Sideways Writer-director Alexander Payne finds the perfect representative for his special brand of mid-life despair, sending the always-wonderful Paul Giamatti on a bachelor's wine tasting road trip with old college buddy Thomas Haden Church. Vintage Payne.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Writer Charlie Kaufman spins another tale of the search for love among the maladjusted, this one a head-spinning combination of "Groundhog Day" and "Memento", featuring Jim Carrey's best performance to date.
Million Dollar Baby Just when you thought "Rocky" was the only way to do a boxing movie. Hilary Swank proves that "Boys Don't Cry" was no fluke, and Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman prove that they can be more interesting talking about socks (literally) than most actors can be during a typical "Oscar Clip".
The Incredibles "Iron Giant" creator Brad Bird somehow manages to raise the bar at Pixar yet again with his story of a retired superhero brought back into action with his equally super family in tow. Stunning production design, pitch-perfect writing and the by-now-requisite jaw-dropping animation make this one of the best animated films of all time.
Hotel Rwanda The power in this true story of one hotel manager's attempt to shelter targets of the 1994 Rwandan genocide comes more from its topic and the performance of Don Cheadle than from Terry George's staid direction.
