The Top Tens of 2011

Once again, it's that time of the year when Hollywood's biggest and brightest applaud each other in what amounts to a red-carpet circle jerk. But there's no denying that there have been some truly terrific performances (both in front of the camera and behind it). In a year of sequels, superheroes, vampires, robots, and Michael Fassbender's penis, 2011 turned out to be quite a year for cinema. So, for your reading pleasure, here's my entirely biased list of what was great in theaters (and what wasn't).

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE OF 2011

1. Michael Fassbender as "Brandon Sullivan" in Shame
2. Jean Dujardin as "George Valentin" in The Artist
3. Andy Serkis as "Caesar" in Rise of the Planet of the Apes
4. Brad Pitt as "Mr. O'Brien" in The Tree of Life
5. Albert Brooks as "Bernie Rose" in Drive
6. Christopher Plummer as "Hal" in Beginners
7. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as "Adam Lerner" in 50/50
8. Kōji Yakusho as "Shimada Shinzaemon" in 13 Assassins
9. Patton Oswalt as "Matt Freehauf" in Young Adult
10. Ben Kingsley as "Georges Méliès" in Hugo

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE OF 2011

1. Bérénice Bejo as "Peppy Miller" in The Artist
2. Jessica Chastain as "Mrs. O'Brien" in The Tree of Life
3. Carey Mulligan as "Sissy Sullivan" in Shame
4. Charlize Theron as "Mavis Gary" in Young Adult
5. Melissa McCarthy as "Megan" in Bridesmaids
6. Rooney Mara as "Lisbeth Salander" in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
7. Marion Cotillard as "Adriana" in Midnight in Paris
8. Chloe Grace Moretz as "Isabelle" in Hugo
9. Elizabeth Olsen as "Martha" in Martha Marcy May Marlene
10. Kristen Wiig as "Annie Walker" in Bridesmaids

WORST PERFORMANCES OF 2011

1. January Jones as "Emma Frost/The White Queen" in X-Men: First Class
2. Blake Lively as "Carol Ferris" in Green Lantern
3. Jay Chou as "Kato" in The Green Hornet
4. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as "Carly Spencer" in Transformers: Dark of the Moon
5. Richard Gere as "Paul Shepherdson" in The Double
6. Peter Sarsgaard as "Hector Hammond" in Green Lantern
7. Christoph Waltz as "Chudnofsky" in The Green Hornet
8. Freida Pinto as "Caroline Arahna" in Rise of the Planet of the Apes
9. Laurence R. Harvey as "Martin" in The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence
10. Lucas Till as "Alex Summers/Havok" in X-Men: First Class

FUNNIEST PERFORMANCES OF 2011

1. Melissa McCarthy as "Megan" in Bridesmaids
2. Charlie Day as "Dale Arbus" in Horrible Bosses
3. Kevin Spacey as "Dave Harken" in Horrible Bosses
4. Robert Downey, Jr. as "Sherlock Holmes" in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
5. Seth Rogen as "Kyle" in 50/50
6. Kristen Wiig as "Annie Walker" in Bridesmaids
7. Neil Patrick Harris as "Himself" in A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas 3D
8. Seth Rogen as the voice of "Paul" in Paul
9. David Tennant as "Peter Vincent" in Fright Night
10. Chris Cooper as "Tex Richman" in The Muppets
 
BEST CAMEOS OF 2011 (spoiler alert!)

1. Hugh Jackman as "Logan/Wolverine" in X-Men: First Class
2. Jack Black as "Himself" in The Muppets
3. Jamie Foxx as "Motherfucker Jones" in Horrible Bosses
4. Neil Patrick Harris as "Himself" in A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas 3D
5. Jim Parsons as "Human Walter" in The Muppets
6. Samuel L. Jackson as "Nick Fury" in Captain America: The First Avenger
7. Bob Newhart as "Louis Sherman" in Horrible Bosses
8. Zach Galifianakis as "Hobo Joe" in The Muppets
9. Martin Scorsese as "Photographer" in Hugo
10. Stan Lee as "General" in Captain America: The First Avenger

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST OF 2011

Bridesmaids (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Jon Hamm, Chris O'Dowd)

BREAKOUT STARS OF 2011

1. Michael Fassbender (Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class, A Dangerous Method, Shame)
2. Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter)
3. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
4. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
5. Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
6. Tom Hiddleston (Thor, Midnight in Paris, War Horse)
7. Octavia Spencer (The Help)
8. John Boyega (Attack the Block)
9. Joel Courtney (Super 8)
10. Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris)

BEST DIRECTORS OF 2011

1. Steve McQueen (Shame)
2. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
3. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
4. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
5. Takashi Miike (13 Assassins)
6. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
7. Bennett Miller (Moneyball)
8. Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)
9. J.J. Abrams (Super 8)
10. David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II)

BEST MUSICAL SCORES OF 2011

1. Ludovic Bource (The Artist)
2. Cliff Martinez (Drive)
3. Howard Shore (Hugo)
4. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
5. Alexandre Desplat (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II)
6. Michael Giacchino (Super 8)
7. Mychael Danna (Moneyball)
8. Alexandre Desplat (The Ides of March)
9. Alan Silvestri (Captain America: The First Avenger)
10. Hans Zimmer (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows)

BEST ACTION/FIGHT SEQUENCES OF 2011

1. The entire second half of the movie (13 Assassins)
2. The Train Crash (Super 8)
3. The Battle of Hogwarts (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II)
4. The Elevator Fight (Drive)
5. Golden Gate Bridge showdown (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)
6. Harry vs. Voldemort (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II)
7. The Final Showdown (Attack the Block)
8. Thor vs. the Frost Giants (Thor)
9. Howling Commandos montage (Captain America: The First Avenger)
10. The Forest Chase (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows)

WORST FILMS OF 2011

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
2. The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence
3. The Hangover Part II
4. The Double
5. No Strings Attached
6. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
7. Drive Angry
8. Green Lantern
9. Cowboys and Aliens
10. The Green Hornet

BEST FILMS OF 2011

1. 13 Assassins- Just like the classic jidaigeki films of master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins is a samurai movie of the highest regard: brutal, majestic, disciplined, intelligently crafted, and unrelenting in its intensity. Starting out slowly and patiently, the film's tension grows like a crescendo in a symphony, until it explodes in a climax of magnificent savagery and heartstopping spectacle. 13 Assassins brings an abundance of honor to its predecessors, and sets a new standard for not only its genre, but all films in general.
2. Shame- Michael Fassbender's fearless and devastating performance as a yuppie suffering from sex addiction is the nucleus for director Steve McQueen's bleak, heartbreaking, yet utterly magnetic drama, where we fall witness to man's downward spiral into physical, mental, and emotional self-destruction. Shame not only serves as powerful drama, but a mirror for the viewer to observe their own addictive tendencies and whether or not they're allowing their vices to slowly chip away at their own humanity.
3. The Artist- A joyful, intimate homage to the beauty and grace of cinema's silent era, The Artist marvelously replicates not only the technical aspects of that golden age, but also the earnest, romantic sense of glamour and showmanship made possible without the use of sound. Director Michel Hazanavicius crafts his film with the utmost respect for silent movies and their eternal allure, all while making the film his own.
4. The Muppets- Jim Henson's timeless creations couldn't have made their return to the big screen any sooner, and what a grand return it is. Nostalgic yet timely, hilarious yet tenderhearted, and chockablock with clever humor and a pathos that only puppets made of felt could radiate with such believability.
5. Hugo- A pitch-perfect primer for those interested in the earliest years of film history, Hugo is yet another flawless notch in director Martin Scorsese's belt: a finely crafted and meticulous love letter to the magic of cinema, reminding us that we all have a purpose in life, no matter how broken we might seem to be.
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II- A decade after the first masterful adaptation of J.K. Rowling's hugely successfully boy-wizard book series was committed to screen, we've finally come to the end with a powerful, exhilarating, and bittersweet coda to one of the best film franchises in history after watching Harry and his friends literally grow up before our eyes.
7. Midnight in Paris- A lighthearted and witty tour of the ever-magical city of Paris, Midnight in Paris is Woody Allen's finest film in years, a superbly executed examination of both modernism and nostalgia, with a whimsical heart reminiscent of his older love letters to New York.
8. Drive- A jarring pastiche of the great crime films of various eras, Nicolas Winding Refn's meditative heist film is a rare juxtaposition of quiet introspection and brutal violence, harkening back to the days of '50s-era noir, '70s-era grittiness, '80s-era flashiness, and '90s-era postmodernism. It also taught us to takes the stairs instead of elevators.
9. Moneyball- A unconventional sports movie where the actual focus is on the business side of the game, Moneyball is buoyed by a fabulous script by Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian and a celebration of not only the underdog, but also those who overcome past disappointments by never giving up.
10. Super 8- Taking a cue from the early works of Steven Spielberg, director J.J. Abrams crafts an alien vistor film with a warmth and sense of realism that only an extremely talented cadre of child actors can bring about. With a terrific cast with brilliant camaraderie, amazing special effects, and a train crash scene to top all train crash scenes, Super 8 celebrates the wonders of filmmaking, the sanctuary it can bring, and the power of true friendship in trying times.
(Runners-up: The Tree of Life; 50/50; Captain America: The First Avenger)

FILMS WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2012

1. The Avengers
2. The Dark Knight Rises
3. Django Unchained
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
5. Prometheus
6. The Amazing Spider-Man
7. The Raid
8. The Great Gatsby
9. Brave
10. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World