These are the top 10 films that I saw last year. Admittedly I did not see some of the bigger films of this year, such as The Artist. I'm not saying that those films weren't good, but I just haven't happened to see them yet. These aren't the best movies of the year, they're just the ones that I enjoyed the most.
#10: Coriolanus
Coriolanus, Ralph Fiennes directorial debut, surprised me this year. I happened to catch a festival-screening of it in October and was blown away by the quality of this film. A modernization of the Shakespearean play, Fiennes delivers a great performance in the lead. It also features Gerard Butler who is, shockingly, very good as the mad general Tullus Aufidius. The film succeeds where many Shakespeare-based films fail in being able to get the complicated plot across while being entertaining. This is even more difficult when you consider that it is not one of the more well-known plays, but Coriolanus does it smoothly and beautifully
#9: Helldriver
Technically this is a 2010 film, but it only became available in America this past year. This film from Japanese director Yoshihiro Nishimura is one of the strangest films I saw this year, and one of the most entertaining. A comedic zombie/splatter film, Helldriver is weird, disgusting, and hilarious. Basically two hours of bizarre gore effects and insane fights, a beautiful play on modern horror films. This is not a movie for anyone, but if you like splatter-films then this is right up your alley.
#8: Captain America
I was skeptical about Captain America at first. I was afraid that it may take itself too seriously, as many comic-book movies do, instead of having fun with the subject matter. It turns out that my fears were misplaced entirely. Whereas, say, Chris Nolans Batman films refuse to have any fun at all, and most of the Superman films after the second one are too silly to enjoy, Captain America has a perfect blend of seriousness and comedy. Obviously the wartime scenes are more serious than, for example, the scenes of scrawny Steve Rogers back home, but the film knows when to be serious and when to have fun. This movie did its job of getting me excited for The Avengers, which I must say is a very ambitious project and one that I am looking forward to.
#7: The Muppets
The Muppets is one of the most fun movie experiences I've had this past year. For those of you who, like me, enjoy the classic Jim Henson films much more than the recent entries of Muppets from Space and Muppet Wizard of Oz, this is the film for you. Largely a tribute to the television show, but with all of the size and excitement of the films, the movie is one enormous nostalgia trip. Every character is there with a perfectly defined personality, and the fantastic music only adds to the experience. One of the best films of the year, and one of the best children's films in recent memory, The Muppets is an amazing picture.
#6: X-Men: First Class
This is, by far, the best of the X-Men movies so far. I was, again, skeptical that this origin-story prequel would take itself to seriously, and this time my fears were a little bit more grounded. For the most part, the film has fun and does what it wants. It is only at the end that the movie decides to act serious and pretend that what just happened is ridiculously deep and meaningful. At first this irritated me, but then I realized that X-Men is all about taking itself too seriously. If you look past that, this is an incredibly exciting and well-made film.
#5: Thor
Another comic-book movie, and one from a favorite director of mine: Kenneth Branagh. My worries with this film were that the CGI world of Asgard would end up being painfully bright and fake. However, good effects and perfect balance between Asgard and Earth won me over. Thor is not the most famous of Marvel's heroes, and I had trouble believing that a film would be worth the money. But Branagh's excellent direction made this one of the best comic-book films I have ever seen.
#4: Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen's latest film is absolutely beautiful. One of the problems with some of his more recent work has been in casting. it is hard to find another actor to play the parts that Allen is to old to do himself. This one is different, in that the lead character is not really a Woody Allen character. Owen Wilson has all of Allen's wit, but in a much more refined way. he makes the part his own. The concept, that Wilson is able to travel back nearly a hundred years in time while in Paris, is a strange one and well-executed. This is Allen's best movie in recent memory.
#3: I Saw The Devil
Again, this film came out in South Korea in 2010, but was released in America this past year. This crime thriller from director Kim Ji-Woon is one of the most suspenseful films I have ever seen. It's the story of a secret agent, played by Lee Byung-hun, who goes an a quest to avenge the death of his girlfriend at the hands of a deranged serial killer, played by Choi Min-sik in his return to the screen after 4 years. It is absolutely perfect. Words cannot describe the pacing of this film. I can only hope it gets a wider release here.
#2: Hugo
There is not much to say about Martin Scorsese's Hugo that has not already been said. If you have ever created any work of art, you will love this movie. It is a loving tribute to the creative spirit. It also features a neat little film-history lesson, and a handful of charming subplots. this movie is also the only film that I have ever seen which benefits from 3D. It's a movie about dreaming, and it is wonderful.
#1: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The question many people asked about this film was: Is it better than the Swedish version. The short answer is: Yes. This film does many things better than the Swedish film, most notably in the characterization of the two main characters, and makes for a far more exciting feature. It also contains one of the best opening-title sequences in years. The main benefits of this film are Rooney Mara's amazing job as Lisbeth, and Fincher's brilliant choices as director. This is my favorite film of 2011
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