1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- This one wasn't even a remotely close call, in my book. An awesome concept, a great script, seamless direction and acting. Novel, funny, and poignant. What a feat!
2. Sideways -- I was late getting to this one and it was well worth all the hype. A smart, well-executed movie that successfully operated on several levels at once. It could easily have been pretentious and overly self-important, but I think the tone was no-nonsense and kept it real.
3. The Incredibles -- A really fun and clever new twist on the superhero action movie, with a perfect combination of the larger-than-life and the ordinary. Had it not been animated, it would likely have been hoaky and overdone.
4. Maria Full of Grace -- A believable, restrained look at hardships and how people may do what they do that deal with them. What could have devolved into horrific high-drama mostly maintained the tone of a heroic human adventure story.
5. Napoleon Dynamite -- Popularily dismissed because of its huge success among line-quoting teenagers, this wasn't just a hipster high-school movie. It may not ultimately say much, but asking it to is show a disregard for the high-school movie genre. I believe that it will stand up as one of the wittiest, weirdest, and most original in the canon.
6. Before Sunset -- Smart dialogue and almost-natural monologuing make this a very engaging relationship movie. An alternative type of romance without much romance. An intellectual soufflet without utensils to eat it with. But very satisfying.
7. Shrek 2 -- Very witty and fun with more to say than at first meets the eye.
8. Spider-Man 2 -- A terrifically crafted action story with a human-scaled hero, a well orchestrated series of sub-plots, and a good cast of characters, including a credible bad guy.
9. Fahrenheit 9/11 -- Despite Michael Moore's penchant for totally unsubstantiated conspiracies and unchecked overstatements, this was an important film for its moment -- very satisfying and effective in its concretization of things we have all (or, like, half of us) felt over the last few years.
10. Dawn of the Dead -- A perfect horror movie: half-believable and scary premise, fueding heroes and un-heroes, horribly frightening bad guys, pithy dialogue, light social satire, and first-rate visuals.
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