Jonathan Curiel

The best movie of 2008? The most revealing war film ever made? The greatest animated feature to come out of Israel? All these descriptions could apply to Waltz With Bashir.

Ghobadi infuses his movie with a humor that can almost be called Seinfeldian, and it's this mix of laughter with tears that gives Marooned in Iraq its big impact.

Gets its punch from simple scenes and conversations.

A minimalist film, Ten looks and feels like a documentary. At the end, there is no big denouement, but a profound realization that the people we see on camera are all aching for answers -- and struggling to come to terms with their lives.

Funny, riveting look at the music scene that ruled Manchester, England, from 1976 to 1992.

A minimalist drama that takes its mood from Turkey's wintry terrain and the uneasy relationship between two bullheaded cousins.

A silly, snarling romp -- a fun (if you're in the mood for it), sometimes scary look at the life of a socially awkward man whose best friend is a white rodent he names Socrates.

More than worthwhile.

A gripping look at the immigrant experience, with small moments as important - and visually arresting - as any on the baseball diamond.

An engrossing tale of class differences that reveals tiny details of one man’s descent into hell.

The story of an amazing life.

Works more often than it doesn't.

Weeping Camel essentially lets native people tell their own unforgettable story.

A breathtaking story of defiance and triumph that has to be considered one of the year's most sublime films.

An artful look at religious hypocrisy, interfamily dynamics and the way people wrestle with personal history long after the original events are over.

One of the year’s most significant films.

There's a certain formulaic and familiar quality about Sweet Home Alabama, but it doesn't matter.

The experiences of this family from Fairfield will resonate with moviegoers around the country.

A documentary that is as thoughtful and inspiring as the music it celebrates.

From the standpoint of humanizing Sudan's continuing refugee problem, Lost Boys is a gem. It doesn't preach. It doesn't prettify.

A remarkable documentary.

A riveting works of humanism.

A "Rocky"-like tale of determination and long odds that will appeal even to those who are turned off by most rap music.

Serbis has the feel of a documentary, but a documentary can't accomplish what Serbis does: Take us to a corner of the world where sex and regret are so intimately entwined.

A sensitively wrought work.

A small gem.

Bluntly speaking, Ju-On is anything but frightening. Ridiculous. Unbelievable. Unintentionally funny. It might as well be a parody of a horror film.

For filmgoers who like dramas that are spare yet evocative, that focus on the subtleties of relationships, and that feature foreign settings completely off the beaten path, Deserted Station will be a masterpiece.