Of course we give a shit. We're movie people. Without lists, 75% of our conversations are gone.

50/50 at #1, eh? Interesting choice. I liked it a lot. I've heard some people challenge its authenticity as far as how people react to the news that they or a loved one has cancer, but really... I think you can't make that kind of generalization. People are going to respond to the bad news in their own way, and it isn't really predictable. And it isn't as though the writer wasn't speaking from experience.

Very true, not everyone breaks down and cries hysterically when they hear bad news like some films would lead you to believe, when I heard my cousin died, while it was definitely tragic, I never cried over it.

Top 10 2011 Releases Seen In 2011

1. Midnight In Paris
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
3. Hugo
4. Drive
5. The Artist
6. Martha Marcy May Marlene
7. Shame
8. Moneyball
9. Melancholia
10. Attack The Block

Just missed the list:

13 Assassins
Young Adult
The Descendants
50/50
Source Code

Didn't get the chance to see before the end of the year:

Take Shelter
The Rum Diary
J. Edgar
Warrior
Win Win
A Separation
We Need To Talk About Kevin

Thank you for taking the time to read my list. I do think there is some sort of cut off time where end of the year lists just aren't interesting to read anymore. I think maybe by February is when people have moved on from discussing the best movies of the previous year, though doing a list in February seems most fair, as that would have given people time to really catch up on everything. A lot of critics felt pressured to make lists in mid December which I think is kind of ridiculous.

As for 50/50, I've never dealt with cancer, so the best I can do is take a guess at how authentic I feel they were at depicting the mental and emotional pain...to me, it felt authentic for the most part. As I mentioned before, Joseph Gordon Levitt grabbing on to his mom felt like a very realistic reaction, where the hopelessness turns an adult into a little boy. The most frequent criticism I've heard directed towards the movie is the girlfriend being too much of a 1 dimensional bitch to which I could see that, but I don't think it took too much away.

Yeah based on what I read of your top 10, I'm quite certain that Tintin will make your top 10 once you see it. To me, it was simply the most fun, entertaining mainstream action movie of the year.



Okay, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on your #1 pick. I do find it interesting that you have We Bought a Zoo over Descendents. They're both kind of similar in certain ways, both dealing with a single father trying to be the best dad he can be while getting over the death of his wife, though I guess Descendents is darker and more depressing, while Zoo is takes a more charming, light hearted route.

I do like that you have We Bought a Zoo ranked that high. While I wouldnt' put it on my top 10, I do have a special amount of affection towards that movie. The ending was truly one of the most beautifully unforgettable endings of any movie this year.

Here's my Top 10 list for movies that IMDB says premiered in 2011 and that I've seen as of January 27, 2012.

1. Melancholia: The most disturbing movie of the year, it left me amazed at the beauty of Von Trier’s images and the unsettling nature of his ideas. The most affecting moment in the movie for me was when Kirsten Dunst described how the earth was evil, and offered the number of beans in the bottle as proof that she “knew things.” (Obviously this is an artificial idea in Von Trier’s closed-universe script, but it was still really disturbing.) In addition, the use of the wire hoop to measure the closeness of the planet is a simple image of amazing power; it can stand beside the sign language depicting the five tones in Close Encounters of the Kind.

2. Rango: Proof that creativity in Hollywood (outside Pixar and Christopher Nolan) isn’t quite dead. I need to see it again to wrap my head around what it does, but on my first viewing I found tremendously entertaining and eccentric.

3. The Tree of Life: Clearly this movie is open to a lot of interpretations, but it works best for me as a depiction of one man’s perception of the universe, on both a large and small scale. What I find kind of weird is that some reviewers tend to gloss over the first act and focus mainly on the Texas section of the film. All through the Texas part, I was thinking, “Dinosaurs. These scenes share a movie with freakin’ dinosaurs. Why?” Whatever mysterious Mr. Malick’s intentions were, surely he wanted us to consider these scenes in conjunction with the dinosaurs.

4. The Artist: This was entertaining and clever, with two charismatic lead performances.

5. A Dangerous Method: I find the history of psychology and 20th-Century Europe to be fascinating, so I ate this up. The script was interesting Fassbender and Knightley were good, but I thought Mortensen’s performance as Freud was flat.

6. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol: My favorite popcorn movie of the past year. So many fun and clever moments – I especially liked the part when Cruise figures out what do to with the car and puts on his seatbelt.

7. Paul: Now we’re getting into the realm of movies that have really strong points as well as some major weak points. This is my favorite comedy of the year – the interactions between Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Kristen Wiig were awesome. Alas, the action and dramatic scenes didn’t do much for me, and I wasn’t crazy about the Paul character. (I generally don’t like Seth Rogen that much.) Still, the movie has plenty of funny and endearing moments.

8. War Horse: This is a beautifully-shot movie with powerful images of war, interesting supporting characters, and an affecting message about finding hope and connection within a catastrophe. Unfortunately, I never cared about Jeremy Irvine or the titular horse. A protagonist doesn’t have to be the most interesting character – see Goodfellas – but I felt like there was a void in the middle of the film.

9. Midnight in Paris: I didn’t find this as dazzling as a lot of other people, but it was certainly enjoyable. Memorable moments: Michael Sheen arguing with the tour guide, and all the scenes with Kathy Bates and Corey Stoll.

10. Contagion: This film is chilling and intense when detailing the spread of the plague and the strain put on society; it is less memorable when showing the triumph of the human spirit. Overall this is an effectively low-key, thoughtful movie.

This is not remotely a final list. There are a good 50 other movies from 2011 that I’m interested in seeing, and that’s not counting the films that played at 2011 film festivals but haven’t made it to U.S. theaters or DVD yet. (I started watching movies methodically in 2005, and there are still some movies from THAT year that I feel I need to see before I'll be satisfied. Nevertheless, 2005 and 2006 are the years where I'm closest to being "done.")

Oh come on you heartless curmudgeon! Matt Damon trying so hard to keep his daughter alive just so she could do the stupid, senior prom shuffle--those little things that we all take for granted--that didn't warm your little heart?

I guess not.

Now get off my lawn!!

I liked it too. The mom's initial reaction felt like something my mom would definitely do. I'm waiting till the Oscars to update my list to a more-or-less "final" form, but 50/50 will be there, and high up.


I didn't find what you refer to as "obsession" to be that at all. This is another one I saw recently that will probably make my updated list in a couple weeks.

BUMP cuz I need to take note of what I still need to see. Also I should be able to soon make a list.

Top Ten (for now):

#1. The Descendants
#2. Warrior
#3. The Tree of Life
#4. Drive
#5. Midnight in Paris
#6. Moneyball
#7. Margin Call
#8. 50/50
#9. Melancholia
#10. Attack the Block

Honorable Mentions:

#11. Rango
#12. Cave of Forgotten Dreams

My top 19 films from last year. The top 3 were certified four-starrers while the rest all rated in at 3.5. The only one I would've liked to be on that list, and I think would've claimed a Top 10 spot, was Shame. And that is quite a ways away from a DVD release, so there you go.

1) Separation, A (Persian)
2) Certified Copy (French, English, Italian)
3) Descendants, The (English)
4) Margin Call (English)
5) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (English)
6) Ides Of March, The (English)
7) Duo Ming Jin (Life Without Principle) (Cantonese)
8) Attack The Block (English)
9) Take Shelter (English)
10) Martha Marcy May Marlene (English)
11) Warrior (English)
12) Drive (English)
13) Tree of Life, The (English)
14) Hugo (English)
15) X-Men: First Class (English)
16) Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (English)
17) Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (English)
18) The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn (English)
19) Moneyball (English)

All things considered this was the best year for me in terms of keeping up with current affairs, and I am pretty satisfied with that.

You've piqued my interest, Balaji. Our tastes seem reasonably similar and I haven't heard of this one before so I'm very intrigued by you rating it so highly. Off to research!

I probably wouldn't have heard about it if it weren't for my trip to the Dubai Film Festival. This is what I had to say about the film at the time. It was simply a brilliant film and similar to Margin Call in many ways.

1.The Tree Of Life- I won't pretend that I understand everything that happens in this film but what I do know is that it hooked me on an emotional level. It also pushes the boundaries of what a film can be IMO. This didn't win for Cinematography which makes no sense to me.

2. Senna-Criminally overlooked by everyone except the Bafta's and Mark Kermode. Amazing documentary and I HATE the sport of formula 1.

3. A Separation-It's been a few weeks since I've seen it and I can't get it out of my head.

4. Certified Copy-Brilliant relationship drama with an awesome spin on the story.

5. Drive-Everyone else has said it already why.

6. Tabloid- Errol Morris does it again. It's a Rashomon style documentary...Hilarious and thought provoking. Real life is stranger than fiction.

7. Midnight In Paris-Ultimate feel good movie.

8. The Skin I Live In- Crazy and great Almodovar!

9. Take Shelter- Michael Shannon...enough said.

10. Tyrannosaur- Underrated. One of Peter Mullan's best performances. Olivia Colman was incredible in this too... Best Actress material imo.

Honorable Mentions:

Meek's Cutoff, The Artist, The Descendants, The Interrupters, Life In A Day, Melancholia, Another Earth, Hugo, Beginners and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

By that logic Pearl Harbor is a Top 10 film

I didn't know they stacked shit that high.

Ok you got me there. I'll try to clarify myself (although that could be tough considering I'm not witty and I'm certainly not the smartest guy out there). Michael Shannon gave a powerhouse performance that was intense, grounded in realism and subtle. It's a film that got under my skin and I truly felt sorry for his character. It left an impact on me and I've thought about it many times after viewing it...and I watching 3-4 weeks ago.

So you're right, it's not good logic....you win.

Hey, Next Big Ching, I hope people check out the reviews on your blog because they are refreshingly different and also well written. I like your #1 of the year, 50-50, and the review was insightful.
JIMBELL

Top 10 Movies Of 2011 That I’ve Seen
50-50
Moneyball
Source Code
The Descendents
Project Nim (documentary)
The Artist
Midnight in Paris
Margin Call
The Lincoln Lawyer
Jane Eyre

I've attempted a 1 to 10 order, but it might change tomorrow.

This is one of the first years in a long time where I have seen enough movies from the year to come up with a legit top 10 list. Normally, I am obsessed with quality not how recent the movie is. So I have dates scattered from the 1940s to last year. In part I watched so many movies from 2011 because I wanted to give the Academy Awards another chance. I was disappointed. I dislike the bandwagon effect that takes over--by the time the big night rolls around, you'd think there had only been a couple of top notch movies made that year.