127 Hours is the fascinating true story of Aron Ralston, a mechanical engineer and adventurer who went hiking alone and got stuck in a canyon
Megamind is a spoof of superhero films, a genre pioneered in animation by Pixar’s The Incredibles
Some may leave Anton Corbijn’s The American unsatisfied; what’s all this symbolism and philosophy doing in my George Clooney thriller?
Protektor, a period drama set before and during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, nearly swept the 2010 Czech Lion awards
Salt is a breathless, expertly-composed thriller with one nagging flaw: it’s absolutely ridiculous
Predators is a ridiculously entertaining ride, a self-knowing but straight-faced throwback to the days of over-the-top 80s machismo and 70s grindhouse films
Geeen Zone is a dense and effective political thriller about the search for WMDs in newly-liberated 2003 Iraq
Kick-Ass works on multiple levels, thanks to a loving, authentic feel for the genre and fluid direction by Vaughn
The Road is cold, miserable, relentlessly grim; there’s no joy and little hope in this post-apocalyptic tale
A terrific little coming-of-age tale, An Education also serves as a showcase for the vibrant, delightful Carey Mulligan
A nifty little piece of science fiction, Duncan Jones’ Moon works on the same level as the best of the genre
Shutter Island is a maddening film, an exquisitely made but frustratingly generic thriller that only eventually rises above its source material
In Search of a Midnight Kiss is an intriguing little L.A.-based indie that slowly grows on you and becomes more affecting along the way
Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story fits right in with the rest of director’s work, almost too snugly
Up in the Air is a timely, precise, extremely well-acted film that deserves most of the praise that’s being thrown at it
Sherlock Holmes, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr., is packed with explosions, fisticuffs, and a wink-wink ‘tude
Whip It is a touching and surprisingly effective coming-of-age tale with a wonderful sense of female camaraderie
Lars von Trier’s Antichrist gained instant notoriety after a Cannes screening that ended in hisses and boos
An intense and incredibly controlled film, Hunger represents a remarkable directorial debut for Steve McQueen
A brilliant central concept and excellent computer-generated effects bolsters director Neill Blomkamp’s provocative District 9
A wonderful little slice of Americana, Sam Mendes’ Away We Go is the perfect antidote to his previous feature, the emotionally devastating Revolutionary Road
There’s a real love for classic rock and pirate radio that shines through in Richard Curtis’ The Boat That Rocked
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson is a striking but strangely aloof film that would have been better served had the director shown a little restraint
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a much tighter, carefully constructed, leisurely-but-fluidly paced adaptation of the J.K. Rowling books