Welcome to DTTM’s first top ten! It’s a bit late, but, well… you know. Life.
As is the case every year, this list includes films that weren’t released in 2011. This is a list of my favorite film viewings, not the best films of the year. I do this for two reasons: It’s impossible for me to see all the critics’ pet and blockbuster films, and I really don’t think ten great films come out yearly.
2011 wasn’t the best year for movies. Off-the-assembly-line comic book movies and big-deal cookie cutter indie films defined the year. The good ones, though, were absolutely stellar. As you’ll see below, I called my top two films—both released in 2011—landmarks. For the first time in years, I feel there are directors out there pushing boundaries again. Too bad they aren’t new directors. Ah, well.
Anyways, here’s the list:
1. The Tree of Life – Either you think this film is overrated tripe, or you loved it. You know where I stand. This was the most written about film of the year, so I don’t have much to contribute. I do believe it’s one of the maybe top 25 best films ever made, and certainly in the all-time top 10 for color cinematography. It has Brad Pitt and dinosaurs.
2. Certified Copy – See this on Netflix now. Abbas Kiarostami’s two-person talkfest is the most creative independent film since Pulp Fiction. Both an homage and a creative riff on Kieslowski’s Three Colors films, Kiarostami takes Blue’s leading lady, Juliette Binoche, and provides her the role of a lifetime. I won’t spoil it. See it.
3. 13 Assassins – Takashi Miike’s action masterpiece is, without a doubt, right up there with The Dirty Dozen. One of the most satisfying straight action films in years.
4. Source Code – A true hard sci-fi sleeper, and a great example of fine sci-fi writing. The trailer indicated a Groundhog Day-ish political thriller, but what we got was an innovative story that went into some truly unpredictable—and human—directions. I foresee this film gaining a cult following in years to come.
5. Manhattan – This was a Woody Allen retrospective year for me, and it peaked with Woody Allen’s black and white masterpiece. A perfectly realized, slightly sick yuppie drama.
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two – This was the blockbuster film of the year, a special effects bonanza that delivered on all fronts.
7. Midnight in Paris – A complete surprise from Woody Allen, who’s pretty much sucked for about ten years. This one put him right back on the map, a heady fantasy with a cunning performance from Owen Wilson, who finally gets to play someone other than himself.
8. High Noon – I watched this one at just the right time, apparently. After probably half a dozen viewings, I appreciate this classic Western more deeply every time.
9. Interiors – The third Woody Allen on my list this year, and one I feel is his most underrated. This dark, literate drama deals with a fragmenting yuppie New York family. The performances are off the chain.
10. The Killing – Kubrick’s heist film is just as ecstatically rendered, ridiculously creative, and suspenseful as ever.
