According to Simon Dillon



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Ten Best Films Of The Year

1. The Tree of Life

The Final Verdict: Terrence Malick's masterpiece is a bona-fide marmite film. You'll either absolutely love it, in which case you'll overlook its flaws, or you'll absolutely hate it. In spite of having manfully attempted an objective review back in July, I must confess that I am firmly in the former category for very personal reasons. This is a film that I know has been used by God. For instance, I recently read about a grieving couple who claimed watching The Tree of Life helped them come to terms with the tragic death of their baby. Yet another example of my belief that art - or rather the power of God through art - can transform lives.

Best bit: The audacious, self-indulgent yet staggeringly beautiful Creation sequence.

Looking ahead to 2012, there's plenty to watch out for - from Oscar frontrunner The Artist, to Spielberg's War Horse, the long awaited Avengers film, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, Pixar's Brave, the next James Bond film Skyfall, and the first in Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of The Hobbit next Christmas. There will no doubt be plenty of disappointments, hidden gems and other surprises along the way. CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.