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At number eight is another true story told in a unique way, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. This outstanding animated film is based on Satrapi's two-part graphic memoir, telling the story of her childhood in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Satrapi's story is deeply moving, and the simple animated style that the film borrows from the memoir gives the film added depth and dimension. Satrapi is not afraid to show the humor in both the events that were going on around her and her own youthful interpretations of them, which makes it a lot of fun to watch. But she also does not pull any punches in depicting the brutal conditions that she and her parents had to overcome.

Remember that amazing Russian fantasy I told you about last week and how you absolutely have to see it because it will blow your mind? Did you see it? Wasn't it amazing? Well, now it's time to see the sequel. Perhaps the only reason why I didn't love Timur Bekmambetov's Day Watch as much as Night Watch is because I knew what to expect, but that doesn't change the fact that the number seven film on this list will blow your mind. Day Watch picks up where Night Watch ended, with the world in turmoil and Konstantin having to do something to save it. The biggest hit in the history of post-communist Russia, it is a crime that this film got ignored by American audiences. I don't want to give anything away for people who haven't seen the first film, but I will just say that Avatar looks like a piece of garbage compared to Day Watch.

Noah Baumbach's follow-up to The Squid and the Whale is the number six film on my list, as I may be the only person in the world who preferred Baumbach's Margot at the Wedding to its predecessor. Nicole Kidman stars as Margot, a successful writer with an extremely dysfunctional relationship with her sister, whose wedding she is at. An incredibly complex exploration of family dynamics, Margot is the kind of movie I love: really smart people being horribly mean to each other. Kidman gives a shockingly unglamorous performance, and her battles with Jennifer Jason Leigh put what you saw in 300 to shame. Jack Black is also fantastic as the groom, a bitter failed musician. This kind of movie isn't for everyone, but if you're a Baumbach fan then you will love this movie.

I have to give credit to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, not just because it is a great movie, but because watching it was one of the most brutal experiences of my life. This fairly straightforward, understated film is set in Romania when it was still under Communist rule, and tells the story of a young woman helping her friend obtain an illegal abortion. Composed of mostly long shots, with no music and very little action, writer/director Cristian Mungiu does a superb job of torturing by building the tension to an almost unbearable level. Anamaria Marinca gives a superb performance, never showing what she is feeling but always making her emotional struggle clear. The 2007 Palm D'Or winner is an example of masterful filmmaking that you rarely see in America.

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