Top 10 films from 2011

1.)
Another Year

(My number one film of the year! Top notch directing, acting, dialogue, and most importantly real emotions you can relate to. May lack a traditional beginning middle and end, but our real lives are not formulaic)

2.)
The Tree of Life

(Conceivable that Tree of Life could go down as a masterpiece that will still be watched in a 100 years time. I loved the breathtaking visuals, use of classical music, and how Malick could make me think about my childhood. To each viewer it has its own meaning, as my review indicates)

3.)
Barney's Version

(A film I still find myself thinking about, even though I saw it months ago. I've heard people call the film uneven. The strength of the story for me is the Barney character (Paul Giamatti), his vulnerability, and his emotional rollercoaster of a life is what drew me in)

4.)
Oslo, August 31st

(Listen out for the soundtrack, I liked it a a lot. The first person angle makes us feel very close to the 30something Norwegian young guy and his troubles. Even though he finds it easy to pick up girls, he is lost. Contains a message of how our generation maybe has too much freedom. Certain scenes were very powerful and imaginative. Director Joachim Trier has his own unique voice, which Reprise (2006) is also proof of. )

5.)
Happythankyoumoreplease

(Can put a smile on your face. A light, entertaining and funny indie. Heartwarming maybe because the characters are vulnerable. The soundtrack is good, too.)

6.)
Archipelago

(The dialogue is very assured and gives the story a lot of realism, sort of slow-paced Mike Leigh. Lingers in the mind. Director Joanna Hogg sure is underrated, having said that her films are not for everyone. Hogg's Unrelated (2008) made my list of best older films viewed in 2011.)

7.)
We Need to Talk About Kevin

(Tilda Swinton plays a mother challenged with raising her creepy son, Kevin. I'm very keen to review Lynne Ramsey's film, as I was left with a lot to think about after the credits had rolled. For me, was heartbreaking to watch, but impossible to forget. Not a film I’d revisit a lot, because I remember the story so vividly.

8.)
In A Better World

(I don't think its Susanne Bier's masterpiece, After the Wedding (2006) is better in my estimation, but she did win the best foreign language film oscar in 2011. Questions what is strength and what is weakness among the two boys. It’s about the choice between revenge and pacifism. On the one hand, how dominating and oppressing can lead to power, and on the other hand how doing nothing can make you look like a wimp, but at least you are not hurting anyone)

9.)
Inside Job (documentary)

(An informative and critical look at the reasons behind the financial crisis. Won Oscar for best documentary)

10.)
Miss Representation (documentary)

"in a world of a million channels like we have today, people try to do more and more shocking things to break through the clutter, and often times they resort to violent images, or sexually offensive images, or demeaning images, because they know it will get attention. The problem is kids are exposed to that, with very little, or no mediation"

"Turning a human being into a thing, that is almost always the first step to justifying violence against that person"

"If we spent the tenth of the time thinking about our weight, I think we would solve the worlds problems in a matter of months."

11.)
The Art of Getting By

(Possibly THE most underrated film of the year. Takes you back to being a rebellious teenager, likeable personalities and fun to watch.)

12.)
The Trip

(The impressions these guys do of celebrities are hilarious)

13.)
The Skin I Live in

(Pedro Almodóvars latest was not what I was expecting at all. A disturbing and suspenseful thriller, which is also a character study if you want it to be)

14.)
X-Men: First Class

(Good prequels are few and far between, The Godfather Part 2 probably wins as the best. X-Men: First Class was divided into three sections, action to start with, character study in the middle, and finally action once again. The best Hollywood popcorn blockbuster of 2011 for me)

15.)
Young Adult

(Great performance by Charlize Theron as a troubled 37-year-old author struggling to find her place in the adult world. She returns home to try and hook up with her old boyfriend. Great script by Diablo Cody who wrote Juno. For me, Jason Reitman maintains his perfect record of never having made a bad film.)

16.)
Sarah's Key

(WW2 drama. The themes are to do with what should be kept a secret and what should not, and how we are a product of our history. Definitely the best French film I've seen in a long time)

17.)
Certified Copy

(Look at it as a Before Sunset for adults. I struggled to understand what the director wanted to say, and the relationship was not as warm-hearted as I would have hoped for, but the films strength is the magnificent script and dialogue. Juliette Binoche won the Best Actress prize in Cannes for her performance)

18.)
The Kid With A Bike

(Simple and heart-warming story about a young boy in search of his father, the boy meets various people on his journey. Directed by award-winning Belgian Dardenne duo, thanks to bonjour trisesse for the recommendation)

19.)
The Way

(Beautiful cinematography. About a father going to Europe, and heading on pilgrimage named El Camino, he meets some colourful oddballs on his path)

20.)
A Separation

(Favorite to bag the foreign language film Academy Award in February. Gives a depiction of life in contemporary Iran. Worked well as a suspenseful crime story, but I didn’t think its a film where I fell in love with the characters (but I don’t think the director was trying for this). Having said that, I would probably watch it again, to take another look at the important scenes of the accident.)

21.)
Newlyweds

(Edward Burns' scripts in recent times for me have become increasingly uninspiring, the dialogue and characters in his latest indie felt fresher and more personal)

22.)
Limitless

(Better than expected. An interesting "what if" premise. Does it make you a better person by accessing 100% of your brain, and is this the future of medication? What would happen if we all took a pill. If we are all at the top of our game and felt no pain, what would the world look like? Perhaps a warning for future generations)

23.)
50/50

(A rare mix of drama and comedy. Somehow works making a comedy about cancer. I liked it, not sure I loved it. The Seth Rogen character annoyed me, but I guess his unappealing attitude made the Joseph Gordon-Levitt character seem more likeable to the audience. I’m surprised really they were friends, being so different. )

24.)
Reagan (documentary)

(A doc that looks at his time as president during the 80s, both the positive and negative, and how Ronald Reagan is perceived today)

25.)
Bobby Fischer Against the World (documentary)

(He was the best chess player in the world for a while. Its difficult to make chess exciting for an hour and a half, but I think they managed it largely due to Fischer’s unusual personality. Lets face it, if the guy had been normal, would there have been a documentary? I did not know much about him, there probably wasn't much new brought to the table for those who do remember Fischer.)

26.)
Drive

(I'm probably out on my own in the blogosphere ranking Drive so low, I loved the music and atmosphere. But aside from Ryan Gosling, the rest of the characters were one-dimensional. I also find it unsettling that so many people have turned a blind eye to the extreme violence)

27.)
Source Code

(Didn't like it quite as much as Moon. Still, a solid follow-up that was entertaining from start to finish, and kept me on the edge of my seat)

28.)
Happy, Happy

(Not a film I instantly thought, YES! great film. But the more I discuss the story with others, the more depth the film reveals. A film I sense I ought to review to get my opinions sorted out. It was submitted as Norway's entry for the 2012 Oscars, and won World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for drama at the 2011 Sundance film festival)

29.)
The High Cost of Living

(An underrated and overlooked indie movie. I doubt whether many people have this film on their year-end lists, or have even seen it. I only heard about it by accident. The characters really stayed with me, is kind of a sequel to The Last Kiss)

30.)
Martha Marcy May Marlene

(Probably was a bit overhyped, so expectations were sky-high. The film has a lot of tension that slowly builds. Making a serious film about a cult seemed to be an original idea that I hadn't seen done before, and while the dark story is tough to love, it held my attention)

Honourable mentions:
The Ides of March
Win Win
Margin Call
Like Crazy
Cold Weather
Midnight in Paris
Terri
Life In A Day (documentary)
The People vs. George Lucas (documentary)
The Music Never Stopped
The Descendants
The Artist
Melancholia
The Rum Diary
Carnage
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn


*Yet to see:
*Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
*Shame
*Anonymous
*Contagion
*We Bought a Zoo
*Warhorse
*Magaret
*Take Shelter
*Take This Waltz
*Damsels in Distress
*The Turin Horse
*Salt of Life
*Beauty (dir: Oliver Hermanus)
*The Flowers of War
*The Swell Season (documentary)
*Corman's World: Exploits Of A Hollywood Rebel (documentary)

Readers, what do you think of my list above?