1. “Toy Story 3”

Threequels aren't supposed to work. Just ask Francis Ford Coppola, Sam Raimi, Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas or that guy who made the "Blade" movies. But when you learn that our gold star of the year has been helmed by the flawless Pixar — who 16 years ago took a bunch of hard, plastic faces and breathed not just life, but love into them — the situation changes.

So where did it all go right? Maybe it was during those old film reels of Andy’s jubilant adventures with Sheriff Woody, the evil Dr. Porkchop and a brigade of swarming monkeys. Or maybe it was the moment when the attic ladder slides shut behind the unmarked bag of toys beside it, dooming them forever to the incinerator.

“Toy Story 3” transcends the ordinary not just because it’s a clever parable about commercialism, but because it asks genuinely stirring questions about aging. What happens when those that loved us must let us go? How do we carry the remnants of our past relationships while preserving our independence? Woody and Buzz might not be part of Andy’s college life, but they’ve certainly found their way into ours.

-JENNIFER XU

2. “The Social Network”

There’s a mesmerizing quality, oh current University students and recently graduated alums, to watching a movie about the genesis of Facebook. Our generation is as inexorably tied to its success as is Mark Zuckerberg — if he was the nurturing parent, we were the Hollywood agent that realized its potential and made it a society-changing phenomenon.

The release of “The Social Network” in the midst of Facebook’s golden years made for delicious irony, as thousands updated their statuses to profess their love for the film — an expected reaction, since the "The Social Network" was such a supreme amalgamation of expert writing, directing and acting that not declaring adoration for the film to the world could result in a minor stroke.

Aaron Sorkin's diabolically good script was consistently laugh-out-loud funny, nullifying the inherent drabness of lawsuits, venture capitalism and (shudder) computer programming. Director David Fincher created each frame with a mama grizzly’s care and deserves an Oscar simply for pulling a tremendous performance out of Justin Timberlake. But when it came to the stellar cast, Jesse Eisenberg rose above all, playing Zuckerberg as a geek yearning for acceptance in our increasingly disconnected world. Wait ... where's the “like” button on this newspaper?

-KAVI SHEKHAR PANDEY

3. “Inception”

Christopher Nolan’s auteuristic drama-meets-mindfuck thriller created a storm of hype in the months before its release, only to be outdone by the social impact of the film itself. “Inception” cemented Nolan’s dual status as a virtuoso of the smart blockbuster and our generation’s most bankable director. It was start-to-finish captivating, from the brilliant temporal presentation of the dreamworld to the engrossing compound action sequence that constituted the second half of the film.

The logistics of the film’s dream-stealer plot still elude, but figuring it out is half the experience. Despite Nolan’s best efforts to deceive the audience, those who switch off for a minute and take the film as what it is — a visual presentation — will notice that the single moment may be the most telling. A widower’s ringless hand, the persistent spinning of a top — are these keys to the story? Maybe. But if the film left you breathless, you’re halfway there.

-ANKUR SOHONI

4. “True Grit”

In this adaptation of a John Wayne film, Joel and Ethan Coen take an old fashioned story about courage and turn it into something more. It’s not just another washed-up Western with southern drawls, ghost towns and gun fights.

“True Grit” avoids the traditional mold because of the strength of the actors.