1. Sideways - Two buddies (Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church) spend a week in California wine country sorting through the wreckage of their lives. Funnier and more fascinating than that sounds.
2. The Polar Express - A child who doubts the existence of Santa Claus is corrected on a dazzling trek to the North Pole. Tom Hanks plays five roles, each computer-generated a la Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
3. The Motorcycle Diaries - Che Guevara's revolutionary fuse is lighted during a road trip through South America. Fine performances by Gael Garcia Bernal as Guevara and Rodrigo de la Serna as his traveling companion.
4. Ray - Jamie Foxx's portrayal of the late music legend Ray Charles deserves an Oscar nomination and perhaps a medal for rescuing an otherwise standard film biography.
5. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason - Renee Zellweger's reprise of her British "singleton" role from Bridget Jones's Diary is a great reason to view an otherwise by-the-numbers sequel.
