It's been an epic year for movies.

From James Cameron's return to the big screen with "Avatar," to "Star Trek" re-imagined to the star-studded cast of Rob Marshall's "Nine," Hollywood has been going big guns this year.

Meanwhile over in independent film a new star was born - Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe - the abused, overweight teen who grabs your heart and won't let go in "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire."

And a few foreign language films - "The White Ribbon" and "A Prophet," in particular - simply blew critics' socks off.

We canvassed a diverse group of movie experts to find out what films they thought were the best of 2009.

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London, England (CNN) - Director Guy Ritchie says he was determined to make Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, the two male leads in his new movie, "Sherlock Holmes," off-screen pals to ensure the success of his film.

The British director, known for his now-dissolved marriage to Madonna as much as for his films, took the American and British actors to the Punch Bowl, his local London pub, so they could get to know each other well during filming.

"What was essential to me is that when these guys first met as mates that they really got on with one other, and they did - within five seconds," Ritchie told CNN. "Rudy [Downey Jr.] and Judy [Law] and I had a lot of late nights in the pub."

His strategy seems to have worked - off-screen anyway.

On the red carpet at the London premiere of the film, which opens on Christmas Day in the States and the day after in the UK, Law joked he was "in love" with Downey Jr., adding that "the flirting started the minute we met. It was based on mutual respect and admiration."

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CNN) - James Cameron unveiled his much-hyped, wildly-anticipated 3D sci-fi epic "Avatar" to audiences in full in London Thursday.

Here's what the critics are saying about the Oscar-winner's first outing since "Titanic," the most successful film of modern times.

Todd McCarthy, Variety: The King of the World sets his sights on creating another world entirely in "Avatar," and it's very much a place worth visiting.

...delivers unique spectacle, breathtaking sights, narrative excitement and an overarching anti-imperialist, back-to-nature theme that will play very well around the world..."

Mike Goodridge, Screen International: ...once again takes cinema to a new level of remarkable spectacle ...

An epic film born entirely of Cameron's imagination, "Avatar" uses tailor-made technology to create the most astonishing visual effects yet seen on screen and blends them seamlessly into a mythical sci-fi story about an ancient alien civilization fighting the encroaching human menace.

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London, England (CNN) - James Cameron's feverishly-awaited sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" has enjoyed its world premiere to strong reviews.

Hyped as the most technically-ambitious and expensive film ever made, "Avatar," had a lot to live up to.

But, as the credits rolled following the 3D epic's world premiere in London Thursday, it looked like the "Titanic" director's decade-long gamble had paid off.

There were whoops and cheers as portions of the audience gave Cameron and cast members, including Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington, a standing ovation.

Later, outside, among the excited crowd, much of the talk was about the amazing spectacle Cameron had created on the fictional planet of Pandora, which has been invaded by military forces from Earth.

"It was an absolute marvel and I am left in awe after seeing it," audience member James Howard, 23, said of the magical jungle planet that lights up with phosphorescence at night.

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Thessaloniki Film Festival turns 50

Werner Herzog at Thessaloniki

They might have been trained to ride flying broomsticks and mix potions but life after Hogwarts is still a riddle for the young magicians of the Harry Potter series.

With filming in the last part of the series –"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" - well underway, the cast of the multi-million selling franchise seem bound to look back and reflect on their nine-year-long magic ride.

"It was September 29, 2000," Daniel Radcliffe, now 20, told CNN with a hint of nostalgia about his first day on set in Goathland railway station in northern England.

"Me, Emma [Watson], and Rupert [Grint] had all traveled up that day in a minibus, and we sat on the back seat - which was undoubtedly my influence - pretending that we were DJs on a radio station."

Surely, not many of those present at that first shoot could have predicted Harry Potter's unprecedented level of success in the coming years.

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London, England (CNN) - Hundreds of millions of dollars is a lot to spend on a film featuring a bunch of blue aliens - but that's exactly what Fox Features has done with new 3D sci-fi "Avatar," which the movie studio says is the most expensive production it has ever made.

In an interview with CNN just before the movie's worldwide release later this month, James Gianopulos, co-chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, wouldn't divulge the figure spent on the sci-fi blockbuster.

Guessing the multi-million dollar sum of the latest film from director James Cameron has been a popular game for industry watchers for some months: a recent article in the Wall Street Journal speculated the film's final tally could exceed $300 million.

"It is the most expensive film we've made, but now, having the luxury of hindsight, it is money well spent, so I'm not concerned about it," Gianopulos told CNN at the Thessaloniki film festival in Greece.

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They are the deal-makers behind the scenes who make it all happen. We talk to "The Dark Knight's" Charles Roven and other producers to find out what their little-known but vital part of the industry entails.

Watch the show on TV

Showtimes: Wednesday 25 November: 09:30, 1730, Saturday 28 November: 0930, 2130, Sunday 29 November: 0630, 1830, Monday 30 November: 0400 (all times GMT)

Watch the show on the web

Watch "Block A: What does a producer do?" here

Watch "Block B: Yash Chopra - Bollywood super-producer" here

Watch "Block C: A modern way of producing" here

An Australian drama featuring two indigenous kids living in the middle of the vast continent has taken the top prize at Asia-Pacific's film awards.

"Samson & Delilah" scooped the Best Feature Film award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards held each year in Queensland, Australia.

Director Warwick Thornton's debut showed at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and was awarded the Camera d'Or for best first feature.

Read more about the APSA winners here.

Working together must be easy for Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, the award-winning movie producers.

More often than not, the co-chairmen of Working Title Films finish off each other's sentences, revealing a mutual respect that has its roots in a strong friendship that has spanned two decades.

The London-based producers began working together in 1992. Two years later, they had their first massive hit, "Four Weddings and a Funeral." It took $245 million worldwide by then ticket prices, according to boxofficemojo.com, with more than three-quarters of that coming from outside the United States.

Since then the pair have been on a rollercoaster ride. Their long list of worldwide blockbusters includes "Bridget Jones Diary," "Notting Hill" and "Billy Elliott," proving, more than once, that you don't have to be American to be a success in Hollywood.

Here, the champions of the British film industry talk exclusively to CNN about the future of movies, bad reviews and why they don't sleep at nights.

Read more about Bevan and Fellner here.