For all the flack Hollywood has received in the past year from elitist film critics (Roger Ebert declared 2000 as "not a great year for movies,") if the holiday season was any indication, audiences enjoyed more than their share of decent movies. While some were remarkably forgettable ("Vertical Limit," "Dude, Where's My Car?"), others turned out to be among the best films of the year ("Traffic," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). Here, then, is a sampling of holiday film reviews, courtesy of Scene's movie critics.

"Traffic"

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The tagline for Steven Soderbergh's new film"Traffic," reads: "No one gets away clean." That is the most accurate description of an engaging and disturbing film that blows holes through the drug war as we see it on television. Soderbergh explores this contemporary subject with courage, showing the reality of America's drug problem as an issue that touches all.

Following disparate stories occurring simultaneously in Tijuana, San Diego, Cincinnati and Washington D.C., "Traffic" provides insight into what our leaders try to hide from us every day.

The vital character in the film is Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), an Ohio State Supreme Court judge who has been chosen as the new federal drug czar. While his official role links him directly to the war on drugs, it is his personal dilemma, as the father of a drug-addicted teenage daughter, that makes his story complete.

Soderbergh enhances Douglas' role with a wonderful ensemble cast. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the wife of a drug importer who ruthlessly frees her husband from a trial that would have certainly put him away. Benicio Del Toro, in the film's best performance, plays a bilingual police officer from Baja California caught between a two-timing Mexican drug official and the lure of helping American D.E.A. agents in San Diego. Soderbergh effectively moves between cities and strong, important characters without ever confusing or cheating the audience.

At one point in the film, Douglas' character has an awakening as to the nature of his job and his government's role in fighting drugs. After seeing his daughter fall victim to drug addiction and his plan to destroy a cartel in Mexico fail under corruption, Douglas sees that the "war on drugs" has become a war on each other and, in his case, a war on family. Soderbergh shows us that the "war on drugs" isn't simply that; it's a war on everything and everyone associated with drugs — and no one gets away clean.

Matt Caccamo

"Proof of Life"

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If you ever wanted to know how to successfully rescue a kidnapped person in the jungle, "Proof of Life" is the movie for you.

Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe) is brought in to rescue Alice Bowman's (Meg Ryan) husband Peter (David Morse) from Guerrilla terrorists located in the fictional country of Tecala, South America. Crowe negotiates Peter's ransom price and then performs a daring jungle rescue that is full of explosions and death.

What makes this movie especially interesting are the characters. Crowe is exceptionally good as a man who has to wrestle with his job and his growing interest in Ryan's character. Morse does a great job as the defiant victim struggling to maintain hope of seeing his wife again. Finally, Ryan is very convincing as the wife who is torn between her husband and her attraction to the man that will bring him back. While many would have liked to see Crowe and Ryan's attraction go further than just flirting and a kiss, the romantic tension only helps the film. Overall, this is a movie worth the cost of going to the theater.

Eric Hedin

"Cast Away"

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When Tom Hanks is involved in a film, audiences expect amazing things. For many actors, this may seem like a difficult standard to live up to, but not for Hanks. In his newest film "Cast Away," Hanks once again delivers the goods. He plays Chuck Noland, a FedEx efficiency expert. On one of his many business trips, Chuck's plane crashes. He ends up stranded on a deserted island, living there for four years. How does a man whose life thrives on time and schedules live a life where time does not exist? What happens when he returns home? The world and all the people he loves have gone on without him and he no longer seems to fit.

Hanks does a wonderful job with an amazingly difficult role. For a better part of the film, Chuck is stuck on the island alone, with only a volleyball that washed ashore from the crash. Although there are long stretches of silence in the film, it is never boring. Hanks keeps the audience in the palm of his hand the whole time. After winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama, he will surely receive an Academy Award nomination.

Casey K. McCluskey

"The Family Man"

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"The Family Man" tries to add something to an already hashed out formula: a person makes a crucial decision that affects the rest of their life and they are given the chance to "redo" that decision to see how life would have been different.

The movie contains little originality. Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is the president of a billion dollar firm. However, Cash (Don Cheadle), an angel, tests Jack's declaration that he is "happy with [his] life" by changing that life the next morning.

The change stems from a decision made 13 years earlier when Jack chose a career over seeing his girlfriend, Kate (Tea Leoni).

"Family Man" tries to equate trading money with family, and when the two come in conflict, Jack is always asked to sacrifice the opportunity. What makes the story more unbelievable is that, after 13 years of feeling successful, pleasured and rich, Jack falls in love with this family instead. "Family Man" rushes that message.

The ending does nothing to convince us of the fact that he is worse off by being rich and without family. In the end, Jack Campbell gets exactly what he wants: wealth and a chance at the family of his dreams.

Jude Seymour

"What Women Want"

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Picture Mel Gibson in control-top panty hose and nail polish, learning how to wax his legs. "What Women Want" is for those who can't get enough of Gibson's good looks or just want to see him act like a complete idiot. Mel slips into the role of Nick Marshall, a rich advertisement executive in New York and a complete chauvinist. After a freak accident in the bathroom, he can suddenly hear women's thoughts.

Although this new ability seems at first like a big problem, he ends up using it to his advantage. He sabotages his new boss Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt), gains insight into his pathetic relationship with his 15-year-old daughter (Ashley Johnson) and woos a waitress (Marisa Tomei) at a coffee shop. With this new "talent," he ends up "relating" to women and falling for his boss.

"What Women Want" tries to juggle too many subplots and still stay on track while over-stuffing it with good actors and actresses. Director Nancy Meyers plays on the stereotypes of women and their unpredictable thoughts, which falters in some spots. The movie ends up being a bit too cliched and predictable, with a few good lines every now and then. The only thing that saves the movie from falling flat is Gibson's performance, which never seems to disappoint.

Beth Goodhue

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

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The Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) blend many styles and genres in their new film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Best described as a prison escape/comedy/musical, it's loosely based on "The Odyssey" and set in Depression-era Mississippi. The title comes from the 1941 film "Sullivan's Travels," directed by Preston Sturges. The Coen brothers mix elements of Homer's epic poem (the Sirens, the Cyclops, Ulysses and Penelope) and historical figures (robber Babyface Nelson and governor Pappy O'Daniel), giving them all a deep-fried southern treatment. For instance, John Goodman plays a one-eyed, fast-talking Bible salesman, and Sirens entice travelers with music and jug whiskey.

The plot is quirky, episodic and witty. Essentially, Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), Delmar O'Donnel (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro) escape from a chain gang. Ulysses is the verbose yet shortsighted leader, Delmar is the good-natured dimwit and Pete could be Darwin's "missing link." The men set out to help Ulysses find his hidden treasure while fleeing the police and making quick money singing "old timey" music. The three actors play their characters excellently, creating a buddy-comedy sensibility set against the backdrop of an outstanding and unique storyline.

Chris Sikorski

"Quills"

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For much of "Quills," the Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey Rush) remains a mysterious off-screen presence. Entombed in an insane asylum, he never leaves the cell in which he scribbles his manuscripts. "Quills" isn't really about him anyway; it's about his effect on others. His absence is a deliberate choice and a miscalculated one: it leaves the movie anchorless.

Despite that flaw (and many others), "Quills" is still kind of fun to watch. It's a well-crafted production, energized by director Philip Kaufman's visual stylistics. Unfortunately, what follows is a messy and uninspired look at what should be a fascinating character.

The confused structure of the script is reflected in the actors' uneven performances. Rush initially plays de Sade as comical, spitting out insults as though doing a stand-up routine; then he turns dramatic as de Sade grows more frantic in his stubborn resistance against those who try to tame him. The performance is certainly attention-getting, but, as with his star-making turn in "Shine," it seems merely a surface triumph.

Michael Caine, as a "torture doctor," has great fun with his role, but he crosses into caricature quite often. And Joaquin Phoenix, as the asylum's resident priest, tries so hard to appear spiritual and restrained that he practically disappears into his uniform.

"Quills" is visually quite remarkable, has impressive sets, contains carefully-designed costumes and many individually elegant, beautifully-composed shots. Unfortunately, however stylish and intelligently-crafted it might be, "Quills" is too blunt an instrument to be either very entertaining or particularly enlightening.

Matt Nania

"Chocolat"

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"Chocolat" is a fairy-tale's fairy tale: sweet and wondrous with a message worth the price of admission.

The story is set in a 1950s French countryside town. This is one of those towns from the "old days" where everyone knows everyone else. It's also a town founded on its "traditions," and God forbid anyone try to upset them. While most of the residents play out their lives according to a prescribed morality and religious adherence, it is the town's mayor, Reynaud (Alfred Molina), who keeps them in line. The rest go through the motions, waiting for something to knock them off the traditional route.

That something comes along in the arrival of Vianne (Juliette Binoche) and her daughter Anouk. They are wanderers and, by family tradition, roam from town to town, healing people with their many chocolate treats. This French town they've stumbled upon is both the best and worst place for them: it's a town in need of some healing, but, at the same time, a town resilient to change and strangers.

The relationship between these newcomers and the traditional French town is as sweet as the chocolate Vianne sells. Everyone is nice in this film, even the supposed "bad guy" mayor. But that's okay; it is a fairy tale after all. It picks up more steam with the arrival of an Irish "river rat" (Johnny Depp) who forms a friendship and love interest with Vianne.

Director Lasse Hallstrom, who has a wonderful ability to portray small-town life, brings us a film that encourages opening up to life's passions without condemning those who haven't. That is the beauty and simplicity of "Chocolat." Just like its digestible title, it is delicious.

Matt Caccamo

"All the Pretty Horses"

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Best friends John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) and Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas) leave their homes in Texas for the ranches of Mexico in "All the Pretty Horses." Directed by Billy Bob Thorton and adapted from Cormac McCarthy's novel, the movie follows the two friends as they journey to Mexico, find jobs at a ranch and live the lives they had been dreaming of in Texas.

Grady and Rawlins travel with youngster Jimmy Blevins (Lucas Black) who brings them nothing but trouble. After finding jobs as ranch hands, John Grady Cole falls in love with the owner's daughter (Penelope Cruz) and, of course, problems ensue – one of them being Mexican prison (not an entertaining part of the movie).

The strong point of "All the Pretty Horses" is the cinematography. The scenes which show Cole and Rawlins travelling across the plains are beautiful, and many shots focus on the eyes of the characters. The rest of the film leaves something to be desired. Characters are not developed fully enough for viewers to connect with them. The relationship between Damon and Cruz forms so quickly that the audience isn't fighting for them to stay together. "All the Pretty Horses" is somewhat entertaining but, overall, uninspiring.

Meg Ryan

"13 Days"

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As the United States enters the 21st century, it is difficult for the last few generations of Americans to comprehend the extreme terror and anxiety once coupled with the phrase "nuclear missiles." However, most of today's Gen-Xers have parents or grandparents who remember all too well the Cuban Missile Crisis and the world war narrowly averted by a deft Kennedy administration. The tension of October 1962 is one of the many admirable facets expressed in director Roger Donaldson's "13 Days."

Donaldson understands the need to place the viewer in a sort of 2-hour time machine that will convey the emotions of a relatively recent historical event. To this end, the opening credits of "13 Days" are set against a background of ballistic missiles being tested and detonated, a truly spectacular if frightening panorama on widescreen. With this sobering reality held over the head of each audience member, Donaldson launches into the Kennedy White House.

Bringing clout to a smart, largely nameless cast is perennial star Kevin Costner, who relishes his role as Ken O'Donnell, special assistant to President John F. Kennedy. Although Donaldson's aim was to depict O'Donnell's "bird's-eye view" of the Crisis, Costner often seems to outrank an unsettled, pill-popping JFK, played by Bruce Greenwood ("Double Jeopardy"). Rounding out the Bostonian Irish-Catholic triumvirate is fiery Attorney General Bobby Kennedy, passionately rendered by Steven Culp (known mainly for his recurring role as Clayton Webb on the CBS drama "JAG"). O'Donnell and the Kennedy brothers have the final word on just about everything "ExComm," the Washington brain trust including cabinet members and high-ranking brass, encounters in regards to the Russian missiles.

Although the three principal actors turn in polished performances, the supporting actors are responsible for making "13 Days" the best and, surprisingly, the most accurate historical drama released in the past few years.

Mario Bird

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

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"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is simply one of the best films ever made. If it were not for the fact that director Ang Lee chose to have the actors speak a 1500-year-old Mandarin dialect rather than English, the movie would have been a shoe-in for practically every Oscar. A richly woven tapestry of story and action, the film succeeds in bringing out a level of emotional depth hardly ever dreamed of in American action and martial arts films.

The story opens as Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat), a legendary warrior of the Wudan school, decides that he is tired of bloodshed and will give up his mystical sword, the Green Destiny. He entrusts it to the woman he loves, Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), to take to Beijing. The sword is stolen in transit, forcing the two to try to hunt down the mysterious thief.

Widely acclaimed for having some of the best action scenes in film history, the movie also succeeds on an emotional level, showcasing Ang Lee's ("Sense and Sensibility") directorial talent at bringing out romantic tension in the least likely places. Described by Lee as "`Sense and Sensibility' with swords," it is a film not to be missed.

Bill Fusz

• Dynamic holiday film season ends lackluster year with a bang