9. The Innkeepers
Ti West is probably the best young horror film director today. The key to his films is that he is not afraid to wait and be patient. He plays upon the audiences' expectation of always waiting for that scare. That anticipation for a scare to come makes the scare especially frightening. Ti West is a fan of horror films and that can be seen with all of his films. He last film, "The House of the Devil," was an homage to the babysitter films of the 70's and this film is an homage to the haunted house film. And it shows that gore isn't needed to make a creepy film as the film relies upon atmosphere to make it scary. Ti West is one to watch out for in the future.
8. A Late Quartet
Yaron Zilberman's debut feature film has one of the best ensemble casts of the year. And that ensemble cast carries the film all the way through its melodramatic pitfalls. That said, the screenplay is a nice portrait of four people who have known each other for a long time and the problem that persists because of that intimacy. In my memory, there has never been a film that has featured classical musicians as its protagonists, not counting composers. These musicians are held in high esteem but this film shows that they are indeed human just like anybody else. "A Late Quartet" plays like a great composition of music. All the actors play off each other well like different instruments and it strikes a harmonious chord.