Photo: Focus Features
9. Moonrise Kingdom
Observing quirky characters played by some of Hollywood's finest, a sense of throwback that recalls a simpler time, and a yarn that lies somewhere between bizarre and sublime, you definitely know you're watching a Wes Anderson film. But with "Moonrise Kingdom," the writer-director gives us something he hasn't since "Rushmore": A protagonist we can truly root for. In Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman), we get a doe-eyed youngster, untainted by shark attacks or Tennenbaums, whose underlying motivation is love, and young love at that. It's the ingredient that's been missing from Anderson's recent work, and it's the gel that brings all of Anderson's idiosyncrasies together so beautifully in this heartfelt flick. -- Adam Pockross (@AdPoc)