Year End Wrap Up: Top 10 Films of 2011 - Plus Outstanding Achievements by Genre & Category

From director Martin Scorsese's first foray into 3D film making to the silent film wonder known as The Artist, here are the top ten films our staff of writers best represent 2011. We've also included special sections which highlight the best films from each genre and individual performances of the year.

Top 10 Films of the Year

10. Beginners

"At first glance, you might be temped to write Beginners off as an obnoxiously quirky, Little Miss Sunshine-esque family dramedy. But Mike Mills' debut feature is an incredibly moving film that banishes others like Sunshine Cleaning to the kid’s table. This heartfelt story of a young man (Ewan McGregor) coming to terms with his elderly father’s (Christopher Plummer) sudden announcements of both terminal cancer and homosexuality is rich with sincerity, presenting an incredibly wise story about family and love.

"There are two things that really make Beginners stand tall amongst a slew of so-called “quirky” movies. One is the wonderfully original script that’s legitimately smart and fresh. It never sounds as if Mills is trying to convince the audience that he’s interesting, he just lets it flow in one beautifully natural burst of storytelling. Secondly, Beginners boasts fantastic performances across the board (even the film’s dog is superb). Most specifically, Christopher Plummer gives what may be the most passionate character portrayal movie goers can see in 2011. He may be an old man, but human beings of all ages can easily find a bit of themselves in him." - Giovanni Colantonio

Beginners imaginatively explores the hilarity, confusion, and surprises of love through the evolving consciousness of Oliver (Ewan McGregor). Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna (Mélanie Laurent) only months after his father Hal (Christopher Plummer) has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father who - following 44 years of marriage - came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life. The upheavals of Hal's new honesty, by turns funny and moving, brought father and son closer than they'd ever been able to be. Now Oliver endeavors to love Anna with all the bravery, humor, and hope that his father taught him.

"After an underwhelming string of films through the 2000’s, many had decided that Woody Allen was all washed up. His signature shtick seemed to be finally losing its luster and fading into complacent mediocrity. But along came Midnight In Paris, showing the filmmaker not only back to his witty antics but the most refreshed he’s seemed in nearly twenty years.

"The set-up may seem conventional for Woody at first; a neurotic writer (Owen Wilson) goes to Paris with his obviously mismatched fiancé (Rachel McAdams), who seems awfully interested in a “pseudo-intellectual” friend. But one night he finds himself back in time, partying with the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemmingway. Rather than just make something that’s nostalgic for the good old days, Allen crafts an unbelievably tight film that examines how humans tend to romanticize the past, despite the fact that the past was once just as boring as the old-present. Throw in some hilarious literary humor, excellent ensemble performances, and mix together with a whole lot of charm and the result is an American icon’s best work in decades." - Giovanni Colantonio

This is a romantic comedy set in Paris about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences there that change their lives. It's about a young man's great love for a city, Paris, and the illusion people have that a life different from theirs would be much better. It stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, among others.

"John Hawkes (The Perfect Storm) and newcomer Elizabeth Olsen give powerful performances in this slow burning suspenseful drama which is beautifully and seamlessly edited to offer the most compelling story possible. Another new presence making a name for himself is writer/director Sean Durkin. He based part of this story on research he had done on cults and, in particular, a woman who had escaped a similar experience. This makes the film grounded and poignant while also aiding in keeping our protagonist and the viewers themselves all the more unsettled. Avoiding the tropes of a megalomaniac or religious fervent, Durkin and Hawkes present cult leader Patrick with a simple creepy magnetism that pulls these young women into his fold.

"The true standout is Olsen (younger sister to her much more famous siblings Mary-Kate and Ashley) whose expressions and lungful stares tells us so much about this character and the torment she is going through. Her performance is both haunting and powerful throughout, completely engrossing you in her plight. As Olsen's Martha -- which is her name to her biological family while Marcy May is used by her communal one -- faces increasing flashbacks, her memories painfully unfold through the story’s timeline and we are exposed to the intricacies and horrors of Patrick's machinations. As the movie reveals itself, peeled back layer by layer, you are forced to deal with the palpable dread and panicked energy in the air." - Bryan Kritz

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a powerful psychological thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, a young woman rapidly unraveling amidst her attempt to reclaim a normal life after fleeing from a cult and its charismatic leader (John Hawkes). Seeking help from her estranged older sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy), Martha is unable and unwilling to reveal the truth about her disappearance. When her memories trigger a chilling paranoia that her former cult could still be pursuing her, the line between Martha's reality and delusion begins to blur.

"George Clooney has two great films under his belt in 2011 with The Ides of March and The Descendants. While in the former he delivers a cool, confident and sleek performance as a veteran politico, it is in the later that his range as one of today's best actors is on display. Playing successful lawyer Matt King, who finds out his recently hospitalized wife has been having an affair, Clooney bumbles along in a desperate attempt to make sense of his life.

"Director Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt) takes us to the wondrous landscapes of Hawaii to witness to the ironically humorous deconstruction of King's character. As the story unfolds we meet his two daughters, who have as little faith in his parenting skills as he does, to his comatose wife's lover; further emphasizing King's insecurities and inability to overcome his self pity. Clooney is undoubtedly the star of this film, showcasing his unhinged character in a way that forces the audience to look past his chiseled good looks and cinematic charisma and feel truly compassionate towards him." - Pietro Filipponi

From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family's land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.

"While the current studio trend is to convert every possible movie into 3D, French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius is able to bring the silent film era back to life in The Artist. This is without a doubt one of the most daunting feats in modern cinema, a task that no big name director has yet attempted to tackle. Even with the lack of any dialogue for over 100 minutes, Hazanavicius does a spectacular job keeping the audience entertained with a brilliant combination of physical comedy and a dynamic score.

"Jean Dujardin's performance as the 1920's biggest and brightest silent film star George Valentin and Berenice Bejo's role as young up and comer Peppy Miller magically crash together on screen. It would take me 1,000 words to properly describe the grace and eloquence their characters are brought to life with when they didn't need but one between them. This awe-inspiring film perfectly pays homage to the end of the first major cinematic era, giving us all a better appreciation for the countless movies that have come after." - Pietro Filipponi

Hollywood 1927. George Valentin is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller, it seems the sky's the limit - major movie stardom awaits. THE ARTIST, directed by Michel Hazanavicius and starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller and Missi Pyle, tells the story of their interlinked destinies.

"Brad Pitt once again delivers an impressive performance as real life GM of the Oakland A’s Billy Beane, a man whose life experiences strengthen his resolve to make such daring choices during the team's 2002 season. He is in almost every scene and brings both a powerful and equally reserved presence to the role as the team struggles through the changes. There is a fair amount of lightheartedness here too with Pitt and Jonah Hill playing off each other very well."

"Aside from the film's leading man, it's dialogue and cinematography are the stars. Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and Steve Zaillian (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) adapted the 2003 book of the same name by Michael Lewis and are able to take the dry subject of baseball statistics and integrate it seamlessly into the behind the scenes world of American's favorite past time. The two make it approachable and entertaining for anyone, regardless of their interest in the game whatsoever. In sports movies, nothing compares to seeing a ballpark on screen and Wally Pfister (Inception) delivers beautiful camera work throughout the film be it on the field or the inner workings of the stadium. Director Bennett Miller brings it all together and lets us really soak up the story as it unfolds." - Bryan Kritz

Based on a true story, Moneyball is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. It's more than baseball, it's a revolution - one that challenges old school traditions and puts Beane in the crosshairs of those who say he's tearing out the heart and soul of the game.

"This film is an example of what a movie-going experience should be like every time you walk into a theater: wonderment and adventure. What made this movie resonate was it's central theme of the history of film. There is an astonishing amount of information given about turn of the century filmmakers, how films were made and the amount of passion and dreams that go into making movies. This wonderful cinematic interpretation of historical fiction shows that longing for more than the simplicity handed to us is not strange or unique, and that we are masters of our imagination.

"The magnificent sets which filled each frame are astonishing to behold in 3D, which only adds to the magic presented to us. This film is for every person who ever wanted to write a novel, to create a movie, and for the part of us that gave up the dreams we had as children. Scorsese made the children’s movie he would have wanted to see, and reminded us why we fell in love with the cinema 100 years ago." - Zoë Gulliksen

Hugo tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key. Based on Brian Selznick’s award winning and imaginative New York Times bestseller, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, this magical tale is Academy Award-winner Martin Scorsese’s first film shot in 3D.

Hugo stars Asa Butterfield, Sir Ben Kingsly, Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Christopher Lee, Emily Mortimer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Stuhlbarg, Emily Mortimer, Ray Winstone, Frances de la Tour and Richard Griffiths.

"I have never been so baffled, blown away, disappointed or confused by a film like The Tree of Life. That's not to say Terrence Malick's beautifully shot ode to the universe is bad, it may actually be the greatest film ever made. The only problem with that statement is that Tree of Life isn't even a movie by today's standards. It's something else entirely and will either go down as the revolutionary next step to film-making or be considered an experiment created solely to captivate the audience's emotions. The way characters talk to each other comes off fragmented and nothing ever pieces together into a traditional linear format, but that doesn't detract from the melancholic cacophony of sentiment that bombards you.

"This film is so hard to sell, and I wouldn't even know where to begin if I wanted to recommend it to casual theater-goers. I will however say that it's breathtaking to behold and the most emotionally gripping film of the year. The Tree of Life is a confusing mess, but it's a mess that must not be missed." - Keven Skinner

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line - The Tree of Life (winner of the 2011 The Palme d’Or) is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

"Director Nicolas Winding Refn’s stab at the automotive-thriller proves there is room for both excitement and depth in the world of car-centric films, a genre often written off as brainless fun. Screenwriter Hossein Amini may be working with familiar archetypes—the strong and silent hero, the mother in distress, the wise-cracking-yet-downright-sinister mobsters—but the characters never feel like automatons pumped out just to shove behind a steering wheel or gun. That’s due in large part to the performances put forth by the entire cast, though specifically Ryan Gosling, who plays his role with incredible restraint. Gosling and Carey Mulligan don’t just help in creating complex characters; they raise the stakes, giving the central conflict more importance—an urgency lacking in many action movies. If we don’t care about the characters, then there’s no reason to care about their fate.

"But of course, the movie wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t deliver the action set up by the character-centric first half. And, trust me, it does. The sheer brutality that inevitably erupts makes David Cronenberg seem like a wholesome family director. When it hits, it comes as an absolute shock, and that’s what makes Drive truly spectacular. If a movie is billed as an action-thriller, a certain expectation is put into place. There will be blood, excitement, and fun. But once so much time has been spent watching these characters try to break away from violence, it’s unsettling to watch them slip so deeply into it. Drive may not cure our culture’s collective desensitization towards violence, but it sure is a thrilling jolt into reality. Rather than passing off bloodshed as escapist entertainment, Refn leaves the audience with the protagonist’s own conflict; do we hide from violence, or embrace it as our most primal survival instinct? Some may find themselves covering your eyes during scenes, but don’t be surprised if you see those same people peeking through their fingers in awe." - Giovanni Colantonio

Driver (RYAN GOSLING) is a stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night. Doesn’t matter what job he does, Driver is most comfortable behind the wheel of a car. Shannon (BRYAN CRANSTON) is part mentor, part manager for Driver. Since he knows what a great talent Driver is behind the wheel, he either peddles him to film and television directors in the entertainment business or thieves who need an accomplished getaway driver, taking a cut for his own pockets. Always looking to make a buck, Shannon’s current plan is funding a stock car that Driver can race on the professional circuit. Since Bernie Rose (ALBERT BROOKS) is the wealthiest guy he knows, even if the sources of his money are questionable, Shannon proposes he be their investor.

After seeing Driver in action at the speedway, Bernie Rose insists Nino (RON PERLMAN) partners with them as well. Primarily a loner and ambivalent about the deals Shannon makes for him, Driver’s world changes the day he shares an elevator ride at his apartment building with Irene (CAREY MULLIGAN). When he sees her again at the grocery store with her young son, Benicio (KADEN LEOS), he is transfixed, and willingly offers help when they are stranded in the parking lot because Irene’s car won’t start. Soon Driver settles into a routine of driving Irene to her waitress job and watching Benicio, entangled in their lives while her car is fixed. This interlude in Driver’s life abruptly stops when Standard (OSCAR ISAAC), Irene’s husband, is let out early from prison for good behavior. Even though nothing has happened between Driver and Irene, Standard is threatened by another man’s presence in his family’s life. Driver backs off, respectful of Irene’s desire to keep her family together, but when he finds Standard bloodied and lying in the garage with a scared Benicio standing next to his father, Driver is embroiled even further in Irene’s life. Then trouble begins…

"This is not an easy film to sit through; not because it has drastic elements that will shock you, but because of it's blatantly honest look into the lives of people who struggle every day with stomaching their demons. Michael Fassbender is at his best, giving a performance so natural you completely forget you are watching fictionalized cinema. Carey Mulligan conveys equal disillusionment with the possibility of happiness; her scenes with Fassbender are filled with underlying pain and longing for comfort that will never come. Director McQueen's visual acuity for gritty realism is prevalent throughout. Along with cinematographer Sean Bobbitt he does not attempt to romanticize New York City like too many other films attempt to, instead Shame provides an honest portrayal of the famous city that is all too often distant and cold.

"Being an NC-17 rated film comes with several preconceived notions, such as blatant, unnecessary sexuality. This is not the case in this production where every bit of overt nudity and every robust sexual scene serves the purpose of making you feel at home in the world McQueen puts on display. Throughout the story viewers learn more about the haunted past the characters are living with, though not once is exposition used to explain details about it. You are left to deduce the scope of the atrocities they have faced, and it works to make the film all the more natural. Shame is a stunning and deeply personal film that will stay with you long after you leave theaters and makes you question, up until the very last frame, if we are ever capable of change." - Pietro Filipponi

Written and directed by Steve McQueen, Shame explores the life of Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control.

Outstanding Achievements by Genre

Action/Adventure - Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol

Drama - Shame

Comedy - Crazy, Stupid, Love

Science Fiction - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Comic Book/Fantasy - X-Men: First Class

Thriller - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Foreign - Troll Hunter

Animated - The Adventures of Tintin

Biography - Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life

Family - Hugo

Western - Blackthorn

Crime - Kill the Irishman

Horror - The Last Circus

Historical/War - Coriolanus

Documentary - Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Best Actor - Michael Fassbender (Shame)

Best Actress - Elizabeth Oslen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

Best Supporting Actor - Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Best Supporting Actress - Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter)

Best Director - Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

Best Screenplay - Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball)

Best Cinematography - Hoyte van Hoytema (Tinker Tailor Solider Spy)

Best Producer/Production Team - Steven Spielberg (The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse, Super 8, Cowboys & Aliens , Real Steel, Transformers: Dark of the Moon)

Best Use of Practical Effects - Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (Industrial Light & Magic)

Best Use of Digital Effects - Rise of the Planet of Apes (WETA)

Best Sequel/Prequel/Spin-Off - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Best Remake - Straw Dogs

Best Contribution to a Single Film - Evan Glodell (Bellflower - writer, director, star, production designer)

Most Underrated of the Year - Submarine