1. 500 Days of Summer 
I so love "500 Days of Summer." Equal parts poignant and entertaining, it's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" for the 20-something crowd. Added bonus: It's the coolest flick to ever feature a Hall & Oates song.
2. A Serious Man
A good man (Michael Stuhlbarg) has his morality, faith and sense of reality tested in this twistedly funny and surprisingly deep film by the Coens. It's truly original and, yes, it requires more than one viewing.
3. An Education 
Duty and desire face off in "An Education," Lone Scherfig's stylish and seductive picture featuring a wow-who's-that? performance by Carey Mulligan.
4. Inglourious Basterds
Though he's no stranger to violence and retribution, "Inglourious Basterds," with its Jews-Gone-Wild spin, just may be Quentin Tarantino's most badass movie yet.
5. Up
Pixar is like a cooing baby -- it can do no wrong. The studio takes on elderly love and the art of balloon travel in "Up," a film that will cue your tear ducts within the first ten minutes. Don't bother trying to fight it.
6. I Love You, Man
Paul Rudd is hilariously awkward in this sweet, overlooked buddy comedy that feels right at home beside The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Superbad."
7. Up in the Air
Based on the novel by Walter Kirn, "Up In the Air" succeeds at different altitudes, addressing the absurdity and poignancy of human connections.
8. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Many people, myself included, thought this would be an after-school special gone horribly awry. We stand corrected.
9. The Hurt Locker
Thanks to Kathryn Bigelow, there is now one positive thing to come out of the war in Iraq. "The Hurt Locker" is a fascinating modern-day story of an adrenaline junkie (Jeremy Renner) who gets his kicks commanding a bomb squad.
10. Where the Wild Things Are
Spike Jonze perfectly captures the imagination and isolation of childhood in "Where the Wild Things Are," a film that is much more than its good looks.
