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Ten years. 120 months. 3,652 days. And through them all, people went about their lives; the weather ran its (sometimes menacing) course; plants and animals lived and died.

Yet these were also the first few ticks of a new millennium, one marked by social upheaval, wars, scandals, flashes of hope, new technologies and innumerable hours of reality TV. When future generations look back on this decade, what will their verdict be? And which vital developments will they overlook?

We'll tell you what we think on Dec. 26, both online and in print. But every Monday until then, we'll reveal one of the challenges we have set for ourselves – and ask you to weigh in. Come back a week later to see the results, along with the next challenge.

How our weekly challenges will work

1. Every Monday until mid-December, we'll reveal a new question
2. We'll ask a notable Canadian for their picks
3. You can enter your nominations - tell us why too - in our comments
4. The next Monday you can vote on the top 10 picks from our readers
5. We ask a new question

Week one: Name the most underrated film of the decade

While the movie mavens are blabbing about one Anderson or another (Wes or Paul Thomas?), do you bite your tongue and wonder when they’re going to get around to Blades of Glory? Whether it’s Southland Tales or Inside Man, Superman Returns or a Filipino film-festival favourite by Brillante Mendoza, all film addicts have a place in their hearts for gems the rest of the world just didn’t love enough. Maybe you feel your picks define the decade – if only people had listened.

Enter your nomination in our comments

This week's celebrity: Rick Mercer, host of CBC-TV's The Rick Mercer Report

Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail

Rick Mercer's top five underrated movies

If you find yourself in the video store looking for something solid, funny and good, here are five movies from the past decade that you may not have seen – but really should.

1. C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005), starring Michel Côté
A smash hit in Quebec but hugely unappreciated outside the province.

2. Fubar (2002), starring Paul Spence and David Lawrence
If you’re Canadian, you must see this. Turn up the good, turn down the suck.

3. Citizen Duane (2006), starring Douglas Smith and Devon Bostick
More politics. A great story about a high-school student who’s a loser in love and life, and decides to turn it around by running for mayor. This one was totally under the radar.

4. Orange County (2002), starring Colin Hanks
A great script and a better cast – Catherine O’Hara, Lily Tomlin, Chevy Chase, and Jack Black.

5. Election (1999), starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon
Okay, this one landed just ahead of Y2K, but remains my favourite political movie of all time. It’s very funny and very quotable – just not in public.

Enter your nomination in our comments

Need help jogging your memory?

Check out these collected lists of the decade that was at the box office.

The Academy Award-winning movies of the past 10 years

Enter your nomination in our comments