Lists are really just a fun way to put out to the world which movies were your favorites. Sure, taste and critical analysis and emotional reaction and craft are all factors – but generally, it’s the lister telling the list-readers which movies they should definitely check out if they haven’t.

And the reverse is true as well – omissions from the list is the lister’s final thumb-flick at the offending content. “I didn’t list you – so you suck! Waaaah! GO DRIVE!*”

So with that cynical and borderline hipster take, here’s MY list of movies that made an impact on me this year. Keep in mind that I’ll include at the bottom some honorable mentions of great movies (some not yet seen) that are also worth your time. But for now – our top ten of 2011:

1.)  ATTACK THE BLOCK

I quote this movie almost daily.  A group of inner-city juveniles protect their low-income apartment housing – a.k.a. ‘the Block’ – from invading carnivorous ‘gorilla wolf-motherf@$kers.’  Perfect blend of John Carpenter and Amblin’ films. Wonderful direction and script from Joe Cornish with Edgar Wright producing. The kids are honest, real, funny – and the danger they face is real. The direction is sublime and simple, orienting the audience to the setting and geography of the film so they are never lost in the action and always engaged.  The script is brutally efficient and effective in setting up the geography and plot of the film.  The villainous creatures are simple, and elegantly brutal. The lead actor John Boyega does Denzel Washington almost better than Denzel does himself (you’ll be seeing him in DA BRICK, Spike Lee’s new TV series inspired by the life of Mike Tyson). I’m reading the book READY PLAYER ONE right now – another great hybrid, mixing the great world-building of J.K. Rowling with gaming an 80’s references galore – and I’d love to see Cornish and Wright flesh this one out on the big screen. One of the most entertaining films of the year.  See it soon, or don’t talk to me.

2.)  BRIDESMAIDS

Said it back then, and I’ll say it now. This film deserves Academy attention. Writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo create a wonderful balanced and honest script that executes the same romantic comedy plot points, but always in an organic and character-driven manner.  Even the more gimmicky moments of bathroom humor are grounded in the insecure motivations of its’ characters – always from character, always.  Wiig allows the other ensemble members to shine, and doesn’t shy away from the less attractive aspects of her character’s insecurity.  She deserves a dual nomination for this one – and the rest of the cast from Maya Rudolph to Rose Byrne to Chris O’Dowd to the other award contender Melissa McCarthy -  just see this already, willya?

3.) 50/50

I’ve had conversations about this movie that go like this: “Which part got to you the most? For me, it was (insert moment here).” This movie is full of those moments – and not just sad either. I laughed till I lost my breath and fell into a coughing fit. And then I’d cry and get sad.  I’d get sad hard. And then Seth Rogen would nail it, and you realize how few movies there are about what good friends truly mean to each other (same for BRIDESMAIDS, actually). Then – teary-eyed. Then Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes you laugh and goes for the Oscar (for which he should own the nomination) and then you cry again and laugh and cry. A true definition of a roller coaster ride.

4.) THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN / WAR HORSE

I’m cheating under the defense that I snuck into WAR HORSE after seeing THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN – but how often does one get to see two new films from Steven Spielberg in the theater on the same day? Give him some time, it’ll happen again. But briefly – Spielberg is the best shooter of action out there and most likely ever will be – and it’s nice that the old guard is showing the new range of filmmakers how it’s really (i.e. “should be”) done. Pure entertainment was TINTIN – the climactic chase near the end is a five minute unbroken shot done on motion capture – an inventive piece of one-upmanship that most likely won’t get the credit it deserves. I’m noticing that Spielberg is reaping the benefits of other directors (Robert Zemeckis’ pioneering of mo-cap, taking advantage of Bay’s TRANSFORMERS films and REAL STEEL to perfect robot CGI before he films ROBOPACLYPSE next year, as well as utilizing Cameron’s 3D advances) and then infusing them with his own style – if this were truly on purpose, than he’s also probably the best chess player in Hollywood – very forward-thinking.  But then to watch him use cutting edge tech back-to-back with a beautifully traditional and classically shot film a classically shot and beautiful film such as WAR HORSE (a movie I suspect will play stronger on the big screen than at home) – that I’m thrilled he’s got off his ass and has LINCOLN and ROBOPACLYPSE on deck.  Also, I’m glad John Williams woke up.  I missed him.

5.) HUGO

I heard Peter Bogdanovich recently tell Edgar Wright that many of his current film students think that film history started with RAGING BULL, and were remarkably disinterested in films older than they were. That’s extremely upsetting, and tremendously short-sighted. There is a wealth of terrific films before our time that influenced every major filmmaker before them – including Scorsese. His love for film history (and film preservation) is what drives and inspires him (yes, including RAGING BULL), and HUGO is the culmination of a lifelong affair with cinema from its’ very beginning. HUGO is a love letter to silent films – evidenced by the balletic dialogue-free opening, and the graceful way he incorporates silent films with modern 3-D to bring those historic images to a new world – and another example of the old guard teaching today’s ‘whippersnappers’ how it’s done right. See more films beyond your time, young filmmaking padawans. Knowledge is power.

6.) RANGO

I remember when I first viewed THE DARK CRYSTAL in my youth, and how it excited and terrified me – too often, family films don’t recognize how vital it is for children to have those moments in a film – it’s necessary for a truly impactful experience, I feel. And RANGO has that edge going for it. A menacing piece of animation, hilarious, dark, moving, and with several stunning setpieces equivalent of the best John Ford and David Lean – one wishes that Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp could’ve brought a bit more originality of this sort to their last two PIRATES OF THE CARRIBBEAN films, but I’ll take what I can get. Very smart – and underseen. Fix that, please.

7.) RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

I’m noticing a trend in my list – films that fully utilize the tools of film language and visual storytelling for skillfully crafted films of mainstream films that fully engages and excites the audience’s imagination and emotions. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES might go down in history as the first actor to be nominated for the Oscar for his motion-capture work. Andy Serkis’ mo-cap character work as Caesar is astonishing – powerfully subtle and dignified – and deserves all the accolades he gets. But the director, Rupert Wyatt, brings an equally dignified and intelligent approach to the filmmaking. Notice how he blocks the shots, moves the camera, and suggests without showing. A large part of the film is without dialogue – apes don’t speak, of course – and yet the audiences if fully invested in the plot, and our emotions are truly heightened by the visual storytelling. At the end, I wanted Caesar and the apes to rise like hell against the humans, and the third act of this film is explosive, cathartic, and doesn’t compromise the ending. Truly, a great genre film – and a great film in general.

8.) TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

Cold Wars are just that – cold. Unexciting. No gadgets. No cell phones. Information passed from paper to hand, and lips to ears, secrets kept, relationships and souls sacrificed for duty and patriotism. Spying is a skill, and if you’re a good spy, you don’t draw attention to that skill – if you’re good at your job, you’ll be dead and gone and no one – perhaps not even yourself – will know or recognize your work. For those who grew up during the Cold War – it’s endlessly fascinating. For those who haven’t, and are curious to know what it might have been like – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is a perfect introduction. The film itself is like a spy – so skillful with it’s intricate plotting (wonderful script) and subtle camera moves, and a gifted performance from Gary Oldman – who is so skilled at being still here – that you might not realize just how well-crafted and suspenseful the film is. See it twice – I plan to (if only to fully understand what I missed – heh).

9.) GOD BLESS AMERICA

The latest venture from writer/director Bobcat Goldthwaite has stuck with me since I saw it first at the Toronto International Film Festival (made possible by a very wonderful, wonderful person). I wouldn’t call this a perfect film – but it perfectly summed up many of the enraged feelings I had been having towards what many consider the downward spiral of American culture. Many conservatives protest from their pundits about the declining state of American values – which may be true – but their are other values that are being lost all the time that no one addresses – such as common sense, decency, and taste. Using a Bonnie-and-Clyde structure as a forum to espouse the crass entertainment culture on television – and just overall ill-mannered behavior – Bobcat created a flawed, divisive, yet very cathartic film for a specific audience. And having seen this on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 – it couldn’t have been more perfect. I gushed over this film (and potentially embarrassed myself during the Q&A afterward). Definitely a recommend, if only for the debate you’ll most like have afterwards).

10.) MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL

Simply the best action film I’ve seen all year. Some have claimed there’s not much story here. I disagree. I say there’s just enough to support the four or five amazing set-pieces Brad Bird has engineered. A real sense of action geography (we always know where we are in the scene) with great composition and energy – the opening gambit alone had be giddy like a kid. Haven’t seen this in IMAX – which I plan to. Loads of fun – with a terrific score and ensemble performances all around. Brad Bird is a major talent with and old guard attitude toward modern filmmaking – and I’m thrilled he’s made the leap.  Check this one out on as big and loud a screen as you can.

That’s my top ten at this moment in time. Might regret it. Might not. But there be the list.

Also, a lot of people have placed CONTAGION on their lists for the year, and though it was effectively detailed for the germaphobe demographics, I found it too emotionally distant for me. I also appreciated 13 ASSASSINS – because everyone needs a great samurai film in their life, and the action choreography here was stunning – but these other films stuck with me more.

For the record, my three biggest disappointments of the year were THOR (expected to disappoint)), SUPER 8 (some nice moments of directing, but clearly two movies jumbled together to make a release date – very slipshod and in need of focus), and COWBOYS VS. ALIENS (major disappointment whose structure unravels the more you pick at it).   SUPER 8 and C vs. A unraveled so quickly for me after I left the theater, that I ranted about them for days.  They almost deserve a separate dissertation of how they completely missed the mark  – so let me know in the comments below if you’d like to see that, and I’ll write those suckers up.

But to end on a positive note – here’s a list of honorable mentions that are really great as well that didn’t make the list – which is an argument against lists in and of itself, as these films are really worth your time.

HONORABLE MENTIONS I’VE SEEN

10.) THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE (masterful dual performances from Dominic Cooper)
11.) THE RAID (CLICK HERE to see how badass this is)
12.) TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL (funniest, bloodiest surprise of the year)
13.) CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (Marvel’s best film period)
14.) CRAZY STUPID LOVE (effective, moving, funny – another surprise)
15.) HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART TWO (duh.)
16.) DRIVE* (see – don’t hate me, it’s in there)
17.) WARRIOR (like BACKDRAFT but with MMA – suckered me in)
18.) MARTHA MAY MARCY MARLENE (Elizabeth Olsen is scary good)
19.) THE MUPPETS (”…maniacal laugh… maniacal laugh…”)
20.) HANNA (brutal, simple, and elegant action choreography)

HONORABLE MENTIONS I WANT TO SEE BUT HAVE NOT (YET)

21.) THE ARTIST (Edgar Wright says it’s amazing – so I’m in)
22.) MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (heard the script and the opening are terrific)
23.) TAKE SHELTER (I’ve heard great things about Michael Shannon’s performance)
24.) MONEYBALL (a great baseball movie – yes please)
25.) THE IDES OF MARCH (loved PRIMARY COLORS – should be all over this)

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