Top Ten of 2011

By Sarah Sluis

Each year, I keep a spreadsheet of all the movies I saw in theatres and rate them one to four stars. Usually all the four star ones make it into my top ten, but this year I found myself looking down the list, skipping some movies I had rated highly originally and going for some three-star films that still generated an emotional response. A caveat: This list is based only on movies I've seen, and I've definitely let a few gems slip by unseen.

1. Take Shelter. Michael Shannon plays a man who's haunted by visions of a storm--but is he just crazy, like his mother, or is he on to something more? It's filled with thrills, but it also touches on themes that have always fascinated me. Reality is subjective. How do you tell if what you're seeing is the same as what everyone else is seeing? In a world with waning religious beliefs, would we have committed Joan of Arc to an insane asylum? In the press notes, director Jeff Nichols said he was inspired by the anxieties he had about becoming a father. I couldn't have had a more different interpretation, but there's something satisfying about how open-ended Nichols could make this story.

2. Drive. Moody and stylized, with a killer soundtrack (love Desire's "Under Your Spell"). This thriller had flaws, but it also had some unforgettable action sequences. Director Nicholas Winding Refn is someone who understands how to use paradoxical calm to build tension, who knows what to keep offscreen. Not only did this movie have an amazing ending, it had one of the best opening sequences I've seen in ages.

3. The Artist. A familiar story that feels fresh, and you'll be patting yourself on the back for finding a black-and-white silent so incredibly watchable. It's also one of the few movies this year that left me with the warm-fuzzies at the end (just like The King's Speech, which won Best Picture last year..)

4. Like Crazy. I saw this romance with a great audience that gasped at all the right spots. Immigration issues are definitely a believable obstacle of romance, and the film manages to capture all the small gestures and words that convey intimacy. I can't wait to see more from director Drake Doremus and actress Felicity Jones.

5. The Descendants. Like Drive, this movie prompted me to continue the experience musically (via the album "The Greatest Songs Ever: Hawaii" on Spotify). Well-done comedy-dramas transcend the flaws of both, and that's exactly what director Alexander Payne and George Clooney do here.

6. Young Adult. Charlize Theron killed it as a spoiled young-adult book author trying to relive her glorious high school past as a mean girl. The little bits of comedy--like her stealing dialogue from teen girls talking about texting boyfriends at Burger King, and finding solace in episodes of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," made the movie for me.

7. Higher Ground. A poetic, observant portrait of a woman and her faith over time. Vera Farmiga shows she knows how to direct, and it was refreshing to see a subject not often covered on the screen.

8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Fun, entertaining popcorn movie. Rooney Mara was fabulous, with a charismatic mix of power, intelligence, and--as she says herself--insanity. I'll definitely be tuning into the sequels.

9. Contagion. This well-done move rose in my estimation months after its release. It's so polished and well-executed, and I count epidemiology as another one of my pet interests, making this an extra scary and satisfying tale. The mixed-up chronology was brilliant.

10. So many documentaries. For me, a satisfying documentary is often easier to pull off than a great feature film, so I want to call out a few of my favorites.
Armadillo was a mix of the terror and boredom of Danish troops in Afghanistan. We forget that we pulled so many other nations into America's conflicts, and this documentary has the added benefit of showing us the similarities and differences of protocol between countries.
Bill Cunningham: New York. Even if you don't like fashion, learning about New York and most importantly Cunningham, a modest and endearing figure, will make this doc worthwhile.
Buck. I was never one of those girls who wanted a horse growing up, but Buck's techniques for training horses are fascinating and show a different side to the human-animal relationship.