Here are the 10 best films released this year thus far...

It's actually been a pretty good year for film so far. Spring was particularly good, with the release of Eternal Sunshine, Kill Bill, Passion and the surprising Hellboy. Eternal Sunshine has emerged as both Charlie Kaufman's and Michel Gondry's best work. I sincerely hope that Kaufman can keep up this level of creativity for at least a few more films.

Summer was pretty weak at first, with a bunch of mediocre offerings finally offset by the documentaries Super Size Me and Fahrenheit 9/11. Then came Spider-Man 2, possibly the best comic book film yet made and on top of that, a truly great showcase for director Sam Raimi. This guy deserves to be in the pantheon. He is both a unique visual stylist and a fantastic director of actors. Anyway, here is the list. I recommend all of the following highly.

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Kill Bill Volume 2
3. Super Size Me
4. Fahrenheit 9/11
5. Napoleon Dynamite
6. Spider-Man 2
7. Touching the Void
8. Hellboy
9. The Passion of the Christ
10. The Five Obstructions

I'll be back later with "The Movies That Sucked."