Magnolia

Anderson channels Altman to perfect his Boogie Nights structure. Complex non-story with who’s who of actors delivering performances of their careers. Cruise plays his most obnoxious and sympathetic character yet and Hoffman proves how great he is. Even spontaneous musicality and amphibious precipitation can’t detract from this mind-bogglingly beautiful masterpiece.

Iron Man 2

RDJ wrestles with Rourke and a bit of Batman-esque gloom and despair in this solid sequel. Inverts its predecessor with weak first half but strong second, excluding the actual super-villain showdown which still feels a bit quick. SJ & SJ make welcome additions to the team, but Rockwell, well… rocks.

Iron Man

Elf director Favreau pits RDJ against Bald Lebowski in original and entertaining comic adaptation. First superhero film of the decade to employ comic book camp and action gravitas in perfect harmony. Suffers from Batman Begins syndrome where second half villain fight doesn’t quite live up to first half creation story.

Babel

Alejandro Inarritu takes his multiple storyline structure international to interweave several tales of communication breakdowns. Barraza and Kinkuchi perform as well as Pitt, Blanchett and Bernal. Many will argue that inclusion of Asian story doesn’t make sense, but confusion may not be a bad thing; the film is called Babel.

Mystic River

Eastwood proves that he’s a better director than he ever was an actor. Perfect performances from everyone in an enormous cast, all in service of expertly crafted story, create absolutely incredible drama. With possible exception of one fade-to-white gunshot, every frame of the film adds to the suspense and emotion.

The Mist

Darabont and King team up again with a more typical King storyline, but the same Darabont character development. Similar to Pitch Black, both in design of creatures and in ‘fear humanity’ message. Better in black and white, as pink creatures look a bit silly. Regardless of hue, ending is unforgettable.

The Prestige

Wolverine vs. Batman in a chronologically complex dual to the death, masterminded by the screenwriting genius of the Nolan brothers. Odd appearances by Bowie and Gollum only add to this excellent film, and though a few of the twists feel contrived, the whole thing becomes more impressive upon repeat viewing.

The Departed

Scorsese directs incredible cast in brilliantly scripted adaptation of Korean crime caper. Nicholson and Wahlberg’s quirky caricatures provide an excellent contrast for Damon and Dicaprio’s impressively nuanced lead roles. A few moments of stylized editing feel out of place but don’t even come close to killing this nearly perfect picture.

I Heart Huckabees

Either an excellent satire or a laughable exploration of alternative mode of thought. Watts and Wahlberg take comedic turns while Schwartzman plays himself and Hoffman inhabits role that’s stranger than fiction. Contrived plot and quirky humor establish tone perfectly. Surely did for exercise balls what E.T. did for Reese’s Pieces.

The International

Tykwer’s Perfume cinematography and Edit Lola Edit stylization aren’t enough to mask the convoluted plot of this political thriller. Clive Owen finally gets his chance to play James Bond, and does well during the one worthwhile shootout. Otherwise a run of the mill conspiracy film with little to distinguish it.

Choke

Clark Gregg adapts Palahniuk’s novel with the finesse of a high-school film-student. Over-played jokes, over-acted performances, and twisty attempt to pull one over on the audience leave everyone waiting for the film to be… over. Rockwell and MacDonald perform characteristically well, but even they can’t breathe life into this film.

Drag Me to Hell

Raimi returns to his Evil roots with this B-movie of epic proportions. Hybridizes laugh-out-loud funny with piss-yourself terror and completely avoids pulling punches. Occasionally goes too far with obviously digital Acme anvil and silly eye-spray. Long impresses while Lohman is simply tolerable. Saved by pleasantly simple plot and surprises galore.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Wes Anderson finally dives in a bit over his head. Murray reprises his Royal Rushmore character and Dafoe, Goldblum and Blanchett make splendid additions to the Anderson team. Stylized cross-section shots work fantastically but Selick’s stop-motion fish feel a bit out of place. Overall fun film drags in final act.

Alpha Dog

From the director of The Notebook comes this unusual approach to a true crime story. Young stars Yelchin and Hirsch easily outshine Willis and Stone. Perhaps one of the only films to leave audience feeling sorry for every character. Not great, but not terrible, earning it the title, Beta Dog.

W.

Alarmingly objective and seemingly fair representation of recent controversial events. Brolin’s performance is incredibly compelling without becoming a caricature. Supporting cast are for the most part impeccable as well, thought Wright and Newton are a bit hard to accept. Objectivity hindered by amusing and unrealistic compilation conversations of so-called Bushisms.

Terminator Salvation

McG tries to reboot Terminator franchise with gritty Batman Begins treatment. His attempt is hampered by the absence of (real) Schwarzenegger, a decent plot, or any semblance of loyalty to original films. Bale and Yelchin inhabit their characters well enough, but Worthington’s strong heart can’t make up his weak character.

Law Abiding Citizen

Film seems to argue in favor of whatever morally reprehensible and deluded message Leonidas is attempting to teach Jamie Foxx. Tonally similar to reworking Saw to glorify Jigsaw into Batman. Plot feels clever for a while, but the ‘witty twist’ completely undermines the cleverness of everything else. Can’t fight fate.

Transsiberian

If Hitchcock directed Hostel, this film would be the result. The plot is a bit farfetched but loaded with viable twists and palpable suspense. Harrelson, Mortimer, Mara and Kingsley lend credibility to the piece with phenomenal performances all around, and Noriega steals the show with his sublimely ambiguous creepy foreigner.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Fincher uses a gimmick to make slow-moving mundane story enjoyable to watch, and the result is exquisitely beautiful, both visually and emotionally. Blanchett and Pitt both shine through not quite satisfactory makeup and visual effects. Hurt slightly by occasional moments of excessive screen-writer cleverness and by similarities to Forrest Gump.