In today's chart we praise the work of two Oscar winners and Hollywood heavyweights and think why did he even bother when we look at Paul J. Bolger first stab at animation in the first of the truly awful pictures of 2007

No 6 The Best: American Gangster
The critically acclaimed American Gangster makes it to a very respectable number six on our chart and the film kicked off a crime season in cinemas this autumn/winter.American Gangster is based on the true story of Frank Lucas (Washington), a Harlem crime lord of the 1970s.He took on the mafia by selling uncut heroin direct from Thailand, with a little help from American armed forces, and selling it cheaper.Cop Richie Roberts heads a drugs task force whose sole purpose is to clean up the streets of New York which have become over run with drugs.

Directed by Ridley Scott, easily his best film since Gladiator, American Gangster re-unites actors Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe for the first time in over a decade.

The character of Lucas is beautifully contrasted throughout the movie from cold hearted killer, which is depicted in the opening scenes where Lucas calmly pours petrol over a bound man before setting him alight, and a tender and loving husband.

It is clearly the best role of Washington since Training Day who has been in the wilderness, in terms of role choices, since his Oscar win.

Russell Crowe puts in another superb performance, after his great turn as outlaw Ben Wade in 3.10 to Yuma, as the incorruptible on the job Richie Roberts who has a broken personal life.

But for many true fans of this genre of movie it's obvious that Scott has been heavily influenced by the main aspect of Michael Mann's Heat; Al Pacino and Robert De Niro meeting only once in the whole film.

Similarly Crowe and Washington meet just the once at the end of the movie in an interview room. Alone together these two Oscar winners and modern greats lock horns in a bid to out manoeuvre each other providing one of the best scenes in the whole picture.

This is an engrossing picture, made better by the fact that it is based on true event, accompanied by some slick visuals and exciting set pieces.

But it's the cast list that really powers this movie along as both Crowe and Washington are excellent upping their game in a bit to match the other. But there are also excellent support performances from Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lymari Nadal.

No 6 The Worst: Happily N'Ever After

Once upon a time will n’ever be the same again. Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Jack from the Beanstalk are all about to live happily ever after when the balance between good and evil gets thrown out of whack.

It’s up to Cinderella - aka Ella (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to save the day by taking on her power hungry stepmother, Frieda (Sigourney Weaver).

Well 2007 really has been the year for animation with many of the big studios jumping on the band wagon in a bid to capitalise on the market for these movies.

In a market that really is becoming over saturated and bogged down with animation rubbish Happily N'Ever is just a step too far.

The idea of some of our favourite characters coming together was an idea that has been playfully toyed with in the Shrek movies, woefully attempted in Hoodwinked and once again been tampered with what would appear very inexperienced hands in Happily N'Ever After.

Sadly this movie believes in what it's trying to achieve it thinks that it's witty and clever when in reality it's neither of these things.

And the CGI is some of the poorest committed to film. Paul J. Bolger is a first time director and it really shows, leaves you wondering whether or not he just threw the whole thing together in a laptop.

However there are names behind this project including Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sigourney Weaver who really must be cringing when they see the final product.

While it may appeal to very young children even a kiddie audience will realise that there is far better animation movies out there.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw