2002 in Review

  1. Chicago, A, fun entertaining movie delivers on everything
  2. We Were Soldiers, A, Vietnam gets the Blackhawk Down treatment
  3. The Quiet American, A, solid acting does justice to a great book
  4. Antwone Fisher, A, nice story about a guy figuring things out
  5. Spider-Man, A, great action movie, great hero, great villain
  6. Solaris, A-, beautiful, mysterious, brooding movie
  7. 24 Hour Party People, A-,
  8. Catch Me If You Can, A-, well-crafted story and fun to watch
  9. Dogtown and Z-Boys, A-, solid story of and by 70's L.A. skateboarders
  10. Spellbound, A-, very good story of kids in national spelling bee
  11. Treasure Planet, A-, great animation, strong story and characters
  12. The Two Towers, B+, impressive scale
  13. Signs, B+, neat hybrid of soul searching plus monster movie
  14. Bowling for Columbine, B+, compelling observations, few conclusions
  15. Adaptation, B+, interesting concept unravels
  16. Men in Black II, B+, pretty similar to the first, but it still works
  17. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, B+, entertaining with neat effects
  18. City of God, B+, well-crafted story and strong characters
  19. The Hours, B+, depressing, but interesting interwoven stories
  20. Lilo & Stitch, B, good characters and message, but a little bumpy
  21. Attack of the Clones, B+, neat to watch, needs depth and fun
  22. Minority Report, B, sci-fi re-make of The Fugitive
  23. The Bourne Identity, B, well-executed but generic chase movie
  24. Bend It Like Beckham, B, good culture clash movie strikes right balance
  25. The Rookie, B, well made, if unsurprising, sports movie
  26. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, B, cute and funny with ethnic stereotypes
  27. Road to Perdition, B, quiet performances, kind of boring
  28. Spirited Away, B, pretty, nice story; just plain weird
  29. 8 Mile, B, realistic and gritty, but not much to it
  30. The Good Girl, B, well done but dark and meaningless
  31. Y Tu Mama Tambien, B, frank look at exaggerated teenage sexuality
  32. Star Trek Nemesis, B-, a really good TV movie
  33. The Secretary, C+, goes right past quirky to disturbed
  34. One Hour Photo, C+, overly long indie short film
  35. Sweet Home Alabama, C+, disappointing but cute
  36. Gangs of New York, C, big budget movie with a weak story
  37. About a Boy, C, self-indulgent main character isn't cute or funny
  38. Ice Age, C, hunted animals save hunter's child
  39. Igby Goes Down, C, dark with unlikable characters
  40. Austin Powers: Goldmember, D+, tired; the Goldmember character isn't funny