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10. "Good Night, and Good Luck." (2005): Yes, Oscar nominee David Strathairn is the real star of this picture. Nevertheless, George Clooney, serving as director and co-star, is equally important. This beautifully photographed, elegantly austere and painstakingly researched ... morelook at how famed TV journalist Edward R. Murrow and CBS went up against Sen. Joe McCarthy works as a wonderful display of how versatile Clooney can be. Taking a back seat to Strathairn's Murrow, Clooney plays the "See It Now" host's famed producer Fred Friendly in a comfortable performance that's never showy (no matter how exceptional Clooney looks in the film's '50s attire) and powerfully decent without being preachy. Like the movie, it's a thoroughly studied role that's noble and beautifully lived in. While it certainly helped that Clooney's directorial prowess was at the helm (he also co-wrote the picture) and that he made sure the movie remained intelligent, absorbing and correct both in period detail and content, he must have known that his presence could potentially take the viewer out of the movie. But that never happens, because we're always right there with him. (Warner Independent Pictures)