ABOUT A BOY is a pure comic pleasure. This mature look at immaturity is witty, smart and heartwarming without being sentimental. In a world where laughs are precious, yet film comedy is undervalued, ABOUT A BOY is a tonic for what ails us. Hugh Grant proves once again that his charm is boundless.

ABOUT SCHMIDT puts a new face on film satire, embodied in a towering performance by Jack Nicholson. The movie presents America's heartland with a richness of detail that brings a unique light to this funny, sad and always captivating tale.

ADAPTATION. is a film that makes the word "original" seem ordinary. Both entertaining and intelligent, the film mercilessly destroys an audience's expectations and demands that it keep up...keep laughing...or be cut out of the final draft.

ANTWONE FISHER provides a clarion call for all films that strive to bring unspoken topics into the national conversation. For a modern world drowning in cynicism, this is an honest and sincere film that helps us understand that sometimes we have to go home again before we can go forward. Derek Luke's performance in the title role heralds the arrival of a fresh, new talent.

CHICAGO gives contemporary audiences the "old razzle dazzle" with an explosion of talent and energy that dares them not to applaud after each musical number. The film pioneers new ground in this uniquely American art form and reminds us once again of the brilliance of Bob Fosse.

FRIDA is a movie about art that is a work of art in itself. The film's unique visual language takes us into an artist's head and reminds us that art is best enjoyed when it moves, breathes and is painted on a giant canvas, as only the movies can provide.

GANGS OF NEW YORK is bravura filmmaking by an American master. Martin Scorsese's epic tale moves with cinematic elegance from New York City's Five Points to Ground Zero, and the story it tells will be a revelation to today's audiences. Daniel Day-Lewis' mesmerizing performance as Bill the Butcher creates one of the great screen villains of all time.

THE HOURS provides further proof that film is the language of the 21st Century. A strong adaptation of a difficult literary project, THE HOURS blossoms on-screen in a brilliant, ever-unfolding exploration of madness. Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore create an acting ensemble across time...and for the ages.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS is an epic screen experience that will inspire awe in generations of movie lovers for years to come. Though presented on a massive scale, the film's attention to detail and its emotional depth are the heart of its extraordinary achievement. Whether marching in the shadow of 10,000 warriors or showing two people talking, Peter Jackson's personal vision for the trilogy fully realizes J. R. R. Tolkien's boundless literary imagination.

THE QUIET AMERICAN gives us an inside look at America's early involvement in Vietnam at a time when audiences are evaluating how the world perceives the United States' role in global politics. The film brilliantly captures 1950s Saigon as well as the subtleties of Graham Greene's novel. Michael Caine continues to prove that he is the most consistently reliable actor in American film.

THE BELIEVER is proof that television can take the most difficult and disturbing of subject matters and bring them to a national audience with style and grace. Ryan Gosling's performance stands out among the year's most extraordinary acting achievements.

In a television world populated with crime dramas, BOOMTOWN explodes with originality. By presenting multiple points-of-view in a non-linear narrative style, BOOMTOWN dares to be gray in a colorful medium that often presents its heroes and villains in black and white. Every week its considerable action unfolds with a sense of moral ambiguity that enriches the storytelling.

DOOR TO DOOR is a small film with a giant impact. This intimate story knocks on your door, makes itself comfortable in your living room and offers you its life-affirming tale at no cost. William H. Macy's performance is a work of love, on par with the landmark achievements of Dustin Hoffman in RAINMAN and Cliff Robertson in CHARLY.

This modern classic consistently makes big comedy out of small things, and its laughs are often enriched with insights into family togetherness that many dramas struggle to characterize.

THE GATHERING STORM utilizes the medium to present epic subject matter on a very intimate scale. This unexplored chapter in the Churchill saga is masterfully brought to life by the performances of Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave.

GILMORE GIRLS fulfills television's promise to elevate its audience through entertainment. The program creates a beautifully self-contained universe, where the traditional rules of television seem not to apply. The unique mother/daughter relationship drives the drama with heart, virtue and laughter.

Even as it enters its 14th season, THE SIMPSONS continues to bring television audiences social and cultural satire in the finest of America's comedic tradition. Irreverent and literate, timeless and timely, this show may be the most comically dense series in the history of television, and one where adults and children alike can enjoy a laugh.

SIX FEET UNDER breaks new ground every week...literally. This show drags the uncomfortable topic of mortality into the living room and watches television's most unusual family struggle with matters of life and death in equally unusual ways.

THE SOPRANOS embraces America in a big family hug...and doesn't let go. The show has shattered the expectation of what television can be and reminds us this year that compelling drama - like the death of a marriage - is as powerful and painful as murder. James Gandolfini and Edie Falco consistently transcend the art of acting - particularly in the final episode of the season.

Week after week, THE WEST WING projects a heroism that America yearns for in its political system. Heightened by its extraordinary use of language, THE WEST WING puts American civic life in a dramatic context, placing the White House in the national conversation and often bringing pertinent global issues to the watercooler on mornings after a broadcast.