My top 10 of 2011

1. The Tree of Life
2. The Skin I Live In
3. Drive
4. The Adventures of Tintin
5. Moneyball
6. Hugo
7. Shame
8. Bridesmaids
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
10. The Descendants

Honorable mentions: The Muppets, X-Men First Class, Contagion

I don't expect to see another 2011 movie this year so I feel it's appropriate to show you my top 10 of 2011 as it stands now. I still plan on watching quite a few more 2011 films in the next month and if there are any dramatic changes to my top 10, I will tell you about it.

I also plan on elaborating further on my top 10 in a few weeks. For now though, this is where I stand on the 2011 movies. Expect an actual explanation a little later.

Overall, 2011 was a pretty good year. There was no true masterpiece but there were a lot of close calls. A lot of directors really went for it all with their films and not all of it works. But when it does work, it just goes to show just how great these filmmakers can be. We've also had some cases of directors staying in their comfort zone and showing you why they're so good at what they do. When you see the kind of films that are coming out in 2012, though, 2011 feels like a lightweight year. Still, this was a much better year than it could've been. Even lesser films such as 50/50, Ides of March, and Super 8 had great moments.

You also can't forget Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris which wound up becoming his most successful film ever in the box office. I still thought the film didn't quite measure up to Woody's recent films Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Match Point. But it is a very enjoyable comedy from the cinematic legend. Let's hope he can capitalize on his success in the next year.

Like I said though, there are quite a few films that I missed. The ones I missed though, I felt weren't going to influence my 2011 list much. There are still films like We Need to Talk About Kevin and Rampage that are actually being released in 2012 (even though they had short Oscar-qualifying runs in 2011) and they look really good. There are also studio films like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and We Bought a Zoo that I really don't care about seeing, but may wind up seeing regardless. Martha Mary May Marlene, Beginners, and a few other indies that I missed are also lingering out there somewhere. Then of course there's the Oscar baity films like The Iron Lady, Albert Nobbs, and My Week with Marilyn that I really don't care about. Maybe if I was paid to watch those films, I'd evaluate them. Or if there was a free screening happening somewhere, but other than that... meh.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a film I still really want to see but haven't had the chance to. I plan on seeing that fairly soon. I was really hoping it would get Gary Oldman some attention in the critics awards, but it's kinda had a quiet release.

That about wraps it up for 2011, though. I wasn't quite as busy as I was in 2010. I had a hiatus there in July and August. But I feel kind of reinvigorated. I really do enjoy reviewing films on this site whether or not people like reading it and I really hope to blog twice the amount of times in 2012. So stay tuned to Kenoncinema. I hope you enjoyed reading this little site as much as I did writing in it.

I reviewed 46 films that came out in 2011. That's almost 1 film per week. Not bad huh?