May I have the envelope please ...

Wendy and Lucy: The year's most haunting soundtrack may be the six-bar theme (composed by Will Oldham) that Michelle Williams hums throughout this quiet marvel of a film from director Kelly Reichardt. A transient young woman in the Pacific Northwest loses her dog: It sounds like a skimpy premise to hang a movie on, but then, you could say the same thing about Bicycle Thieves.

The Wrestler: It seems to have become de rigueur, when talking about Darren Aronofsky's latest, to praise Mickey Rourke's performance while expressing grave doubts about the movie as a whole. I intend to do nothing of the kind: I loved it all, from Marisa Tomei's sad-eyed pole dances to the bit parts played by nonprofessional actors to the graceful handheld camerawork by Maryse Alberti. Go ahead and try to make me say something bad about The Wrestler. But be warned: I have a stapler, and I will use it.