Film Geekdom: 15 best movies I've seen this year (so far)

1. The Tree of Life

Terrence Malick's latest (his fifth movie in 38 years) is a WTF oddity in our souled-out culture. It's also one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. Bring on the 6-hour cut!

2. Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen's most purely enjoyable picture since Bullets Over Broadway. A veritable feast for intellectuals (or, as in my case, would-be intellectuals).

3. Rango

I love the look, it's funny, and the film references are gangbusters (e.g., a ceiling fan standing in for the windmill at the beginning of Once Upon a Time in the West).

4. 13 Assassins

Takashi Miike's samurai masterpiece features the villain of the year, an evil lord whose savagery will make your blood boil. The final 45-minute bloodbath rivals Gen. Washizu's death-by-a-thousand-arrows in Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood.

5. The Tempest

The New York Times recently published a piece asking how Julie Taymor would ever salvage her reputation after the whole Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark debacle. Not once does that article mention Taymor's latest film, a visual triumph that proves what a truly vital American artist she is.

6. Source Code

Most well executed sci-fi picture since Inception. Read my mini-review here.

7. Bridesmaids

Most I've laughed since Hot Tub Time Machine.

8. Paul

Seth Rogen as an alien plus the guys from Shaun of the Dead – it's a winning combination. Read my review here.

9. Rabbit Hole

Clueless adults, a teenager who expresses his view of the world through comic books, the accidental death of a child – Rabbit Hole reminded me of The Ice Storm, and that's the highest praise I can think of. John Cameron Mitchell directs Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart in extraordinary performances.

10. I Saw the Devil

I loved almost every minute of this ultraviolent Oldboy ripoff, which makes me a very sicky puppy indeed. Features the coolest shot-from-inside-the-car crash since Fight Club – or at least since Let Me In.

11. Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Menagerie of bones, crystal formations, boy and wolf walking side by side – such lovely forgotten dreams in this eye-opening documentary about the world's oldest cave paintings. Directed and narrated in that unforgettable German accent by Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man).