Mini-Review: How did this EVER win the Best Picture Oscar?! I mean, come on! It was up against the spectacular Moulin Rouge, the best part of the LOTR trilogy, the unforgettable drama of In The Bedroom and yet another great Altman ensemble piece, Gosford Park. Four splendid films - two of them masterful. But no, let's award the plain, sobby biopic by the dude from Happy Days and penned by the writer of Batman & Robin. This will forever be beyond me, AMPAS.

Mini-Review: One of those rare 'how did I ever manage to get by without having experienced this before?'-life changing eye openers. Cinema verite at its finest and a brief yet truthful and magic glimpse at what defines the poetic and musical genius that is Leonard Cohen.

Mini-Review: Epic yet intimate, 'Atonement' is a both timeless and haunting dissection of the hardship of passion, the many faces of truth and the quest for redemption. Though technically flawless - in particular the stunning cinematography, score and costumes could all be viewed as separate pieces of first class art - the shiniest gem is the truly spectacular Saoirse Ronan providing the breakthrough of the decade.

Mini-Review: An immensely charming tribute to the good old days where less was indeed more and a well-timed glance stroke more emotional chords than all the high-tech 3D effects of today will ever achieve. A bit lengthy and overly sobby in the third act, but nevertheless a worthy winner of the Oscar. Chaplin would have been proud, indeed.

Mini-Review: Never before or since has I been so deeply affected emotionally by a motion picture. I literally cried like a baby - on and off - for months, and my 15-year-old self was taught a lesson about how powerful movies can be. Dancer in the Dark made the seed for my neverending love for and interest in film as an artform blossom like no other. Hell, it changed my life.