| ⑤ |
Indispensable to film fans, even if it's flawed |
|
| A Christmas Tale Dir. Arnaud Desplechin. Catherine Deneuve B+ |
| The Class Dir. Laurent Cantet. François Bégaudeau, Rachel Régulier B+ |
| The Dark Knight Dir. Christopher Nolan. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger B |
| The Fall Dir. Tarsem Singh. Catinca Untaru, Lee Pace, Justine Waddell, Leo Bill B+ |
| Flight of the Red Balloon Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien. Juliette Binoche, Fang Song B+ |
| ★ | Hunger Dir. Steve McQueen. Michael Fassbender, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon A– |
| Let the Right One In Dir. Tomas Alfredson. Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson B |
| ★ | Milk Dir. Gus Van Sant. Sean Penn, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin A– |
| Rachel Getting Married Dir. Jonathan Demme. Anne Hathaway B+ |
| The Secret of the Grain Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche. Habib Boufares A– |
| Still Life Dir. JIa Zhangke. Han Sanming, Zhao Tao, Li Zhubin, Wang Hongwei B+ |
| ★ | Synecdoche, New York Dir. Charlie Kaufman. Philip Seymour Hoffman A |
| Trouble the Water Dir. Tia Lessin, Carl Deal. Documentary about Katrina A |
| Up the Yangtze Dir. Yung Chang. Documentary about Three Gorges Dam project A– |
| WALL•E Dir. Andrew Stanton. Animated. Voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight B+ |
| ★ | Waltz with Bashir Dir. Ari Folman. Animated. Voices of Ari Folman, Mickey Leon B |
|
| ④ |
Good or bad, this is risky and original work |
|
| Alexandra Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov. Galina Vishnevskaya, Vasily Shevtsov B+ |
| ★ | Ballast Dir. Lance Hammer. JimMyron Ross, Micheal J. Smith Sr., Tarra Riggs B+ |
| Che Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir B |
| Chicago 10 Dir. Brett Morgen. Documentary about 1968 DNC protesters B+ |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Dir. David Fincher. Brad Pitt D– |
| The Duchess of Langeais Dir. Jacques Rivette. Jeanne Balibar B+ |
| The Edge of Heaven Dir. Fatih Akin. Baki Davrak, Nurgül Yesilçay B+ |
| Encounters at the End of the World Dir. Werner Herzog. Documentary C |
| Frozen River Dir. Courtney Hunt. Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott B– |
| Happy-Go-Lucky Dir. Mike Leigh. Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman B |
| Man on Wire Dir. James Marsh. Documentary about a notorious tightrope walker B+ |
| Married Life Dir. Ira Sachs. Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson B |
| ★ | Paranoid Park Dir. Gus Van Sant. Gabe Nevins, Taylor Momsen B– |
| Reprise Dir. Joachim Trier. Espen Klouman-Høiner, Anders Danielsen Lie C+ |
| Savage Grace Dir. Tom Kalin. Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, Stephen Dillane B+ |
| Speed Racer Dir. Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Emile Hirsch, John Goodman C+ |
| Stop-Loss Dir. Kimberly Peirce. Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish B |
| Summer Palace Dir. Lou Ye. Hao Lei, Guo Xiaodong, Bai Xueyun C+ |
| Taxi to the Dark Side Dir. Alex Gibney. Documentary about post-9/11 torture B+ |
| Water Lilies Dir. Céline Sciamma. Pauline Acquart, Adèle Haenel, Louise Blachère C+ |
| Wendy and Lucy Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Michelle Williams, Walter Dalton B |
| The Wrestler Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei B+ |
| ★ | XXY Dir. Lucía Puenzo. Inés Efron, Ricardo Darín, Martín Piroyansky B– |
| Yella Dir. Christian Petzold. Nina Hoss, Devid Striesow, Hinnerk Schönemann B+ |
| ★ | Zidane: A 21st-Century Portrait Dir. Douglas Gordan, Philippe Parreno B |
|
| ③ |
Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it |
|
| Australia Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters C |
| The Band's Visit Dir. Eran Kolirin. Sasson Gabai, Ronit Elkabetz, Saleh Bakri B– |
| Beaufort Dir. Joseph Cedar. Oshri Cohen, Eli Eltonyo, Ohad Knoller, Itay Kiran D+ |
| Blindness Dir. Fernando Meirelles. Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga B– |
| Boarding Gate Dir. Olivier Assayas. Asia Argento, Michael Madsen, Carl Ng B |
| Burn After Reading Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. George Clooney, John Malkovich B+ |
| Cadillac Records Dir. Darnell Martin. Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody C+ |
| ★ | Changeling Dir. Clint Eastwood. Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly C– |
| Cloverfield Dir. Matt Reeves. Michael Stahl-David, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller C+ |
| The Counterfeiters Dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky. Karl Markovics, August Diehl B |
| Doubt Dir. John Patrick Shanley. Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman C+ |
| Elegy Dir. Isabel Coixet. Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz, Dennis Hopper B |
| Frost/Nixon Dir. Ron Howard. Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Sam Rockwell C |
| Gran Torino Dir. Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her C– |
| ★ | Hallam Foe Dir. David Mackenzie. Jamie Bell, Sophia Myles, Claire Forlani B |
| In Bruges Dir. Martin McDonagh. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes C– |
| ★ | In the City of Sylvia Dir. José Luis Guerín. Xavier Lafitte, Pilar López de Ayala C+ |
| Iron Man Dir. Jon Favreau. Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges C+ |
| ★ | I've Loved You So Long Dir. Philippe Claudel. Kristin Scott Thomas D+ |
| Jellyfish Dirs. Etgar Keret, Shira Geffen. Sarah Adler, Nikol Leidman, Noa Knoller B– |
| Kabluey Dir. Scott Prendergast. Scott Prendergast, Lisa Kudrow, Conchata Ferrell B– |
| Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Dir. Patricia Rozema. Abigail Breslin C+ |
| Last Chance Harvey Dir. Joel Hopkins. Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson B |
| Love Songs Dir. Christophe Honoré. Louis Garrel, Ludivine Sagnier B– |
| Miracle at St. Anna Dir. Spike Lee. Derek Luke, Laz Alonso, Michael Ealy C– |
| Mongol Dir. Sergei Bodrov. Tadanobu Asano, Sun Hong Ley, Ba Sen C |
| Never Forever Dir. Gina Kim. Vera Farmiga, David Lee McInnis, Ha Jung-woo C+ |
| Nothing But the Truth Dir. Rod Lurie. Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda C |
| ★ | Quantum of Solace Dir. Marc Forster. Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Judi Dench B |
| Quid Pro Quo Dir. Carlos Brooks. Nick Stahl, Vera Farmiga, Jessica Hecht C– |
| The Reader Dir. Stephen Daldry. David Kross, Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes B– |
| Recount Dir. Jay Roach. TV Movie. Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban B |
| Slumdog Millionaire Dir. Danny Boyle. Dev Patel, Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto D+ |
| ★ | Smart People Dir. Noam Murro. Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page C+ |
| Snow Angels Dir. David Gordon Green. Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell B |
| Splinter Dir. Toby Wilkins. Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo B |
| Standard Operating Procedure Dir. Errol Morris. Documentary C– |
| The Strangers Dir. Bryan Bertino. Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Glenn Howerton B– |
| Surfwise Dir. Doug Pray. Documentary about a surfer and his large family B |
| Teeth Dir. Mitchell Lichtenstein. Jess Weixler, Hale Appleman, John Hensley B– |
| Tell No One Dir. Guillaume Canet. François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze C |
| Then She Found Me Dir. Helen Hunt. Helen Hunt, Colin Firth B– |
| Transsiberian Dir. Brad Anderson. Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson C+ |
| ★ | Tropic Thunder Dir. Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black D |
| ★ | Turn the River Dir. Chris Eigeman. Famke Janssen, Jaymie Dornan, Rip Torn B– |
| ★ | Twilight Dir. Catherine Hardwicke. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke C– |
| Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys Dir. Tyler Perry. Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates B |
| ★ | Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dir. Woody Allen. Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson C |
| The Visitor Dir. Tom McCarthy. Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Hiam Abbass B– |
| W. Dir. Oliver Stone. Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks B– |
| The Witnesses Dir. André Téchiné. Johan Libéreau, Emmanuelle Béart C+ |
| Young@Heart Dir. Stephen Walker. Documentary about a senior citizens' chorus B |
|
| ② |
Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking |
|
| The Bank Job Dir. Roger Donaldson. Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows B– |
| Diary of the Dead Dir. George A. Romero. Michelle Morgan, Josh Close D |
| ★ | The Duchess Dir. Saul Dibb. Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell C |
| A Girl Cut in Two Dir. Claude Chabrol. Ludivine Sagnier, François Berléand D+ |
| Hamlet 2 Dir. Andrew Fleming. Steve Coogan, Skylar Astin, Phoebe Strole D– |
| House of the Sleeping Beauties Dir. Vadim Glowna. Vadim Glowna C– |
| How She Move Dir. Ian Iqbal Rashid. Rutina Wesley, Dwain Murphy C |
| The Last Mistress Dir. Catherine Breillat. Asia Argento, Fu'ad Ait Aattou C– |
| ★ | Mamma Mia! Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan D+ |
| My Blueberry Nights Dir. Wong Kar-wai. Norah Jones, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz C– |
| My Brother Is an Only Child Dir. Daniele Luchetti. Elio Germano B– |
| Revolutionary Road Dir. Sam Mendes. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet C– |
| Save Me Dir. Robert Cary. Chad Allen, Robert Gant, Judith Light, Stephen Lang C– |
| Sex and the City Dir. Michael Patrick King. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall C– |
| The Signal Dir. David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry, Dan Bush. Anessa Ramsey C |
| ★ | Stuck Dir. Stuart Gordon. Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Russell Hornsby C |
| Take Dir. Charles Oliver. Minnie Driver, Jeremy Renner, Bobby Coleman C |
| Sunshine Cleaning Dir. Christine Jeffs. Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Jason Spevack C– |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns Dir. Tyler Perry. Angela Bassett, Rick Fox C– |
|
| ① |
Low ambition, little originality, easy to forget |
|
| Appaloosa Dir. Ed Harris. Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger D+ |
| Brideshead Revisited Dir. Julian Jarrold. Matthew Goode, Hayley Atwell D+ |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still Dir. Scott Derrickson. Jennifer Connelly F |
| Expired Dir. Cecilia Miniucchi. Samantha Morton, Jason Patric, Teri Garr D+ |
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Dir. Steven Spielberg D– |
| Irina Palm Dir. Sam Garbarski. Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlović D+ |
| ★ | Men in the Nude Dir. Károly Esztergályos. Cast: Lászlo Gálffi, Éva Kerekes D+ |
| Nights in Rodanthe Dir. George C. Wolfe. Diane Lane, Richard Gere D+ |
| OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies Dir. Michel Hazanavicius. Jean Dujardin C– |
| Rogue Dir. Greg McLean. Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell, Sam Worthington C– |
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