If there is a genius working in Hollywood today, it's animation director Brad Bird, who tops the delightful "The Incredibles" with arguably the finest 'toon in the Pixar canon, Ratatouille.

Quite possibly the first truly great fact-based movie of the 21st century.

Bursting with energy and originality even after 36 years, A Hard Day's Night is easily the best show in town.

Like the fictional Clarice Starling in "The Silence of the Lambs,'' Maya is a consummate professional who brilliantly performs her job in an often hostile work environment.

A Japanese cross between "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of Oz" -- is such a landmark in animation that labeling it a masterpiece almost seems inadequate.

An all-time classic that seems even better after two decades.

A charming, hilarious robot love story aimed at the entire family.

A majestic conclusion to a nine-plus-hours epic that stirs the heart, mind and soul as few films ever have.

The various witnesses tell contradictory tales that turn this into a real-life “Rashomon." The fact that two of the principals — Sarah and Michael, who delivers touching and eloquent on-camera narration that he wrote himself — are accomplished actors adds another level of confusion and interest that help make this compelling storytelling.

You won't have a more viscerally emotional experience at the movies this year.

The Class offers no Hollywood ending, but is rewarding for those up to the challenge.

Between D-Day, the sheer ambition of Paul Thomas Anderson's historical epic and Robert Elswit's dazzling cinematography, this is a must-see movie - even though its emotional temperature rarely rises above freezing and the climax goes way, way, way over the top.

So consistently involving because the excellent cast delivers their lines with the kind of utter conviction not seen in this kind of movie since the first "Star Wars."

May not be a masterpiece, but it still had me in tears at the end.

Chomet's wacky tale is so crammed full of eye-popping images, it's impossible to forget afterward.

All hail the great Helen Mirren, who after her triumph in HBO's "Elizabeth," delivers the performance of a lifetime as that monarch's frumpy, 20th century namesake in Stephen Frear's witty, touching and engrossing The Queen.

Haunting is the best word for Waltz With Bashir, a striking animated documentary - not an oxy moron, despite how it sounds - from Israel.

The first movie I've seen in a very long while that deserves to be called a masterpiece. It's such a stunning achievement in storytelling.

An astonishing re-creation of the Londonderry massacre of January 1972.

Summer hasn't even started, but you won't likely find a better catch this season than Finding Nemo, a dazzling, computer-animated fish tale with a funny, touching script and wonderful voice performances that make it an unqualified treat for all ages.

Being John Malkovich, which contains not a frame of extraneous footage, is more than a must-see movie: It's a must-see-more-than-once event.

A spectacularly rendered tale of a family of superheroes, takes the art form to a whole new level.

An unqualified triumph, the year's best movie so far.

Davis, a hugely underrated actress..., is deadpan perfection as Joyce, wearing oversized glasses and a wig that makes her look like an older version of Thora Birch's character in "Ghost World."

It's a long, brutal and honest look at a shattering event some Americans would apparently prefer not to see depicted - but also a respectful, inspiring one that's in no way exploitative or emotionally manipulative.

An unforgettable and complex portrait of a nuclear family in meltdown.

It's impossible to conceive of this ruefully funny entertainment without Bill Murray, who is nothing less than brilliant.

The skillfully acted and directed The Lives of Others is a timely warning about governments that seek to repress dissent.