Easily the summer's, and probably the year's, most enchanting movie, Up is a buoyant delight.

When was the last time you saw a blockbuster that was impeccably executed and simultaneously thought-provoking, audacious and unnerving while consistently being fun and entertaining?

Director Danny Boyle's riveting and kaleidoscopic tale, based on Vikas Swarup's debut novel "Q and A," is exquisitely adapted to the screen by Simon Beaufoy.

At once futuristic, funny and fantastical.

A thoroughly compelling political thriller, at once intellectually challenging and profoundly emotional.

This Pride & Prejudice is a stellar adaptation, bewitching the viewer completely and incandescently with an exquisite blend of emotion and wit.

Cinematic poetry in black and white. It also is a deeply affecting tale of the power of resilience and an unflagging sense of humor through the worst of situations

That this is Fukunaga's first film is astonishing, given its sharp script, technical proficiency and suspenseful pacing. The ensemble cast is top-notch.

It takes a filmmaker possessed of a rare, almost alchemic, blend of maturity, wisdom and artistic finesse to create such an intimate, moving and spare war film as Clint Eastwood has done in Letters From Iwo Jima.

The Queen is the kind of thought-provoking, well-written and savvy film that discerning filmgoers long for but rarely get.

With its original performances that can't be reduced to simplistic labels, Juno is charming, honest and terrifically acted.

Murderball brilliantly captures the intensity of the little-known athletic competition, offering more intimacy and drama than most Hollywood sports movies.

As good as each individual movie is, the third film vaults the work into the stratosphere of classic movies. Key characters are enhanced, new civilizations visited and battles fought more intensely, while feelings and motivations are plumbed more deeply and movingly.

An unflinching, powerfully visceral and haunting portrait of the tragic events aboard one of the terrorist-commandeered flights on the fateful morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

The best action thriller of the year.

Sugar is that sweetest of films: A sensitive and memorable story that surprises at every turn.

In Capote, Philip Seymour Hoffman's brilliant transformation into the mannered writer takes your breath away.

A masterwork of suspense, romance and political intrigue.

The mesmerizing, heart-tugging concert film Heart of Gold confirms Neil Young's stature as a national treasure.

It is one of the year's best films and perhaps the finest modern film about World War II.

With this, possibly his most subdued film, Almodo´var reinforces his status as one of the most distinctive and talented filmmakers working today.

Though there is plenty of gunplay, this is a wondrously contemplative and poetic saga that offers a fresh and bewitching take on a timeworn genre.

It's a rare film that can challenge our minds and rattle our nerves so profoundly. This is unequivocally a thriller for adults. A deftly written, tautly suspenseful and intellectually demanding morality tale.

It's hard to imagine how a film built around one-on-one interviews could be entertaining, but Frost/Nixon could not be more enthralling.

One of the best films of the year.

Can be taken on many levels, and that's why it works so completely.

Unstintingly explores and exposes excruciating pain, raw grief, ruinous vengeance and life-affirming resilience, creating human portraits that are uncommonly exhilarating in their honesty. This is cinematic art in its highest form.

Both a nostalgic throwback to the silent-picture era and an ultra-modern animated tale, the slyly humorous Triplets of Belleville is artful, engrossing and oddly touching.

A rich gem expertly told in a surprisingly scant 95 minutes.

Director Hayao Miyazaki treats his audience as imaginative and intelligent human beings, rather than catering to kids with rote displays of silliness, stunts and scares.

Just as funny, sweet and engaging as the first film starring the big galoot.

A monumentally moving experience, from the powerful acting by Javier Bardem to the evocative music, composed by the director, Alejandro Amenábar.

Emerges as an African version of "Schindler's List."

Every so often a film gets under our skin with its haunting authenticity, reinforcing our faith in the wonderfully transporting power of cinematic storytelling. Winter's Bone is unquestionably that film.

This installment, the best of the three, is everything a movie should be: hilarious, touching, exciting and clever.

The film owes much of its success to the inspired pairing of Fincher and Sorkin.

Gosling and Williams have the most palpable chemistry of any screen couple this year, never striking a false note in this achingly tender tale of a love that implodes before our eyes.

Only a truly visionary filmmaker could take a story largely set in a cramped canyon and give it a sense of openness and hope.

To induce a state of dread and mesmerize with beauty is a rare, paradoxical achievement.

Let's say it without equivocation: Colin Firth deserves an Oscar for his lead role in The King's Speech as the stammering King George VI.

A shape-shifting film, it resembles a poem. At other moments, it is closer to a symphony. Most often, it approximates a fervent prayer.

What results is a disarmingly honest tale of affection, both romantic and filial.

It's a precarious balance, but Payne blends wit and poignancy so artfully it feels like an exquisitely choreographed dance.

Every performance in the film is flawless.

Doremus' elegant filmmaking is key to the appeal of the film, but it would never work as superbly without the wonderfully natural, believable performances and powerful chemistry of the lead actors.

Drama, comedy, action and romance are intertwined in this gorgeously photographed and brilliantly directed film. Lead performances are thoroughly engaging despite - or perhaps because of - being wordless.

Sophisticated and universal yet deeply intimate, A Separation is an exquisitely conceived family drama that has the coiled power of a top-notch thriller.

A superbly crafted and darkly funny real-life political thriller, with pitch-perfect performances.

So many movies try to capture human relationships and fail miserably. A few come close. Your Sister's Sister nails it with grace, humor and winning charm.

It's equally endearing as a sweetly funny romance between two likable oddballs and as a low-tech time-travel thriller, and has something profound to say about making the most of the present.

A musical detective story, this enthralling documentary focuses on a little-known American musician whose haunting voice and poetic lyrics were essentially unknown in his own country, but had a massive impact across the globe.

Sarah Polley's memoir is a poignant, funny and engrossing film, challenging our notions of memory and family mythology.

Invictus, which is Latin for "unconquered," gives the poem several meanings in the context of the film. It also applies to Eastwood, who, as one of America's greatest storytellers, finds enthralling tales and fashions them with finesse and an indomitable spirit.

Through stellar performances, clever writing and exquisite cinematography, the story is fresh and thoroughly captivating.

A Sundance hit that is both absorbing and bleak, Frozen River is anchored by powerful performances, believable scenarios and excellent writing.

Both a psychological portrait and an exciting action film.

A brilliantly acted and achingly bleak coming-of-age story.

While the film is not as resonant as the novel, it is an honorable adaptation, capturing the essence of the bond between father and son.

A wonderfully odd, bleakly comic and thoroughly engrossing film.

With its clever faux documentary style, this is the most imaginative science-fiction movie to come along in years.

Every second Helen Mirren is on-screen in The Last Station is a study in peerless talent.

Tarantino exercises both his obsession with vengeance and his fascination with the movies.

Depressing and gut-wrenching, but always powerful and gripping.

Like the book, the movie blends a primitive quality with an imaginative artfulness. It also amplifies upon the story's gentle, sly wit.

This heart-rending tale also is a mesmerizing one because of several superb performances, particularly those of Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson.

Pan's Labyrinth artfully fuses a war film with a family melodrama and a fairy tale. The result is visually stunning and emotionally shattering.

Much like Annie Hall did for a previous generation, (500) Days of Summer may be the movie that best captures a contemporary romantic sensibility.

Mostly, it's just wicked fun.

Miyazaki creates fascinating, fluid and whimsical scenarios.

A searingly intense and artful tale that grabs hold of the viewer from its jarring and wordless opening scenes and doesn't let go.

The Class is a deeply moving film about the challenges of educating children in a complex and often turbulent world.

The Coen brothers have fashioned a wry and riveting hybrid of a drama, Western, crime thriller and action film that is as powerful and thought-provoking as it is genre-bending.

Funny People nimbly intersperses humor and reflection. It is a rumination on mortality, fame and life choices, punctuated with Apatow's trademark raunchy humor.

The film's score and editing brilliantly heighten the film's energy, keeping the audience somewhat off-kilter and unsure where things are headed.

Flaws are outweighed by Crash's intricate construction and intelligent.

Like the best French cuisine, Ratatouille is ambitious and delightful.

Once is a film for anyone who has ever been transported by the power and passion of music.

Blood Diamond is a gem in a season with lots of worthy movies.

The Brothers Bloom has it all: charming romance, jaunty adventure story, witty dialogue, gorgeous cinematography and superb performances.

What makes the movie so winning are its endearing and relatable characters who spout believable dialogue and amusing banter, steeped in clever pop-culture references and sharp observations of human nature.

A movie with memorable and engaging performances.

Though events unravel predictably, the film is profoundly affecting, thanks to a well-written story, rich characters and superlative acting.

It has been a while since we've seen such a consistently funny and entertaining road movie.

One of the series's best, with spectacular effects, nuanced performances and witty dialogue.

Babel may be the most ambitious movie of the year, tackling towering communication barriers, global politics and cultural divides in a structurally complex and fascinating narrative.

This is the rare movie that blends long scenes of meticulous research with a sweeping story and sustains a feeling of riveting suspense. Zodiac grips you by the throat and doesn't let go.

While the film is heart-wrenchingly sad, it also is mordantly funny, uncomfortably prickly and above all, unflinching in its depiction of a believable sibling relationship.

Captivating and multifaceted.

Neil Young once said: It's better to burn out than it is to rust. But moviegoers are lucky Anvil didn't take Young's advice. Who knew heavy metal could seem like fine art when it rusts?

Does the finest job of any film in painting a believable portrait of aging, capturing the sadness, confusion, anxiety and defiance of the early stages of dementia.

Visually exhilarating, provocative and disturbing.

This Korean-made film takes the well-worn creature-feature genre and spins it on its head thrillingly.

In less capable hands, the movie could have been maudlin. Instead, Hicks and Owen have created an intimate drama told with humor and emotion.

The lack of propriety and solemnity is precisely what makes this comic farce so uproariously funny.

An enchantingly beautiful and moving film.

Buddy movies are a Hollywood staple, but Rory O'Shea Was Here puts a new and profoundly affecting spin on the tired genre.

Powerfully disturbing.

An endearing, occasionally sentimental story told with depth and substance.