Nos. 31-40: We're starting to get really good

Here we go again.

40. "1408": Easily the best of the few horror films I saw from this year. While the ending might not be exceptional, it's nice to see John Cusack seemingly interested again. He gives perhaps his best performance since "Max." Partially because of that, this psychological thriller is actually thrilling and scary.

39. "Lady Chatterly": The first of three consecutive, how shall I put it, more explicit entries, this film's slow, methodical pacing really works with this story. While passion blossoms, it's slow and tentative, and the film allows it to play out in that manner. At times some of the acting came across as kind of stilted, but other than that it was quite good.

38. "Black Snake Moan": Craig Brewer's followup to "Hustle & Flow" seems to always exist just on the other side of reality and is better for it, even if it does occasionally diverge into the silly. There's a music and dance sequence here that is just plain bravura filmmaking.

37. "Lust, Caution": This might not rank among Ang Lee's best, but there are a few moments in here that hold an unbelievable amount of power. The problem is the film is a tad inconsistent (and yes, the sex scenes are a bit over-the-top).

36. "King of Kong": A good story told well, albeit not quite as well as I'd hoped for. This documentary about two men's battle for the Donkey Kong all-time record received a lot of publicity, partially simply because of its quirky subject matter. And it is entertaining to a degree, but don't go in expecting the level of quality of a competition documentary like "Murderball." It's good, but it never really elevates itself past that stage.

35. "American Gangster": The first 15-20 minutes of this film seem to portend something truly great, an achievement that would live up to the prerelease hype. Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't really live up to it. It's solid, but it seems overly safe, by the book. It's consistent, but never really surprising.

34. "Hairspray": It may not be a classic, but it is far more consistently entertaining than I figured it would be (although John Travolta in a dress still kind of creeps me out). Catchy and infectious.

33. "Enchanted": On paper, this bit of Disney gently skewering itself shouldn't work. But then, in case you haven't heard, Amy Adams is magic. Adams, with support from a surprisingly adept James Marsden, elevates the entire production. I know this wasn't your typical Oscar-type role, but Blanchett in a subpar sequel over Adams' breath-of-fresh-air performance here? Really?

32. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix": After a second viewing, I think I prefered "Goblet of Fire," but this is still a worthy entry in the series, if only because of Imelda Staunton's hilarious turn as Delores Umbridge. Hopefully the final films in the series keep up the good work.

31. "A Mighty Heart": Easily the best Angelina Jolie movie I've ever seen. As much as this was marketed as Jolie-centric, however, it is much more of a procedural (and far better for it). Winterbottom's style is the star here, and he makes the search to find Daniel Pearl before it's too late utterly fascinating, despite the fact we know how this story ends. Quite an achievement, even if the film never quite reaches the level of "great."

Up next: Four comedies, five dramas and the second best documentary I saw last year.