So what was your favourite film of the year? We bet it's one of the following...
Before Sunset
Short, sweet and stunningly simple, this pitch-perfect follow-up to 1995 indie fave Before Sunrise reunited Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy and helmer Richard Linklater for a second helping of eloquent, romantic chitchat. With Paris replacing the Vienna of the original, the scene was set for a delightfully brief encounter between Hawke's melancholy novelist and Delpy's feisty French activist, topped off by a delicious open ending that hinted we may yet see more of these gloriously articulate, on-off lovers.
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The Bourne Supremacy
In a year full to bursting with impressive sequels (see above and below), the continuing adventures of Matt Damon's amnesiac secret agent could easily have been overshadowed. Kudos, then, to British director Paul Greengrass for offering a gritty spin on The Bourne Identity that proved there was lots more life in both the character and the franchise. The revenge plot scenario might have been cliched, but with so much Bondian, Europe-hopping action to relish you didn't hear many people complaining.
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Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
This year's Memento: a brilliantly baffling fantasy from the mangled mind of scripter Charlie Kaufman and the visionary bravado of French director Michel Gondry. Jim Carrey again showed his acting chops as the Joe Schmo trying to erase a painful relationship from his memory. But it was the green-, blue- and orange-haired Kate Winslet who shone as the fabulously wacky object of his affections. Daft, dark and demented, but with a touching sincerity that cleverly grounded its free-wheeling flights of fancy.
Buy the DVD from CD-Wow! - £13.99
Fahrenheit 9/11
You couldn't avoid Michael Moore's angry polemic against Bush's war on terror, and even if the President's re-election in November rendered his movie obsolete its passion and righteous indignation linger still. After Bowling For Columbine's canny mix of argument and satire, the Chubby One went straight for the emotional jugular with a fiercely politicised rant against George W's hypocritical and self-serving foreign policies. The documentary is dead; long live the documentary!
The Incredibles
With so many studios jumping on the computer-animation bandwagon, there were inevitably some cartoon clunkers this year - most notably the coarse and witless Shark Tale. This, however, definitely wasn't one of them. Indeed, Pixar - the geniuses behind Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and the Toy Story films - will surely have to go some to improve upon this hilarious, affectionate and breathlessly exhilarating superhero caper. Don't be surprised if Brad Bird's romp comes to be recognised as a 'toon landmark.
