According to Simon Dillon

Son of Rambow:

Summary: In the early 1980's, two boys, one of them a member of the uber-strict Plymouth Brethren church, decided to make their own version of the Sylvester Stallone classic.

What I said at the time: "A wistful reminder of a bygone era where children were allowed to play outside, use their imaginations, and create amazing adventures for themselves. So entertaining, it's impossible not to recommend, especially to people who remember tear-off ring pull cans of Coke, hilarious 80's fashions, and expressions like "skill".

Afterthought: This is a flawed, messy tale, but its hilarious and painful subplot exploring oppresive religious legalism struck such a chord with me personally that I cannot leave it off the list.

Gone Baby Gone:

Summary: Ben Affleck proves he is a far better director than actor, but overly cautious exhibitors postponed the release of his film until this year as they were concerned about plot similarities to the Madeleine McCann case.

What I said at the time: "For those who like strong, serious, uncompromised cinema which grapples with difficult issues, this is emotive, gripping, thought provoking stuff."

Afterthought: Perhaps not unflawed, but still strong enough to make it impossible to ignore for this list.

Wall-E:

Summary: Pixar excel themselves yet again in this tale of a lovesick robot who inadvertently saves the human race.

What I said at the time: "One lovely, lovely sequence where Wall-E and Eve dance through space using a fire extinguisher to propel them, will go down in cinema history as one fo the greatest visualisations of pure joy ever seen in the big screen."

Afterthought: Please, please don't listen to the naysayers who say this is an animated Inconvenient Truth. The environmental messages are understated, and do not bash the viewer over the head in a preachy way. The best film I've seen this year, and those steeped in sci-fi lore will love it even more.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas:

Summary: A death camp commandant's son forms an unlikely friendship with a Jewish boy his own age.