Skyfall

Despite some effects shots that could be done better and a final act that, for all its explosiveness and Shakespearean grandeur, feels strangely out of place and anticlimatic, Sam Mendes' "Skyfall" delivers everything you can ask for in a James Bond film: brilliant action sequences staged against the backdrop of exotic, awe-inspiring locations, a cinematography and editing team that works wonders keeping things sharp and brisk without getting jumpy, and that marvelous whiff of quintessential 007 charm.

Acting-wise: Javier Bardem, equal parts flamboyant and creepy, is positively diva-licious, while Judi Dench rules the screen once again as the queen bee of British secret intelligence, her snarky one-liners are priceless.

Amour x2

Saw "Amour" a second time within 24 hours and picked up even more tonal nuances in Michael Haneke's intricate screenplay as well as heartbreaking details in Emmanuelle Riva's impeccable performance as the dying piano teacher.

Modest in scope but grand in emotional repercussions, this movie is like a piece of chamber music, intimate and neat, all the while destined to end quietly on the saddest note.

Amour

Love is put to the ultimate test in Michael Haneke's pristine and powerful "Amour".

While the depiction of old age with all the predicaments and indignities that come with it might seem exploitative and mean, in the end, this movie is about love in its most violent forms and under the most precarious circumstances, which is what makes this Palme d'Or winner so frighteningly human.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is vibrant, soulful, magnificently raw and worthy of all the superlatives splashed across its poster.

6-yeal-old lead actress Quvenzhané Wallis radiates childlike wonder while embodying strength, courage and vulnerability. A revelation.

Alps

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos' "Alps" feels more fragmented and (sometimes intentionally) wooden than "Dogtooth", but its story of identity and performance is every bit as morbid and gripping as that of his astonishing last feature.

Once you can get past the rather artificial construct of the plot, the questions it raises about the authenticity of human behavior and the substitution of emotions are just fascinating to ponder.

Barbara

Nina Hoss, with her regal stature and icy stares, infuses the titular character in Christian Petzold's "Barbara" with quiet fury, fierce intelligence and a slow-burning sensuality that combine to convey a sense of repression and longing that's breathtakingly German. While the movie might be a little too detached for its own good, the performance carries it with conviction and ultimately pulls at your heartstrings in spite of itself.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Despite some believability issues, "Martha Marcy May Marlene" is an exceptionally directed and acted psychological thriller about a girl cracking under the weight of two worlds. First-time director Sean Durkin has an assured sense of style and an uncanny grasp of dread reminiscent of Michael Haneke, which he put to good use to create an acutely unsettling atmosphere for the film and some moments of spine-tingling scares.