| 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 |
| Gomorrah Dir. Matteo Garrone. Gianfelice Imparato, Salvatore Abruzzese B+ |
| ★ | Hunger Dir. Steve McQueen. Michael Fassbender, Brian Milligan, Liam McMahon A– |
| The Hurt Locker Dir. Kathryn Bigelow. Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie A– |
| Johnny Mad Dog Dir. Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. Christophe Minie A– |
| ★ | Julia Dir. Erick Zonca. Tilda Swinton, Aidan Gould, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo 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– |
| Prodigal Sons Dir. Kimberly Reed. Documentary about gender and family A |
| Rachel Getting Married Dir. Jonathan Demme. Anne Hathaway B+ |
| ★ | Synecdoche, New York Dir. Charlie Kaufman. Philip Seymour Hoffman A |
| Trouble the Water Dir. Tia Lessin, Carl Deal. Documentary about Katrina 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 |
|
| 35 Shots of Rum Dir. Claire Denis. Mati Diop, Alex Descas, Nicole Dogue B+ |
| ★ | Ballast Dir. Lance Hammer. JimMyron Ross, Micheal J. Smith Sr., Tarra Riggs B+ |
| Bronson Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. Tom Hardy, Matt King, Amanda Burton C+ |
| Che Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Benicio Del Toro, Demián Bichir B |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Dir. David Fincher. Brad Pitt D– |
| Il Divo Dir. Paolo Sorrentino. Toni Servillo, Giulio Bosetti, Carlo Buccirossi 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– |
| Goodbye Solo Dir. Ramin Bahrani. Souleymane Sy Savané, Red West B |
| Happy-Go-Lucky Dir. Mike Leigh. Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman B |
| The Headless Woman Dir. Lucrecia Martel. María Onetto, Claudia Cantero B |
| ★ | Home Dir. Ursula Meier. Isabelle Huppert, Olivier Gourmet, Kacey Mottet Klein B |
| Lorna's Silence Dir. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Arta Dobroshi A– |
| ★ | Make-Out with Violence Dir. The Deagol Brothers. Eric Lehning, Cody DeVos B |
| Man on Wire Dir. James Marsh. Documentary about a notorious tightrope walker B+ |
| Medicine for Melancholy Dir. Barry Jenkins. Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins B |
| Of Time and the City Dir. Terence Davies. Personal essay film about Liverpool B– |
| Revanche Dir. Götz Spielmann. Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Ursula Strauss 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 |
| Sugar Dir. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck. Algenis Pérez Soto, Rayniel Rufino B |
| Summer Hours Dir. Olivier Assayas. Charles Berling, Juliette Binoche B+ |
| ★ | Three Monkeys Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Hatice Aslan, Ahmet Rifar Şungar C+ |
| Wendy and Lucy Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Michelle Williams, Walter Dalton B |
| The Wrestler Dir. Darren Aronofsky. Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei B+ |
|
| ③ |
Try to make time, but don't cry if you miss it |
|
| ★ | Adoration Dir. Atom Egoyan. Devon Bostick, Scott Speedman, Arsinée Khanjian B– |
| ★ | Ashkan, the Charmed Ring, and Other Stories Dir. Shahram Mokri B– |
| Australia Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters C |
| Before Tomorrow Dir. Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Madeline Ivalu. Madeline Ivalu B– |
| Blindness Dir. Fernando Meirelles. Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga B– |
| The Brothers Bloom Dir. Rian Johnson. Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz C |
| 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– |
| Chronic Town Dir. Tom Hines. JR Bourne, Emily Wagner, Dan Butler B |
| Cloverfield Dir. Matt Reeves. Michael Stahl-David, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller C+ |
| ★ | Delta Dir. Kornél Mundruczó. Félix Lajkó, Orsolya Tóth, Lili Monori C+ |
| Disgrace Dir. Steve Jacobs. John Malkovich, Jessica Haines, Eriq Ebouaney D |
| Doubt Dir. John Patrick Shanley. Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman C+ |
| Elegy Dir. Isabel Coixet. Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz, Dennis Hopper B |
| Everlasting Moments Dir. Jan Troell. Maria Heiskanen, Mikael Persbrandt B |
| Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Documentary about U.S. food production 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– |
| In Bruges Dir. Martin McDonagh. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes 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+ |
| Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Dir. Patricia Rozema. Abigail Breslin C+ |
| Lake Tahoe Dir. Fernando Eimbcke. Diego Cataño, Juan Carlos Lara II B– |
| Last Chance Harvey Dir. Joel Hopkins. Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson B |
| Lemon Tree Dir. Eran Riklis. Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Rona Lipaz-Michael B– |
| ★ | Let It Rain Dir. Agnès Jaoui. Jean-Pierre Bacri, Agnès Jaoui, Jamel Debbouze C+ |
| Miracle at St. Anna Dir. Spike Lee. Derek Luke, Laz Alonso, Michael Ealy C– |
| A Necessary Death Dir. Daniel Stamm. G.J. Echternkamp, Matthew Tilley C |
| Nothing But the Truth Dir. Rod Lurie. Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda C |
| Ponyo Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Voices of Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus, Tina Fey C+ |
| ★ | The Possibility of an Island Dir. Michel Houellebecq. Benoît Magimel D |
| ★ | 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 |
| Serbis Dir. Brillante Mendoza. Jacklyn Jose, Julio Diaz, Mercedes Cabral B |
| Shakespeare and Victor Hugo's Intimacies Dir. Yulene Olaizola. Documentary B– |
| Skin Dir. Anthony Fabian. Sophie Okonedo, Alice Krige, Sam Neill, Tony Kgoroge C– |
| 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+ |
| Splinter Dir. Toby Wilkins. Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo B |
| ★ | The Square Dir. Nash Edgerton. David Roberts, Claire van der Boom C |
| Standard Operating Procedure Dir. Errol Morris. Documentary C– |
| The Strangers Dir. Bryan Bertino. Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Glenn Howerton B– |
| Tokyo! Dir. Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho. Ayako Fujitani C– |
| Transsiberian Dir. Brad Anderson. Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson C+ |
| Treeless Mountain Dir. So Yong Kim. Hee-yeon Kim, Song-hee Kim, Mi-hyang Kim B |
| ★ | Tropic Thunder Dir. Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black D |
| ★ | Twilight Dir. Catherine Hardwicke. Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke C– |
| ★ | Two Lovers Dir. James Gray. Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw C |
| Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys Dir. Tyler Perry. Alfre Woodard, Kathy Bates B |
| Tyson Dir. James Toback. Documentary about former heavyweight boxing champ C+ |
| ★ | Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dir. Woody Allen. Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson C |
| W. Dir. Oliver Stone. Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks B– |
| A Woman in Berlin Dir. Max Färberböck. Nina Hoss, Yevgeni Sidikhin B– |
|
| ② |
Even if it's good, it's hardly groundbreaking |
|
| American Violet Dir. Tim Disney. Nicole Beharie, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard D+ |
| Ask Not Dir. Johnny Symons. Documentary about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy C+ |
| The Bank Job Dir. Roger Donaldson. Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows B– |
| The Burning Plain Dir. Guillermo Arriaga. Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence D+ |
| ★ | The Duchess Dir. Saul Dibb. Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell C |
| ★ | Give Me Your Hand Dir. Pascal-Alex Vincent. Alexandre Carril, Victor Carril C– |
| Gospel Hill Dir. Giancarlo Esposito. Taylor Kitsch, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett C– |
| Hamlet 2 Dir. Andrew Fleming. Steve Coogan, Skylar Astin, Phoebe Strole D– |
| Jerichow Dir. Christian Petzold. Benno Fürmann, Hilmi Sözer, Nina Hoss C+ |
| ★ | Lovely, Still Dir. Nicholas Fackler. Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Adam Scott D |
| ★ | Mamma Mia! Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan D+ |
| May the Best Man Win Dir. Adam Fleischhacker. Adam Fleischhacker B– |
| Me and Orson Welles Dir. Richard Linklater. Zac Efron, Christian McKay D+ |
| The Poker House Dir. Lori Petty. Jennifer Lawrence, Sophi Bairley D+ |
| A Quiet Little Marriage Dir. Mo Perkins. Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Cy Carter C– |
| Revolutionary Road Dir. Sam Mendes. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet C– |
| Sex and the City Dir. Michael Patrick King. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall C– |
| Sleep Furiously Dir. Gideon Koppel. Documentary about Welsh village life B |
| ★ | Summer in Genoa [Genova] Dir. Michael Winterbottom. Colin Firth 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+ |
| Blind Date Dir. Stanley Tucci. Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson, Thijs Römer D |
| Brideshead Revisited Dir. Julian Jarrold. Matthew Goode, Hayley Atwell D+ |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still Dir. Scott Derrickson. Jennifer Connelly F |
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Dir. Steven Spielberg D– |
| Nights in Rodanthe Dir. George C. Wolfe. Diane Lane, Richard Gere D+ |
| Poundcake Dir. Rafael Monserrate. Troy Hall, Jay O. Sanders, Kathleen Quinlan D+ |
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