1. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - Old-fashioned adventure and new-fangled computers combine in a stunning debut for writer-director Kerry Conran. Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie save the planet in grand style.
2. Garden State - Zach Braff (TV's Scrubs) makes an auspicious debut as writer, director and star of an eccentrically charming film. Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard co-star in a "dramedy" evoking memories of The Graduate.
3. Hero - Zhang Yimou's epic martial arts adventure stars Jet Li as a warrior recalling for a king how a trio of assassins was defeated. Comparisons to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are inevitable and favorable.
4. Vanity Fair - Reese Witherspoon's plucky performance and gorgeous Indian impressions by direcor Mira Nair place this a cut above the typical stiff-upper Brit period piece.
5. Festival Express - Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead and the Band lead a 1970 train excursion across Canada, and fans rebel against a $14 ticket price to see them in concert.
