While 1999 has been talked of as a year that produced some great movies (American Beauty, et al), 2000 has been relatively disappointing in terms of movie quality. Maybe this has been due to the lacklustre North American summer, which was pretty lifeless in terms of excitement and box office. To be sure, many studios release their Oscar contenders closer to the end of the year, but with just a couple of days remaining, there doesn't seem to be much hope of a gigantic improvement.

Of course, in Australia, many movies are released here a month or six after the North American issue date. So, for example, the 1999 Best Picture winner American Beauty was released on January 26, 2000. My list of the best movies below will reflect the Australian release date.

I've watched a lot of movies this year, but I definitely won't claim to have seen every one. The list, therefore, is a compilation of the best movies I have seen that were released this year. Enjoy!

(You may notice this is a top 11 list. Originally I had 10 but realised I forgot to put Chicken Run in there somewhere. So it's now a top 11 list - just for something different! :-))

11. Unbreakable

M. Night Shyamalan's follow-up to his mega-hit The Sixth Sense is an intriguing look at human potential. Bruce Willis plays a man who is the lone survivor of a train wreck. Samuel L. Jackson is a comic book afficionado with a crippling bone disease who informs him he could be an indestructible human being. Not a horror story per se, but if you expect The Seventh Sense then you would be disappointed.

10. Erin Brockovich

A well-filmed look at the life of the title character (played by Julia Roberts) and her efforts to bring a big utility to the courts for poisoning a small town's water. Funny, sexy, and with great acting by both Julia and an excellent Albert Finney.

9. The Hurricane

A powerhouse performance by Denzel Washington anchors this passionate drama about the wrongful imprisonment of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Nicely directed by Canadian veteran Norman Jewison, if slightly too long.

8. The Green Mile

Sterling adaptation of Stephen King's first serial novel, though 20 minutes too long. Still, a rich, rewarding look at life inside a prison where people about to be executed spend their last few days. Excellent performances from the whole cast, especially Michael Clarke Duncan as the gentle but imposing John Coffey, a convicted murderer who may have supernatural powers.

7. Chicken Run

Joyous send-up of The Great Escape set in a - get this - chicken farm! The makers of Wallace and Gromit bring their talents to the big screen, and the result is a fun romp in the Pixar/Disney vein. Good voice work from Mel Gibson and Julia Sawalha. Watch for that frantic pie machine sequence - it's a hoot!

6. The Dish

Warm, funny look at the TV broadcast of the Apollo 13 lunar landing, focusing on the group of people who handled the Australian radio antenna that beamed the pictures. Excellent period flavour, and lots of culture-clash jokes. A winner from the team that made The Castle.

5. X-Men

One of the best superhero comic adaptations in a long time. The next stage in human evolution produces an outcast group of people with strange powers. One group fights for evil, the other for good. Good special effects, and welcome humour. Star-making performance from Australian Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

4. Chopper

Stylish docu-drama about the life and times of Australian hitman and bestselling author Mark "Chopper" Read. At times hard-hitting and violent, but also very funny. Searing, award-winning performance by lead Eric Bana.

Darkly humorous adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis' controversial novel about a Wall Street yuppie in the 1980s who hides a deep, dark secret: he's a psychopathic killer! Deliciously funny, with a superb performance by Christian Bale in the lead.

2. American Beauty

Yes, this won the Best Picture Oscar earlier this year, but it's still one of the best movies released in the past 12 months. A middle class family's slow disintegration into chaos and redemption is perfectly acted by Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, and others. Excellent debut for British theatre director Sam Mendes, working off a script by Alan Ball.

Many may disagree, but to me, this was the funniest and most enjoyable movie of the year. It encapsulates what a good movie should be: good story (send-up of Star Trek, etc.), good acting (perfectly played by Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and especially Alan Rickman, to name a few), and wildly entertaining. Great special effects and a rollicking, hootin', tootin' finish will leave you with a big wide grin on your face as you walk out of the cinema. A must!