Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Sequels can be tricky to pull off right, but Hellboy 2 doesn't disappoint in the least. If the first Hellboy film was a representation of creator Mike Mignola's vision, Hellboy 2 is much more Guillermo Del Toro's piece. There's more magic this time around, and more wonder. Hellboy was a big secret from the public in the first movie, but now he's out on the streets, interacting with both the mundane world and a vast (yet hidden) faerie world. This leads to some serious existential questions for Hellboy, and Del Toro manages to weave those questions into an exciting fantasy adventure yarn. But don't think its all doom and gloom; watching the Devil's son and his half-fish best friend sing Barry Manilow may be worth the price of admission alone.

Wanted

I'm not ashamed to admit that I loved this movie. No, it's not perfect. Yes, it lost something in the translation from the comic to the screen (Weavers!? What the...?). But so what? The movie is just too much fun to make me want to quibble over those kinds of details. James McAvoy deftly plays out a societal revenge fantasy a lot of us may have, Angelina Jolie can do sexy & dangerous in her sleep at this point, and it's always a treat to see Morgan Freeman play a bad guy. This is movie that knows what it is; an over-the-top action flick, and that's always appealing to me.

Twilight

It's undeniable: Twilight was 2008's little engine that could, surprising just about everybody with the ferocity of its fan base. Sure, it wasn't the best film of the year, or even the best film of the year about vampires (see my other entry), but there was something irresistible about getting wrapped up in the Twilight phenomenon -- its love story, the spot-on teenage angst, Robert Pattinson's hair...vampire wire-fu notwithstanding, Edward and Bella leapt from the pages of Stephenie Meyer's utterly addictive novels to capture the essence of Twilight, which is all the fans wanted anyhow. If only there was a cinematic event worth obsessing over like this every year. (Go Team Edward!)

Let the Right One In

Although 2008 was the year for blood-suckers in American pop culture -- Twilight, True Blood, Sarah Palin -- the best and most surprising vampire story of the year was a foreign film that boasted no stars and came from the land best known for exporting Bergman and ABBA. The atmospheric, hauntingly beautiful Let the Right One In tells the story of a bullied young Swedish boy named Oskar who falls in love with his new neighbor, Eli; the catch is, Eli happens to be a lethal, 200-year-old vampire girl who needs Oskar's friendship as much as he needs hers. Director Tomas Alfredson does a tremendous job adapting this handsome, tense, and sometimes morbidly funny film from its source novel. Make every effort to see it in theaters while you still can.

Read Jen's Top 10 at her RT blog.

Iron Man

Let's just say 2008 was a very good year for Robert Downey, Jr. Everyone knew the man could act, and in two of the year's finest mainstream pictures -- Iron Man and Tropic Thunder -- Downey's performances took the proceedings to another level. His intelligence and loopy sense of humor went a long way toward making Iron Man one of the year's funnest movies -- thrilling in spots, with enough backstory to please fanboys, and some thoughtful political comment on the ethics of crafting the machinery of war. It's further proof -- if any were needed -- that comic book movies have entered a peak era of sophistication.

Reprise

Like the French New Wave films that inspired it, Reprise is visceral and sad, sometimes at once. Insightfully written and crisply directed by Joachim Trier, this Norwegian import documents the lives of a group of twentysomethings -- two of whom are on the cusp of literary prominence. While focusing on the thrill of youth, the excitement of artistic recognition, and the fragility of mental health, this is hardly a piece of hipster ennui. Stylistically daring, with a killer soundtrack and a keen eye for the complexities of friendship, this is one of the year's most exciting discoveries.

Read Tim's Top 10 at his RT blog.