The Hangover (2009)

Even without an all-star cast and huge budget, it’s not hard to see how The Hangover won over audiences. It is smart and funny, and looking back it was one of the best comedies of last year.

After Life (2009)

After Life is a clever psychological thriller with a creepy and mysterious atmosphere. While its core concept is strong, it’s the execution that makes this movie shine.

Cemetery Junction (2010)

Like many British movies, Cemetery Junction is simple, beautiful and leaves the audience wanting to watch it again. Free of Hollywood’s fancy visual effects, this movie wins on its story.

A Single Man (2009)

Tom Ford, one of the top gay talents of the fashion world, directs this sensitive and emotional tale of a gay English professor’s struggle in Los Angeles after the death of his lover. Set in the 1960s, the story could have been simplistic and quiet – but Ford imbues the movie with a soul through his unique choice of lens and music.

The Runaways (2010)

Getting dragged back to the mid-’70s can be fun, especially when it’s for rock ‘n’ roll. Based on lead singer Cherie Currie’s autobiography, The Runaways provides an overview of the formation, sudden fame and equally sudden breakup of the first all-girl rock band.

Clash of the Titans (2010)

This movie should have been a hit. Sadly, the director failed to make it so. Transitions between action scenes were – to be kind — poor, and his only attempt at imbuing the characters with “life” was several lines of pathetic dialogue.

The Last Station (2009)

The movie follows the story of Leo and Sofya Tolstoy, married 43 years, and the battle that raged between them at the end of Leo’s life.

Green Zone (2010)

In Green Zone, The Bourne Identity action star Matt Damon goes to Iraq, or rather to a facsimile staged in Spain and Morocco, switching from a super-assassin’s identity crisis to contemporary political and military history.

Dear John (2010)

A story of love and commitment. I went to see this movie after a friend recommended it. The recommendation was spot on: it perfectly captured the pain of loving someone who is on active duty in the military.

Unthinkable

Unthinkable is the sort of movie that gets people thinking about how far would they be willing to go to save a life. The story is simple, realistic and very current. Is torturing a prisoner with total disregard for his rights acceptable when he claims to have positioned three nuclear bombs in urban areas?