Cover Story: Bert Osborne’s Top 10 Movies

1. In America Director Jim Sheridan’s lyrical and heartfelt semi-autobiographical drama of an impoverished Irish family’s immigrant experiences in 1980s New York — anchored by a brilliant (if largely unsung) performance from Paddy Considine as a grieving young husband and father.

2. Shattered Glass This scintillating, fact-based drama about the undoing of an unscrupulous New Republic reporter marks an auspicious directorial debut for Billy Ray. Hayden Christensen and Peter Sarsgaard score as the ever-conniving writer and his gradually enlightened editor.

3. Northfork A boldly original effort from brothers Mark and Michael Polish (Twin Falls Idaho), at once a stinging social satire about industrialization and a hypnotic spiritual meditation on the afterlife. The enigmatic ensemble includes Nick Nolte, James Woods and Daryl Hannah.

4. Big Fish That Tim Burton has fashioned another fantastical modern-day fable is hardly unusual. What is the newfound emotional gravity with which he grounds the film around the story of an estranged father and son (beautifully played by Albert Finney and Billy Crudup).

5. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 In Quentin Tarantino’s audaciously stylized, exceedingly violent - and undeniably entertaining - revenge fantasy, Uma Thurman kicks some serious ass (namely Lucy Liu’s, Vivica Fox’s and those of countless extras). Bring on Daryl Hannah in next spring’s Vol. 2!

6. Mondays in the Sun Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls) stars in Fernando Leon de Aranoa’s touching Spanish drama about the trials and tribulations of several unemployed shipyard workers. Their dialogue may be subtitled, but their story ultimately speaks with a universal clarity.

7. Raising Victor Vargas A refreshing reprieve from the typical screen depiction of life in the ‘hood, novice filmmaker Peter Sollett’s low-budget indie casts non-professional actors to spin an utterly winning tale of young love(s). In the title role, Victor Rasuk is a genuine charmer.

8. The Station Agent. Actor-turned-first-time-director Thomas McCarthy elicits splendid work from Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson and (especially) Bobby Cannavale in this modest but truthfully felt character study about the unlikely friendship between three free-spirited outcasts.

9. 28 Days Later Danny Boyle’s frenetic and unnerving apocalyptic zombie thriller employs guerilla-filmmaking techniques - often a pretentious distraction in more realistic films like 21 Grams or Thirteen - to effectively enhance his you-are-there, quasi-documentary approach.

10. Monster An improbably galvanizing performance by Charlize Theron bolsters this real-life horror story about lesbian/prostitute/serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Together with directing newcomer Patty Jenkins, they put to shame the overrated Hilary Swank and Boys Don’t Cry.