Junebug

An odd tale of culture clash (big city art scene type vs. small town Southerner) that almost but not quite pulls off its carefully balanced storytelling. There's enough sincerity and humor to hold things together through most of the running time, but much of its quirky charm is undone by the last reel, when an otherwise sprightly story turns into a big drag. A nice try, but feel free to let this one slip through the cracks.

Matilda

Hard to go wrong when your screenwriter is (for all practical purposes) Roald Dahl. This is based on one of his best, and they get it almost exactly right. Mara Wilson is great in the title role, and Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman do a fine job as her loathsome parents. Almost, but not quite, a Best Of All nominee.

Fallen

Always tough to go wrong when Denzel Washington is in the house. Good, creepy tale--a serial killer is really a demon's possessee--though the ending is a little bit obvious.