4 of 4

Pan's Labyrinth weaves a tale about the Spanish Civil War together with director Guillermo Del Toro's version of Through the Looking Glass. Frightened by her mother's pregnancy, her cruel stepfather, and the clash between fascists and a communist rebellion, Ofelia is ready to escape into wonderland. Fairy tales can be "grimm," and this R-rated film's too violent for children. But as Ofelia follows instructions from a mysterious faun, she discovers glimmers of gospel truth: this world is not her home, and freewill is best employed to serve and save the innocent. Spain's historical conflict is oversimplified here, but Labyrinth is an extraordinary fantasy. (Our review.)
— Jeffrey Overstreet

Set in the wild west of the Australian Outback, The Proposition tells the tale of an outlaw who's captured by the law and then released with the mission to kill his vicious older brother—in order to save the life of his arguably innocent younger brother. I was undone by this brutal account of misanthropy and miscarried justice, my personal optimism naï ve and exposed against the stark landscape that the characters traverse. But the searing grandeur of the struggle between evil and that-which-we-hope-will-be-good was as affecting as anything I've seen all year.
— Lisa Ann Cockrel

Requiem is a restrained and understated treatment of the same events that inspired believer Scott Derrickson's horror film The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), dramatizing the tragic 1976 exorcism of a young German university student whose "demonic" manifestations may have been supernatural, or may have been some form of epilepsy. The German film's matter-of-fact style elicits more sorrow than terror, a sympathetic psychological study that refuses to come down on either side of the natural / supernatural divide. Sandra Huller's Golden Bear-winning performance as the devout Catholic girl caught in inexplicable darkness makes this perplexing, heart-breaking film hard to shake.
— Ron Reed

Grounded in Aaron Eckhart's devilishly charming performance as a tobacco industry lobbyist, Jason Reitman's scathingly satirical adaptation of Christopher Buckley's novel is a hilarious send-up of the way our culture values spin more than truth—and a witty reminder that people need to assume responsibility for their own choices. The beauty of this film is that just about every character is sleazy or repugnant in some way, yet each one gives voice to a piece of the truth—and it is left to us to put those pieces together, and to consider the way we sometimes mix truth and guile when we play spin doctor ourselves. (Our review.)
— Peter T. Chattaway

It begins with a portrayal of humanity so monstrous and wicked it would give Flannery O'Connor nightmares. Then it gets worse—harsh, harrowing, even grueling. Then it ends with an image of redemption far more haunting than all its images of sin combined. For his directorial debut, Tommy Lee Jones transplants the spirit of O'Connor into a modern-day Western that speaks in a starkly spiritual language, taking the viewer on a journey from sin to repentance, revealing the depth of human depravity without glossing over a single bloody detail—then turning to faith as the only sure salvation. (Our review.)
— Josh Hurst

It's a tough sell—a documentary about crossword puzzles. How boring can a movie be? But thanks to the deft editing and well-chosen personalities involved, Wordplay isn't snooze-worthy at all. We're introduced to the art of puzzle creation and completion, and best of all, to a wondrously quirky array of aficionados—including NY Times puzzle editor Will Shortz, puzzle creator Merl Reagle, and fans Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, and the Indigo Girls. There's even drama and suspense when we visit the annual crossword puzzle tournament toward the end of the flick. Overall, it's an intelligent, feel-good, hobby-inspiring gem. (Our review.)
— Camerin Courtney

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