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Film critics may serve a valuable purpose for moviegoers, but even more helpful is hindsight — especially for critics. Not one of the motion pictures listed below as the best of the ’00s won the Oscar for Best Picture, although most were at least nominated for something. But these are the movies people are still talking about, and watching, years later. The below films are listed in alphabetical order. This is the first of a five-part series on top films of the past five decades.

It's hard to break through as an actor. The vast majority of hopefuls never make it, and an even smaller number go on to become movie stars. Acting has always been an unfair business, but it's especially so for those actors who should be on the A-list but aren't, or who briefly were and then dropped off of it for a variety of reasons, or sometimes no reason at all. Here are 10 talented performers who have appeared in some popular films, and may have even won a major award or two, but for some reason haven't achieved major stardom.

If one didn't know any better, it could easily be assumed that virtually every one of the most financially successful movies of all time has been released within the past 10 years or so. Actually, not a single one of them has. Hollywood studios have long had a tradition of announcing their films' box-office figures without adjusting them for inflation, simply because it makes the movies appear to be bigger hits than they really are. And the entertainment media have repeated the practice, simply because they're lazy. Here are history's real top 10 movies (domestic grosses), with ever-rising ticket prices taken into account.

The big break. In Hollywood, success hinges on being noticed. Any actor can work his or her way into movies slowly, incrementally, but becoming a major motion picture star requires the kind of star turn that will be remembered for years. Sometimes talent wins the day, but just as often being in the right place at the right time — or simple, dumb luck — can lead to a breakthrough performance. Here are the 10 most notable among living actors.

For more than 100 years, motion pictures have not just survived, they've thrived, both as a storytelling device and an art form. The titles have changed with the fashions of the times, of course, but more importantly, the medium has adapted, embracing new technologies and forms of presentation to remain vital. Here, listed in chronological order, are 10 movies that gave Hollywood new life.

When two people hit it off, it usually isn't because efforts were made to get them together. Yet when it comes to movies, that's exactly what casting professionals are charged with doing. Naturally, it doesn't always pay off. Here are 10 examples of acting duos in movie history that did find that special something, no matter what got them together in the first place.

The popular culture of today has done away with the term "sex symbol." Maybe the idea of a celebrity, usually female, exuding desire is sexist, or maybe just attaching a name to the phenomenon is what riles, because we definitely still have sex symbols. And they have much to teach us about accepted notions of sexuality. The following chronological list, featuring female film sex symbols across the decades, reveals just how much those notions have changed.

The Oscars wouldn't be the Oscars without the snub, an annual ritual in which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences overlooks deserving movies and performances in its nomination process. A recent decision to expand the number of Best Picture nominees from five to as many as 10 has addressed part of the problem, but actors, actresses and directors continue to be snubbed every year, with too few nominations to go around. Some snubs are worse than others, however. The following 10 people generally earned a few nominations, but have mostly gone home empty-handed on Oscar night.

Day to day, the weather doesn't necessarily fascinate. It's sunny, it's cloudy, and sometimes it rains (or snows). The weather changes daily, but generally within relatively narrow parameters. Watch it long enough, carefully enough, however, have the good luck to be in the right place at the right time, and you might just witness some of the following strange weather phenomena.

One important thing to note about great casting in a biographical film is that it does not always result in a great biopic. One of the strengths of film is that it's such a collaborative medium, but this is also why uninspired directing or a staid screenplay can so easily threaten an inspired performance. There are a few examples of that on this list, but in every case the exceptional work of the star still makes the picture worth watching. It’s also worth noting that while Hollywood has a long history of producing biopics, there are many more instances of actors portraying real people in films that aren't strictly about that person. This list is limited to genuine biopics.