American Film Institute honors 'Gangs of New York,' 'Chicago' among 2002's best films

<br>LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The American Film Institute has honored Martin Scorsese's ``Gangs of New York'' and Peter Jackson's ``The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' as two of the

Monday, December 16th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The American Film Institute has honored Martin Scorsese's ``Gangs of New York'' and Peter Jackson's ``The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' as two of the 10 best movies of 2002.

The list included a number of movies that have yet to be widely released, including the dark comedy ``About Schmidt,'' starring Jack Nicholson, and ``The Hours,'' which stars Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman.

The AFI also honored the Hugh Grant comedy ``About a Boy'' and the big-screen musical ``Chicago,'' starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere.

Rounding off the list were ``Adaptation,'' ``Antwone Fisher,'' ``The Quiet American'' and ``Frida.'' Last year, the institute recognized the first film in the ``Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, ``The Fellowship of the Ring,'' as its movie of the year.

The institute decided to forgo an award ceremony and issue a list of the Top 10 movies Monday after a disappointing broadcast last year which garnered low ratings and attracted few celebrities. This year's list was issued alphabetically.

The AFI also honored the Top 10 television shows, which included longtime programs ``The Simpsons'' and ``Everybody Loves Raymond'' and HBO's critically acclaimed series ``The Sopranos'' and ``Six Feet Under.''

The TV list also included NBC's ``The West Wing'' and ``Boomtown,'' as well as the WB's ``Gilmore Girls'' and the cable TV movies ``Door to Door,'' ``The Gathering Storm'' and ``The Believer.''

Selections were made by two 13-member committees _ one each for movies and television _ which included AFI trustees, industry professionals, film and TV scholars, and critics.