But before you head to the theater to see Mr. Clooney do battle with the forces of Anti-Communism, we offer you a little remedial media movie-watching. Here are our picks for the First Ever mediabistro.com Unofficial Classic Media Film Festival (Date: whenever. Location: your living room.):

THE GOOD
The Educational, The Moving and The Grittily Realistic…

The Killing Fields (1984, Directed by Roland Joffé)
This Oscar-winning film follows the plight of New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg as he reports on the Khmer Rouge's genocidal atrocities in Cambodia and tries to save his assistant Dith Pran from an equally dark fate.

Shattered Glass (2003, Directed by Billy Ray)
Ray's film is based on the true story of Stephen Glass, up-and-coming reporter for The New Republic (a.k.a., "The In-Flight Magazine of Air Force One," if you happen to miss the references), who got himself fired for committing the cardinal journalistic sin—presenting fiction as journalism. "Are you mad at me?" Glass (played by Hayden Christensen) asks friends and colleagues repeatedly. To which the viewer would have to reply after five minutes of Glass's whining, "Yes, Stephen. Yes, we are."

Control Room (2004, Directed by Jehane Noujaim)
Jehane Noujaim's behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day operations and influence of the fledging Al-Jazeera network illustrates the growing power of TV news internationally and the universalities of producing it (eccentric characters, questions of propriety, production nightmares, etc.)

THE BAD
The Romantic, The Occasionally Treacly, the Not-Quite-Similar-to-Your-Day-Job, But the Let's Face It, Films That Make Your Job Feel Sexier…

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998, Directed by Terry Gilliam)
Hunter S. Thompson's gonzo brand of journalism wasn't so much sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll as it was drugs, drugs and more drugs. Terry Gilliam's film, based on the book of the same name, dramatizes what, in the good doctor's case, happens when you mix attempted reporting with powerful narcotics. (Selah.)

His Girl Friday (1940, Directed by Howard Hawks)
The main character in this 1940 classic is perhaps the archtypical newspaper reporter—hard-nosed and determined to get the story. But she's a woman! Mildly scandalous stuff for the time. Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant play reporter and editor—and ex-husband and ex-wife, natch.

Almost Famous (2000, Directed by Cameron Crowe)
Once-cub reporter for Rolling Stone Cameron Crowe's largely autobiographical flick about his exploits following the band (both literally and metaphorically) is , we'd guess, responsible for more internship applications to that publications than anything or anyone since Hunter S. Thompson's campaign reporting.

THE UGLY
How, Specifically, (If You Needed Instrution) to Be a Horrible, Horrible Journalist…Media Satires…

Bright Young Things (2003, Directed by Stephen Fry)
Based on Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, Fry's film follows gossip reporter Adam Fenwick-Symes or "Mr. Chatterbox" as he is known to consumers of his sometimes-factual column.

Network (1976, Directed by Sidney Lumet)
Lumet's 1976 satire skewers the inherent nihilism of ratings-driven TV, as anchorman Howard Beale unwittingly creates a network success after threatening to kill himself on national TV. If all you want out of life is a 30 share and a 20 rating, this film isn't for you; it's about you.

The Sweet Smell of Success (1957, Directed by Alexander Mackendrick)
Burt Lancaster's J.J. Hunsecker, perhaps the first big-screen character to give gossip columnists a bad name (but certainly not the last) and his extortion-based relationship with equally loathsome publicist Sidney Falco (played by Tony Curtis) is the subject of this 1957 drama. It would be satire if it sadly weren't, but we have to admit: we love this dirty town, too.

Anything we missed? Send your nominations to letters@mediabistro.com.

Elizabeth Spiers is the editor-in-chief of mediabistro.com.