4. Under The Skin
It's always great when a huge Hollywood star takes a break from the blockbusters and works on a project with a focus on artistic integrity over box office receipts. Under The Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien preying on unsuspecting men in Scotland, is about as far removed from summer blockbusters as you can get. Another contemporary film in which the spirit of Stanley Kubrick looms over the frame, Under The Skin blends two very distinct visual styles to create an appropriately alienating effect. Handheld - and sometimes hidden - cameras show Johansson's alien as she hunts her prey on the streets of Glasgow, but director Jonathan Glazer counterbalances this with some highly abstract staging, particularly of the disturbing void where the alien lures her victims. By using such a famous actress and reframing her as an alientated form of sexuality, Under The Skin transforms the way we perceive stardom and stands as one of Johansson's finest performances to date.