According to Simon Dillon

Competition for space on this list was stronger than ever, so here are some "honourable mentions" that didn't quite make the final selection: Moon, Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Informant!, Orphan, Triangle, Red Cliff, Drag me to hell, In the Loop, The Wrestler, (500) Days of Summer, Me and Orson Welles and Where the Wild Things Are.

One more point: Departures, a Japanese film that won best foreign film at the Oscars, STILL hasn't opened anywhere near where I live, so I'm rather irritated not to have seen that, as I suspect had I done so, it would have merited a place in this list. I shall see it next year, and in the meantime, in no particular order of merit, here are my choices:

The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker
Katherine Bigalow's best film to date is a nerve-shreddingly tense affair set in war torn Iraq following a bomb disposal unit. Their commander feels increasingly compelled to flirt with death for an adrenaline rush, regardless of how much danger his colleagues are placed in as a result. A stripped down no-nonsense screenplay, great performances, fine direction and a refusal to make heavy handed political statements make this a thrilling, powerful and uncompromising piece of work.

District 9

District 9
In a particularly strong year for science fiction, District 9 managed the impossible and breathed new life into the tired old alien invasion story. The deliberately transparent apartheid allegory provides the backdrop for thrilling excitement, horror, dark humour and some outstanding special effects, not to mention a tour-de-force performance from Shalto Copley. A first rate sci-fi actioner with plenty of food for thought. In other words: a rare gem.

Up

Up
Pixar strike gold again in what is, if not their best film yet, then certainly their funniest and possibly their most poignant. Any film that can make you laugh hysterically and cry in the first ten minutes is an extraordinary piece of work. The unlikely friendship between pensioner Carl and Russell the boy-scout that follows as they adventure in a lost South American jungle is absolutely sublime. The most uplifting film of the year.

A Serious Man

A Serious Man
The Coen Brothers use a contemporary variation on the Book of Job as the framework for their most personal film to date, but make absolutely no concessions to a commercial audience. The film is all the better for it too - dark, poignant and very, very funny. Certain scenes, too hilariously surreal to detail, had me laughing so hard I was in physical pain.

Star Trek

Star Trek
As franchise reboots go, this is certainly one of the better ones and the best Trek movie since The Wrath of Khan. Wisely ditching the usual nonsense about the prime directive and heavy handed messages about tolerance, this concentrates on the one thing that made the original series so successful: great fun. Worth giving a go even if you absolutely detest Star Trek.

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol
Robert Zemeckis' roller coaster take on the Dickens classic was much criticised by those who thought the effects overwhelmed the story. Wrong. This is faithful to the book (much of the dialogue is verbatim lifted from the page), full-on its depiction of the story's explicitly Christian message, and properly scary to boot. A wonderful "motion-captured" performance from Jim Carrey, fine support from the likes of Gary Oldman, and the music score is great too. Forget Avatar, this is the Christmas film to see this year, and the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol since Alistair Sim's seminal 1951 version.

Gran Torino

Gran Torino
Clint Eastwood's extraordinary film may prove his last performance in front of the camera, in which case it's a brilliant swansong. Although it begins like Dirty Harry in retirement, the screenplay evolves into something altogether different and unexpected, containing brilliant performances, old fashioned wisdom about mentoring and a strongly redemptive central theme. Of all Clint's outstanding work this decade, this film was my favourite for that reason and as such it feels like the culmination of the life's work of an American legend.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire
Essentially It's a Wonderful Life meets Oliver Twist in Mumbai. At heart this is a love story, but it's also an ironic fable about money and destiny. Tremendous performances (especially from the children), vivid locations, amazing music, brilliant direction and editing mean that for once the Capra comparisons are justified. However, like Capra's best work, the feel-good finale is undercut by some extremely harsh earlier material ensuring our sympathy with the protagonists is never shaken. Danny Boyles best film.