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10 Biggest Actors and Directors of the 2000s So Far
By an Amazon.com customer
Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)Ocean's Eleven (Widescreen Edition)
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1. GEORGE CLOONEY--starred in The Perfect Storm, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Ocean's 11, Solaris, Intolerable Cruelty, The Good German (which, although it wasn't a hit, featured some of the...
Spider-Man (Widescreen Special Edition)Spider-Man (Widescreen Special Edition)
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...biggest entertainers of the decade so far: CATE BLANCHETT (the "new Katharine Hepburn," who, oddly enough, was portrayed by Cate in The Aviator, for which she earned a Best Supp. Actress Oscar); TOBEY MAGUIRE (the star of the biggest franchise (Spider-Man) and hottest genre (comic book movie) of the 2000s); and Steven Soderbergh (see below)),...
Confessions of a Dangerous MindConfessions of a Dangerous Mind
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...and Syriana, for which Clooney won a Best Supp. Actor Oscar, and directed Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night and Good Luck, for which he was nominated for Best Director (up next: Michael Clayton, Leatherheads, and Ocean's 13).
Legally Blonde (Special Edition)Legally Blonde (Special Edition)
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2. REESE WITHERSPOON--starred in Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, Vanity Fair, and Walk the Line, for which she won Best Actress (up next: Penelope, Bunny Lake is Missing, and Rendition).
Zoolander (Special Collector's Edition)Zoolander (Special Collector's Edition)
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3. WILL FERRELL--transitioned very successfully from TV ("SNL") to the movies, with Zoolander, Old School, Elf, Starsky & Hutch, Anchorman, The Producers, Wedding Crashers, Melinda and Melinda, Bewitched,...
Winter PassingWinter Passing
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...Winter Passing, Talladega Nights, Curious George, and Stranger than Fiction, for which he should've been nominated for Best Actor (up next: Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and Step Brothers).
BubbleBubble
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4. STEVEN SODERBERGH--directed Ocean's 11, Solaris, Full Frontal, Ocean's 12, Eros, The Good German, Bubble, Erin Brockovich,...
TrafficTraffic
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...and Traffic, for which he won Best Director (up next: Life Interrupted, The Argentine, Guerrilla, and Ocean's 13).
Catch Me If You Can (Full Screen Two-Disc Special Edition)Catch Me If You Can (Full Screen Two-Disc Special Edition)
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5. LEONARDO DICAPRIO--starred in The Beach, Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Departed, Blood Diamond, and The Aviator,...
The Aviator (Two-Disc Special Edition)The Aviator (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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...for which he was nominated for and should've won Best Actor (up next: 11th Hour, Alexander the Great, Blink, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, and The Chancellor Manuscript).
The PrestigeThe Prestige
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6. CHRISTIAN BALE/HUGH JACKMAN--both starred together in The Prestige, both born in Wales, both largely known for their superhero roles (Bale-Batman; Jackman-Wolverine), and both relatively unheard of before their 2000s releases...
American Psycho (Uncut Killer Collector's Edition)American Psycho (Uncut Killer Collector's Edition)
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...(Bale-American Psycho, Shaft, The Machinist, The New World, Batman Begins, and Harsh Times (up next: Rescue Dawn, 3:10 to Yuma (co-starring another big import of the 00's, RUSSELL CROWE), and The Dark Knight);...
SwordfishSwordfish
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...Jackman-Swordfish, X-Men, Kate & Leopold, Van Helsing, The Fountain, Scoop, Happy Feet, and Flushed Away (up next: A Plumm Summer, The Tourist, Australia, Drive, and Wolverine)).
Lost in TranslationLost in Translation
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7. SCARLETT JOHANSSON--starred in The Man Who Wasn't There, An American Rhapsody, Ghost World, Lost in Translation, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Perfect Score, A Love Song for Bobby Long, In Good Company,...
The IslandThe Island
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...The Island, The Prestige, The Black Dahlia, A Good Woman, Scoop, and Match Point, for which she should've been nominated for Best Supp. Actress...
Match PointMatch Point
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...(up next: The Nanny Diaries, The Other Boleyn Girl, Mary Queen of Scots, Napolean and Betsy, Amazon, and Brilliant).
Chicago (Widescreen Edition)Chicago (Widescreen Edition)
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8. RENEE ZELLWEGER--starred in Chicago, Nurse Betty, Me, Myself, & Irene, Bridget Jones's Diary, White Oleander, Down with Love, Shark Tale, Cinderella Man,...
Cold Mountain (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)Cold Mountain (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
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...and Cold Mountain, for which she won Best Supp. Actress (up next: Case 39, Leatherheads, and Bee Movie).
Nip/Tuck - The Complete Third SeasonNip/Tuck - The Complete Third Season
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9. ALEC BALDWIN--made a character actor comeback as the go-to hard-a*s in comedies and dramas (as well as TV shows--Friends, Nip/Tuck, Will & Grace, Las Vegas, and 30 Rock) alike, such as State and Main, Nuremberg,...
The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection)The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection)
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...The Royal Tenenbaums, Pearl Harbor, The Cat in the Hat, The Aviator, Along Came Polly, Fun with Dick and Jane, Elizabethtown...
The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
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...The Good Shepherd, Running with Scissors, The Departed, and The Cooler, for which he was nominated for and should've won Best Supp. Actor (up next: Brooklyn Rules, Suburban Girl, Lymelife, and The Forbidden City).
Flags of Our Fathers (Full Screen Edition)Flags of Our Fathers (Full Screen Edition)
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10. CLINT EASTWOOD--starred in Space Cowboys and Blood Work, but made more of a mark as director for Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of our Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima (written by another big director of the 00's, PAUL HAGGIS (Crash, In the Valley of Elah)),...
Letters from Iwo JimaLetters from Iwo Jima
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...for which Eastwood was nominated for and should win Best Director in this case over MARTIN SCORSESE, when he should've lost to Scorsese in 2004 when his work for Million Dollar Baby was honored over Scorsese's for The Aviator (up next: much needed rest for this busy man!).
American Idol - The Best & Worst of American Idol ( Limited Edition )American Idol - The Best & Worst of American Idol ( Limited Edition )
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HONORABLE MENTION: SIMON FULLER & MARK BURNETT--ushered in the still-popular-as-ever reality TV craze by executive producing the biggest shows on TV so far this decade, with "American Idol," "So You Think You Can Dance," etc. (Fuller),...
The Apprentice - The Complete First SeasonThe Apprentice - The Complete First Season
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...and "The Apprentice," "Survivor," "The Contender," "Rock Star," "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?," "On the Lot," etc. (Burnett).