The best movie of the year is Contagion, boasting best direction (so realistic, also fast-paced), best dialog (so fresh), best cast (it has several big actors, all of whom went beyond their famous personas), and best editing (so smooth).
The movie is followed by The Invader, really due to telling a very compelling story, and one I hardly ever see, while also feeling so real it feels like a peek into the lives of characters that actually exist.
My favorite performance is that of Andrew Howard as the Russian gangster in Limitless, followed by...
- Cuba Gooding, jnr. in The Hit List
- Stephen Fry in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
- Jared Harris, also in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
- Jeff Chase, in The Mechanic
Limitless also has my most favorite story concept, that of a drug that vastly improves mental performance.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows itself also has the most desirable character in Kelly Reilly. She is followed by Marion Cotillard in Contagion.