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John Anderson, Wall Street Journal

1. The Awakening 2012 The film benefits enormously from having the luminous Rebecca Hall as its lead. It also gains an ominous gravity from the haunted, wounded and wobbly England in which it's set. full review
2. Butter 2012 The film grows increasingly mirthful as the characters come into focus, and the casting is the key: Ms. Garner, who also helped produce the film, has a gift for catty roles ... full review
3. Cosmopolis 2012 Conventional it is not. Engrossing it is. full review
4. The Grey 2012 Certainly an adventure film but one with a spiritual ingredient that is both surprising and fiercely resonant. full review
5. Side by Side 2012 The situation is fascinating, and given an illuminating investigation here. full review
6. Sleepwalk With Me 2012 Is there reason to be concerned that so much popular culture is about young men not wanting to become adults? Probably. And yet "Sleepwalk With Me" makes the subject palatable, funny and maybe even touching. full review
7. Albert Nobbs 2011 As an experiment in Academy Award psychology, "Albert Nobbs" is fascinating. As drama? It is, forgive us, a drag. full review
8. Cracks 2011 Worth seeing just to watch Ms. Green ride that teacher right off the rails. full review
9. The Last Rites of Joe May 2011 Mr. Farina has never been more in control of his "instrument," as actors like to say, or more convincing. full review
10. The Perfect Host 2011 The less one knows about this perverse thriller from debuting director Nick Tomnay the better; a full appreciation of its delights lies in its revelations. full review
11. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011 At 157 minutes, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" isn't just a movie. It's a sentence. full review
12. Young Goethe In Love 2011 It's ... unworthy of Mr. Stolzl, who amid all the facile antics does manage to show his directorial mettle, if only in a single and critical scene... full review
13. Countdown to Zero 2010 The nighttime photography, of the world's most luminous cities, awakens our sense of grief -- not for what's gone, but for what could be, in the blink of an eye. The editing by Brad Fuller and Brian Johnson is miraculous. full review
14. The Extra Man 2010 Kline is his usual engaging self but it's a supporting role he's playing by virtue of the script, but also Mr. Dano's presence, in this potent charmer of a film. full review
15. Nostalgia for the Light 2010 As a work of nonfiction, it deserves its own nomenclature. "Docu-poem" is too inelegant; "masterpiece" works, although it's been used before. full review
16. White Irish Drinkers 2010 Frequently enough at the movies, an isolated scene can take place in which an actor who may or may not be the lead steals the whole film through naked emotion, or power, or eloquence. Mr. Lang certainly has one here. full review
17. Paper Man 2009 Married screenwriters Kieran and Michelle Mulroney, who are making their directorial debut, try to wed the peculiar to the poignant and they are irreconcilable. full review
18. Valhalla Rising 2009 It's a trip into a primordial world and primeval sensibilities, and if you're looking to shake off the mall-movie blahs, there are few better places to look. full review