It’s no secret that I love movies. I still have the ticket stub for every film I’ve ever seen in theaters. I know the release dates of all the summer blockbusters (and the fall, winter and spring ones) and the Internet Movie Database has become a verb in my vocabulary — as in, “Who directed that? Oh, I’ll just IMDb it.”

So it’s only fitting that I write this column about two of the year’s best films: the motion sickness-inducing monster movie that gave New York City something to fear and the pseudo-acid trip that made a Beatles-inspired hippie life seem like a desirable existence.

King Kong was endearing. Godzilla became a hero. Neither was as terrifying as the “Cloverfield” creature that stormed theaters on 1/18/08. That thing had it all: It was 30 stories tall with mini-monsters falling off of it and lungs on the sides of its head. And yet, the terror arose not from its human-eating tendencies but from the mystery surrounding it all. What is it? Where did it come from? Nobody knew. Hell, I still don’t know and I’ve seen the movie more times than I’m willing to admit. The film refused to answer those questions because “Cloverfield,” unlike many of the films in its genre, is a monster movie that isn’t really about the monster. It’s about a group of friends surviving a disaster — or at least trying to.

In fact, that’s the best thing about “Cloverfield”: Instead of simply watching Rob and company battle, it’s as if you’re fighting for your life right alongside them. I knew what they knew. I saw what they saw. The shaky hand-held camerawork never felt contrived and the script was barely visible. Clutch your stomach if you must, but the 85-minute long cardiac assault that is “Cloverfield” will not, like its monster, be going down without a fight anytime soon.

And if one visual rollercoaster isn’t enough, there’s always “Across the Universe.” The technicolor roadtrip, the giant blue puppet people and the cartoon circus threw my brain for a trip, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from a movie inspired by The Beatles.

Believe me, musicals aren’t usually my thing. Annoying lyrics that should be spoken, not sung? No, thanks. But “Across the Universe” beautifully integrated every line into the plot — an impressive feat given the lyrics of songs like “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The cast pulled off covers of some of the most popular songs in history, such as “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”

Every cover brought new life to the classic tunes and helped make “Across the Universe” one of the year’s most unique and inspirational films. If only every man could woo like Jude. If only every bowling alley glowed like that. And above all, if only The Beatles could write my life’s soundtrack. Until that happens, I’ll keep getting by with a little help from my friends and a few Hollywood hits to pass the time.

— Contact Franchesca Winters