Strat's 20 of 2002

Movies went international. Even if they were made in English, they had some overseas connection - whether exotic locales (Middle Earth) or shot overseas to look like America (old New York in Italy). They also went big, as 6 of the top 10 grossing movies of the year found their way onto this list. There's no clear number one. In fact, my top 5 are interchangeable.

20. Better Luck Tomorrow (drama)

A glimpse in the organized crime world of Asian-American high school honors students. What?! Yeah. Pretty interesting.

19. Signs (sci-fi)

Oh M. Night, back to your twist-ending ways. It's an alien invasion movie with very little high tech and lots of chills and a few good nervous laughs.

18. Minority Report (sci-fi)

At last we see a sci-fi movie set in the near future that feels like it really is the not-so-distant future.

17. One Hour Photo (drama)

Makes me glad that the digital camera is in full swing and I don't have to deal with this creep. Whew. Good job, Robin Williams.

16. Panic Room (thriller)

What happens when you throw Jodie Foster in the closet and say act? Just be sure to film it the way only David Fincher (Fight Club) knows how.

15. The Ring (horror)

Yes, the Japanese movie is pretty scary, but this time around in America, I actually got freaked out. Maybe I should get rid of my TV...

14. Catch Me If You Can (action comedy)

It's a movie you half don't expect Spielberg to make. He's not normally a comedy guy. This ends up being a lot of fun to watch.

13. Talk to Her (foreign drama)

Back in the soap opera-like twisted story land of Almodovar.

12. Frida (drama)

After her success with Shakespeare, Julie Taymor tackles the controversial artist with Selma Hayek delivering the the best work of her career.

11. Orange County (comedy)

Teen comedy directed by the son of writer Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and starring Tom Hanks kid? Nepotism? Maybe not. It's a classic male-driven teen movie except our main guy is actually smart and likeable yet not the classic nerd.

10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (fantasy)

I'm not a Harry Potter fan, however this one actually made me believe that this franchise might have some merit to it.

9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (comedy)

Okay, I'm Greek. I'm biased. What can I say? It reminds me of my family.

8. Insomnia (suspense drama)

Certainly overlooked, Chris Nolan takes an all-star cast to Alaska and lets them go insane.

7. About Schmidt (comedy)

This is a movie where everything happens around Jack Nicholson and he just sits there and takes it all in. And no one is better and just sitting there. And writing letters to Ndugo.

6. Spider-Man (action adventure)

One of the better launches to a super-hero movie franchise. Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi prove that you don't have to go dark to be well-liked. Just have well-drawn characters who we can relate to despite the obvious.

5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (fantasy)

Neither the beginning, nor the end, the theatrical release of this movie is much easier to follow than the first. This movie also introduces us to a CGI character known as Gollum that will forever change the landscape of visual FX.

4. Gangs of New York (drama)

After being postponed once by the studio and a second time by 9/11, Scorsese's ode to the Irish gangs makes it into the light. What we get is a captivating performance from Daniel Day Lewis and a sense that DiCaprio is finally becoming a man's actor.

3. The Kid Stays in the Picture (documentary)

This film revolutionizes the use of still photography-based documentary movies in a way that makes the Ken Burns effect look ancient. Not to mention how brutally honest Robert Evans is about himself in this autobiographical look at his life and career in showbiz.

2. 8 Mile (drama)

When I first heard the director of LA Confidential was making a movie with Eminem starring in semi-autobiographical movie, I laughed. Whoops. I would never have thought a movie starring any rapper could be anything more than ghetto glorified or a slapstick over-the-top comedy. That's what's so great about Eminem and this movie. It's more than what you expect.

1. City of God (foreign drama)

This movie is definitely not for everyone. It's violent, it laced with profanity and it's set in a world few of us will ever know. It's the way this movie lets us into the world that makes this the foreign equivalent of Goodfellas.