10. Reno 911!: Miami ' For die-hard fans of the cult Comedy Central show, this hilarious big-screen leap ' easily the funniest movie so far this year ' was proof-positive for non-fans such as myself. Well, former non-fans.
9. The TV Set ' Much like Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration, this smartly scripted but fictional look behind the scenes of a fledgling television show would be a lot funnier if it didn't feel so uncomfortably true to life.
8. Meet the Robinsons ' Critics roasted Disney's latest foray into computer animation for its manic randomness, but that's exactly what made it so exhilaratingly fun. It's smart, clean and often high-brow humor with a touching message.
7. The Hoax ' Honest, innovative evocations of the creative process typically feature, well, honest and innovative people. The complete lack of the former in Clifford Irving (Richard Gere, in maybe his best performance in decades) makes this true-to-life account of an author who faked his way through a Howard Hughes tome the real thing.
6. Year of the Dog ' This Molly Shannon-starring film is being marketed as another indie romantic comedy, but it's really a movie about the obsessive extremes of love and grief, and more importantly, the need for everyone to respect what others love, even if they don't understand it.
5. Bug ' It's no surprise about four people saw this bizarre and ultra-violent play adaptation this weekend, even if it was directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist). While it's not a movie for the impatient, Bug brilliantly explores how reasonable people lose their minds ' and by the horrifying conclusion, Bug is a horror movie in the truest sense of the word.
4. Music and Lyrics ' Sometimes a great pop song is so elusively, inexplicably appealing, there's nothing left to do than to embrace it ' saccharine sweetness and all. This Drew Barrymore/Hugh Grant charmer is one of those mysteries, not to mention the best mainstream romantic comedy in ages.
3. Breach ' Ratcheting up the star power and fine-tuning some excruciating suspense, director Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) is officially the next big thing with Breach, the true story of CIA agent and Russian spy Robert Hanssen (an Oscar-worthy Chris Cooper) and one masterful slow-burn thriller.
2. Grindhouse ' More attention has been drawn to Grindhouse's now legendary flop status at the box office and, of course, which film of the exuberant double feature is better. Both are movies that belong with the best work of each director, but Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof ' a funny, chatty and oddly poignant death race masterpiece ' is dizzyingly great.
1. Waitress ' Sadly, this shockingly honest paean to the ups and downs of motherhood will be remembered more for the tragic post-production murder of director, writer and co-star Adrienne Shelly. But what's there onscreen is the smartest and most beautiful movie of the year so far, with a performance by Felicity's Keri Russell that's as delicate as a flaky pie crust.
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Matt Burns
