1 - THE AVIATOR - “The Aviator” opens with a moment from childhood that foreshadows the onslaught of phobias that will plague one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th Century throughout his life - Howard Hughes. The maverick businessman made his first imprint on Hollywood as a film producer in the mid 1920’s but it was “Hell’s Angels” that made him a force to be reckoned with. It took Hughes three years to bring it to the screen. This where director Martin Scosese’s saga, “The Aviator” really starts.

First shot as a silent movie, Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) re-shoots miles of film to make his aerial dog fights as realistic as possible. With the advent of sound he re-shoots again and again. Then he fires his leading lady because of her garbled foreign accent. She is replaced by the now legendary Jean Harlow (Gwen Stefani) in her screen debut. Hughes is scorned by the Hollywood press, laughed at by the big studio heads, and constantly warned by his business manager that he is on the brink of bankruptcy. Hughes fooled everybody and created a masterpiece.

“Hell’s Angels” (1930) is one of my all time favorite movies. Hughes spared no expense in bringing the horrors of war, the camaraderie of men in battle, and the thrill of flying to the screen. It’s about two brothers who join the RAF during WWI. One is heroic. The other is a coward. They both love the same woman and they have a German friend from their college days who is bound by honor and duty to become their mortal enemy. Hughes made this story of emotional and patriotic conflict in much the same way he lived his life, rushing full throttle into the unknown, with the exhilaration of success as its own reward. No one - except Howard Hughes - anticipated the success of “Hell’s Angels.”

In a brilliant stroke, Martin Scorsese uses some of the original “Hell’s Angels” most memorable scenes - a suspenseful duel at dawn; an enemy blimp lost in the clouds on moonless night while on a bombing run over London; a fleet of planes coating the skyline like a swarm of locusts at dawn; and fliers shot to pieces choking on their own blood - to create the thrilling experience of what it must have felt like to see what many consider to be the first great Hollywood sound film. The fictitious audience watching “Hell’s Angels” in “The Aviator” and the one watching “The Aviator” become one and the same. It’s a rare, magical, cinematic moment!

Leonardo DiCaprio plays the younger Howard Hughes with youthful abandon. Hughes treats his small inheritance like play money. Hollywood may be his playpen, and the starlets his playthings, but the open sky is his private playground. The only thing he loves more than a woman’s body is the feel of a sleek fuselage of his experimental aircraft that can take him higher, further and faster than any man alive. In one of “The Aviator”s finest moments, Hughes shares his first love - the air - with Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett). He puts the controls of his private plane in her hand on a starlit night over Hollywood. It’s otherworldly. He has, in a sense, shared his conjugal relationship with the heavens with her. The love affair of Hughes and Hepburn forms the centerpiece of the movie. Their affection for each other transcends their breakup, his ever worsening mental illness, his increasing fits of paranoia, and the government’s investigations into his private life and business affairs. Scorsese takes us every step of the way from Hughes’ flapper days in Hollywood to the flights that broke all the speed records, even his own. There are plane crashes that nearly kill him and the censorship fights over “The Outlaw.” A confrontation with one of Washington’s power brokers - Senator Owen Brewster - played out in public on the floor of the Senate and the threatened takeover of his Hughes TWA by Pan Am’s Juan Trippe prove to be his greatest battles. Hughes’ life work and reputation come to rest on the successful flight of a gargantuan airplane that became known as The Spruce Goose.

“The Aviator” owes a great deal to the players who helped bring the drama of Howard Hughes’ life to the screen. Kate Blanchett gives heart to the haughtiness of Katherine Hepburn’s screen persona. Likewise Alec Baldwin plays Pan Am’s Juan Trippe as a lion of the boardroom while Alan Alda is charmingly sleazy as Senator Bradley, Trippe’s partner in crime inside Washington’s corridors of power. John C. Reilly is lifetime financial manager Noah Dietrich who is always looking for money to turn Hughes’ ideas into reality. Then of course, there’s Leonardo DiCaprio playing the Man himself. Not only does DiCaprio capture the charm and guile of the public figure but he also carefully charts the decline of Hughes’ mental state starting with small quirks and tics that worsen with age. When cornered, Hughes puts his demons on hold and comes out fighting. Even at his worst Hughes foresaw the future of jets in commercial air travel. Scorsese rightly ends his story with DiCaprio as Hughes staring insanely into the camera with an equally sane eye on the future.

“The Aviator” is an intimate portrait of a tortured but brilliant visionary, told against the panorama of Motion Picture and aviation history. His private life was often at odds with his public image, but his downward spiral into mental illness never extinguished the creative spark that drove him. “The Aviator” is my hands down pick for Best Film of the Year

2 - HOTEL RWANDA - The name Terry George may not be familiar to the average moviegoer but anyone who’s seen the Irish films “In the Name of the Father” or “The Boxer” - both directed by his collaborator Jim Sheridan and starring Daniel Day Lewis - will know that his works are politically charged dramas about human rights and the dignity of man. The first film he directed, “Some Mother’s Son” (1996), focuses on one mother’s attempt to free her son from prison during the hunger strike started by Bobby Sands to protest the treatment of incarcerated members of the IRA. “Hotel Rwanda” tells the story about one man’s refusal to sacrifice the lives of his fellow workers, neighbors and friends to the Hutu militia to save his own skin during the Rwandan bloodbath taking place in the streets and the jungles of Rwanda. It was a natural for Terry George.

“Hotel Rwanda” is about Paul Ruesabagina, a mild mannered but stoic hotel manager, who used his cunning and imagination to keep death and destruction at bay after the assassination of his country’s president. Presumably the Hutu militia murdered their own leader and blamed it on Tutsis. In the midst of widespread violence with the Hutus literally hacking people to death, Paul Ruesabagina turns his hotel into a haven for his co-workers, He never closes its doors to anyone in need of his protection. Paul uses his hospitality and negotiating skills to bargain with an assortment of criminals, generals, and diplomats for time and human lives. When all else fails he bribes them with anything at his disposal. That Paul’s wife happened to be a Tutsi, making his children half breeds in the eyes of the Hutu soldiers made his position that much more sensitive.

Don Cheadle gives an Oscar worthy performance as Paul Ruesabagina. He turns his perfectly manicured character’s mild manner into a chivalric code of conduct, meeting adversity head on, and bending the will of his would be saviors and enemies with his innate sense of honor and civility. He is surrounded by a credible cast with Sophie Okoneda as his stalwart wife, Nick Nolte as the disillusioned American officer unable to affect a speedy rescue, Joaquin Phoenix as the cameraman who brings pictures of the carnage to the outside world, and Jean Reno as the Belgian Hotel entrepreneur with friends in high places.

Without being preachy, Terry George builds suspense with breathtaking precision. He lets each compelling moment speak for itself: the voice of hatred spills out of the radio encouraging Hutu listeners to pillage, burn and murder; whites speedily evacuated while others await their fate; the failure of the Western powers and the UN to help the refugees fleeing the Hutus; solemn moments of reflection interrupted with spurts violence; betrayal spurred by tribal hatreds; and Paul Ruesabagina’s unwavering sense of duty to himself, his family and the growing number of refugees who entrust him with their lives. A sense of doom mounts as Paul’s options dwindle until Terry George pulls out all the stops with a bone chilling ride through an early morning fog on a desolate back road outside the city. “Hotel Rwanda” builds to an emotional climax that is every bit as powerful and moving as anything in Terry George’s earlier work.

3 - I’M NOT SCARED (Italian) - It’s 1978. Kids bike race up dirt roads surrounded by wheat fields in the heat of summer in Southern Italy. At an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, ten year old Michele accepts a dare, risking life and limb, to save the honor of a young girl. He is the moral conscience of his peers. He is also an adventurer willing to suppress his fears and embrace the allure of the unknown. Michele’s actions eventually lead to a blurring of the lines between good and evil - between moral responsibility and duty to family.

“I’m Not Scared,” from director Gabriele Salvatores (“Mediterraneo”), is a remarkable examination of childhood that never deviates from Michele’s child’s eye view of his world. His relationships to his friends, and their relationship to their environment are pitch perfect. Likewise, each child’s actions are a reflection of their parents’ values. The labor of their forebears, who once tilled the soil around them, has been taken over by technology. Reapers perform the tasks they once did. Jobs and money are scarce, yet Michele’s parents protect him from the ills that plague them. Amidst this poverty, kids still remain kids. Michele wants to satisfy his innocent sense of wanderlust - to see what is beyond the invisible divide that separates his peasant community from the world at large. He explores every nook and cranny at the abandoned house and discovers a chained, bedraggled, unwashed, starving boy, hidden away in a makeshift dirt cellar devoid of light. Unsure of who put him there or why, Michele secretly brings him food and water. The boy sees Michele as his guardian angel, Michele sees him as a mystery to be explored until he becomes painfully aware of his parents’ role in the boy’s captivity. The arrival of strangers at his home and their obsession with the news influences the dictates of his ten year conscience.

Director Gabriele Salvatores carefully strikes a balance between Michele’s secret world and the clandestine world of adults who plot and scheme in whispers behind closed doors looking for a quick fix for their poverty. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Michele eases away from the world of childhood and enters the maelstrom brewing around him, taking on the role that fate has cast his way. Michele becomes a hero but his heroics are scaled down to the size of the boy. They never strain for credibility. “I’m not Sacred” is one of the finest films about children trying to bridge the gap between waning innocence and the murky morality of the world that awaits them.

4 - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - Imagine being able to wipe out all the unpleasant moments in your life and then changing your mind unable to stop the mind brokers who are erasing, not only the bad times, but your most cherished memories. If you can imagine all this then you just might be prepared for the mind bending “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, director Michel Gondry and its superb cast.

Jim Carrey is Joel Barish, an introvert who opens up to the free spirited Clementine Kruczynski played winsomely by Kate Winslet. After a whirlwind affair, Joel finds out Clem has had her memory bank wiped clean of him. Impetuously, he reacts by doing the same with the help of the same people at Lacuna Inc. Tom Wilkinson is the befuddled genius behind a low tech sci-fi cranial map making procedure that visualizes patches of memory like a sonogram before degaussing the brain. Once Joel is put to sleep, his memories glide across the screen the way he remembers them - his first meeting with Clem on the beach - their first kiss - the first time they made love - Clem’s impetuous changes of hair color - and all the little nuances that make him and Clem unique. Joel realizes - while wired and sedated - he is erasing the best parts of his life and wants out of the Lacuna process. But he can’t escape from the tenacity - and lunacy - of the three Lacuna techies (Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Dunst, and Elijah Wood) responsible for his welfare. They drink, dance, carouse half naked, unable to stop Joel from escaping to an untouchable corner of the mind - at least at first.

Carrey is at his most hilarious when Joel forces himself to dredge up childhood memories to elude the Lacuna crew. He becomes a child in a man’s body reacting to Clem standing in for the adults in his life. By osmosis, Clem becomes part of Joel’s dream state. Together they reenact moments from the past, changing them, hoping they will bubble up in the real world where they can meet again and start over. The catalyst for change comes from an unlikely person who triggers Clem’s renewed feelings for Joel. Meanwhile, the filmmakers depict the disappearance of Joel’s alternate universe as if it were being gobbled up by an invisible Pac Man. Joel’s world literally caves in and disappears around him, but when physical objects disappear, the yearnings that dwell within Joel’s and Clem’s souls still remain.

There are several chilling moments that give testimony to the fragility of love when another affair comes to light. The spouse of one of the lovers can never erase the memory of the hurt while others can do it with the flick of a switch. In the same breath, the accompanying scene likewise warns against the intrusion of science in the affairs of everyday man.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is a flawless piece of movie magic full of heart and heartache, laughter and tears, and enough soul to move the heavens.

5 - THE INCREDIBLES - Question: What new movie has traits of super hero movies like Superman and the X-Men, James Bond, Mission Impossible and Spy Kids and every family sitcom from Father Knows Best to Married With Children?

Answer: “The Incredibles”! - the latest digitally animated classic from Pixar and writer/director Brad Bird.

The Incredibles are a family of super heroes who have been forced into a super hero protection program (like a witness protection program) because they’ve been sued once too often for the damage they’ve caused during their heyday. Incognito, Bob and Carol - aka Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl - marry, raise a family, and work the 9 to 5. He’s an insurance salesman trying to do the right thing. She’s trying to hold on to her sanity as a housewife while son Dash uses his speed to baffle his teachers with pranks, and daughter Violet is going through her rebellious, non-communicative phase, becoming invisible at will. Then there’s that force field thing she does! The baby, Jack-Jack is presumed to be the only normal one in the family, at least until the rousing finale. Bob hangs out at night with Mr. Freezone doing good deeds on the sly just to keep the juices flowing. Then Bob is lured into a scheme to expose his identity. Lurking in the background is a fan gone mad - think of a spoiled Trekkie kid on Prozac - who wants to do away with all the super heroes so he can steal the limelight and the adoration of the public. That’s the basic plot but it’s not what makes “The Incredibles” wonderful. It’s the writing - and the effects - and the writing - and the direction - and the writing.

Each of the characters is fully developed. The relationships are clearly defined. There is no attempt to be hip with gratuitous sexual innuendo or adult jokes. The only hook in “The Incredibles” is the genuine feeling of familial love that flows through the movie from the family dinner table to the movie’s most hair raising moments. Bob and Carol and the kids have the same family problems and squabbles that characterize every American family. Like the ideal American family they pull together when the chips are down. They can be funny, poignant, and incredibly human. To laugh and cry with Bob and Carol is to recognize all that is human in ourselves. All this from animated figures on a digital landscape. Now that’s incredible!

6 - KINSEY - Liam Neeson adds another stellar performance to his career as Dr. Alfred Kinsey the pioneering sex researcher who changed the way people saw themselves and the world. He invests his character with a geeky charisma. Kinsey is an imposing figure in the class room and much admired by his students who affectionately call him “Prok.” Laura Linney is the Plain Jane, student Clara McMillen, who shares his enthusiasm for nature and the outdoors and marries him. She comes to understand her husband much better when she goes to meet his family: a denigrating father, a brother who shines more brightly in his father’s eyes, and the mother who lives in the shadow of her husband.

Kinsey’s father (John Lithgow) is a puritanical preacher who believes sexual desire is the devil’s temptation. Consequently Kinsey is embarrassed on his wedding night by his ignorance of sex. A trip to the doctor’s office and the knowledge imparted inspires Kinsey to create a marriage course concentrating on the physical aspects of lovemaking - or sex - the first of its kind. Prok soon became known as the Sex Doctor. His success gave him the impetus to go beyond the borders of the campus to explore taboo areas of sexuality.

Kinsey worked to perfect an interviewing process for questions about sexual behavior which guaranteed the privacy of his subjects and the non-disclosure of his sources.
Diligently recording their responses, Kinsey analyzes his data with the same clinical approach he used as a renowned zoologist for his research on the lives of gall wasps. Kinsey literally collected hundreds of thousands of gall wasps and found that, like fingerprints, no two alike. In his research on sex Kinsey found that the individual physical responses to sex were as infinite as the types of personalities who surrendered their secrets to him.

Writer/ director Bill Condon shows scenes with raw sexual imagery with a text book facility. The study of pure physicality did not resolve Kinsey’s one dilemma. It did not explain the mystery of love. Swapping partners within his inner circle may be encouraged for research purposes, to record their reactions to see how they differ from their marriage partner, but to leave one’s spouse for the other was against the grain. Outside his inner circle, Kinsey neither condones nor condemns anyone for their behavior. He has compassion for homosexuals who paid for their sexuality with physical and psychological abuse. A middle aged woman (Lynn Redgrave) thanks him for saving her life by lifting a veil of shame from her late life lesbian relationship because his findings revealed there were others like her in the world. In the movie’s most shocking moment, Kinsey listens to a pedophile (a very creepy William Sadler) talk about the pleasure of seducing children. Liam Neeson reveals Kinsey moral indignation with a subtle look of disgust while continuing his interview for the sake of the work.

People are still divided over the worth of Kinsey’s work. The mere mention of his name still invites controversy. That his research happened to be sexual in nature at a time when the mere mention of the word ‘sex’ aroused salacious remarks from the uninformed and cries of outrage from the establishment over the discarding of established social mores, meant little to him. I don’t think anyone will ever agree on whether he freed man from the shackles of American Puritanism or opened up a Pandora’s box of depravity. But Bill Condon has written and directed an unusual piece of Americana told through the eyes of a man who was willing to toss inhibition and convention to the wind in the pursuit of knowledge. Whether or not you agree with this sympathetic portrait of the historical man, “Kinsey” is nonetheless a magnificent piece of filmmaking that fascinates from beginning to end.

7 - MILLION DOLLAR BABY - Clint Eastwood scores a trifecta as producer, director, and star of “Million Dollar Baby” - one of the surprise hits of this holiday season. The screenplay by Paul Haggis is adapted from a collection of gritty short stories about the world of boxing called Rope Burns by F.X. O’Toole - a former cut man who used to patch up fighters’ faces between rounds.

On the surface, “Million Dollar Baby” looks like a female “Rocky,” but “Rocky” was a thing of its time. It came out several years after the end of the Viet Nam War and after a prolonged period of socially conscious movies. By 1976 the country was need of an old fashion hero. “Rocky” filled the bill. Unlike Rock Balboa, thirty year old boxer Maggie Fitzgerald(Hilary Swank)is not living the fantasy of a million to one shot.. She’s been working toward her goal of becoming a prizefighter since day one. Keeping in shape makes her feel alive. When her break comes, she’ll be ready. All she needs a good trainer - someone who believes in her. Maggie sets her sights set on manager Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood).

Eddie “Scrap” Dupris says Frankie is the best cut man in the business. He used to keep “Scrap” going for those extra minutes a lifetime ago. Scrap was a contender then. Now he’s Frankie’s employee at the gym they call home. He is also Frankie’s conscionable voice and the story’s narrator telling his intended listener(s) things about Frankie that Frankie doesn’t even know about himself. When Maggie Fitzgerald starts working out in the gym and hounding Frankie to become her manager, Scrap becomes her ardent supporter. Between Scrap’s constant nagging and Maggie’s tenacity and dedication Frankie caves in. He will train her the way Eastwood makes movies - on his terms.

Eastwood, the director, relies on a few conventions of the boxing genre to lay the foundation for the relationship that develops between Maggie and her new mentor. She’s the poor kid from the wrong side of tracks and Frankie’s the cantankerous trainer with a heart of gold. The one thing that separates “Million Dollar Baby” from other boxing films that have stood the test of time like “Kid Galahad” (1937) or “Body and Soul”(1947) is motivation. Eastwood’s hard core Catholic Frankie Dunn is haunted by a lifelong rift with his daughter. Scrap understands that she never understood her father the way Maggie does. Her need to turn pro and become a champion is the same kind of need Frankie has to guide someone to the top of their profession. It has to do with pride and the art of boxing. If there’s money to be made, Maggie will gladly use it to make her welfare mother’s life better. Her mother doesn’t conform to the old Hollywood stereotype. She never worked her fingers to the bone for the good of her kids. “Million Dollar Baby” delivers some heart rending scenes between Maggie and her family that further define the fiber of her resilient character. A man of few words, Frankie can only think of one to express his feelings for Maggie - a Celtic term of endearment that becomes Maggie’s rallying call to her mounting legion of fight fans.

“Million Dollar Baby” is more than just a fight movie. It’s also about the healing power of love and redemption.. It’s about opening up one’s heart to the unknown.. Emotions are slow to build but when they peak, they erupt with the force of a volcano with an unpredictable ending that is sure to be talked about for years to come. “Million Dollar Baby” is one of the best films of the year.

8 - RAY - Taylor Hackford’s best films seem to have no agenda other than telling great stories with characters who take control of their destinies when forces seemingly outside their control threaten to destroy them. His best movies are about self preservation with people who have a thirst for life. Think of title figure “Dolores Claiborne” taking a stand against her abusive husband, or Richard Gere overcoming his arrogance and personal demons as a trainee in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” And now “Ray” with Ray Charles relying on his mother’s guidance and intuitive survival instincts to deal with his blindness and make his way up the ladder of success in the music industry.

Jamie Fox IS Ray Charles in director Hackford’s superb bio of the late Great Ray Charles. His heartfelt career defining performance is more than just mimicry. Foxx captures the spirit of Ray Charles’ soul from the inside out. It is a complete physical and mental make over. Foxx makes you feel every pulsating moment of Ray’s extraordinary life from his first gig on the chitlin’ circuit to the musical palaces of the world; from his addiction to drugs and women, to his fights with the law and his resurgence as an iconic cultural figure. But the success of “Ray” does not rest on Foxx’s performance alone. Foxx is surrounded by some other extraordinary performers: Curtis Armstrong is the pioneering record magnate Ahmet Ertegun, Kerry Washington is his long suffering wife and Regina King is a knock down, drag out, back up singer who falls for Ray too fast and too hard. Ray has only one true love - music. With a seamless script co-written by James L. White, writer/director Taylor Hackford saturates the screen with the sights and sounds of the eras that shaped the Genius of Soul in steam rolling succession. He takes us through Ray’s dirt poor beginnings, the death of his younger brother, and the loss of his sight. Ray uses his talent, charm and gift of gab in his adult life to hoodwink bigots, bed women and convince people on his way to the top that he is the real deal. “Ray” is an uncompromising look at a life lived to the fullest, the music industry that nurtured him, and the world at large that embraced his music. I think “Ray” will stand as one of the great musical bios of all time.

9 - SIDEWAYS - It took me a while to get caught up in this story about two friends -Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) - off on a wine bender days before Jack is supposed to get married. Not being a connoisseur of wines, I was put off by Miles’ endless patter about wine until I realized his passion was rooted in some way to his unfulfilled life. I was then able to sit back and enjoy the reverie and verbal repartee between two old college buddies in writer/director Alexander Payne’s “Sideways.”

Miles is an unpublished novelist eking out a living as a High School English teacher. Jack is a second string actor with a recognizable face from the soaps, getting by on his fading good looks and voiceovers. Miles and Jack are polar opposites, not unlike Neil Simon’s “Odd Couple.” Miles’ idea of a bachelor party is to taste his way through California wine country. Jack can’t tell the difference between wine and a wine cooler. While Miles is checking out the wines, Jack is checking out the women. Jack develops a taste for Stephanie (Sandra Oh) who is a friend of Maya (Virginia Madsen) - a waitress Miles knows from his previous trips. Jack is as determined to hook Miles up with Maya as Miles is to steer clear of any romantic entanglements. Both get more than they can handle thanks to Jack’s duplicity, lies and raucous behavior.

There are two Jacks. First there’s the one who never grew up - the actor who is always role playing when not playing roles. His favorite part is that of the lover. He’s the hilarious rapscallion that you can’t help but love - unless you happen to be the victim of his role playing. Then there’s the Jack that Miles knows, buried deep inside the Jack everyone else sees. He pops his head out every once in a while like a ground hog, revealing his insecurities. Miles is Jack’s anchor to reality, but every once in a while Miles lets himself get caught up in Jack’s charades. He is loyal and faithful to a fault, both to Jack and to his ex-wife.

Miles can’t admit that he might be the cause of his failed marriage. He holds on to the past as if it were a crutch holding him up. He’s afraid to let himself fall. He might have to get up and start life over. With some irony, it’s Jack’s prodding that puts him in a position to expose the hurt that dwells deep within his soul. Miles finds a soul mate in Maya. She is a divorcee, intelligent and enjoys a good vintage. Maya speaks about the aging of wine as if talking about the stages in her own life. Miles responds in kind. The only thorns in the ripening of their relationship are the mind games Jack is playing with Maya’s best friend - Stephanie.

If “Sideways” implies that Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) are moving through life on a horizontal plane then they are moving in opposite directions with the same end result - self destruction. Both are victims of their own devices - Miles’ self pity and Jack’s unbridled vanity.

“Sideways” starts out as a road movie and becomes something else. It’s a multi-layered farce, a meditation on approaching middle age, failed opportunities and the birth of new ones, and self-redemption. Each piece of dialogue from writer/director Alexander Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor is perfectly suited to each character. The situations and predicaments Miles and Jack find themselves in are not always predictable. The solutions each chooses to get out of trouble are always in character. Sometimes the solutions lead to even more trouble. “Sideways” works on so many levels that a second look reveals details that worked more subliminally the first time around. Without mentioning specifics, the way Miles finances the trip comes immediately to mind. The final denouement of Miles’ character comes in the words of Maya in a letter that reveals an event that hold the key to Miles’ personality. It’s a subtle moment perfectly placed in one of this year’s best movies - “Sideways.”

10 - SPIDERMAN 2 - I picked “Spiderman” in 2003 as one of my Ten Best and I would be hard pressed not to include “Spiderman 2” in this year’s picks. Despite the onrush of terrific pictures at the end of this year, I waded through them and tested the waters before making my final choice. As much as I loved a lot the year end releases I found “Spiderman 2” to be every bit as entertaining as “Spiderman.” I had a few quibbles when I saw this sequel earlier this year, but in hindsight, they are minor when compared to the sheer artistry director Sam Raimi brings to the screen. “Spiderman 2” has it all! - Special Effects - Human Drama - Humor - Villainy - and the story of an Everyman who has to come to terms with his destiny.

“Spiderman 2” lived up to the hype and anticipation of Peter Parker’s second coming thanks to a superb screenplay from two time Oscar winner Alvin Sargent. As in the first “Spiderman,” the accent is on character.. Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker is the same shy introverted guy. He’s a little bit older but none the less wiser. High school hi-jinks and teen lust have given way to the problems of early adulthood. Parker has trouble holding a part-time job to support himself while he’s in college. He still loves Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and he’s still afraid to tell her. Crime is down, so is his income as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle - at least until Doc Ock (short for Octopus), a new super villain comes on the scene.

Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) hopes to harness the sun’s energy and save the world. Harry Osborn (James Franco) funds his experiments in the hope of rekindling his father’s reputation and replenishing his fortune. The experiment goes haywire. Ocatvius’ body is hardwired to the tentacles of his machinery and the machinery takes over his brain turning him into a crazed lunatic. He wants to rebuild his contraption but he needs money. Doc Ock robs banks, destroys buildings and battles Spiderman in some of the most spectacular scenes ever made. The runaway train scene is already a classic. Then the Doc Ock resorts to kidnapping. He holds Mary Jane Watson hostage to help Harry who wants to get even with Spiderman who Harry blames for his father’s death.

It sounds convoluted but in director Sam Raimi’s hands it all makes perfect sense. There are enough pauses in the action to further develop the relationship between Parker and Mary Jane. Peter tries to get his personal life in order when he begins to doubt his need to be everybody else’s hero. This doubt puts a crimp in Spiderman’s style. He begins to lose focus. Unable to produce his resilient gossamer threads, he bounces off buildings, and crashes into the cavernous spaces of the city time and again. So what’s a superhero to do? Just what he does and how he resolves his problems are what make “Spiderman 2” special. He may be a superhero to the public, but underneath his disguise breathes a young man with the same problems as his peers. To reiterate the catch phrase that dominated “Spiderman”: ‘Great responsibility comes with great power.’ Peter Parker can’t escape who he is, what he has become, and what his presence as Spiderman means to his hometown.

Like the first “Spiderman,” “Spiderman 2” is a perfect blend of reality and fantasy. I can’t wait for “Spiderman 3” !

Copyright 2005