1. Almost Famous-Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical tale of a teen-age Rolling Stone writer who slams headfirst into adulthood is thoroughly touching, funny and believable. Far and away the year’s best film, Almost Famous features a fantastic script by Crowe and wonderful star-making performances by Patrick Fugit and Kate Hudson. Jason Lee, Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand turn in memorable supporting roles to compliment this charming tale. Crowe’s script encompasses a myriad of emotions, and the film gives the audience a unique backstage look at the rock `n’ roll lifestyle. A beautiful film, that is without a doubt, worthy of several Academy Awards.

2. Traffic-Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Benicio Del Toro and Don Cheadle lead an immensely talented ensemble cast through this uncompromising look at the war on drugs. From the cartels of Tijuana to suburban America, Steven Soderbergh’s hard-hitting drama pulls no punches. Soderbergh’s innovative directing style gives unique character to each of the film’s varied locales. The script by Simon Moore and Stephen Gaghan brilliantly intertwines three distinctly different storylines into one smoothly flowing film.

3. Cast Away-Tom Hanks gives a dominating performance, as he is onscreen by himself for over an hour, hopelessly stranded on a desolate island. This movie is a compelling tale of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of extreme adversity. Hanks’ performance is short on words, but his enduring actions speak for themselves and help audiences get a feel for his isolated anguish and sense of hope.

4. The Contender-A sharp, intelligent political thriller dealing with the nomination of the first female Vice President and the scandals of her past. Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater and the always-marvelous Gary Oldman star in this believable, yet highly partisan, tale of rumors, lies, power and corruption.

5. Meet The Parents-In the year’s best comedy, Robert DeNiro starts as an overprotective father who is also a former CIA agent. Ben Stiller plays the hopelessly luckless son-in-law to be with the same bumbling but likable presence that he showed in There’s Something About Mary. DeNiro, in a rare comic turn, proves he is truly one of our greatest actors by displaying some great comedic timing and perfect joke delivery.

6. Gladiator-Russell Crowe proves his effectiveness as a Hollywood leading man by playing Maximus, a popular and successful Roman general who becomes a slave when he falls into disfavor with the newly crowned Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Ridley Scott’s epic harkens back to the Ben Hur-style films of the past but improves upon them with intense battle scenes and tremendous performances, especially by Crowe and Phoenix.

7. Erin Brockovich-Stephen Soderbergh’s second best film of 2000 still registers among the year’s best, due in large part to Julia Roberts giving the best performance of her career. Roberts plays Brockovich, a real-life legal crusader who seeks to discover the truth about a town’s polluted water supply.