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by
Mike

The usual disclaimers apply, i.e. only films which have been released theatrically in the UK are included (films only shown at festivals are excluded), and this is a snapshot which is subject to major amendment due to change of mind and/or coming across new films to add to the list. Having said all that, my current top 10 looks like this:-

1. The Consequences of Love [Paolo Sorrentino]
2. Vera Drake [Mike Leigh]
3. Somersault [Cate Shortland]
4. The Sea Inside [Alejandro Amenabar]
5. Whisky [Juan Pablo Rebella / Pablo Stoll]
6. Familia Rodante [Pablo Trapero]
7. King's Game [Nikolaj Arcel]
8. Sideways [Alexander Payne]
9. 2046 [Wong Kar-Wai]
10. La Nina Santa [Lucrecia Martel]

It's been a strong year, causing me some difficulties in deciding which films to exclude from the Top Ten. Here are some that could well have been in there:-

Broken Flowers [Jim Jarmusch]
Duck Season [Fernando Eimbcke]
The Woodsman [Nicole Kassell]

Other films that impressed me include:-

The Aviator [Martin Scorsese]
The Chorus [Christophe Barratier]
Crash [Paul Haggis]
Downfall [Oliver Hirschbiegel]
Head-On [Fatih Akin]
A History of Violence [David Cronenberg]
Howl's Moving Castle [Hayao Miyazaki]
Kings and Queen [Arnaud Desplechin]
The Last Mitterrand [Robert Guediguian]
Pride & Prejudice [Joe Wright]
Pusher II [Nicolas Winding Refn]
Sin City [Robert Rodriguez / Frank Miller]
Thirst [Tawfik Abu Wael]
A Very Long Engagement [Jean-Pierre Jeunet]

Films that deserve a mention are:-

3-Iron [Ki-duk Kim]
The 40 Year Old Virgin [Judd Apatow]
Bombon, El Perro [Carlos Sorin]
Bullet Boy [Saul Dibb]
Evil [Mikael Hafstrom]
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence [Mamoru Oshii]
In Her Shoes [Curtis Hanson]
Innocence [Lucile Hadzihalilovic]
Only Human [Dominic Harari / Teresa Pelegri]
Primer [Shane Carruth]