If there’s one thing that 2002 proved it’s that Americans are more in love with movies than ever before.

Despite the pervasive distractions of DVDs, videos, Pay-Per-View and the economy, domestic audiences bought 1.6 billion tickets — the most since 1958. The result was a $9.37 billion haul for the industry, up 12 percent over last year’s record take.

While audiences flocked to see some of the all-time biggest hits — “Spider-Man” grossed more than $400 million, while 22 other films eclipsed the coveted $100 million mark — there were a parallel number of bombs. Eddie Murphy’s disastrous “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” was released after two years on the shelf. Despite a $100 million budget, the spacey comedy brought in only $4.4 million, making it the single greatest money-loser in cinematic history.

It wasn’t just Hollywood pap that was being thrust upon the public. A notable number of indie flicks fared well at the box-office. And most of the year-end critics awards — a precursor to the Oscars — also favored non-mainstream efforts. The artistic consensus concluded it was a solid year featuring a more widespread level of quality pictures, rather than just a few stellar ones dominating as highlights.

Which brings me to the best and worst that 2002 had to offer.

It’s sometimes a futile crusade trying to rationalize why one movie is superior to another. But these 20 selections represent those that stand out in my experience the most. Ones deemed “best” offer factors deeper than just mindless entertainment. They are remarkable in some aspect, from subject matter to acting performances to the feat of exceeding expectations.

The “worst” aren’t just easy targets like anonymous sequels (such as “Halloween: Resurrection”) or movies that have no chance at achieving quality from their very inception (such as “Halloween: Resurrection”). These washouts go beyond merely being brainless or boring; they are somehow insulting, degrading or catastrophic by their very nature.

The choices on this list are culled from theatrical movies that were screened for members of the Kansas City-area press between Jan. 1, 2002 and Dec. 31, 2002.

Note: Some films made available to regional critics (and launched in New York or L.A. to qualify for Oscar consideration) will not be publicly released in the Midwest until later in January.

Use the list wisely.

Seek out the good. Avoid the bad. Or plan a “Mystery Science Theater 3000”-style gathering with a few buddies to wittily poke fun at the truly awful.

I’ll admit that particular aspect is the best part of my job.

Best of Film 2002

Road to Perdition

There’s something about a gangster movie that seems as American as a western or a Hollywood musical. “Road to Perdition,” a bleak tale of duty and betrayal within an extended mob family of Irish Americans, expertly balances visceral action with emotional resonance. Some feel Tom Hanks underplays his role as a 1930s hit man who must go on the lam with a young son after being betrayed by his boss. However, this subtlety allows the other fine performers to seem that much more vivid: Paul Newman as the kingpin, Daniel Craig as his bitter progeny, Jude Law as a hired killer who is also a press photographer specializing in murder victims. Director Sam Mendes reunites with his “American Beauty” cinematographer Conrad L. Hall to craft an unforgettable look to the project; they like to exploit light and darkness the way Van Gogh did colors.

Far From Heaven

In certain respects, “Far From Heaven” is the strangest film of the year. It’s a conscious attempt to recreate the colorful 1950s melodramas popularized by director Douglas Sirk (“All That Heaven Allows”) — except for the subject matter, which explores themes of racism and homosexuality in a manner that could never be addressed during the Eisenhower era. Director Todd Haynes does the near impossible by avoiding turning his movie into a gimmick. Rather, he boldly re-imagines this tale of a housewife (Julianne Moore) whose spiraling marriage to an alcoholic with “issues” (Dennis Quaid) leads her to seek comfort from her black gardener (Dennis Haysbert). It succeeds as both a cinematic experiment and a sincerely compelling drama.

One Hour Photo

Robin Williams gives his most convincing performance yet in this truly unsettling psychological thriller. The comedian typically can’t help but bring his goofball shtick to film roles, even when it’s inappropriate for a particular character. In “One Hour Photo,” he completely disappears into the part of Sy Parrish, a lonely photo technician who grows obsessive about an idealized family of customers. A lesser picture would have turned Sy into a garden-variety wacko, but here he is treated as a far more complicated figure: alternately innocent, dangerous, pathetic and even sympathetic.

Lovely & Amazing

As much as the female characters of “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” come across as wholly phony, the women of “Lovely & Amazing” are engagingly real. This comedic tale of self-esteem issues involving a mother (Blenda Blethyn), her adult daughters (Catherine Keener, Emily Mortimer) and newly adopted 8-year-old (Raven Goodwin) is brutally honest. This is best exemplified during a scene in which Mortimer’s physically preoccupied actress asks a vain movie star (Dermot Mulroney) she has just spent the night with to critique her seemingly perfect body. He reveals in unflinching detail her “shortcomings” as she stands naked before him. There is no overblown drama in writer/director Nicole Holofcener’s indie gem, only believable people going about their day-to-day lives.

8 Mile

The year’s biggest surprise hails from gazillion-selling rapper Eminem, who accomplishes something few pop stars ever do by starring in a great film … with his debut, no less. Based loosely on the artist’s struggles to be heard while growing up on the streets of Detroit in the mid-’90s, “8 Mile” is saturated with gritty intensity. Oscar-winning filmmaker Curtis Hanson (“L.A. Confidential”) draws a fine (albeit sparse) performance from his novice lead and helps elevate the movie beyond its formulaic framework. The final 20 minutes — where Eminem turns the tables on his main rival in a gladiator-style match of improvised rapping — offers the most rousing finale of the year.

The Pianist

Catch Me If You Can

Insomnia

Y Tu Mamá Tambien

Changing Lanes

Worst of Film 2002

Igby Goes Down

This is the latest bomb to strive for the familial zaniness of “The Royal Tenenbaums.” As prep schooler Igby (Kieran Culkin) says, “Good things come to obsessive-compulsives who fixate.” In most movies, that would be a witty line. But in “Igby Goes Down,” the direction (by Burr Steers), editing and overall vibe are so disjointed that every word and action seems drained of life. Igby keeps being told he’s clever and funny by the beautiful women who throw themselves at him, despite the fact that the 17 year old has zero charisma. The story’s “big issue” is where Igby will attend school, but other legitimate concerns — such as his mom’s (Susan Sarandon) painful demise from cancer — are treated as comic relief. The fact that “Igby Goes Down” just landed two Golden Globe nominations in the acting categories makes this ugly, hate-filled excursion even more appalling.

The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

It’s too bad the title “Steel Magnolias” was already taken, because this flashback-heavy tale of “colorful” Southern Belles might as well be a sequel to that landmark of gushy cinema. Actually, you can replace colorful with “boozing” or “in need of therapy,” as spending time with these cloying women is like watching auditions held at a retirement home for the role of Blanche in “Streetcar Named Desire.” The Sisterhood’s contrived character names — Siddalee, Vivi, Teensy, Caro and Necie — are emblematic of the artifice of this whole chafing enterprise.

Collateral Damage

There was a time when the sheer presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger could carry a crappy movie. But in this violent revenge thriller, concerning a fireman pursuing a Colombian terrorist who murdered his family, the Austrian actor’s lack of enthusiasm is hard to ignore. Remember, “Collateral Damage” was supposed to be released around Sept. 11, 2001, but was pushed back because of its thematic content. That’s ironic, considering the flick couldn’t have less to do with current events — the gung-ho script feels like it was composed around the time of “Rambo: First Blood II.” Whenever the dubious plot starts to unravel, another explosion happens to keep the audience distracted. Even this tactic can’t camouflage a preposterous switcheroo ending.

Windtalkers

Diminishing director John Woo (“M:I-2”) takes a fascinating piece of American history and reduces it to a near-psychopathic bloodbath. Think of the cinematic story that could be told involving Navajos in World War II whose language provided the basis for an oral code that the Japanese could not break. Instead, the Hong Kong filmmaker crafts another violent Hollywood action pic featuring enough redundant slow-motion deaths and fire-suit tricks to fill a show reel at a stuntmen convention. Worse, Woo uses the anti-racism subject as an excuse to mount his own pro-racist tirade against the Japanese, who are presented here no better than in the “yellow peril” propaganda reels of the era.

Austin Powers in Goldmember

The opening scene shows promise: Major celebrities appear as characters from the Powers franchise in a hilarious fake promotion. Then this hipster sequel’s humor spirals into the toilet — both figuratively and topically. Mike Myers proved in his 1997 original that launched the series that a parody of ’60s British spy flicks could be good for laughs. But the numbing “Goldmember” becomes a parody of a parody, with Myers and gang delivering go-nowhere gags about their OWN movies.

The Four Feathers

Slackers

Abandon

The Sweetest Thing

The Adventures of Pluto Nash