a few years back from Ang Lee, but to be honest, it seemed Edward Norton really pulled this off. And even though it feels like it's been an eternity since the film premiered, it hasn't been forgotten, and hopefully won't be forgotten by voters, either.

Voting for the 2009 Portal Awards begins June 25 at www.AirlockAlpha.com. For a full list of nominees, click here.