The Lives of Others

Emotionally resonant tale of govermental voyeur. Muhe’s untimely performance unfairly ignored.

Presto

Magical throwback to classic animation. Keaton and Chaplin would be proud.

Rambo

Buckets of blood. Cheesy script. Stiff acting. No depth. Who cares?

The Prestige

A well-structured trick, Nolan dazzles with thought-provoking plot. Bale needs Oscar.

Wall-E

Visually splendorous, Wall-E entertains while unobtrusively commenting on society. Pixar’s best.

Seven Samurai

Kurosawa’s most ambitious film. The septet set precedents followed even today.

Brazil

Surreal, majestic, dystopian, romantic and quirky. Mind-stimulating adventure defies typical genres.

That Thing You Do

Although silly and cheesy at times, Hanks’s directoral effort musically amuses.

Once Upon a Time in the West

Larger than life, operatic homage to American western, Leone paints masterstroke.

The Shawshank Redemption

Talented cast and script break through conventional molds with hopeful themes.

There Will Be Blood

Offsetting structure, unnerving score, and unusual presentation highlight Day-Lewis’s terrifying performance.

Ratatouille

Bird’s third is perfect recipe of story, voice, and visual pizazz.

Cars

Often disparaged, only the voice-work truly demerits a thematically adult story.

Batman Begins

Ignoring past attempts, Nolan and Bale’s Batman defines the superhero standard.

Juno

Always honest, Juno captivates all with grounded acting and brave script.