2011 was great year for cinephiles. Movie-goers got to see some brilliant big-name blockbusters and rent some sexy small-budget films. We saw three marvelous superhero movies, a handful of amazing animated films, a few decent documentaries, a couple fantastic fourths, a fun fifth, and the eighth and last film in magically epic series. Not too bad.
Here are the top ten best films of the year:
1. Drive - It's like pulling a 90-mph, 270-degree spinout in a black Ford Mustang with a nameless stranger at the wheel - but this nameless guy isn't nameless, he's Ryan Gosling and he's the Driver, and it's a loud, violent, completely awesome action film about a movie stunt driver by day and getaway wheelman by night. And, it is the best film of the year!
2. Source Code - Source Code is an exhilarating, mind-bending, sci-fi thriller where Jake Gyllenhaal enters a stranger's body on a Chicago train for 8 minutes at time in an attempt to find the bomber onboard - think Groundhog Day meets Minority Report - but better!
3. Moneyball - Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's, in not only one of the best sports movies ever made, but also one of the best films of the year. Don't miss this smart, funny, well-written and well-acted film just because it's about baseball -- because the Academy sure won't.
4. X-Men: First Class - The epic beginning of the mutant saga is just as diverse, stylish and powerful as the "superheroes" it's about. You'll leave wishing the Cold War had never ended. But it's the perfect summer blockbuster that will obviously have a sequel and will certainly make a handful of somewhat recognizable faces into Hollywood stars.
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - The second best and darkest Harry Potter film (behind Goblet of Fire) is the perfect ending to the magical story about the young wizard and his lifelong antagonist Voldermort. Don't be surprised if Ralph Fiennes gets an Oscar nom-nod. And film might just make its way into the Academy's top 10 this year as well.
6. Bridesmaids - Kristen Wiig is officially the next big thing in comedy, and proves it in her leading role as a maid of honor in this R-rated, female-driven, Judd Apatow comedy.
7. 13 Assassins - Cult director Takeshi Miike (Audition) creates an epically bloody samurai action film set in feudal Japan that is an impossibly unattainable, perfectly over-the-top, period masterpiece.
8. The Muppets - This film about world's biggest Muppet fan and an oil tycoon digging up their theater is nearly perfect -- at least the first singing, dancing half of it -- and then the second 60 minutes of storytelling will bring out the laughing, crying child in you.
9. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Tinker Tailor is full of thrilling twists and a handful of recognizable faces (Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Tom Hardy) who star in this mysterama about a British spy during the Cold War.
10. The Artist - If it wasn't for the delightfully aged John Goodman on screen in HD you would swear this magically silent black-and-white film was made in the 20s.
Plus another forty worth seeing this year:
11. Contagion - This suspenseful film about a lethal airborne virus is terrifying - not like The Ring or Texas Chainsaw terrifying, terrifying like it could really happen to you terrifying - and believable plot and A-list acting only makes it more powerful.
12. 50/50 - It's inspired by a true cancer diagnosis story, but it's not a Lifetime movie or Hallmark film -- it's a clever dram-com starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen that will make you laugh AND cry.
13. Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar for his leading role as Caesar, the motion-captured CGI ape, in this surprisingly emotional film from the same special effects team that created Avatar and Lord of the Rings.
14. The Adjustment Bureau - Is Matt Damon married? Because if so, he might be having an affair with Emily Blunt. These two stars light the screen on fire and their burning chemistry is reason enough to see this film about politics, life and love and whether or not we control our own destiny.
15. The Descendants - George Clooney is his usual funny yet dramatic self as a father and husband who must re-examine his life after his wife is in a tragic boating accident off the beaches of Hawaii.
16. Midnight in Paris - It's a typical Woody Allen film starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, and Adrien Brody about an engaged couple who travels to Paris where their lives are - individually - changed forever. Fans will embrace it, millennials will be bored.
17. Our Idiot Brother - Paul Rudd is the nicest moron on the planet, and quite possibly the funniest. Don't miss the second best comedy of the summer (Bridesmaids is #1) about that one sibling that everyone can relate to (only took my sister an hour to further investigate this statement).
18. The Lincoln Lawyer - Early reviews had the world buzzing about Matthew McConaughey's return to the courtroom (A Time to Kill), however, recently, the buzz has turned into a low hum as The Lincoln Lawyer fails to offer a single twist on the predictable formula.
19. Captain America: The First Avenger - Marvel comics third great superhero film of the year is a pleasantly nostalgic, good-ole-fashioned, action adventure film.
20. Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol - This perfect summer blockbuster sequel starring Tom Cruise was likely released in the winter in hopes of earning some Oscar noms, which this stylish action film actually deserves!
21. Super 8 - Super 8 is as "mint" as a summer blockbuster can be these days, pairing Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams to make a sci-fi adventure about a group of small town kids who accidentally capture a shocking military secret on film. It falls somewhere between Goonies, Stand By Me, E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And don't leave the theater until you see the kid's homemade zombie film roll during the credits.
22. Paranormal Activity 3 - This haunted-house-slash-demonic-possession prequel is the best scary movie of the year, and the directing duo from Catfish brings a fresh, sharp, much-needed jolt to PA3 that makes it worth seeing whether you're a PA-virgin or not.
23. Certified Copy - Juliette Binoche may earn herself an Oscar nomination for provocative performance in this playful drama about a man and woman pretending to married and how that affects their recently acquainted relationship.
24. Margin Call - This fictional mystery covering a 24-hour period at an investment firm during the early stages of the financial crisis of 2008 is solid and smart and full of stars (Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, and Simon Baker aka The Mentalist).
25. Rango - Johnny Depp truly is Rango, a pet chameleon accidentally stranded in the Nevada desert, and just like Depp, Rango is charming, smart, creative, beautiful, and definitely not for kids! Though it definitely is an early front-runner for Best Animated Picture in 2011.
26. Kung Fu Panda 2 - The lovable, overweight, martial arts panda Po (Jack Black) and the Furious Five (Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Angelina Jolie, and Jackie Chan) are back at it again, literally, it is basically the same story. Despite that, Kung Fu Panda is a well-proportioned (not fat or big-boned) balance of action and comedy making it largely entertaining for children and adults.
27. Nostalgia for the Light - An overwhelmingly stunning documentary about a world 10,000 feet above sea level to the driest place on earth where astronomers stand inches above 19th-century prisoners' remains and millions of light years below a blanket of stars.
28. Hanna - This Hunger Games look-a-like is a cool new take on an action revenge thriller, when a little girl enters the world for the first time only to find she is more soldier than little girl.
29. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas - This raunchy sequel about the same two hilariously high friends plus a Neil Patrick Harris cameo will quickly find its way onto many annual must-watch holiday movie lists.
30. Thor - Something about an Australian swinging a hammer just didn't strike me as "cool" superhero material, but Thor, like Iron Man, is comic-book movie gold, with the perfect mix of action and laughs, and brilliantly ironic direction by Kenneth Branagh. But boy do I feel bad for younger brother Liam Hemsworth who lost out to big brother Chris for the title role of a lifetime.
31. Winnie the Pooh - I'm not just saying this because my sister read every Winnie the Pooh story to me as a kid, Winnie the Pooh truly is a sweet and nostalgic family treat - it is a perfectly short family film for children (which Harry Potter is not!)
32. Fright Night - Colin Farrell stars in this stylishly scary remake of the 1985 cult classic about a high school senior and his "bloody" strange new neighbor.
33. The Tree of Life - Brad Pitt and Sean Penn somehow managed to star in a film that you've never heard of - which is a shame - because this story about a Midwestern family in the 1950's is a splendid, emotional, rewarding, insightful, visual treat. Just be patient.
34. Attack the Block - If you liked Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead you will love this British sci-fi spoof about a group of inner-city kids who go to war with aliens.
35. Win Win - Paul Giamatti is a struggling attorney who volunteers as high-school wrestling coach in a film that manages to turn familiar situations into a fresh and funny comedy.
36. Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - This documentary about Conan's 6-month leave from TV, radio and internet doing stand-up on a 32-city music-and-comedy tour is as funny and intriguing as any documentary you will ever see. Even Letterman and Leno fans will ROTFL and even Conan's haters will find some pleasure in the more raw moments caught on film.
37. In Time - This well-crafted premise starring a handful of good-looking "25-year-olds" delivers in every genre -- romance, mystery, suspense, fantasy, comedy, action and adventure -- and it's full of clever time-related puns too.
38. Louder Than A Bomb - This film about a high school poetry "slam" in Chicago is likely the best documentary of the year - and shows us that youth today is incredibly brilliant, just with different talents than the Boomers might recognize.
39. The Guard - Brendan Gleeson (the recognizable beefy Irish actor from countless great films) stars in this hilarious dark comedy about sex, drugs and blackmail.
40. Shaolin - This film about feuding warlords and Shaolin monks is more of an epic drama than an kung-fu action-adventure, but the handful of hand-to-hand fight scenes are spectacular and the big-budget cinematography is beautiful. It's no 13 Assassins though.
41. The Skin I Live In - This typically confusing art-house flick stars Antonio Banderas as a plastic surgeon attempting to create artificial skin that could have saved his wife's life -- but the bizarre confusion is worth it in the shockingly twisting end.
42. The Ides of March - This mysterama about the frantic final days of the ever-important Ohio presidential primary won't win an Oscar for Best Picture -- but George Clooney and Ryan Gosling might!
43. Arthur Christmas - This 3D, CG-animated family comedy is actually old-school holiday fun -- and it answers the question every child eventually asks: "How does Santa deliver all those present in one night?"
44. Leap Year - You will actually stress and worry about the main character's body and soul in this Mexican film about a young journalist's sadomasochistic affair.
45. Incendies - Incendies is a tragically sobering tale about two adults who sit down to read the will of their recently passed mother only to find two envelopes they didn't expect - one for their father they thought was dead and one for a brother they never knew existed.
46. A Dangerous Method - A clever and stimulating film starring Michael Fassbender as Dr. Carl Jung and Viggo Mortensen as the renowned Sigmund Freud who takes on the challenge of unbalanced yet beautiful Keira Knightley as his patient.
47. Scream 4 - Scre4m never takes itself too seriously, not only poking fun of the entire genre, but also cleverly mocking itself - and does so so well that it actually twists itself around into a refreshing, original serial killer drama that will thoroughly entertain you from start to finish.
48. TrollHunter - This Norwegian Blair-Witchy movie about a group of film students' anti-government-conspiracy adventure to catch a real-life troll on camera will be re-made by Hollywood soon enough. Don't wait for that version. See-it!
49. Submarine - This dramedy will, unfortunately, be as hard to find in theaters as this 15-year-old boy, who is carefully plotting to simultaneously save his parents' marriage and lose his virginity.
50. Cedar Rapids - Finally, an R-rated comedy that isn't overly raunchy! Cedar Rapids stars a perfectly conventional comedic cast performing a pleasantly clever script.
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