Top Ten Films of 2011

In my humble opinion, 2011 was not a great year for movies...I would actually say that it was nothing more than a decent year for movies. Even at this time last year, there just wasn't the same crop of appealing films that there was going into 2010, and even some of those that sounded appealing proved to be disappointments. Of course 2010 was a spectacular year for films, so maybe it was inevitable that there would be a dropoff. But while 2011 may have been a tad disappointing overall, there were some very good films released this year, and even a couple great ones. So, with that, I present my list of the top ten films of 2011.

I will say as a point of clarification that this list simply captures how I feel at this point in time, having now seen every critically acclaimed film that appealed to me released this past year. My feelings on some of these films may change over time...for example, while I have completed top ten lists for each of the last four years (2007-2010), I have gone back and retroactively changed my lists for two of those years, though my number one film has never changed (I also declared a number one film for 2006 despite not having a full top ten). That may be particularly important this year as I had a very hard time deciding which of my top two films was the best, but I'm confident that the film I chose will stand the test of time as my personal favorite of 2011.

And so without further ado, here is my list of the best films of 2011, beginning first with ten honorable mentions. These are films that particularly impressed me this year despite not being among the very best.

HONORABLE MENTION

 (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

The Adjustment Bureau

This sci-fi / fantasy film based on a short story by Philip K. Dick presents a world where a secretive society of people make sure that things happen "according to plan." The story is a bit cheesy, and it's really more fantasy than sci-fi, but stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt have incredible chemistry, and they're both such talented actors that they make the film work in spite of deficiencies in the story.

Anonymous

This film from director Roland Emmerich presents the theory that Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) was the true author of Shakespeare's plays. It's all a bit pulpy, with an abundance of political and sexual intrigue, but when viewed as a piece of historical fiction it's an immensely entertaining film, the likes of which (a lavish, big-budget period drama) that aren't really made anymore. And Ifans gives an absolutely titanic performance.  

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Based on the book by Jonathan Safran Foer, this film tells the story of Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn), an eccentric young boy who lost his father on September 11. The ending is a bit cheesy, but overall it's simply an extremely well done emotional drama, and Horn gives a terrific performance.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The final film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's epic series of books is really just the extended climax of what is one four-and-a-half hour feature. But even as a standalone film, it's a spectacular action film with some of the best acting and emotion in the whole series.

The Help

When I reviewed this film back in September, I declared it the best film of the year at that time. My opinion on it has softened a bit since watching it a second time; while the execution is top-notch and there are probably close to ten excellent performances, some aspects of the ending (particularly the secret of Minnie's chocolate pie) feel a bit artificial, and while this film shows hints of the horror that blacks faced in the Jim Crow South, ultimately it feels a bit too sanitized to be considered a truly great achievement.     

Moneyball

This story of how Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) transformed the 2002 Oakland Athletics into contenders is a compelling sports drama. Pitt gives another great performance as he moves further and further away from the more populist action roles that defined his early career, and Jonah Hill is great is his first truly dramatic role. It's a very well-made film, but one that I didn't have a huge emotional reaction to overall.

Rango

This animated western from director Gore Verbinski (the original "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy) is filled with clever humor, fun action, and references to countless classic western films. The animation is spectacular and Johnny Depp is perfectly cast as the voice of the titular chameleon who must save the town of Dirt from an evil land baron (Ned Beatty)

Source Code

This small-scale, cerebral sci-fi thriller was released back in April, and it remains one of the year's most thought-provoking films. Other than Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," no film this year made me think more about its ending; in fact I was preoccupied with it for days after seeing the film and it wasn't until seeing it a second time that I became convinced I was interpreting it correctly. If you haven't seen this film, seek it out. It's excellent. 

Super 8

This sci-fi drama from director J.J. Abrams is very much in the spirit of such Steven Spielberg classics as "Close Encounters," "E.T.," and "The Goonies." It's the story of a group of kids who discover an alien presence in their town following a terrifying train crash. The child actors--led by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning--are all terrific and Abrams continues his rise as one of the most prominent young directors out there.

The Tree of Life

No film this year was more anticipated among movie buffs, or discussed more afterwards, than Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life." The simplest way to describe this FAR from simple film is that it's a meditation on life and the nature of the universe. It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea and I'm still not entirely sure what happens at the end, but it's a fascinating experience. 

And now for the cream of the crop, the top ten films of 2011:

10. YOUNG ADULT

This excellent black comedy from writer / director Jason Reitman centers on Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron), a thirtysomething woman who returns to her hometown determined to win back her high school sweetheart Buddy (Patrick Wilson). Patton Oswalt gives a surprisingly great performance as a nerdy man-child, but Theron owns this film. It's bitingly funny with moments of sobering reality, and the moment when Mavis lets loose on these people she despises so much is heartbreaking. Put simply, this is an excellent little film with an outstanding lead performance.

9. THE ARTIST

 

 This French-produced, black-and-white silent film is a fun homage to early Hollywood. Jean Dujardin stars as George Valentin, a silent film star who refuses to adapt to the rise of "talkies" and sees his career go down the drain as a result. He's terrific in the role, as is Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller, a rising young talkie star who takes pity on Valentin. The black-and-white, full frame cinematography is beautiful, taking full advantage of the lavish production design, and Ludovic Bource's score energizes the film completely. 

8. MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

This art house thriller from first-time writer / director Sean Durkin stars Elizabeth Olsen in her first feature role as Martha, a young woman who, as the film opens, has just escaped from a cult. The film alternates between her time living under charismatic cult leader Patrick (John Hawkes), and her increasing paranoia as she tries to adjust to normal life with her sister (Sarah Polley). Olsen gives an electrifying performance and Hawkes is terrifying despite never raising his voice. Durkin keeps the film extremely atmospheric and it all builds up to an ending that I'm still not entirely sure of. It's not a conventional thriller by any means, but it is an excellent film.

7. THE IDES OF MARCH

Based on the play "Farragut North" by Beau Willamon, this excellent political drama is directed by and co-stars George Clooney as Mike Morris, a presidential candidate in a fight for the democratic nomination. But the film really centers on Stephen Meyer (Ryan Gosling), Morris's junior campaign manager. As the fight for the nomination unfolds, Stephen becomes increasingly embroiled in the dirty underbelly of American politics as the film builds to a showstopping climax. As much as "The Help" is filled with great performances from several leading ladies, "The Ides of March" nearly matches it as Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, and Evan Rachel Wood are all excellent.

6. 50 / 50

 

This comedy / drama is based on the true story of Will Reiser, a friend of co-star and producer Seth Rogen who battled cancer in his 20s. It may hit a little too close to home for those whose lives have been touched by cancer, but it's an excellent film that seamlessly blends comedy and drama, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives another great performance in the lead role. Angelica Huston is also great in a small role as his mother. If you can handle the subject matter, this is definitely a film worth seeing, one that is both very funny and very sad.

5. SHAME

This devastating portrait of sexual addiction from director Steve McQueen features an electrifying performance from Michael Fassbender as Brandon Sullivan, a thirtysomething New Yorker who is desperately addicted to sexual gratification. Brandon is forced to confront his demons when his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) moves in with him, and ultimately finds himself spinning more and more out of control. This is an extremely difficult film to watch, but the artistry on display is masterful. Mulligan is excellent also, and McQueen shows a complete mastery of the very difficult material. This one of the most purely artistic films I've ever seen, and it touches on a very difficult issue that is often covered up in American culture.

4. TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

This excellent thriller is based on the classic novel by John le Carre and tells the story of an investigation into the presence of a Soviet mole at the top levels of Britain's MI6. Gary Oldman is terrific as George Smiley, the former agent who secretly heads up the investigation, and director Tomas Alfredson creates a moody, bleak atmosphere with bleak, grainy cinematography. This is very much a dialogue-driven film, complete with just enough bursts of shocking violence to keep the film moving along at a slow burn, right up until the final reveal.

3. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Woody Allen has been hit-or-miss lately, but with "Midnight in Paris" he has a definite hit. Owen Wilson plays Gil Pender, a struggling screenwriter vacationing in Paris with his fiance Inez (Rachel McAdams). When he goes out late at night in search of inspiration, Gil finds himself transported back in time to Paris in the 1920s, where he meets a host of famous characters including F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody), and Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll in a scene-stealing performance). He also falls in love with the beautiful Adriana (Marion Cotillard). This is definitely a piece of fantasy, but taken in that light it's an effortlessly entertaining film, probably the funniest film of the year. The more you know about literature, the more you'll get out of all of Allen's references, but this is simply one of the year's best, most entertaining films. 

2. DRIVE

This brilliant art house noir from director Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the year's absolute best films, and one of the few that I expect to stand the test of time as a truly great film. It's the story of an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who becomes involved with some shady businessmen (Albert Brooks and Ron Perelman), as he slowly falls in love with his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan). This is just an utterly brilliant film, with terrific performances, an electrifying score, and beautiful cinematography. There are some thrilling car chases and several sequences of shockingly brutal violence. As I alluded to in my opening, I struggled for a while in determining which of my top two films was the best, and while I've kept "Drive" at number two that doesn't take away from it at all in my mind. 

1. THE DESCENDANTS

Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" is, flat out, the best, most entertaining film of the year. George Clooney gives the best performance of his career as Matt King, a "backup parent" who is forced to confront increasingly painful truths when his wife falls into a come following a boating accident. Shailene Woodley gives a terrific performance in her first film role as Matt's eldest daughter Alex, a wild child who has to catch up on her growing up and help her father out in dealing with things in the wake of her mother's accident. The supporting roles are filled out with excellent character actors including Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, and Robert Forster. The film is based on a book of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings, and Payne and his co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Taylor have created a series of characters that feel completely and utterly human, and a series of situations that feel completely and utterly realistic. The film blends comedy and drama seamlessly and is both hysterically funny and heartbreakingly sad. The Hawaiian setting allows for some gorgeous cinematography and atmospheric music, and the setting plays crucially into multiple themes in the film. All in all, this is just an excellent film. I've seen it three times now and I can confidently say that "The Descendants" is the best film of 2011.

So that's a wrap on 2011. I'll be posting my reactions to the Oscar nominations, which will be announced on Tuesday morning, and I'll have Oscar predictions in the week leading up to the big show and reactions after. At some point I'll post a list of my most anticipated films of 2012, which will hopefully be a great year for movies and will hopefully feature some films that are as great as "The Descendants" and "Drive."