Director David Fincher's haunting and moving tale of a man who ages backwards, and the impact it has on his relationships, notably Daisy, the love of his life. Beautifully realized, with outstanding special effects enhancing, not overwhelming, the story. Brad Pitt, as Benjamin, has never been better.
2) The Dark Knight
Intense, highly-charged drama, set in the world of superheroes and villains, is possibly the best comic-book movie ever made. Heath Ledger will likely win an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker, one the screen's most memorable bad guys. But the entire cast - Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart - is excellent. The action scenes carry an extra punch since we care so much about the outcome. The film's best stroke though is how it sets up its finale.
3) Changeling
This fascinating true story of one woman's fight against a corrupt police department to find her kidnapped son is another winner from director Clint Eastwood. Angelina Jolie shines as the mother who is told her child is found, only to find out a mistake has been made. This is such a fascinating story the criticisms of over length seem unjustified since there always seems to be another twist to the story.
4) Frost / Nixon
Frank Langella manages the impossible - to create a three dimensional portrayal of a man who is viewed as a one dimensional monster by many. Talk show host David Frost (a mesmerizing Michael Sheen) decides a series of interviews with disgraced former President Richard Nixon would lead to success in America - but only if he gets the confession and apology the citizens of the US want. There's great chemistry between Langella and Sheen, and the movie is gripping from the first scene. Not a political movie, but rather a traditional Davy vs Goliath tale which in this case happens to be true.
5) Milk
Sean Penn delivers another great performance, this time as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay public official in San Francisco. Director Gus van Sant and his technical team perfectly recreate the 1970s, and Penn is ingratiating as Milk.
6) Slumdog Millionaire
Overrated but still enjoyable fable of an impoverished Indian boy who seems unstoppable on India's version of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. How he knows the answers is revealed as we are shown the difficult life he's had. And why he wants to win the game may not be as obvious as it seems. Director Danny Boyle captures the impoverished side of India like none other before him.
7) Wall*E
Pixar continues its perfect batting average with this futuristic tale a waste allocation load lifter who organizes the debris of Earth, where human life is no longer feasible. He becomes enamored of a probe the arrives on Earth looking for signs of life. Visually arresting film offers laughs and heart aplenty.
8) Doubt
Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman deliver high-caliber performances in this adaptation of the award-winning stage play. Streep's nun thinks Hoffman's priest may have molested a the only black student attending a Catholic school in 1964. Nun Amy Adams is caught in the middle. The film isn't about whether the priest is guilty or not, but rather how the various characters react to possibility of the crime. Streep's last lines are galvanizing.
9) The Reader
A fifteen year old in 1954 post-war Germany starts an affair with a lonely, older woman (Kate Winslet) and later learns she was affiliated with the Nazi party. Winslet adds another impressive performance to her resume as the isolated and haunted lover. There's a nice twist to her character which makes it somewhat understandable - but certainly not forgivable - why she may have joined up with the Nazi party.10) Rachel Getting Married
Anne Hathaway impresses as a recovering addict who gets a weekend pass from her rehab center to attend her sister's nuptials. Intimate look at the weekend surrounding a wedding, and the unresolved pain that Hathaway's actions caused. A little too indulgent at times but ultimately quite satisfying.
