10) District 9 – Avg Tier 7.58

“District 9 is the most propitiously first-rate and encouragingly sensible and prosperous sci-fi film of the summer. Not only is it a perspicacious commentary on humanity and other such global themes, but on its own as a regular and standard film it is unstoppable. The imagery is vibrant and energetically glowing in quality, and the acting is top-notch. The biggest sleeper triumph ever, and hopefully it brings overwhelming exposure to Blomkamp. He has all the talent in the world loaded into him.” – Jeb

9) The Damned United – Avg Tier 7.62

“I’m continuously impressed by British cinema of late. The Damned United is a fine, sophisticated, and very entertaining biopic. And that comes from someone who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about soccer. Big part of the film’s success is lively, charismatic acting of Michael Sheen. His character is a bit similar to his previous role in Frost/Nixon, and his acting is even better.” – chemical404

8) Moon – Avg Tier 7.65

“Really great minimalistic sci-fi debut; although the theme is not that complex, its exposition is spun out with great craft, allowing us to share the doubts of the main character while occupying an omniscient point of view. Humour is used well to alleviate the mood. At each plot point, the film seems to make exactly the right decision, and it’s a pleasure to just sit back and be hand-held though to the end. The continuous “why?”s are all answered satisfactorily and with impeccable timing.” – astrakhan

7) Fantastic Mr. Fox – Avg Tier 7.68

“What a fun movie. I never figured Anderson’s dry and witty humor would translate so perfectly into a children’s movie. All of the voice actors did terrific jobs making these “wild animals” seem not so wild. The story was fresh and entertaining, and the vintage style stop motion was absolutely beautiful.” – caiman

6) Avatar – Avg Tier 7.75

“DAMN YOU JAMES CAMERON! So here I was, getting comfy in my IMAX seat, putting my 3D-Glasses on, going over my assorted vocabulary of expletives to shred asunder what I fully expected to be yet another phony, pompous popcorn-flick (Hello Transformers 2!), just to be greeted with? A pretty decent movie! Yes, the story is shallow (gun-toting Cowboys, err, Marines battle the indigenous Indians, err, Aliens for their land), but done well. Take note Michael Bay! This is how you spend a AAAA-Budget!” – chiefg

5) A Serious Man – Avg Tier 8.01

“Burn After Reading painted its subjects’ lack of knowledge as tragicomic character defects; A Serious Man sees it as the defining human condition, though no less tragicomic. The workings of the world and God are inscrutable — God’s proponents’ remedies for the resulting existential crisis are optimism, indifference and Jefferson Airplane, respectively — but acknowledgement of one’s ignorance (“Accept the mystery”) is no defense against the swirling vortex of chaos, literalized at film’s end.” – theficionado

4) Up – Avg Tier 8.02

“In my opinion this is the best movie that Pixar has yet to put out. The animation is awesome, but the storyline is even better. The interaction between the Carl and Russell provides lots of laughs (especially when you then throw in a dog and some sort of crazy bird). My date went through an entire box of tissues, so if you cry come prepared. But besides all the laughs and tears (that Pixar films usually have) this really had a deep story to it. That’s what I liked best about it. Love Dog” – gtown1479

3) Inglourious Basterds – Avg Tier 8.27

“Tarantino’s best film since Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds is a relentless, and at times disgusting film with some snappy dialogue, and some incredibly hilarious moments. Brad Pitt and the Basterds are easily the funniest part of the movie, but one unforgettable thing about this film is the performance by Christoph Waltz. With Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino crosses the line, but he does it in a way where you are not questioning why, but simply accepting.” – Farzan

2) Up in the Air – Avg Tier 8.29

“This film is a thoughtful examination of the value of human connections. The entire cast is excellent, and contribute to this luxuriously well developed comedy, but Clooney is particularly wonderful, and captures his characters comfortably bleak mindset with stunning charisma and depth. The film is beautifully shot, and has a really unique perspective that is both artistic, and works within the narrative. I love how Reitman uses comedy to enhance rather than distract from the drama in his films.” – thaklos

1) The White Ribbon – Avg Tier 8.33

“This film isn’t answering questions, it’s asking them. The life, and especially the handling and punishment of children in a small community in a village in north germany stands for what is happening the next decades in germany. And thanks to a great director and an extraordinary cast it does it in a very impressive way.” – Charlie