10) Signs
Not so much about extraterrestrials as it is about faith and end-of-the-world philosophies, “Signs” provides further evidence that M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most talented filmmakers to ever emerge in Hollywood. Did I mention it will scare the bejesus outta ya?

9) Minority Report
A dazzling futuristic sci-fi opus from Steven Spielberg, this is a movie with ideas. You don’t see too many of those nowadays.

8) Frailty
Bill Paxton’s disturbing and accomplished directorial debut about a man on a mission from God to destroy demons. A triumph of mood, style and original filmmaking. Paxton is the man.

7) The Pianist
Roman Polanski’s powerful, personal story of the Holocaust, with Adrien Brody in a harrowing performance as a man struggling to survive through the ruins of a Warsaw ghetto. Horrifying, even in the wake of the most unforgettable film ever made on the subject - “Schindler’s List”.

6) Catch Me If You Can
Mr. Spielberg was two for two this year with this funny and poignant story about a young con artist (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the FBI agent (an offbeat Tom Hanks) on his trail. Spielberg lightens his load from the bleakness of “Minority Report” and “A.I.” for this old-school charmer, and the change-of-pace comes as a total relief.

5) The Rookie
A feel-good Disney flick that doesn’t drown you in syrup? This terrific family film about following your dreams is indeed a rare find, and Dennis Quaid is in top form. Call me a big baby, but I watched the last half-hour through tears.

4) Adaptation
A brilliantly warped film from those nutty bastards who brought us the existential chestnut “Being John Malkovich”, with reborn “actor” Nicolas Cage in two roles (one of them real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, the other his fictional brother) in a movie about adapting a novel called “The Orchid Thief” into a movie that provided the inspiration for this movie. One of the sharpest, trickiest and funniest Hollywood satires ever made.

3) Chicago
A joyous musical romp, vibrant and full of life, “Chicago” brings the old-fashioned movie musical back to the world’s audience with flair to spare. It’s so hard to choose your favorite number when most have you virtually dancing in the aisles, but for the record, “Cell Block Tango” rocks.

2) Bowling for Columbine
Michael Moore’s brilliant, incisive, hilarious and nerve-rattling examination of America’s obsession with guns. With his self-aggrandizing tactics, Moore is hardly for a martyr for this cause, but as a non-fiction filmmaker he is in a league all his own.

1) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The second installment in Peter Jackson’s soon-to-be-classic fantasy trilogy is a powerhouse of a film - grand, stirring, and at every epic turn, utterly massive in scope (dwarfing its predecessor for sheer spectacle). On the whole, “The Fellowship of the Ring” runs smoother, and “Towers” substitutes that film’s magic and whimsy for exhausting medieval carnage. But it is nonetheless my #1 movie of the year, because nothing else captivated me to such a degree in 2002. Now, if only “Return of the King” would just get here already, darn it...

These almost made the cut:
“About a Boy”, “About Schmidt”, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (a re-release, yes, but one that must not go without mention), "Far From Heaven", “The Ring”, “Spider-Man”, “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” (I know, I know - but it’s Star Wars!), “13 Conversations about One Thing”

THE BOTTOM OF THE PROVERBIAL BARREL
*Note*: In 2002 I was fortunate enough to avoid many of what were sure to be the crummiest movies of the year (IE, “Master of Disguise”, “Serving Sara”, “Sorority Boys”, “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” and the Seagal epic “Half Past Dead”) because I refused to shell out cash to see them (yes - I pay for my movies). Even on DVD, I hesitate. Nonetheless, I saw my share of crap, as witnessed below.

5) Showtime
Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro: in a perfect world, this teaming wouldn’t suck like my industrial-strength Dust Buster. But this isn’t, and it does.

4) I Spy
Murphy decides to bring Owen Wilson down with him this time around in this lame-ass buddy comedy. Solid year, Eddie. Solid. And keep in mind that I didn’t even see “Pluto Nash”.

3) Halloween Resurrection
Michael Myers himself is now sick of the old routine: butcher teenagers, most of whom couldn’t act their way out of a wet paper bag, with large knives and other sharp objects. Most offensive twist of the year: Busta Rhymes survives the movie.

2) Jason X
Does anyone else find it funny that Jason (of the unstoppable “Friday the 13th” series) went to hell before he went to space, as he does in this laughable 10th installment? What’s next? New Jersey?

1) Three-way photo finish:
Rollerball
Incoherent, unwatchable and unintentionally funny - despite a dream cast including Chris Klein and LL Cool J.
The Sweetest Thing
A romantic comedy without romance or comedy, or a point (although it does have the most idiotic musical number I’ve ever seen in a movie). Painful to watch.
Bad Company
Bad guys with Euro-trash accents... a kidnapped girlfriend... a bomb with a digital read-out counter. Heard this joke before? Anthony Hopkins looks bored, Chris Rock is completely unfunny; put all this in a blender and you have a movie that made me physically ill.

Underrated: “Below”, “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys”, “The Emperor’s Club”, “Kung Pow: Enter the Fist” (note to self: watch while under the influence), “Orange County”

Overrated: “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, “The Hours”, “Ice Age”

Best Canadian Curling Comedy co-starring Leslie Nielsen and a pack of beavers: “Men with Brooms”