2006 / Tristan Carné > Paris, je t’aime is a mixed bag of short films, no doubt, with a couple of head-scratching entries by Christopher Doyle (which seems to be an extension of his appreciation of Asian women) and Olivier Assayas (where Maggie Gyllenhaal does something, we’re just not sure what). Balancing those are a comfy, introverted short by Alexander Payne in which an American tourist falls in love with Paris and solitude all at once, and arguably the finest piece in the compendium, about a mime who finds love in the most incredulous of places, directed by Sylvain Chomet of The Triplets of Belleville. And though in between is everything from marriage to racism and vampires, the total package’s cohesiveness is rarely lost. It’s tricky, however, when you only have five minutes to get your point across—Symbolism becomes a heavy element but since the viewer’s forced to jump into the next short, there’s not much time to contemplate what the aforementioned symbolism could have meant.

2008 / Brad Anderson > Transsiberian is an unique film in the midst of Hollywood’s barrage of inarticulate torture porn: It’s filled with a level of palpable tension that never truly shows its face in the way you would expect (which in itself is quite an achievement). Founded on a stellar performance by Emily Mortimer, the film tests the audience’s stereotypes and then tries to defy many movie conventions. While it doesn’t always succeed, Anderson’s script and his technical expertise work together to entertain the viewer throughout. There are a couple of plot points that are irksome, but because the final product feels so complete, it’s hard to not give them the benefit of the doubt.

2008 / Alex de la Iglesia > The Oxford Murders is a mostly forgettable, unimaginative thriller that tries to dumb down The Da Vinci Code into a mathematical trick. Elijah Wood is woefully miscast and Leonor Watling’s there for mostly her naked body behind a lonely kitchen apron. The twists and turns are ludicrous on the back of a surprisingly bad effort for de la Iglesia’s follow-up to the enjoyable The Perfect Crime.

2008 / Garth Jennings > The great thing about Son of Rambow is that it feels less like a kid’s movie and more like the movie you want to watch at an older age that makes you feel like a kid again. It’s got a lot of subtle storytelling tactics that give you a layer on top of what you see, often catalyzed by personal experiences of family and growing up. All the performances are great, though newcomer Will Poulter definitely needs some additional praise for his portrayal of the bad boy with a big heart—and it seems like he’ll be getting some more attention with rumors that he’s been cast in the upcoming Narnia sequels. For Jennings, this is quite a departure from his first feature film attempt in A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but it definitely seems to be his area of comfort, and I definitely look forward to whatever he brings us next.