Top 10 Movies of 2011

Like any year, 2011 was full of thrilling hits and spectacular misses.  Here are the very best of the best.

1. The Tree of Life

Terrence Malick's contemplative masterpiece took the time to find beauty in life's quieter moments whilst simultaneously exploring the creation of the universe and the journey to the afterlife.  Incredible, practical special effects and the year's most impressive cinematography made The Tree of Life the year's most visually breathtaking movie by a mile, and the film had added texture courtesy of Alexandre Desplat's great score and knock-out performances by Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Hunter McCracken.  A spiritual successor to 2001: A Space Odyssey, few movies manage to be so thoroughly compelling and ambitious without sacrificing the magic of the minutiae.  The Tree of Life does just that.

2. Like Crazy

There seems to be a current trend in the romance genre of present relationships in a more honest life, whether it's a comedic take a la (500) Days of Summer, or a bleaker picture like Blue Valentine.  Like Crazy falls somewhere in between, presenting one of the most organic, touching romances in years.  With much of the dialogue ad-libbed, the chemistry that blossoms between Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones is second to none, and the journey their characters take together is a subtle treatise on growing up and growing apart.  The lovely, gradual collapse, resulting in the best scene of the year, will tear your heartstrings to shreds.

3. Weekend

The gay community often gets the shaft in the cinematic realm, relegated to stories of tragic love or stuck in comedic supporting roles.  That's why Weekend is such a breath of fresh air.  Rather than radically retooling the romance genre, Weekend simply changes the orientation of the central couple, resulting in a romance that feels fresh even as it goes through familiar steps.  The frank dialogue and indelible chemistry between Tom Cullen and Chris New bring the simple story to life, and as their weekend together comes to an end, you're left wishing you could have just one more day watching them fall in love.

4. Hugo

Martin Scorsese's oeuvre has been defined by violence and dark themes, so Hugo seems like an odd project for the director.  Yet the adaptation of the beloved children's book feels closer to Scorsese's heart than any other film he's made.  An avid supporter of film preservation, Hugo's celebration of the early days of cinema is so deeply personal, so thrillingly observed, and so masterfully realized, that it's impossible not to get swept up in the gorgeous Paris Scorsese paints. Hugo is a movie that reminds us why we love movies, and not passively.  Instead, the characters stop to consider the magic of sitting in a darkened theater and traveling to a faraway world.  Movies are a gift, and Scorsese has made yet another that is pure joy to unwrap.

5. Bridesmaids

Movies this funny and smart are few and far between.  Bridesmaids represents an exciting entry in the Judd Apatow subgenre of comedy, but it far surpasses any of its spiritual predecessors.  With a sharp, hilarious script by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, and a fantastic ensemble of actresses who wield comedy with boldness and heart, Bridesmaids transcends its generic specifier to emerge as one of the year's best films.  Wiig and breakout star Melissa McCarthy deserve special mention for creating characters who elicit laughs at every turn without devolving into easy caricatures.  These are characters who, after causing you pain from laughing so much over the course of two hours, you still care about as the credits roll.

6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

A return to the darker subject matter of his earlier work, David Fincher is right at home adapting Stieg Larsson's best-selling crime novel for the big screen.  Not so much a remake of the Swedish film as a new take on the book, Fincher's version represents the best version of the story yet.  Rooney Mara is stunning and chameleonic as Lisbeth Salander.  It's a tough role to tackle, but Mara grasps every element, from the posture to the voice to the slinking physicality that make the character so compelling.  The film soars in every technical respect, from the ambient score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to Jeff Cronenweth's gorgeous cinematography.  Fincher has established himself as one of the best directors working today, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo serves to prove that he still has his vicious streak.

7. 50/50

Cancer is perhaps the last subject matter most of us would think to mine for comedy gold, but director Jonathan Levine and writer Will Reiser managed to craft a story that finds the laughs in a very dark time while also respecting the gravity of the situation.  Certain scenes fall pretty squarely in one camp or the other, but most find a careful balance between the drama and humor of the situation.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, and Anjelica Huston are stand-outs in a pitch-perfect ensemble, drawing out laughs and tears in equal measure as the film boldly moves through an emotional roller coaster of a finale and a satisfyingly hilarious (and pretty gross) last scene.

8. Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen's name has become synonymous with limp, star-studded duds in recent years, but Midnight in Paris is a wonderful return to form for the writer-director.  Thematically rich, the film comments on the false attractiveness of past times, a perfect fit for a director whose classic films are often recounted when assessing his newer work.  As Owen Wilson's Gil travels back in time and finds inspiration in the beauty of the 1920s, he meets a cast of classic artists who are brought to life through a brilliant satiric lens.  Corey Stoll stands out as a tough, melancholy Ernest Hemingway, but not a cast member falls flat in bringing a time so easy to romanticize to lush, hilarious life.

9. The Skin I Live In 

Few directors have as distinct or flamboyant a style as Pedro Almodovar.  An auteur in the truest sense of the word, every shot, set, and scene ooze with the color and melodrama that make Almodovar's films such delicious films to devour, and The Skin I Live In is no exception.  A story that starts with imprisonment and surveillance gradually unfolds to reveal a sickening revenge tale full of stunning twists and turns.  Weird and wonderful, The Skin I Live In is a fascinating look at the intersection of love, obsession, and revenge delivered with the over-the-top visual flair and heightened emotional state that only Almodovar can wield with such mastery.

10. The Descendants

George Clooney is one of the best actors working today, and The Descendants represents his best work to date.  As a grieving father, Clooney's omnipresent suavity melts away to reveal a living, breathing human who has doubts and shortcomings, a refreshing change of pace for the actor.  Paired with Shailene Woodley, one of the year's breakout stars, as the daughter who has to grow up and forgive her dying mother, The Descendants is chock-full of some of the year's best acting.  Alexander Payne's typically natural direction and writing (along with cowriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash) create a world inhabited by real people stumbling through a messy time in their lives.  The result is wonderfully observed and truly moving.


Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order): The Artist, Attack the Block, Drive, The Ides of March, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Moneyball, Pariah, Project Nim, Senna, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy