July 2010 Pick: An Education

It didn't get an Oscar nomination for nothing. It's completely engrossing. Carey Mullgan and Peter Sarsgaard are both wonderful.

June 2010 Pick:Much Ado about Nothing

It's the perfet summer film!

May 2010 Pick: Tortilla Soup

At first I resisted this remake of a Chinese film (Eat, Drink, Man, Woman), but it's actually an effective film set in an Hispanic community.

April 2010 Pick: The International

Slick thriller with Clive Owens and Naomi Watts. If you've ever been to the Guggenheim in NY, you'll really enjoy one of the key scenes...

March 2010 Pick: Up

This cartoon really works for adults too!

February Pick: All about Steve

Granted, it's a silly romantic comedy, but I laughed so hard while I was watching it that the people sitting next to me on the plane kept looking over my shoulder. The film is about an obnoxious would-be girlfriend who just can't take no for an answer. Unfortunately, most of us can relate! Bradley Cooper and Sandra Bullock play the main characters in Phil Traill's 2009 effort.

 

January 2010 Pick: Girl with a Pearl Earring

If you admire Vermeer, you won't want to miss out on seeing Peter Webber's 2003 reconstruction of the artist's world. Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson are well cast as painter and subject.

December Pick: Divorzio all'italiana (Divorce, Italian-Style)

This 1961 comedy directed by Pietro Germi stars Marcello Mastroianni as the bored husband who will go to any length to get rid of his boring wife so that he can pursue other goals. The film is a witty commentary on societal rules as well as marital conundrums.

November Pick: La dolce vita

Somehow I'd never managed to watch this 1960 Fellini masterpiece. More acessible than his other films, it has indelible images and a scathing portrayal of the paraparazzi that seems scaringly up-to-date.

October Pick: The Thin Man

The 1934 take-off on the eponymous Dashiell Hammett novel is a pure joy. William Powell and Mryna Loy did such a convincing job of creating Nick and Nora Charles that five Thin Man films followed.

September Pick: Smart People

Noam Murro's overlooked film didn't do wonders at the box office, but the 2008 film is a smart comedy about how family members interact. It also acurately captures the spiteful nature of many university settings.

August Pick: Lust, Caution

As usual, Ang Lee creates a stirring film that haunts you long after the credits stop running. This 2007 vehicle is an excellent, uncompromising film that looks at the raw side of human nature.

July Pick: Zack and Miri Make a Porno

It's crass, and every other word starts with "F," but Kevin Smith's 2008 film is sweetly hilarious. It includes enjoyable performances by the entire cast.

June Pick: Sono pazzo di Iris Blond

This charming 1999 romantic comedy follows the travails of a musician named Romeo who is unlucky in love, especially after he misinterprets the signs after a tarot-card reading.

May Pick: The Golden Bowl

This 2000 Ivory-Merchant adaptation of Henry James' eopnymous novel stars Uma Thurman and Jeremy Northam. The two star-crossed lovers need only decide between love and money, but they can't agree on what's best.

April Pick: Cats of Rome

This heart-warming 2007 documentary shows how volunteers and friendly citizens band together to help care for Rome's estimated 200,000 homeless cats.

March Pick: The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

This 2003 adaptation of Tennessee Williams' seamy novel stars Helen Mirren and Olivier Martinez. The back of the DVD cover is right: "This is one trip to Rome you won't want to miss."

February Pick: 24, Season Five

In this season's epidoes, Jack has to race the clock to locate cannisters of nerve gas before they're set off in public places. He also has to avenge the death of former president David Palmer. Although I've watched other seasons, this one had me on the edge of my seat all the way through!

January Pick: Slumdog Millionaire. This film has dark moments that illustrate the India that's hidden from most guidebooks, but it's also a warm, intricate story told from the point of view of a boy who grew up living on the edge of survival.

December Pick:Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It may be crude, but it's hysterically funny, with Jason Segel as a sympathetic ditched loved and Russell Brand as the hellish rival.