Film in 2011: A Top 10

10. Heartbeats
Lifts technique effortlessly to create style. There is nothing original here, but the finished work is both immediate and compelling. Xavier Dolan is destined for great things.

9. Jane Eyre
A wonderfully atmospheric romance. The director moved from the gang wars of Mexico to classic British literature with almost too much ease.

 8. A Dangerous Method
David Cronenberg continues to evolve as a filmmaker. Many say he's mellowed, but his films have simply become more internal, body horror replaced by mental chiller. This film alternates between being an unsettling account of a man's journey into his own mind and fascinating biopic. See it.

7. Certified Copy
A film that takes at least two viewings to piece it together, it is non stop thought provoking. Who are we watching? What is their relationship? Plus, Juliette Binoche gives her best performance in years.


6. Tree of Life
Terrence Malick only makes good films. This is no exception. A moving film that you must surrender to completely. Let it lull your active brain into a state where childhood comes back to you and you can ruminate on the whole sweep of your life. How did you get where you are? How did what came before affect where you go?

5. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
The most profound film of the year involves spirits, sex with catfish, and transforming family members. This is a film that requires looking past the narrative and into the feelings evoked. I wouldn't quite say symbolism because nothing represents anything concrete, but at the same time nothing represents only itself.

4. Hugo
Scorcese proves he is a great filmmaker by making the best children's film of the year. It is also the best advertisement for 3D yet made. The cinematography fully uses the new medium in a way that doesn't feel forced and artificial. This is an exercise in wonder.

3. Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen goes from great to ok without any sense of reason or timing. This year he made a film full of whimsy, that touching on greatness. Unaffected by the larger problems of the world he is investigating what has always concerned Woody Allen, himself. He succeeded this year...

2. Drive
Beautiful from the first frame to the last. A film which uses style to tell a compelling story and get across some extremely basic themes. Barely about more than whats on the surface, but who cares? It's probably the most fun of any film this year.

1. Cold Weather
A great mash-up between Hitchcock, mumblecore, and Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed this from start to finish each time I've seen it. The shots are simple, effective, and they never feel wasteful. The best part of the film is the ending, which feels just right.

Some Additional Awards/Thoughts:

Best Cinematography: Hugo

Best Screenplay: Midnight in Paris

Best Actor/Actress: Juliette Binoche (Certified Copy)

Best Battle Scene: 13 Assassins

Most Stylish: Drive

Best Romance: Jane Eyre

Best Special Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best Horror: Scream 4

Best Comedy: Midnight in Paris

Most Underrated: Jane Eyre

Best Animated: The Adventures of Tin Tin

Blind Spots: A Separation, Take Shelter, Margaret, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Skin I Live In, Poetry, Mysteries of Lisbon, and many others...