Rian Johnson's 2005 teen noir Brick and 2008 con man film The Brothers Bloom are two of my favorite films of the past decade, so naturally I was curious to see if Johnson's talents would continue to grow with an ambitious science fiction idea and a comparatively huge budget this time out. The writer/director gamely rose to the challenge; Looper is easily one of the best films of the year, and instantly positions itself as one of the best time travel movies ever made.

Looper
Writer/Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt

Paul Thomas Anderson makes films, not movies. For those who don't think there's a difference, watch The Master and then watch practically anything else; there's an undeniable craftsmanship that pervades every frame, and a certainty and singularity of vision that is very rare in the "film by committee" age of Hollywood in which we're living. Anderson has grappled with religion before, most recently in There Will Be Blood, but this movie isn't quite the searing critique on Scientology you may have heard. From the opening moments of the film, in which the camera pans over the top of a quiet sea and suddenly we're blasted with the loud opening notes of Johnny Greenwood's score, Anderson seems determined to challenge our preconceived notions about what we're about to see.

The Master