An historical epic set in China's tumultuous Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 B.C.), “Sacrifice” (趙氏孤兒) is adapted from the Yuan dynasty opera, “Orphan of Zhao” (趙氏孤兒), a tragedy of Grecian proportions, though director Chen Kaige's (陳凱歌) film adaptation is only tragic in the worst sense of the word.

An action-comedy set in 1920s China, “Let the Bullets Fly” (讓子彈飛) is a thinly-veiled attack on the corruption of local governments and an allegory of contemporary Chinese politics.

A marital drama starring actors Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine” is agonizing to watch yet relentlessly compelling, even illuminating, playing almost like a sober documentary rather than a narrative film.

“The King's Speech” is the kind of handsomely photographed, weighty-yet-uplifting period drama that seems to arrive amid great fanfare come awards time each year.

“Black Swan” is at once gorgeous and gloriously nutso, a trippy, twisted fantasy that delights and disturbs in equal measure.

“True Grit” is one of the most mainstream, crowd-pleasing films Joel and Ethan Coen have ever made.

Strangely, “127 Hours” serves as a persuasive tourism promotion for getting away from it all and going exploring in middle-of-nowhere Utah.

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale's “The Fighter” is a punch-drunk tale whose fitful ramble from Jerry Springer-style family seaminess to “Rocky”-like triumph is elevated enormously by knockout performances.

“If You Are the One 2” (IYATO2, 非誠勿擾2) takes a skeptical look at marriage but in doing so, loses sight of its marital bliss and instead gets stuck in a rut.

Words like “lush” and “gorgeous” don't even begin to scratch the surface in describing “I Am Love,” Italian director Luca Guadagnino's retro-styled melodrama.