Looking for something to see at the movies? We’re wrapping up the year and the critics and awards are happening so here’s what folks are saying is worth seeing. Winners or number ones are noted with an*. I’ll make some updates as new lists/awards are received. I shoot to do my own top ten list some time next year once I’ve actually seen some of these (movies seen to date are bolded).
- Alexandra – MD
- Appaloosa – PE
- Ballast – ISA
- The Bank Job – SK
- Burn After Reading – EO, GG, NBR, OG
- Cadillac Records – AOS, DE
- Changeling – AL, CCA, NBR
- Choke – SA
- A Christmas Tale – SH
- The Class – DE, OG
- Cloverfield – EO
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – AFI, CCA, GG, NBR, PE, RC
- The Dark Knight – AFI, CCA, EO*, LS, MD, NBR, OG, PE, RS, SK*
- Death Race – SK
- Defiance – NBR
- Doubt – CCA, DE, RS
- The Edge of Heaven – AL, AOS, OG, SH
- Encounters of the End of the World – MD, RC
- Flight of the Red Balloon – MD
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall – EO
- 4 months, 3 weeks, & 2 days – AL, RC, SH
- Frost/Nixon – AFI, CCA, GG, NBR, RS, SA
- Frozen River – AFI, ISA, SA, SH
- Funny Games – SK
- Gomorra – LS
- Gran Torino – AFI, NBR, PE
- Happy Go Lucky – AOS, DE, GG, LS, MD, PE, SA*, SH
- In Bruges – GG, SA
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – EO
- Iron Man – AFI, AL, EO, RC
- I’ve Loved You So Long – AL
- Kit Kittredge: American Girl – DE
- Lakeview Terrace – SK
- The Last Mistress – SH
- Mamma Mia – GG, OG
- Man on Wire – AOS, LS, RS
- Milk – AFI, AOS, CCA, LS, NBR, NYFC*, OG, PE, RC, RS*, SA, SH
- My Winnipeg – RC
- Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist – SA
- The Orphanage – AL
- Paranoid Park – MD
- Quantum of Solace – AL
- Rachel Getting Married – AOS, DE*, ISA, OG, RS
- The Reader – CCA, GG, SA
- Redbelt – SK
- Revolutionary Road – GG, RS, SA
- The Ruins – SK
- The Secret of the Grain – AOS
- Sex and the City – EO
- Shotgun Stories – DE
- Silent Light – AOS, MD
- Slumdog Millionaire – BFC*, CCA, DC*, GG, NBR*, PE, RC, RS, SA*, SK
- Speed Racer – RC
- Still Life – MD
- Synecdoche, New York – MD, RC
- Taxi to the Dark Side – DE
- Tell No One – OG, SH
- Tropic Thunder – EO, LS, SA, SK
- Trouble the Water – DE, LS
- Vicky Christina Barcelona – EO, GG, PE, SA
- The Visitor – PE, RS, SH
- Wall-e – AFI, AL, AOS, BFC*, CCA, DE, EO, LS*, NBR, OG, PE, RC*, RS, SH, SK
- Waltz With Bashir – DE, LS, NSFC*
- Wendy and Lucy – AFI, AOS, ISA, LS, MD
- We Own the Night – AL
- The Wrestler – AFI, AL, CCA, ISA, NBR, OG*
AFI – American Film Institute, AL – Anthony Lane/New Yorker, AOS – AO Scott/NYT, BFC – Boston Society of Film Critics, CCA – Critic’s Choice Awards, DC – DC Area Film Critics, DE – David Edelstein/NPR, EO – eonline, GG – Golden Globes, ISA – Independent Spirit Awards, LS – Lisa Schwarzbaum/EW, MD – Manohla Dargis/NYT, NBR – National Board of Review, NSFC – National Society of Film Critics, NYFC – New York Film Critics Circle, OG – Owen Gleiberman/EW, PE – People Magazine, RC – Richard Corliss/Time, RS – Rolling Stone, SA – Satellite Awards, SH – Stephen Holden/NYT, SK – Stephen King/EW
