I've only seen two of the listed movies:
An Education: I enjoyed it, a bit artsy but despite what happens, you leave without needing to open a vein. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes English films (yes, it's a film, not a movie, if you get what I mean).
Julia and Julie: Saw it in Chicago
and liked it a lot! A very nice date movie, but how sad that Julia Child didn't recognize the homage being paid to her. Meryl Streep had to be wearing stilts to pull it off, and she did it well!
Honey's thoughts on the Oscars: Why are so many Academy Award winning films so gloomy and depressing? Is
that what the Academy considers art? I don't expect (or want) the likes of
The Sound of Music winning year after year, but I do like to leave the theatre feeling good about seeing a movie once in a while. And in a total 180, immediately after seeing
American Beauty, I said, "That's this year's Oscar." Marvelous imagery, even with the dire plot.