Okay, so I lied, it’s actually the top 4 films but ‘Top 5′ is such a better title. Also, since we’re on the subject of clarification, I guess this is only the top 4 films out of the 44 films I actually managed to watch this year. There could easily be a better film out there that I didn’t manage to catch.

So, ordered roughly from least good to most good, here they are:

Moon

I really don’t want to give too much away here, but if I had to describe what this film was, I would say it was a mysterious suspense thriller that will make you think hard about things you wouldn’t ever have given thought to otherwise.

It goes without saying, but if you’re only going to see 4 films this year, make sure this is one of them.

Inglorious Basterds

What’s not to like? It’s 2 hours of fictional World War 2 bad-assery. It’s fun, entertaining, gripping, has great characters, great acting, great film making. If you liked Pulp Fiction, it’s safe to say you’ll probably like this too.

District 9

District 9 is basically a movie about aliens being forced to live in a South African slum. You follow the plight of a law enforcement officer through a combination of live action, documentary footage and a series of interviews. It’s a great storytelling technique that keeps you engaged and lets you connect with the lead character in a way not possible with most other films.

Despite this awesomeness, I would imagine this movie may not be to everyone’s taste. Still, I’d say it’s well worth checking out if you manage to catch it anywhere.

(500) Days of Summer

This is the surprise hit of the summer for me. 500 Days of Summer is an offbeat romantic comedy that tells the story of a 500 day long relationship through a series of flashbacks, flashforwards and flashanywhereinbetweens.

The basic premise of the movie is that the lead character, Tom, has fallen madly in love with a girl called Summer. The film then jumps back and forth through the 500 day period and gives you glimpses of what their relationship is like at that present point in time.

It’s a technique that works incredibly well and gives the movie a kind of charm that’s usually missing from this genre.

Even if you happen to be the manliest man in the world, I say you should still check out this movie, even if you have to pretend that it’s an accident.