In alphabetical order…

AN EDUCATION

I was pleasantly surprised by this classy British production about a young girl (Cary Mulligan) who engages in an affair with a charming older man (Peter Sarsgaard), only to find that the glamorous lifestyle he promises her may not be all that it seems. Mulligan is a revelation.

AVATAR

James Cameron spent ten years on his epic sci-fi spectacular, and it paid off. The story may seem familiar, but the storytelling is exhilarating. Avatar had a big opening weekend due to hype, but it will have long legs at the box office because it’s good.  Cameron has now made the two most successful movies of all time.

DISTRICT 9

Neill Blomkamp’s apartheid allegory District 9 is one of the most enjoyable films of the year. How refreshing to walk into a movie without knowing too much. Originally attached to direct the highly anticipated Halo movie (based on the XBox game), Blomkamp instead went on to make one of the most impressive debut films I’ve ever seen. He’s the new one to watch.

THE HURT LOCKER

A remarkable movie about a bomb tech in Iraq, The Hurt Locker reminds us that suspense is better than surprise. Its tense pacing had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Perhaps the best of Tarantino’s films, Basterds is a two-hour crash course in filmmaking. Whether or not you’re a fan of his style, you have to admit, Tarantino is a master. Like his previous work, Basterdsis episodic, dividing its time between various storylines. In the end, we realize it’s all one big celebration of cinema. See it and you’ll know what I mean.

ME AND ORSON WELLES

Richard Linklater’s charming tale about a young actor (Zac Efron) who finds himself cast in Orson Welles’ production of Julius Caesar. A romantic period piece, Me and Orson Welles feels like the kind of movie they don’t make anymore. Too bad it was almost entirely overlooked this year. Efron is surprisingly good, and Christian McKay’s portrayal of Welles is a marvel to behold.

MOON

I have great respect for Duncan Jones, who made the sci-fi thriller Moon for a slim five million, effects and all. Sam Rockwell turns in an excellent performance as an astronaut who starts tripping out in the final days of a two year stint on the moon. A real mindbender, Moon pays homage to classic sci-fi like 2001: A Space Odyssey, while still creating its own believable universe.

STAR TREK

Prior to J.J. Abram’s Trek reboot, I had never watched the show in any of its incarnations, so I was pretty uneducated regarding the canon. But wonder of wonders, Abrams made a Trekkie out of me. Thanks to a brilliant cast and a clever storyline (that manages to place the new story in a separate universe), I was hooked. One of the best reboots of a franchise ever.

UP

It was Pixar’s toughest sell: a kids’ movie with a cantankerous geezer as the protagonist. It went on to become their most successful film, displaying once again their remarkable skill in crafting stories that delight young and old alike. The folks from Emeryville, CA are now 10 for 10. Practically unheard of.

UP IN THE AIR

Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air stole my heart and then broke it in pieces. George Clooney is at the top of his game playing Ryan Bingham, a man who fires people for a living. He stays on the move, keeping himself free from the baggage of personal relationships. Vera Farmiga is the no-strings-attached lover he meets up with on the road, and Anna Kendrick is the employee in training who, to Ryan’s chagrin, is ordered to shadow him on his travels. In their different ways, both of these women end up changing his life. An important film and a timely one. Not to be missed.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

A lot of people were thrown by Spike Jonze’s offbeat interpretation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book, but I thought the artistic, sometimes very dark approach was appropriate. This is a kids’ movie that doesn’t dumb itself down for easy digestion. Its beautiful, dreamlike images stay with you.

THE WHITE RIBBON

This black and white film feels like it was made sixty years ago. Austrian director Michael Haneke weaves a compelling tale about the inhabitants of a small village in Germany prior to WWI. Violent acts are committed, but who is to blame? The White Ribbon doesn’t necessarily work emotionally, but I don’t think it’s intended to. The purpose is to simply observe. Try to turn away.