Upon seeing this list the editor of this page expressed "dismay" that it hadn't included movies that I had raved about, and that instead I included those with a less-than four-star rating. Call me contradictory, if you like. The fact is the obvious choices were so praised and dissected and analyzed to oblivion . . . that at this point one kinda loses interest. It's like that story of the mother with two sons: One was brilliant, handsome and successful at everything he did while the other had gaping flaws, but Mom secretly loved him more, flaws and all.

If there's one common trait running through this list it's that they're films that grow on you after viewing; they make you want to see them again, perhaps just for a particular facial expression, a bit of conversation, a detail in the production design. So what makes a truly good movie? Maybe I'll have an answer next year.

Here they are, in alphabetical order: