Each year I make it my mission to see as many movies and hear as many albums as possible. Usually, by December, I have a solid list of 60ish movies I’ve seen, as well as a second list of all the movies I still need to see. On that second list, usually, are many of the best movies of the year. This year was different. I was more … umm … committed. Of the 100 or so films that I’ve seen there were 65 that I liked quite a bit and another 20 or so worth checking out on a rainy day Below you’ll find my Top 15 favorites so far, with 80 or so honorable mentions and a bunch of other film-related lists. Overall, I’d say 2011 was another great year for film, with low budget auteurs leading the way while the studios became somehow even more tied to the business side of filmmaking.
15. Perfect Sense (David Mackenzie) - The world is going crazy and you’re a hot dude (Ewan McGregor) who just met a hot girl (Eva Green) and fell in love like you’ve never fallen in love before. Bummer! Everyone is losing their senses, one by one, yet all you can think about is the one. As the riots start and your life is threatened, you get confused. You forget what matters. Does anything matter? Will anything matter tomorrow? Will love trump all, like in The Notebook, or will everyone become loners, wandering around through the confusion and violence? Green gives the best performance of her career in this moody, unique feature from David Mackenzie. Brilliantly photographed and poetically penned, Perfect Sense is sci-fi for lovers.
14. Putty Hill (Matthew Porterfield) - Putty Hill is one of the most successfully stylish new films i’ve seen in ages. Imagine the gusto of Gus Van Sant when he made Elephant mixed with the Richard Linklater that existed between the releases of Slacker and Dazed and Confused. Next consider the endless imagination Godard once had mixed with the low budget brilliance Andrew Bujalski had when he made Beeswax – or Ramin Bahrani had when he made Chop Shop. A brilliant film that should open some big doors for Porterfield and his Baltimore crew of outcasts and weirdos.
13. Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols) - Jeff Nichols is an auteur to keep an eye on. Now two great Michael Shannon-led films into his career, doors should start to open for the Texas-based director and, with any look, he should be able to secure bigger budgets and thus up his production value. That said, Take Shelter is an impressive little film that hinges almost entirely on the performance of Shannon, who brings the intensity in a very human, relatable way. Now if Nichols could just find better cinematographers to work with.
12. Cold Weather (Aaron Katz) - Thus far I’ve seen this oddball mystery/comedy from cult director Aaron Katz once. And while it absolutely floored me that first time, I feel like I can hardly remember a thing about it now, as I sit down to endorse it. I remember it being very funny in a subtle way (think Metropolitain, The Squid and the Whale, Bottle Rocket, etc.) while also being quite beautiful to look at, in a low budget sort of way. I remember the story being twisty and strange and the lead actor, Cris Lankenau, being hilarious. Mostly, I remember how much I loved nearly everything about the film. Can’t wait to see it again.
11. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher) - Sure, it’s long and has six endings. And sure, the original is a classic. But damn, David Fincher is such a polished and brilliant filmmaker, how could any cinephile resist this cold epic? He doesn’t write and he doesn’t do anything too progressive, but Fincher produces and directs beautiful scenes and picks out amazing crews. A few weeks after seeing this flick I finally decided that, snobs be damned, I prefer the American film to Niels Arden Oplev’s excellent original. For starters, Steven Zaillian’s script is smarter, cleaner, and less tedious than the original. And Jeff Cronenweth’s steely, cold, desaturated cinematography is twice as beautiful as what we saw in the Oplev’s film. As for lead gal Rooney Mara … well … damn, between Tanner Hall, The Social Network and now this, she’s maybe the best young actress out there. Next up for Mara: Soderbergh’s The Bitter Pill (penned by stud Scott Burns and co-starring Jude Law and Channing Tatum) then Malick’s Lawless (co-starring Ryan Gosling, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale and Cate Fucking Blanchett). And hopefully Fincher, Mara and Daniel Craig complete the trilogy, as the sequels (directed by Tomas Alfredson’s brother, Daniel) weren’t nearly as memorable as Oplev’s classic starter.
10. The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodovar) - Just another beautifully shot, expertly crafted and wholly unique film from Almodovar. This one is more uncomfortable watch than his last few, but Elena Anaya’s lead performance as an unwilling transexual is as brave as performances come. Part Hitchcock, part vintage Cronenberg, part Lynch, yet totally unique. Almodovar’s world is weird and wicked, but damn if the work isn’t always challenging and beautiful. Our pick for Foreign Film of the Year.
9. Moneyball (Bennett Miller) - Similar to last year’s The Social Network, Moneyball is a movie that owes its success to, first and foremost, it’s script. Written by Steven Zaillian (who also penned this year’s Dragon Tat film), Moneyball gracefully tells the story of the 2002 Oakland Athletics. Brad Pitt leads a great cast here in what is very possibly the performance that will finally nab him a well deserved Oscar. Capote director Bennett Miller’s subtle, timeless filmmaking craft is on full display here.
8. Shame (Steve McQueen) - What an emotional, authentic, poetic and musical film. A movie about sex addiction. A movie about family. A movie about New York City. A movie about the fine art of filmmaking. And how about lead Michael Fassbender?! Looks to me like Daniel Day-Lewis isn’t alone at the top anymore. Between his performances in Fish Tank, Jane Eyre, Inglourious Basterds, Hunger, A Dangerous Method and now Shame, it’s pretty safe to say that Fassbender is maybe the best working actor. And here he gives the best male performance of the year.
7. Hugo (Martin Scorsese) - Martin Scorsese has made a whole lot of great films in his career. Too many to easily recall. And recently he’s been hot, both at the box office and with the critics. But, surprisingly, it took a new challenge (the task of crafting a 3D family film) to push Scorsese to an even higher place. Sure, the story and acting is average, but the filmmaking – especially the art direction – is drop dead brilliant. Set decorator Franccesca Lo Schiavo is one of this year’s film heros, as is Marty.
6. My Week With Marilyn (Simon Curtis) - The two leads in this perfectly crafted period piece, Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh, give knockout performances as Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. A film about making a film. And about a mysterious and misunderstood woman at the height of her madness. Perfect for fans of last year’s The King’s Speech.
5. Contagion (Steven Soderbergh) - Shot in several countries using several big name actors and following a handful of story lines, Contagion is director Steven Soderbergh’s most ambitious – and best – film since 2000′s traffic. That he was able to add so much subtle style to this for-mainstream production reminds us that Soderbergh is, without doubt, one of the best filmmakers of his time. A tasteful, honest and memorable rumination on fear. To chilly and real for Oscar; too good to miss.
4. Submarine (Richard Ayoade) - Sure, director Richard Ayoade is heavily influenced by a lot of really obvious filmmakers. And yeah, his storytelling can’t quite keep up with his style ambitions. Regardless, Submarine, a coming-of-age story about a bright young Swansea kid finding love and watching his parents crash, is so stylized and cool that I couldn’t help but feel like Ayoade’s debut is the beginning of a great directorial career. And damn, Swansea.
3. Melancholia (Lars Von Trier) - Kirsten Dunst gives the most authentic, moving and disturbing performance I’ve seen on film since Daniel Day Lewis brought Daniel Plainview to life over four years ago. And, aside from Dunst, Melancholia is all-around great, Von Trier crafting a hallucinatory drama about depression and the end of the world. A new classic.
2. Drive (Nicholas WInding Refn) - Here we see a great young filmmaker and the great young actor coming into their own, together, and with style. Refn’s eccentric ideas about film and economical attention to detail reminds me of two of my all-time favorite auteurs, David Lynch and Krzysztof Kieslowski. Not bad company. Drive is at once sweet, thrilling, bloody and mysterious. Two artists making perfect, oddly lovable strokes. OUR REVIEW
1. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick) - I feel I’ve already said too much about Malick’s masterpiece. It’s a film I saw five times at the theater and have been talking – and writing – about all year long. I believe this abstract, meditative, highly poetic and incredibly beautiful film to be not just the best movie of 2011, but the first candidate for Movie of the Decade. Modern fine art at its finest. Malick worked on this opus for nearly three decades, and it shows. If you disliked the film or didn’t “get it,” I suggest clearing your head and watching again. And again. Whatever it takes. OUR REVIEW
To the Tree haters: The issue here, I suspect, is not that this is a poorly or sloppily made film, but that Malick took his vision all the way, telling his story in a very abstract, very cinematic film language that most won’t recognize – or connect with – unless they’re sitting in the room with a cinephile friend who can offer a nudge or two. That said, it’s all on the screen - a beautiful riddle about life and the mysterious way in which we live it. A challenging, masterful work that is fine example of cinema art at it’s absolute best.
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THE REST OF THE BEST
16. Warrior (Gavin O’Connor)
17. 50/50 (Jonathan Levine)
18. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird)
19. Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (Michael Rappaport)
20. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates)
21. Midnight In Paris (Woody Allen)
22. Young Adult (Jason Reitman)
23. The Descendants (Alexander Payne)
24. Hanna (Joe Wright)
25. Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin)
26. I Saw the Devil (Jee-woon Kim)
27. We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay)
28. J. Edgar (Clint Eastwood)
29. Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt)3
30. Tanner Hall (Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg) OUR REVIEW
31. Rampart (Oren Moverman)
32. Super 8 (J.J. Abrams) OUR REVIEW
33. Source Code (Duncan Jones)
34. The Art of Getting By (Gavin Wiesen)
35. Like Crazy (Drake Doremus)
36. Beginners (Mike Mills)
37. Rubber (Quentin Dupieux)
38. The Ides of March (George Clooney)
39. PJ20 (Cameron Crowe)
40. The Future (Miranda July)
41. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt)
42. Bellflower (Evan Glodell)
43. Bad Teacher (Jake Kasdan)
44. Barney’s Version (Richard J. Lewis)
45. In Time (Andrew Niccol)
46. Carnage (Roman Polanski)
47. Margin Call (J.C. Chandor)
48. Daydream Nation (Michael Goldbach)
49. Our Idiot Brother (Jesse Peretz)
50. Win Win (Thomas McCarthy)
51. Fright Night (Craig Gillespie)
52. Cracks (Jordan Scott)
53. One Day (Lone Scherfig)
54. Attack the Block (Joe Cornish)
55. Hesher (Spencer Susser)
56. Terri (Azazel Jacobs)
57. Limitless (Neil Burger)
58. The Sitter (David Gordon Green)
59. Red State (Kevin Smith)
60. Your Highness (David Gordon Green)
61. The Company Men (John Wells)
62. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatong Weerasethakul)
63. The Adjustment Bureau (George Nolfi)
64. 30 Minutes or Less (Ruben Fleischer)
65. X-Men: First Class (Matt Vaughan)
66. Paul (Greg Mottola)
67. Towel Heist (Brett Ratner)
68. The Change-Up (David Dobkin)
69. The Hangover: Part II (Todd Phillips)
70. Salvation Boulevard (George Ratliff)
71. Everything Must Go (Dan Rush)
72. Take Me Home Tonight (Michael Dowse)
73. Rango (Gore Verbinski)
74. Friends with Benefits (Will Gluck)
75. Appropriate Adult (Julian Jarrold)
76. A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (Alex Gregoy and Peter Huyck)
77. Cinema Verite (Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini)
78. The Rum Diary (Bruce Robinson)
79. Poetry (Chang-dong Lee)
80. The Dilemma (Ron Howard)
81. Cedar Rapids (Miguel Arteta)
82. The Green Hornet (Michel Gondry)
83. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog)
84. Dream House (Jim Sheridan)
85. Chalet Girl (Phil Traill)
86. Knuckle (Ian Palmer)
87. Super (James Gunn)
88. What’s Your Number (Mark Mylod)
89. The Help (Tate Taylor)
90. Insidious (James Wan)
91. Scream 4 (Wes Craven)
92. Mr. Popper’s Penguins (Mark Waters)
93. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (John Requa)
94. Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau)
95. Stay Cool (Polish Brothers)
96. War Horse (Steven Spielberg)
97. Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (Bill Condon)
98. Jack and Jill (Dennis Dugan)
99. Thor (Kenneth Branaghan)
100. The Green Lantern (Martin Campbell)
1000. Drive Angry (Patrick Lussier)
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FAVORITE LEAD ACTOR (MALE)
1. Michael Fassbender in Shame
2. Ryan Gosling in Drive
3. Michael Shannon in Take Shelter
4. Tom Hardy in Warrior
5. Brad Pitt in Moneyball
6. Matt Damon in Contagion
7. Woody Harrelson in Rampart
8. Daniel Craig in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
9. Min-sik Choi in I Saw the Devil
10. Tom Hardy in Warrior
Honorable Mention: Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar
FAVORITE LEAD ACTOR (FEMALE)
1. Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia
2. Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn
3. Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
4. Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin
5. Elena Anaya in The Skin I Live In
6. Eva Green in Perfect Sense
7. Charlize Theron in Young Adult
8. Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene
9. Jessica Chastain in The Tree of Life
10. Rooney Mara in Tanner Hall
Honorable Mention: Felicity Jones in Like Crazy
FAVORITE SUPPORTING ACTOR (MALE)
1. Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
2. Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life
3. Kiefer Sutherland in Melancholia
4. John Hawkes in Martha Marcy May Marlene
5. Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin
6. Seth Rogen in 50/50
7. Christopher Plummer in Beginners
8. Kevin Spacey in Margin Call
9. Patton Oswalt in Young Adult
10. Jonah Hill in Moneyball
FAVORITE SUPPORTING ACTOR (FEMALE)
1. Charlotte Gainsbourg in Melancholia
2. Carey Mulligan in Shame
3. Jessica Chastain in Take Shelter
4. Shailene Woodley in The Descendants
5. Melanie Laurent in Beginners
6. Brie Larson in Tanner Hall
7. Rosamund Pike in Barney’s Version
8. Marion Cotillard in Contagion
9. Georgia King in Tanner Hall
10. Brie Larson in Rampart
Honorable Mention: Marisa Paredes in The Skin I Live In
OVERALL FAVORITE PERFORMANCES (THE GOLDEN CAT AWARD)
1. Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia
2. Michael Fassbender in Shame
3. Ryan Gosling in Drive
4. Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn
5. Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn
6. Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life
7. Michael Shannon in Take Shelter
8. Charlotte Gainsbourg in Melancholia
9. Rooney Mara in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
10. Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin
Honorable Mention: Carey Mulligan in Shame
FAVORITE DIRECTOR
1. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
2. Nicholas WInding Refn (Drive)
3. Lars Von Trier (Melancholia)
4. Richard Ayoade (Submarine)
5. Steve McQueen (Shame)
6. Aaron Katz (Cold Weather)
7. Steven Soderbergh (Contagion)
8. David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo)
9. Brad Bird (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol)
10. Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Honorable Mention: Jee-woon Kim (I Saw the Devil) and Pedro Almodovar (The Skin I Live In)
FAVORITE SCREENPLAY
1. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)
2. Submarine (Richard Ayoade)
3. 50/50 (Will Reiser)
4. Moneyball (Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin)
5. My Week with Marilyn (Adrian Hodges)
6. Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen)
7. Contagion (Scott Z. Burns)
8. Melancholia (Lars Van Trier)
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Steven Zaillian)
10. Rampart (James Ellroy and Oren Moverman)
10. Young Adult (Diablo Cody)
10. Perfect Sense (Kim Fupz Aakeson)
Honorable Mention: Margin Call (J.C. Chandor)
FAVORITE CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
2. Erik Wilson (Submarine)
3. Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive)
4. Lee Mogae (I Saw the Devil)
5. Jose Luis Alcaine (The Skin I Live In)
6. Tom Stern (J. Edgar)
7. Chris Blauvelt (Meek’s Cutoff)
8. Jon Joffin (Daydream Nation)
9. Eduardo Serra (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)
LEAST FAVORITE FILMS OF 2011
1. Drive Angry (Patrick Lussier)
2. The Green Lantern (Martin Campbell)
3. Thor (Kenneth Branaghan)
4. Jack and Jill (Dennis Dugan)
5. Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (Bill Condon)
6. War Horse (Steven Spielberg)
STILL NEED TO SEE
1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2. The Artist
3. This Must Be the Place
4. Margaret
Check out some lists from past 40+ years: 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970
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