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Here is where The Mighty really soars, imposing a metaphoric layer onto the real world that has treated these boys so poorly. Empowered by their belief in knighthood and its values, they set out to perform heroic deeds—and we root for them at every turn.

The Mighty could have played out like a soap opera, but it doesn’t. The parents and grandparents in the story (played by Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, Gena Rowlands, and Harry Dean Stanton) wring their hands, but the boys refuse to wallow in self-pity. (James Gandolfini also appears in a climactic sequence as Max’s father.)

Peter Chelsom, who found just the right approach to such unusual fare as Hear My Song (1991) and Funny Bones (1995), scores another bull’s-eye here, and obviously developed great communication with his young actors. The Mighty is a very special film.

89. MILLIONS

(2005)

Directed by Danny Boyle

Screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Based on the novel by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Actors:

ALEXANDER NATHAN ETEL

LEWIS OWEN MCGIBBON

JAMES NESBITT

DAISY DONOVAN

CHRISTOPHER FULFORD

JANE HOGARTH

ALUN ARMSTRONG

ENZO CILENTI

LESLIE PHILLIPS

Audiences are ready, even eager, to accept fantasy in an otherworldly realm, like those depicted in The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. They’ll even accept utter make-believe in a popcorn movie like Transformers. But they’re tougher to win over when someone tells a story in which subtler fantastic elements—without large-scale special effects—are integrated into an everyday setting. Still, every now and then, a picture persuades moviegoers to make that leap of faith, and Millions is a great example.

Danny Boyle is now enshrined in movies’ hall of fame as the Oscar-winning director of Slumdog Millionaire, but he made his reputation with the heart-stopping British film about the underground drug culture, Trainspotting. Writer Frank Cottrell Boyce is best known for serious films like Welcome to Sarajevo and Hilary and Jackie. But it turns out they both have a lighter side, and express that quite nicely in this entertaining fable.

Our heroes are wide-eyed Damien, who’s seven, and his nine-year-old brother Anthony, who are uprooted from their gray city dwelling and moved to a shiny new suburban development by their recently widowed father. Damien has an active imagination, but one day while he’s playing near the railroad tracks a bagful of money lands right in front of him…and it’s very real indeed.

His ambitious brother starts figuring out how they can best make use of the money—which is in pound notes, just as England is about to switch (at least, for the purposes of this story) to the euro—but soon two outsiders interfere with his plans. One is a scheming drifter who wants the cash for himself. The other is St. Francis of Assisi, who comes to Damien in a vision and tells him he should share his newfound wealth with the poor.

I would rather not reveal more of the story or the way it is presented. The film addresses issues of ethics and morality, but it’s not out to preach, and would never be mistaken for an after-school special.

Millions is a lively and unpredictable mix of unreality and heartfelt emotions, beautifully expressed by its two young actors, Alex Etel and Lewis McGibbon. You’ll never guess where the story is heading, which makes Millions a charming surprise package for anyone willing to surrender to its charms.

90. MIRRORMASK

(2005)

Directed by David McKean

Screenplay by Neil Gaiman

Story by David McKean and Neil Gaiman

Actors:

STEPHANIE LEONIDAS

JASON BARRY

ROB BRYDON

GINA MCKEE

STEPHEN FRY

Where would contemporary authors, artists, and filmmakers be if they couldn’t refer to such universally understood touchstones as The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland? Sometimes I resent the reliance on these ageless creations, but occasionally I think the creators of the new work are clever enough to warrant their own round of applause.

There is no question