Carey Mulligan

[6] Carey Mulligan gives an outstanding performance in this adaptation of Lynn Barber’s memoir. Mulligan plays a sixteen-year-old in 1960s London, pushed by her father to study hard so she can get into Oxford. When she falls in love with a charming man nearly twice her age, she decides to let her education slide. But Prince Charming isn’t all he’s cracked up to be and …

[7] I’ll get straight to the point: This is the saddest goddamned motherfucking movie ever made. If you want to cry your eyes out forever and ever, watch Never Let Me Go. Okay. Now, with that out of the way… Director Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) takes on the award-winning Kazuo Ishiguro novel about three young friends who grow up together under close supervision in …

[8] Ryan Gosling channels his inner Eastwood in this stylish thriller about a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver. The combination of Hossein Amini’s emotionally restrained script and Nicolas Winding Refn’s visceral direction are a winning combination, boosted tremendously by Newton Thomas Sigel’s crisp, colorful cinematography and Cliff Martinez’s minimalist, evocative score. Gosling’s screen presence can never be disputed after this film. Like …

[8] Shame is a deeply sad, austere and beautifully composed film about a sex addict whose routine is interrupted by a visit from his emotionally disturbed sister. The film features a fearless, hyper-anguished performance from Michael Fassbender, who is quickly becoming one the best film actors of our time. Masterfully directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger, 12 Years a Slave), who lets several scenes play out …