The Password is Swordfish

A brief word: as these reviews age, I wince at some of the ratings I gave them. Some too high, some WAY too high, some too low. For the most part, I stand by my Best Of lists as a general indicator of relative quality and the films you should seek out. I also don’t find any of these reviews to be more than a kernel off– anything on the three through four kernel list is definitely worth watching. Just note that as time passes, occasionally I feel (but never give into) the temptation to sneak in an edited parenthetical which reads “give or take a kernel.”

Best of 2008
Best of 2009
Best of 2010
Best of 2011

4 KERNELS:
Adaptation. (2002)
Adventureland (2009)
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)
After Life (1998)
All The Real Girls (2003)
Amadeus (1984)
Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2009)
Avatar (2009)
The Avengers (2012)
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)
Beginners (2011)
Black Dynamite (2009)
Brick (2005)
The Brothers Bloom (2009)
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011)
Doubt (2008)
Drive (2011)
Four Lions (2010)
Frost/Nixon (2008)
The Ghost Writer (2010)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Heat (1995)
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Hugo (2011)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
In Bruges (2008)
In the Loop (2009)
In the Mood For Love (2000)
Into the Abyss (2011)
The King’s Speech (2010)
Man On Wire (2008)
Mother (2010)
The Muppets (2011)
Never Let Me Go (2010)
Once (2007)
127 Hours (2010)
Ponyo (2009)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
A Serious Man (2009)
The Social Network (2010)
Spartan (2004)
Star Trek (2009)
Sweetgrass (2010)
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Take Shelter (2011)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D (2009)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
The Trip (2011)
True Grit (2010)
Un Prophete (2010)
Up (2009)
Up In The Air (2009)
Wall-E (2008)
Waltz With Bashir (2008)
Warrior (2011)
We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Winter’s Bone (2010)
The Wrestler (2008)

3 1/2 KERNELS:
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Another Year (2010)
Attack the Block (2011)
Borat (2006)
Cadillac Records (2008)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Crazy Heart (2009)
Cyrus (2010)
A Dangerous Method (2011)
The Descendants (2011)
District 9 (2009)
Earth (2009)
Enemy of the State (1998)
Everything Must Go (2011)
Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010)
The Fall (2008)
50/50 (2011)
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Frozen River (2008)
The Grey (2012)
The Hangover (2009)
Hanna (2011)
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Headhunters (2012)
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)
The Hurt Locker (2009)
I Love You Phillip Morris (2010)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
The Ides of March (2011)
Inception (2010)
The Informant! (2009)
The Island (2005)
The Karate Kid (2010)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Let Me In (2010)
Machete (2010)
Margin Call (2011)
Melancholia (2011)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
Moon (2009)
Precious (2009)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Rabbit Hole (2010)
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Rango (2011)
Salt (2010)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Shutter Island (2010)
Silent Movie (1976)
Sugar (2009)
Sunshine Cleaning (2009)
Super 8 (2011)
Tangled (2010)
Terribly Happy (2010)
The Town (2010)
The Tree of Life (2011)
21 Jump Street (2012)
2012 (2009)
(untitled) (2009)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
The Visitor (2008)
W. (2008)
Zombieland (2009)

3 KERNELS:
Adam (2009)
The American (2010)
The Artist (2011)
Australia (2008)
Away We Go (2009)
The Book of Eli (2010)
Bridesmaids (2011)
Burn After Reading (2008)
Chronicle (2012)
Crazy Stupid Love (2011)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Death at a Funeral (2010)
An Education (2009)
The Expendables (2010)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
The Fighter (2010)
Friends With Kids (2012)
Funny People (2009)
Get Him To The Greek (2010)
Ghost Town (2008)
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009)
The Guard (2011)
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Jeff Who Lives At Home (2012)
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010)
Kill the Irishman (2011)
Knowing (2009)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Like Crazy (2011)
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Meek’s Cutoff (2011)
Michael Jackson’s This Is It (2009)
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
My Week With Marilyn (2011)
9 (2009)
Nine (2009)
Piranha 3D (2010)
The Pirates: Band of Misfits (2012)
Prometheus (2012)
Public Enemies (2009)
The Raid: Redemption (2012)
Real Steel (2011)
Red (2010)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
State of Play (2009)
Surrogates (2009)
Unstoppable (2010)
Valkyrie (2008)
Watchmen (2009)
Win Win (2011)
Youth In Revolt (2010)

2 1/2 KERNELS:
The A-Team (2010)
Big Fan (2009)
Black Swan (2010)
The Blind Side (2009)
Blue Valentine (2010)
Casa De Mi Padre (2012)
Casino Jack (2010)
Cedar Rapids (2011)
City of Ember (2008)
Cold Souls (2009)
Contagion (2011)
Despicable Me (2010)
The Dictator (2012)
Duplicity (2009)
Fast Five (2011)
Fighting (2009)
Fright Night (2011)
Get Low (2010)
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
The Help (2011)
High School Musical 3 (2008)
Hobo With A Shotgun (2011)
Horrible Bosses (2011)
The Hunger Games (2012)
Ice Age (2002)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
It’s Complicated (2009)
It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
John Carter (2012)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Kick-Ass (2010)
Knight and Day (2010)
The Losers (2010)
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Men In Black 3 (2012)
Moneyball (2011)
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Milk (2008)
Morning Glory (2010)
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Notorious (2009)
The Other Guys (2010)
Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
Paul (2011)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
Pineapple Express (2008)
Prince Caspian (2008)
The Proposal (2009)
Redbelt (2008)
Red Tails (2012)
The Rocker (2008)
Role Models (2008)
Rubber (2011)
Safe (2012)
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)
Source Code (2011)
Step Brothers (2008)
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
Terminator: Salvation (2009)
Thor (2011)
The Three Stooges (2012)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Troll Hunter (2011)
Tron: Legacy (2010)
Wanderlust (2012)
War Horse (2011)
Wendy and Lucy (2008)
Whatever Works (2009)
The Wolfman (2010)
X-Men: First Class (2011)
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Zookeeper (2011)

2 KERNELS:
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
The Beaver (2011)
Bruno (2009)
Cars 2 (2011)
Clash of the Titans (2010)
Colombiana (2011)
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop (2011)
Crank 2: High Voltage (2009)
Dark Shadows (2012)
The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)
Dinner For Schmucks (2010)
Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Drive Angry 3D (2011)
Due Date (2010)
Extract (2009)
Fast and Furious (2009)
Faster (2010)
The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
The Foot Fist Way (2008)
From Paris With Love (2010)
Get the Gringo (2012)
Goon (2012)
Green Lantern (2011)
Hancock (2008)
Haywire (2012)
I Love You Man (2009)
Immortals (2011)
In Time (2011)
Jackass 3D (2010)
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Legion (2010)
Lockout (2012)
MacGruber (2010)
Monsters (2010)
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Predators (2010)
Priest (2011)
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Robin Hood (2010)
17 Again (2009)
Shame (2011)
The Soloist (2009)
Taken (2009)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Valhalla Rising (2010)
Wanted (2008)
Wrath of the Titans (2012)
Year One (2009)

1 1/2 KERNELS:
American Reunion (2012)
Battleship (2012)
Charlie St. Cloud (2010)
Cop Out (2010)
Cowboys and Aliens (2011)
Eagle Eye (2008)
Eclipse (2010)
The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
Ghost Rider (2007)
Greenberg (2010)
The Green Hornet (2011)
Invictus (2009)
Land of the Lost (2009)
New Moon (2009)
Season of the Witch (2011)
Super (2011)
30 Minutes or Less (2011)
Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (2012)
The Ugly Truth (2009)
A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas (2011)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

1 KERNEL:
Angels and Demons (2009)
Get Smart (2008)
Gran Torino (2008)
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
The Last Airbender (2010)
Paper Heart (2009)
The Pink Panther 2 (2009)
Shorts (2009)
Snow White And The Huntsman (2012)
The Sitter (2011)
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

1/2 KERNEL:
The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
The Bounty Hunter (2010)
Burlesque (2010)
Dragonball: Evolution (2009)
G-Force (2009)
The Hangover 2 (2011)
The Love Guru (2008)
Observe and Report (2009)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Red State (2011)
Sucker Punch (2011)
Skyline (2010)

0 KERNELS:
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel (2009)
Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son (2011)
Furry Vengeance (2010)
Old Dogs (2009)
Vampires Suck (2010)