2008-2009 Season's Best Films (Personally)

Absolutely my favorite movie so far this year. Adam Elliot just delivered something so sublime not even the greatest auteurs can beat - I'm sure Tim Burton will watch this and think, "ah, damn it, why didn't I think of it first?!"

I wish words could explain how truly marvelous it is. A story of an unlikely friendship, of torture, depression, love, loneliness - an appraisal of the different and the most unique. So beautiful and larger-than-life. Wonderful animation, the most gracefully disconsolate ending, one of the truest and most human stories I've ever had the pleasure to seeing. Just...wondrous.

The reason I'm rating this film with a 5 isn't just because the entire cast -from the extraordinary Sean Penn to the refreshingly wonderful Emile Hirsh to the surprisingly good James Franco and Diego Luna to the realistic Josh Brolin- did a marvelous job. Neither just because Gus Van Sant is one of my most favorite directors or because I'm a hand-to-heart fanatic gay rights supporter. This movie receives my 5 stars for all these reasons, but mainly because of its content, its humanity, its pulse. A film that makes you want to explode, to shout and cry. A film that shows you how one man with enough drive and will may not be able to change the world but he can change many other things. Maybe seemingly the lives of gay people have improved since the 1970's. Maybe someone responsible for a double homicide would receive something more than 5 years today. All I know is that maybe today we're all so comfortable in the puffy chair of inertia that if there was a Harvey Milk in 2009, nobody would really pay attention to him.

Who needs Hollywood when you have films like this?

There are so many layers to this movie: the moral and ethical issues of life, the decisions you don't want to make but are forced to, the nature of forgiveness and if you could offer it, abandonment and violence, the many forms of loneliness and love and how the mistakes of your past always will come back to haunt you even if you change your name and become someone else.

A truly bold, powerful, fist-to-the-stomach film. I was stunned by its greatness. Everything is brilliant about it: from the performances to the direction, from the script to the tragedy of its ending. I blindly, hands down, with my hand to my heart wish people made movies like this more often. We truly could use more of them...

This was unexpectedly good. I like Danny Boyle -he's given a few fine specimens of work- but this one must be his masterpiece. I'm definitely seeing this one sweeping the Oscars. And once again a film that proves that you don't need a bunch of famous Hollywood actors to have an English-speaking grandeur. Truly great and very believable performances, foreseeing direction. Vibrant, original, honest, brave and warm. Everything a movie needs. A bloody masterpiece.

Going way too far with the rating, I know...but truth is I loved this film. I was just postponing watching it because I highly doubted its greatness, but finally seeing it made me think otherwise.

Kate Winslet is wonderful - she deserved the Globe truly and absolutely so - maybe she could grab an Oscar on her way out. Ralph Fiennes for his relatively short part was also fantastic; the scene where he records his voice incessantly was simply brilliant. And David Kross doesn't/didn't receive enough credit, I actually thought he was co-equal to Winslet's performance.

This film is an ode to love, truth, trust and betrayal. It was a bit emotionally over-the-top at times, but the theme required so. It's inspiring, powerful and heartbreaking. It surpasses lots of this year's films.

So utterly perfect! One of my Miyazaki favorites! Simply fantastic - although I wasn't expecting anything less. I loved it -with all my heart. It's sweet, beautiful, original and wonderful! Flawless artistic perfection. The characters and the music and the plot and the scenery, all so magnificent. A magic love story, a story of overcoming difficulties and accepting the different. Sink to the beauty of it, everyone!

I absolutely loved this movie. It's bold and fearless, almost dream-like. It has one of the most unexpected endings I've ever seen in a British movie and the obscure comic traits versus the obvious tragic ones make this movie come alive.

Brian Cox is as phenomenal as he always is -he brings something so unique to the characters he embodies. Steven Mackintosh and Damian Lewis do a fantastic job as the prison-running evildoers and even Joseph Fiennes was good. Dominic Cooper still gives flat performances to my eyes -but he doesn't make this movie any less powerful.

I didn't expect to love this movie so much, but forget Prison Break and forget all the sappy light prison-themed stuff. The Escapist is an emotional, gripping thrill that offers so much beyond the obvious -redemption and forgiveness and wholeness and freedom. Amazing. Truly amazing film.

I love movies that come completely unexpected and turn out to be near to masterpieces. I recognize the fact that, for the general audience, it was mediocre and has not been endorsed by critics, but I genuinely loved it.

Michelle Williams, an actress' talent I have yet to respect, actually did an excellent job. Maybe the English accent betrayed her at moments, but overall this has got to be the best role in her career. Ewan McGregor on the other hand, just based his role on his know-I-possess-it charms and blew like a balloon.

This is a movie that deals with tragedy in a very unique way. It presents human nature in its worst moments and all its kingdom - presents the potential of the human soul and the heights which it strives for. I always believed that Britain was the lord of comedy, but it looks like it gains ground on tragedy as well. And the soundtrack is simply magical, wonderful, powerful.

Of course, it doesn't avoid to go over the edge with excess, but that is not a reason for the movie to be frowned upon. It might get confusing and unnecessary at times, but all in all, for me, near to a masterpiece.

Fantastic documentary - definitely made my atheistic day! It reminded me of an equally excellent documentary called "Jesus Camp." Maher is caustic and acidic, it's really refreshing watching him leaving people speechless (especially that Arkansas Senator who's REALLY fun to observe!) It's brilliant, it makes you question, offers insight and it attempts opening people's eyes to the truth: that believing in God and all that is written in the Bible without questioning anything is plain stupid. I don't judge people who believe in God, I just wish they could prove to me He exists, because I'm no position of making such claims. Whether you're Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, atheist...this film is for everyone! It's not an absolute masterpiece, but it's highly decent. The bad thing with it is that they stuffed all the greatest moments in the trailer and at moments the movie is rather flat.

Truly great movie -I'm very happy to have seen it. Filled with beauty and colors and magic and miracles. A movie that studies a family and the relationship between its members through time; a family so ordinary and familiar, a family that could be anyone's.

Majestic subtlety, blazing soundtrack, and even though you may not always sympathize with the characters, at the end, you can't help but love each and every one of them; with their quirks and their uniqueness and struggles.

A movie pulsing with Life - and a wonderful and most human ending.

Some movies even if they're not masterpieces, I just award them close to the 5 stars because of their wonder-making, powerful content.

I don't have many things to say about this movie really. Sigourney Weaver was as great as always and it's very refreshing watching Ryan Kelley escaping his Dust Factory days. All other technical things are...tolerable.

This film made me insane with anger and brimmed my eyes with tears and repeated a lesson nobody hears. A masterpiece in my books. And like this movie teaches, you only appreciate what you have after you've lost it. If only wisdom came earlier for some people.

This movie begins as any given British movie about the derelict rural suburbs would begin. We follow a bad-mannered, vile-spoken 15-year-old girl named Mia. She's friendless and seemingly disliked. She dreams of becoming a dancer even though she's not particularly good, and in her free time she roams the streets with no particular destination. And yet when her mom's new boyfriend comes into their lives, she finds an escape. What we see in the first half of the film is nothing but a mask to drop in the second half of it. Mia realizes she can be loved and that she doesn't have to force herself into isolation.

This film blew me out of the water. I didn't expect it to be this good. Katie Jarvis is brilliant - she was born for this role. And Michael Fassbender, here in a role I never thought he could pull off, is just as wonderful. The both of them keep you at the edge of your seat. Marvelous work with exceeding simplicity. Low-budget British drama cinema at one of its finest moments in the last few years. Watch it, and you won't regret a minute of it.

The first part of the trilogy (1974) begins off slowly, with insincerity and a sappy love story, and doesn't keep you much interested. Only at the last 20 minutes you're really taken aback by the power released. And the second and third part are just...explosive. I've seen Andrew Garfield in a couple of movies before, but here he's just unbelievable. And Sean Bean hasn't delivered such a great performance since Equilibrium. The Red Riding Trilogy is a trilogy that deserves to go right next to Godfather. Every minute of it it's getting better, intriguing and provoking more, getting you more involved and interested. Absolutely essential to every cinema-lover's viewing.

Simply wonderful! Hands down to Walt Disney and Pixar for the anti-consumerism message, which was a harsh blow to receive from an animation movie. I loved the simplicity of the scenario, the fact that they didn't bother to impress and amaze. The main "characters" were immediately sympathetic and loveable and they invited you to make the journey alongside with them. It was smart, brilliantly developed, clean and clear and filled with the melody of a beautiful soundtrack. And sadly enough, the creators' vision of the future will become our future and I'm glad I won't be around to see it come true.

For me, surely not a raging masterpiece and not Tarantino's best. But great enough to leave you with a sense of being filled by good film-making and one hell of a brilliant script.

It's insane, but has excellent cohesion, every character is outlined down to the last detail and every performance is wonderful. Brad Pitt does an excellent job (even though, it's sad to admit because I didn't really want him in a Tarantino movie to begin with), Christoph Waltz was phenomenal and probably the best out of everyone and I found Diane Kruger just annoying.

The soundtrack is fantastic and one that is a Tarantino signature, as of course if every other element in the movie -just a fingerprint of his ingeniousness and madness.

Fully enjoyable, instant classic, but personally, I don't have the heart to give it a 5. Great film, but I feel like his Reservoir Dogs days are over.

At last! A good movie! Watching Ghost Town made me happy, made me laugh and it surely made me cry at a point. The humor is resounding and original, the characters (even the secondary ones) are excellently outlined and deeply analyzed.

Ricky Gervais and Tea Leoni's performances are wonderful. I did have a minor issue with Greg Kinnear whose performance didn't get to me. Maybe it was his role to be disliked by the audience.

However, this film is worth a watch, especially if you're looking for something more meaningful that your typical American comedy. It is profound and it perfectly portrays the change a man can go through when he begins to notice other people and not only himself.

Maybe not Aronofsky's best, but it's definitely a great film. Human, honest, real filled with wonderful performances. Mickey Rourke is so goddamn bold in his performance I wouldn't wonder if they gave him the Oscar. Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei also giving tantalizing performances. And Aronofsky's direction may not be his usual one, but it still makes the movie exceed all expectations.

However, it wouldn't be true if I said that the raw violence and the blood didn't get to me. Excessive violence in films has to aim somewhere and in this film that doesn't seem to happen. And despite the explosive ending, the characters didn't find their way, didn't achieve cleansing so as to have left the viewer with a feeling of completeness. A film about souls that wonder in and out of loneliness and despair, searching happiness even if it has a high cost, lives common and normal and yet so wonderfully unique. It could have been better - but I just can't seem to find my way around to what it was that didn't make me entirely fall in love with "The Wrestler."

Lukas Moddysson is definitely a director I admire greatly and I'm not really happy about the fact that he directed an American film, but unlike many other directors who leave their roots behind, he didn't lose either his edge or his signature.

The performances are great to a point; Michelle Williams for me never proved much, and Gael García Bernal could have evidently done much better. The photography is great, and of course the direction and writing - belonging to Moodysson.

All throughout the movie I was expecting something to happen, something shocking and tremendous. It's a movie that definitely keeps you on edge. But it is exactly that which makes it so great. That even though it's condescending and follows a few cliches, it has an inner power and intensiveness. Not a masterpiece, not Moodysson's best, but it's a great movie nonetheless.

Unexpectedly good. A very beautiful, original, suave and inspiring story. It definitely touched me. Fanning's performance is phenomenal - especially with the depth and weight of the character she had to portray. All characters are perfectly developed and highly sophisticated, and the movie is worked down to the very last detail. A story of love, acceptance and overcoming hardships. You don't get to see movies like this every day, so don't pass the chance to. And despite the fact that it wasn't the masterpiece it could have been and that in times it got you slightly lost, it's a film I'd suggest to everyone.

German cinema is the one that fascinates me the most when it comes to European cinema, because it proves that less is more. Maybe The Baader-Meinhof Complex isn't as powerful as The Edukators which was given to us a few years back, but it's still a near-masterpiece of a great historic momentousness. The performances by the starring trio are just excellent. Moritz Bleibtreu (whom I first saw in Lola Rennt) was great enough to both own the movie, but to also allow Martina Gedeck and Johanna Wokalek to shine.

My only problem with it was that it attempted to say everything there is to be said on the RAF organization, when many things could have been edited out. That results in extreme action-filled highs and relaxed, almost still, lows. Other than that, a great film and another specimen of fine cinema. Disturbingly provocative and holding the attention.

Sweet, kind-hearted, honest, brave, wonderfully-outlined characters, wonderfully-developed scenario, all in all -an amazing film. I wish I could stumble upon movies like this more often. The cinematography and the direction are splendid. The Bob Dylan soundtrack tribute not only brings this movie to life, but makes it all the more stunning, as is the rotation between color and black-and-white; the film obtains color when the two protagonists are happy and it turns back to black-and-white when they are unhappy. I'm pretty content to have caught this diamond of a movie amongst the piles of crap. Congratulations to all involved for truly bold film-making.

This is what I call great Irish cinema! At last, Liam Neeson in a role he can be proud he played. And James Nesbitt just gives an extraordinary, mind-blowing performance.

The characters they portray are so real, so believable, so well-delivered and they fill you with thirst and pain and hope and hatred. Great movie about the abyss of the human soul, about forgiveness and revenge.

The movie doesn't really have much action - monologues by two antithetical personalities and the whole gamma of their emotions. But it's so much more than enough, and so deeply moving that you want to keep watching; see if the main character finally finds his Five Minutes of Heaven.

I'm very satisfied with this movie, since I initially had no expectations out of it. I don't think it can be called a "biography" - it's rather a time line in the lives of two of Spain's greatest intellectuals.

It doesn't have much of a budget and it's highly likely it has flown/will fly completely under the radar. The chemistry of the two basic actors is splendid and highly believable. Javier Beltrán (playing Garcia Lorca) was certainly better than Pattinson, but nonetheless it's refreshing seeing Pattinson escape from his bloodsucking-leader-of-team-Edward role and actually go for a bold role in the shoes of Salvador Dali -a closeted homosexual who leaned towards insanity. There were definite problems with Pattinson's accent which changed every few scenes, and a few holes in the script as well as a somewhat amateurish direction, but I highly enjoyed this film. It didn't tire me and even though it was flawed, I'd suggest it.

I love drama films. The more the merrier. I especially love those who start off slowly and have you wonder where they aim to and then they explode at the ending filling your insides with emotions of cleansing.

Will Smith might not have given us many excellent performances but this one of his definitely ranks amongst his best. Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson were wonderful as well. Also, some very powerful songs are included in its soundtrack.

Watching this movie made me realize certain things, such as the fact that there are indeed nice people in this world and not everything is in vain. And that sometimes mistakes and lies might be open to a redemption. It is a hope-filled project with many things to say. It might not be a masterpiece, it might feel confusing and even annoying at points, but it is one Hollywood movie with something to say.

As most people, I have to agree that it was slightly disappointing. The sixth book is my favorite from the series, but unfortunately the film failed in becoming so. Yes, the direction, the performances, the script and the soundtrack are all typical of what one should expect, but unlike the previous movies, it doesn't present cohesion. The romantic and dark elements are the ones that are dominant and yet they are weirdly mixed and balanced with each other. Many things were left out from the book and the characters that the film should center more around (Snape, Malfoy, Lupin), are almost completely left out. The movie just jumps into sudden romances like the one between Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Lupin and Tonks without even having stated an attraction between them in the previous movie. Slightly sloppy and unfinished, over-dramatic and cheesy, but it is what it is, and damn, I love what it is!

This is by far the most insane and over-the-edge film the Coen brothers ever made! It was definitely original, hilarious beyond belief, wonderful signature-direction by Ethan and Joel Coen and I was blown away by all the performances -Clooney, Pitt and Malkovich were the greatest in my opinion. It's completely twisted, filled with zany black humor, it's non-predictable and wonderful!

On the other hand, however, I found it incomplete and rather pointless. It's not a strong film -especially with such directors and cast- and it fails delivering a brilliant closure. It just doesn't have that masterpiece "vibe'' that some of the previous Coen Brothers films did.

From the trailer I expected so much more. And throughout the film, my emotions kept changing. At moments I was thinking "Wow. What a masterpiece!" and at other moments I was thinking "Did they really need to include that scene?"

There were some wonderful and rather unforgettable scenes in the film, scenes that made me want to leave home and never come back, since I found myself so compliant with the visions of the characters -a life they dreamed of colliding with a family life they were forced to stay in. Leonard DiCaprio and Kate Winslet give dynamite performances, I hadn't caught such great performances in months. Michael Shannon also fantastic. Truly captures the essence of his role. Perfectly believable, they made you live their drama, they made you feel their anger and desperation and pain. A movie that makes you wonder.

However, the final 10 minutes didn't end the movie the way I would like it to. And I was worn out at points, maybe by the repetition and persistence. But, they truly couldn't have done it differently.

This film didn't blow me away as I would expect it, but it was pretty decent. It was hilarious in the most sarcastic and pure way -I mean I was smiling probably throughout the entire duration of the film. And although disguised as a comedy based on the life that is seen through the eyes of an insane optimist, if you look deeper than that there are definitely tragic elements attached to it.

Typically wonderful Mike Leigh direction and Sally Hawkins is simply WOW! A very difficult role she had to portray and she managed to give a flawless, refreshing performance -maybe the best performance by a british actress in many years.

However, the film by its very ending, feels rather incomplete. For a Mike Leigh movie it lacks the signature of the mastepiece his previous movies have. And although it is a great film and makes you feel good watching it, it is rather very easily forgetable.

Clint Eastwood is one of the directors I don't have high appreciation for, since besides "Mystic River" he never gave other specimens of excellency in his work. Angelina Jolie is also an actress in whose acting skills don't seem to believe in, no matter how hard I try. So, the combination of the two in one movie had me reserved.

However though, "Changeling" isn't a bad movie. It might be over-stretched at points and far from reality, but it is overall a decent film with specific elements of originality and it doesn't allow you to notice how fast its long duration goes by. John Malkovich is great in his role, unlike the one of Jolie's who -to my eyes- just tries too hard to prove that she "has it." But it definitely is amongst her best roles to date.

The ambiguous ending also works as a plus, as does the imaginary violence and concepts that take place into your mind.

I was so deeply disappointed by this movie. I most definitely was ready to award it five stars and name it "the best film of the year." But no such luck.

The direction is wonderful, no doubt, but unlike most people Brad Pitt and Cate Blancett's performances didn't convince me. Brad Pitt was only good when he was old and as he was getting younger his level of convincing kept dropping. Cate Blancett although a wonderful actress just didn't make me trust in her role in this one. Great performances you may see in the faces of Jason Flemyng and Tilda Swinton. And the truly amazing concept that the entire movie was based on is something we should thank the wondrous mind of F. Scott Fitzgerald for and not the scriptwriters.

Furthermore, I don't know if it was due to its long duration, but I felt worn out after a point, like they purposely tried to drag the duration enough to present every little detail, like the audience wasn't smart enough to fill in the blanks.

On the other hand though, looking beyond the performances and the direction and the duration for that matter, it is the absolute love story - a love story that has a heart beating out of time and will continue to do so without considering the distractions and hardships that arise. Many things worth paying attention to, despite the fact that they're delivered the good-old Hollywood way. It does say something and you'll hear it only if you want to. That's why I rate it thus, albeit I didn't like it as much as I would want.

I always make the mistake of having high expectation out of a movie based on its trailer. BIG mistake! I wasn't disappointed in "City of Ember" but I expected it a lot better.

The performances are truly great -beyond believable. And that goes for the entire cast -from Bill Marrey and Tim Robbins (who has one of the best scenes in the movie) to Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway -who literally are two actors with prominent careers.

However, although the film attempts to get a message across on the possibily of the ostracism you might face if you decide to swim against the current, it somewhat fails. The film, overall feels incomplete and rather pointless and when the end credits drop you're left wondering, "that was it?"

Having heard around that it's not a good movie, I went to see it waiting to be disappointed. But no such thing occurred. It wasn't a great film, but it wasn't at all bad. Filled with high class action that never bores you and never allows you to think of its long duration, with a great direction and fitting performances (although Tom Cruise is my biggest minus here -he didn't convince me much).

There were several plot holes and the reality of it just seemed to fluctuate at moments. The ending was wonderful in its tragedy and quite a shock -at least I know it was to me- seeing the humanity of the rebels and the inhumanity of the Nazi Hitler-faithful soldiers on the other collide in such silence.

Generally, an above-mediocre film that could use many improvements. It had many potential going on for it, but it remained in the could-be. I can surely and securely bet that if "Valkyrie" was a German production it would have been a masterpiece -Hollywood just dismantles everything in its wake.

Interesting indie elaborating on dysfunctional families, one that will give you a pleasant time, would you decide to watch it. Ben Foster is excellent as always, and so is Matthew Perry. The women of the cast (including Hillary Swank) didn't offer me any excitement. The scenario is witty and there is one scene at the park which is hilarious beyond belief. As far as the drama goes, well...there's not much of it and being in the vast category of dramas that deal with family issues, the competition is great, so Birds of America doesn't do such a great job keeping up since its approach is semi-sentimental and rather superficial. Worth a watch for the acting and a few good elements which you might be able to receive.

Alas, at last a decent movie! I've watched so much bull lately, that a movie like this is like a fresh breath of air! But I can't say that I wasn't disappointed. The comparison of this movie with "Atonement" gave me hope, since that one was indeed a masterpiece -to my books at least.

The performances are wonderful. Simply wonderful. All four actors of the basic cast are brilliant -each offering a different texture to their role, a different kind of breath - fully-developed characters that make you feel sorry for them, make you love them or hate them -that's what acting is in certain ways. And this movie is all about the acting -at least my rating is greatly based on that (maybe more for the men, maybe even more for Matthew Rhys). Because the movie isn't really so interesting. Stories like this have come and gone and come and gone again. It can definitely make someone tired, but you want to see the outcome of everyone's actions, to see how badly it's going to end, because it truly could never have a different ending.

It's simply the journey of four radically different people in a difficult historical era and the choices they make -all of that under the sound of great jazz tunes.

This has got to be the greatest disappointment when it comes to Spike Lee. For me, he is one of the most brilliant directors alive -he's offered cinema a plethora of masterpieces, but with Miracle at St. Anna...he misses the mark by far.

The performances are excellent -no arguments there. The beginning and ending also great -just a touch of bitter satisfaction. The cultural significance also worth paying attention to and it hits several humanity chords in each person -especially the ambush scene at the end and the scene at the church.

Despite all those, the film is literally endless. I saw it on DVD and had to stop it and resume it over the course of several days. For those who watched it in cinema it was probably a Golgotha to sustain through. Several elements could have easily been left out and still making sense. It's a movie that is self-righteous and self-important, it's extremely pointless and at the end it doesn't leave you with many things to work with. The emotional depth of some of the characters is lacking and several racial slurs are way too pretentious.

I only rate this movie highly because of Spike Lee's direction and several components that if viewed separately are worth it.

A beautiful tale of obsession twisted love and dependence, narrated by a piano player and a serious workaholic. Typical quality of French cinema, even if the story wasn't told properly. There was repetition, and at the end you feel no sympathy, no pain, no fulfillment, no justice - just a void and complete exhaustion. Judith Davis and Isild Le Besco are phenomenal and the piano solos are just sensational. Great deliverance of how love of a draining nature can affect your life, but it still didn't feel fully satiating.

Better than expected and a movie that I had never taken under consideration before.

Jesse McCartney movies are generally not of my taste, but he's actually good in this movie -even though his role wasn't a challenging one. His chemistry with Elisabeth Harnois makes sparks fly off the screen. The story is well-paced, even though a bit unrealistic. The characters and circumstances are fully engaging and it offers a gamma of emotions.

A film I'd watch again, but not a film I would consider something especially great. Easily bearable with a quirky and smart script. Maybe overly tragic, but who doesn't need that once in a while?

This movie wasn't actually as bad as I expected it. I can actually say that it was...good.

The performances were jumping off like crazy: Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo were equally exquisite; their chemistry was excellently believable and without being at all a Rachel Weisz fan -she's actually doing a fine job in this movie. She was cast in an arduous role and she accomplished it by far. Rinko Kikuchi also deserves some credit -she was fresh and adding a powerful tone into the movie. And the direction was just phenomenal. As was the soundtrack. The script may not have been very original, but it was at least well-delivered.

Overall, a movie that made me laugh and an ending that bind it all together. Not great but not bad either.

The beauty some movies have can't be matched by any means. There are some films that just break your heart - and do so in a well-meant manner - if that is possible. Every single minute of this movie is infused by a kind of humanity you don't often see in cinema, and solely for that it deserves much praise. The two little sisters manage to keep you at the edge of your seat, wondering about their fate, about the return of their mother, about the adventures they get into. Some things in this movie, like the fact that they believed their mother would return when their piggy was filled and they sold fried grasshoppers to make money or exchanged coins of value for less valuable change because they were more in numbers is just something you see once in a movie in all your life. Beautiful cinema, even if it's not masterful.

The combination of a Jodi Pilcout (best-selling, cheesy) novel and a Cameron Diaz leading role is unforgivable. Nick Cassavetes is very known for the over-dramatic movies he makes, but this one definitely exceeds all imaginations. I like movies that say: "you know, I'm not a masterpiece by any chance, but you can bet I'll make you cry." And I have to admit that out of the 109 minutes of its duration, I was crying at the 100.

I loved Sofia Vassilieva's performance most of all -she's an actress I had never encountered before and she was great. All others do an okay job -although refraining from mentioning Cameron Diaz. Not Cassavetes' best direction, but decent enough for his standards.

A mediocre-to-good film about humanity, family, love and the choices we have to make in life.

Beautiful movie and one I wouldn't have a problem watching again. Great performances, intelligent screenplay and beautiful deliverance. Maybe not a masterpiece or particularly original, but it succeeds in what it sets out to do: make you feel content and not sorry - rejoice in goodness and not care about those close-minded. I loved the depth and the development of the characters and I found myself empathizing with most of them -maybe not Gemma Ward's character, which I believe should remain solely in her modeling career. Other than that, a nice and sincere film deserving a watch.

Definitely not a Michael Mann exceeding greatness, but decent enough. If you have a Mann-Depp-Bale movie, you certainly expect more. The performances were great -typical of those who were behind the characters. I also am a huge fan of the soundtrack.

However, it seemed somewhat forced and pretentious, didn't require to drag it for so long and it screams of money-making throughout its entire duration.

You can't really expect much out of gangster movies today (and you certainly don't receive much either) when the 1980's-90's set the bar through the roof with movies of the kind. A fine film, but that's as far as it goes for me.

I've been anticipating this movie for months, and even though it was of relevant fineness, it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.

A strong movie dealing with the drama of a family and its impact on each member. A movie held up by the women in it, by their clashing personalities, their quirkiness and their own resolution. Amy Adams is doing an excellent job (and that being said by someone who isn't a fan of hers) despite the fact that her role was an easy one to pull off. Emily Blunt and Mary Lynn Rajskub are delivering A-one performances, though. I love the texture of their characters and the co-dependence that is silently developed between them due to the things they were both deprived off from life. The script bears its originality, its roughness and softness, however I could definitely expect more as well as a stronger ending.

A satisfactory movie, accomplishing the goal it set out to attain but failing at several other areas alongside with several under-developed characters.

Congratulations to Mark Webber for a decent directing debut. And he also deserves to be congratulated on his development of a fascinating movie character, that of Babo. However, the movie gets a bit lost. Some of the characters don't really add up to anything and at the end you're wondering what were they trying to say throughout the movie and why they chose to offer it like that. The lives of everyone just seem to intersect to an ending that had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. A better deliverance would suffice. As to the rest of the movie elements, the performances were great, the chemistry between the characters splendid, and it had the right amount of tragedy poured into it.

But it gets you lost quickly and it's tiring at points. It could have been greater but it wasn't.

Mildly fun - certainly better than some Hollywood movies of the kind, like The Hangover, Forgetting Sarah Marshall or other semi-atrocities of the sort. The characters are easy to relate to, the film addresses a very realistic issue, the chemistry between Segel and Rudd works perfectly, the humor is well-delivered and not at all crude throughout the movie and it's overall a watchable, light-heart comedy with likable characters and acceptable performances. I enjoyed every minute of it.

British cinema is one I love and respect beyond anything. The cast in this movie is unbelievably capable of everything and they certainly prove so, since everyone delivers a great performance -performances like the kind we've missed from Hollywood movies. The music is -of course- freaking awesome since it's the best rock 'n' roll of the 1960's, and the movie succeeds in everything it sets out to accomplish. It has its highs and it even manages to offer a couple of brave and emotional moments.

However, it is unbearably slow and far-dragged and it lacks action, which can undeniably make it harsh to bear. It could have offered so much more, and it simply fails. It's highly unlikely and the humor isn't that of the genuine British texture. I would have wanted to like this movie more, but the buzz, the elongation and the frivolity of it failed me.

PS. This movie has the best poster I've ever seen!

Not bad at all from where I stand, but it definitely wasn't anything great. Just a feel-good movie about a sociopath of a spiritual writer who finally lets people into his life and heart. It's definitely cliched and unlikely, but I didn't hate it. Most of the actors starring in it are actors I like, and even though their roles were ridiculous to manage, none of them can be classified as bad. Light, cheesy and a movie that makes time fly by.