Top 10 Films of 2011

10. The Muppets

I think I started smiling before this film even started (courtesy of a funny Toy Story short preceding the film), but the smile on my face never disappeared until probably days after seeing The Muppets.  The Muppets was simply the most fun I had at a theater all year.  It was efficiently paced, had catchy tunes (I'm still listening to "Life's A Happy Song" on a daily basis) and smothered everyone with nostalgia (it might have been a bit too much nostalgia but that is easy to overlook in a film like this).

9. Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol

J.J. Abrams rejuvenated the Mission: Impossible franchise (which in my opinion never took off in the first place until his installment) by including a story dealing with Ethan Hunt's personal life.  Brad Bird improved upon that by not only building upon Ethan's personal life but by proving that he is one of the best action directors out there.  The Burj Khalifa sequence is one for the ages and has single-handedly brought Tom Cruise back on to everyone's good side.  Cruise also has a great supporting cast including the sexy Paula Patton, the well suited Jeremy Renner and the hilarious Simon Pegg.  This was definitely the best mission yet.

8. Kung Fu Panda 2

This summer film has been completely lost in the shuffle, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good.  Far from it actually.  This was a rare sequel that built on storylines from the previous film in an entertaining way.  The voice cast is also top notch as it features Jack Black doing some of his best work to date and Gary Oldman doing his chameleon act (although only through his voice this time) as a villainous peacock.

7. Martha Marcy May Marlene

I normally don't like films as dark as this one was.  However, rookie director and screenwriter Sean Durkin constructed a fascinating tale of a girl's attempt to escape a cult.  The structure Durkin uses to convey Martha's story is completely engrossing as it lets the performances do all of the talking.  Elizabeth Olsen gives a courageous performance as she holds nothing back as Martha and John Hawkes is mesmerizing and haunting as the cult leader.

6. Moneyball

Although the film is very inaccurate, this film turns itself into one of the best of the year by creating a much more interesting reality than the one that was fact.  Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian give so much life to a film that could have easily been bogged down by the inside dealings of baseball.  It's a very enjoyable film that never let's you nitpick all of its faults.  Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill make a great team as the two leads.

5. The Help

Much has been made of the politics of this film, but one thing that can't be denied is that this film gave an enormous opportunity for actresses to show all of their potential.  The story may be generic, but where this film takes itself above the competition is that it relies on its outstanding cast.  Viola Davis as a phenomenal lead, Emma Stone as the glue of the cast, Octavia Spencer as the scene stealer, Bryce Dallas Howard as the villain you love to hate and Jessica Chastain with the chameleon performance compose what is the best ensemble in some time.

4. Source Code

Duncan Jones made an audacious debut with his spectacular sci-fi film Moon.  Duncan Jones followed that film up by bringing his formula from Moon and planting it onto Source Code.  So far his shtick hasn't failed to entertain.  Source Code is filled with surprising twists and turns, questions that raise debate from the viewer and a great lead performance (this time from Jake Gyllenhaal).

3. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

This film was the surprise of the year.  It wasn't until marketing for the film changed its focus to Andy Serkis' performance as Caesar that I began to realize the potential of this film.  That potential was fully realized.  The film met all of benchmarks set up by the other films in the series.  It featured well directed action and featured some of the best visual effects ever put on screen.  This was a prequel that lived up to the other films in the franchise (surpassing all but the original).  It's not often that you can say that.

2. Super 8

There have been many films that were released this year that have used nostalgia and the history of film as tools to entertain audiences.  The Artist, Hugo, The Muppets and Rango all did so to varying effects.  However, the film that was most successful at doing this was J.J. Abram's Super 8.  The film was an ode to the films of Spielberg, but what I really felt like while watching this film was a kid.  This film was extremely effective at bringing out the inner geek child within me.  The film featured a solid cast led by knockout performance from Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney and features one of the best end sequences in cinematic history.

1. The Tree of Life

There was only one film from 2011 that deserved to have the word masterpiece associated with it.  That was Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life.  The film is the most ambitious since 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey.  This film actually serves as an antithesis to that one as it explores the power of God.  The film is esoteric beyond belief so many will come out of this film with a negative view on it.  However, the real power of this film is that the more thought you put into it, the more you get out of it.  It also can't be denied that this is the most gorgeously shot film in recent memory.  Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography shows why he is continually referred to as one of the best and the visual effects are stunning and innovative.  Then there is the cast that features two powerhouse performance form Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain and has performances from child actors that seem to be well beyond their years (Hunter McCracken especially).  This year is currently being remembered for the final Harry Potter installment and the breakout hit that was Bridesmaids, but the film that will still be talked about 50 years from now is, without a doubt, this one.