Ten from two

This year had some real opinion-dividers, some unexpected charmers and some hotly anticipated films that turned out to be nothing but hot air. Our divergent lists show just what a strange year it’s been.

Ben Kenigsberg, Film writer:
1 Inglourious Basterds Quentin Tarantino’s self-proclaimed masterpiece unfolds in a realm of pure movie pleasure (and indeed, posits filmmaking itself as an explosive weapon). For all its self-reflexive resonance, Basterds’ mixture of comedy and suspense is proudly old-fashioned—and yet quintessentially Tarantinian.
2 The Hurt Locker Sometimes critical consensus is justified. Forget topicality—above all else, this triumph provides further proof that Kathryn Bigelow is the greatest action director since…well, maybe ever.
3 A Serious Man The Coens allow the mask to slip a bit in a comedy with the intransigence of a Talmudic parable. Where did they find Michael Stuhlbarg?
4 Tokyo Sonata Kiyoshi “No Relation to Akira” Kurosawa updates Ozu’s generational concerns for an era of global economic anxiety; even the narrative is unstable. The film also boasts the most graceful ending in a year of great endings.
5 The Headless Woman A repeat-viewing brain-twister to file alongside Primer and Mulholland Drive, Lucrecia Martel’s puzzler turns viewers into amnesiacs.
6 Julia Tilda Swinton goes nuts as a lush who gets in far, far over her head in the best kidnapping plot since Fargo, but almost no one noticed (including our critic, argh). The movie was inspired by Cassavetes’s Gloria, and Gena Rowlands is probably envious.
7 The Box Shut up, haters. Proudly adolescent and boldly personal, Richard Kelly’s alleged attempt at a commercial project turns the paranoid-thriller genre inside out. Flaws and all, I can’t get it out of my head.
8 The White Ribbon Michael Haneke finds the perfect match for his ideological rigidity by adopting the idiom of an Ingmar Bergman film. An immersion in relentless, monochromatic bleakness, the movie flirts with self-parody—in a good way.
9 Public Enemies The strangest Depression drama this side of Lars von Trier, Michael Mann’s long-awaited Dillinger film observes the legendary bank robber from the ground level up.
10 Summer Hours It is not possible for a movie to be more French than this one.

Hank Sartin, Film editor:
1 The Hurt Locker Whom to praise more? Kathryn Bigelow’s direction makes this suspenseful and exciting, but Jeremy Renner’s intense performance gives the film depth.
2 Summer Hours When it’s time to divide up the family inheritance, objects take on deep meaning. An unshocking truth, but one that’s explored with terrific nuance in this French drama.
3 The White Ribbon Michael Haneke teasingly suggests that this fable set in a German village before World War I might tell us something about the rise of fascism. Maybe, maybe not. It’s like a puzzle you stare at and stare at but can’t quite solve.
4 A Serious Man The Coen brothers offer a playful meditation on our efforts to make sense of our suffering. Some complained that the characters are broad Jewish types, but I felt a deep sense of connection to Michael Stuhlbarg’s struggles.
5 Up in the Air Jason Reitman somehow turns a story about a guy who fires people for a living—a story that could be a bomb in the current economy—into a topical mix of satire and romantic comedy that plays to George Clooney’s strengths.
6 (500) Days of Summer Okay, I’m a sucker for romance, and this film perfectly captures the feeling of being young, foolish and in love. The jumbled chronology reflects the way we remember our loves.
7 In the Loop Honestly, there’s nothing very cinematic about this acid satire, but it has some of the funniest dialogue of the year, and I could listen to Peter Capaldi spew bile all day.
8 Up Another year, another Pixar film on my list. The film looks great, works as family entertainment and has some genuine emotion.
9 Invictus A sports drama that’s really about the power of political symbolism. Eastwood’s calm, classical filmmaking is a refreshing change from the flash and noise many directors employ to little effect.
10 Zombieland Yeah, I know, I’m supposed to like earnest foreign films, difficult cinematic enigmas or big chewy Oscar bait, but screw it; I enjoyed this, and I’d see it again over The Road, The Messenger or Antichrist. Zombieland is good, simple entertainment.

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