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Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

1. Bernie 2012 Propelled by a perfectly cast trio of stars whose eccentricities shine in singular character roles, Bernie is charmer. full review
2. The Devil Inside 2012 While it doesn't exactly reinvent the inverted cross, The Devil Inside definitely puts a nifty indie spin on the demonic possession genre. full review
3. What to Expect When You're Expecting 2012 It's a sitcom-y ensemble film (complete with product placement) that feels like you're flipping around the TV dial. full review
4. Bellflower 2011 Bellflower revs the engine of an exciting new maverick. full review
5. The Devil's Double 2011 Although The Devil's Double lacks political insight into the times it portrays, it does fashion riveting entertainment from a truly horrifying real-life story. full review
6. First Position 2011 It does a great job developing its characters through its visuals - these are superphysical kids - and honing in on family dynamics. full review
7. Footloose 2011 Footloose drags its heels to the senior prom and, when it finally gets there, shoves in one last punch-up that puts an odd spin on what should be an upbeat display of happy feet. full review
8. Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer 2011 The best thing about Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer is the engaging performance of red-haired Aussie starlet Beatty, who will play the titular star in Eloise in Paris. We can only hope that film sticks to the book. full review
9. Mysteries of Lisbon 2011 A sumptuous unravelling of secrets wrapped in tantalizing stories that gradually interconnect the lives of an ensemble of characters who seduce, betray and defend each other in the years surrounding the Peninsular War. full review
10. Revenge of the Electric Car 2011 Given Paine's penchant for B-movie-sounding titles, let's hope he gets to make it a trilogy that concludes with The Electric Car Lives! full review
11. Snow Flower And The Secret Fan 2011 The juxtaposition of stories about women in old and new China may have been intended to widen the audience for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, but all it does is lose the heart and pathos of See's novel in a jumbled mess. full review
12. Monsters 2010 With Monsters, Edwards transcends the special-effects auteur label, creating a memorable sci-fi story in which the hero and heroine are true equals in the adventure. How's that for an alien concept? full review
13. The Whistleblower 2010 In Canadian director Larysa Kondracki's gripping based-on-a-true-story debut feature The Whistleblower, Rachel Weisz delivers a subtle yet riveting performance. full review
14. Adrift in Tokyo 2009 Beautifully shot, Adrift in Tokyo offers an enchanting, revelatory ground-level experience of the city. full review
15. Soul Kitchen 2009 A treat for the senses. full review
16. Hank and Mike 2007 This bunny is a lame duck. full review
17. Partition 2007 Where the film stumbles is the script, overcrowded with bits of business and scenes that lean heavily on the symbolic. full review
18. 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama 2006 10 Questions works extremely well as an introduction to the Dalai Lama and offers a tantalizing peek at the dynamic and even mischievous personality of this influential man. full review
19. This Is England 2006 You wouldn't think a film about a group of British skinheads during the early 1980s could be a sweet, nostalgic coming-of-age period piece, but that's the surprise of the authentic, fresh and utterly relevant This Is England. full review
20. My Summer of Love 2005 It is a truly refreshing grown-up big-screen film. full review
21. This Film is Not Yet Rated 2005 a head-spinning mystery, a brisk history of motion picture censorship in the U.S. and entertaining, often hilarious, visual proof of Hollywood's hypocrisy in his latest film. full review
22. Stuart Little 2 2002 Vacillating between sappy and snappy, Stuart Little 2 is featherweight family fare, perfectly timed for viewers with short attention spans. full review