Top 5 Films Of The Year

Hey Everyone! It's the end of the year which means that its time to look back at what movies were the best of the best! It was a year of extremes with some really awful movies (I'm looking at you Jack and Jill) and some really good ones! Now remember this list is my personal opinion not an objective list like at Rotten Tomatoes. Still I would love to hear people's opinions because the debate for the best of the best is always fun. So read on to find out what movies I thought were the best of the best!

Now for the unfortunate news, while I have seen lots of films this year there are still some films that I have not seen. I would like to mention them because they would most likely end up on my list. They are Shame and Melancholia, two films by some of my favorite directors that I cannot wait to watch some day. I would also like to include The Skin I Live In, A Separation, A Dangerous Method, and Midnight in Paris as honorable movies that I haven't seen yet.


Now for the movies that I really enjoyed and received high praise form me but didn't make my top five. My honorable mentions are: Rise Of the Planet of The Apes, Win Win, 50/50, The Muppets, The Help, Moneyball, Crazy Stupid Love, and Bridesmaids. Those are a few of my personal highlights from this year but overall I felt this was a solid year of movies. Anyways time to begin my top 5 countdown starting with...

5. Hugo

As a huge Martin Scorsese fan I had high expectations for Hugo and luckily they were met and went beyond that. Hugo is a magical journey into cinema and reminds us why we all fell in love with it in the first place. With some impressive acting from Asa Butterfield and Ben Kingsley, Scorsese's latest adds another classic to his long lists of impressive films. A kids movie that appeals to anyone who loves film, Hugo takes my number 5 spot for its amazing use of 3-D, its glorification of the beginning of film, and the wonderful cast comes together to make one of the best films of the year. Now to number 4...

4. The Descendants

After my grandfather died this year, I found a very special connection with Alexander Payne's The Descendants. A wonderful filme about dealing with loss of a loved one while at the same time gaining a lot of knowledge about life. George Clooney gives the best performance of his career as Matt King and takes on a deep, emotional journey on dealing with a wife in a coma, family being greedy over inherited land, and trying to reconnect with his daughters. The biggest surprise of this film though comes from Shailene Woodley who gives one of the best supporting actresses turns this year including the most emotional underwater shot I have ever seen. The film was a wonderful experience with a superb script and impeccable direction from Payne. Along with a wonderful soundtrack to back up the film, The Descendants stands out as one of the year's best. It was a tough battle between this one and number 3, but eventually I gave in and gave the number 3 spot to...

3. Drive

I did not know much about Nicolas Winding Refn before seeing this film, but I am sure glad I know about him now. This film blew me away at its direction, action, acting, script, music, and overall amazing filmmaking. This is one of those films where everything comes together to create a true cinematic experience. Ryan Gosling stands out as the Driver here and gives a powerful performance along Albert Brooks with one of the best supporting actors performances of the year. Still its the score and soundtrack and Refn's direction that take this film to the next level making it one of my favorites of the year. Number 2...

2. The Artist

What an amazing film here by Michel Hazanavicius that embodies everything I love about silent film and gives some of the best performances of the year from its cast. The whole feel of the film and story takes us back to the golden days of silent cinema. The acting by Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are some of the best of the year along with an incredible supporting cast including John Goodman, James Cromwell, and the cutest dog on film since Beginners. The sets, costumes, and score are brilliant additions as well but Hazanavicius is the reason this movie soars with its wonderful visuals and great story. Overall I loved every single second of this film and that's why its at number 2. Now for my favorite film of the year...


1. The Tree Of Life

As one of the biggest Malick fans around I wasn't surprised that I loved this movie to death. The thing that is really amazing about this film is that even non-Malick fans should love this movie. This is what cinema is all about. You put the crap to the side so that we can go on a journey that Malick has taken us on. A brilliant and deep look into the hardest questions that every person must face in their life. Why does God let a dinosaur live but take away innocent people's lives? Why do people do bad things? What is the way to live in this world? I was blown away the first time I saw this films and continuously am when I watch it to this day. Its beautiful, emotional, deep, thought provoking, philosophical, religious, and powerful all within one film. Malick has made another masterpiece and it might just be his best yet. I adore this film. It is not only my favorite this year but one of my favorites of all time. I could've watched the universe footage for 4 hours but along with that we get a family story dealing with a lot of issues we all deal with. Its visually dominating and it is a perfect film. You might have hated it but I loved it to death. I want more Malick, especially if its going to be like this.

There we go, thats my top 5 for 2011. I believe it was a pretty good year in film, but boy does 2012 look good. So you then, and Happy New Year! Long Live Cinema! Cheers!