My Top Ten Films of 2013

Every year, when I compile this list, I go through everything that I've seen and narrow it down to the best of the best. Some years, it's tough to pull out 10 from that group. This year,  I had 30 films to choose from. 2013 was an amazing year for film, so let's get started.

10. Side Effects/Behind the Candelabra:
I guess its technically cheating to put down two films for my number ten slot, but I feel that it's important to highlight what might possibly be the last two films from director Steven Soderbergh. The past few years of Soderbergh's career have yielded his best work by far, and I'd put both of these films up there as well. Side Effects is a Hitchcock-like story using dangerous side effects of medication as a jumping off point for a murderous mystery. Behind the Candelabra tells the story of the life of Liberace through the eyes of his lover, Scott Thorson. Both films couldn't be more different from each other, and yet they are both so clearly Soderbergh films. His pacing, cinematography and direction allow each of his stories to unfold as they would naturally. He has never been a flashy director, and that's what I've always loved about his work. He picks great scripts, casts them perfectly, and lets them go. If he does in fact retire from feature films, it will be a shame. But I guess the silver lining is his entry into scripted television for cable next year. I can't wait to see what he does with a complex, nuanced television series.

9. The Great Gatsby:
Baz Luhrmann is such a divisive director. He's never been one to go for the subtle approach. That's why matching him up with material like The Great Gastby is so brilliant. The term re-imagining is thrown around a lot when marketing either a remake or adaptation, and I don't think it's ever been more appropriate than with this film. There is not a frame of this movie that isn't Luhrmann's. It's very rare to have a director put that kind of stamp on a film, and it kept me enthralled throughout multiple viewings. Gatsby is based on the classic novel about the roaring twenties, and in particular a mysterious millionaire and his long lost love. The movie is over-the-top, in your face, and melodramatic. Which is exactly what the material calls for. It's use of 3D only heightens this intention. Luhrmann also makes the brave choice of using contemporary music in the film, something that could have easily backfired, but instead highlights the boisterous party scenes and romantic montages better than a twenties themed score could have. It's quite a fun and interesting look into the mind of one of the more eccentric directors working today.

8. The Conjuring:
A horror film for people who don't like horror films, The Conjuring reminded me on more than one occasion of The Sixth Sense. Like that film, The Conjuring is about a family in crisis, and how an impossible supernatural occurrence brings them together. Yes, this film is very unnerving in its ability to make you terrified by things that aren't there, but none of that would be worth anything if the characters weren't as compelling as they are. Based on supposed true events, the film tells the story of a married pair of paranormal investigators that try to help a family rid it's home of a ghostly presence. The direction by James Wan feels confident and clear. He knows what great actors he has in Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Lili Taylor, and he allows them to make the terror feel completely real. The film contains very little in the way of blood and gore, and instead relies on the viewer to fill in the holes, something I've always found not only more inventive, but also much more effective.

7. This is the End:
Oh how this movie could have gone horribly wrong, and instead it's a modern comedic triumph. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg write and direct this story about a Hollywood house party that just so happens to take place during the apocalypse. The film stars a multitude of comedic actors, all playing exaggerated versions of themselves. It could have come off as a self indulgent mess, but Rogen and Goldberg are smart enough to keep the tone and actors in check and on point for the entire film. It's crude, shocking, and relentless. Exactly what a great comedy should be.

6. Frozen:
Disney's latest animated film is their best since The Lion King. And that's not just a matter of diminishing returns on their part, but rather a sign that the days of great storytelling in animation are back. The film tells the story of two princesses, one of which was born with the power to create ice and snow with her hands. The only trouble is that she is unable to control it, and casts the kingdom in an eternal winter. While I would have been content with a simple Disney storybook musical, the script takes this film to places that I didn't see coming, and brings about themes rarely seen in films such as these. It becomes about sisterhood, with the male characters really pushed to the back burner. This surprised me given the way the film is marketed, and Disney's track record. It's a story that teaches girls that you don't need to wait on a guy to save you, you need to save yourself. Oh, and did I mention it's hilarious, and the songs are great? It's a new animated classic.

5. Lone Survivor:
Peter Berg is a director that is constantly surprising. When he works on films-for-hire such as Battleship or Hancock, he turns in movies that just outright awful. But when he is allowed to take the reigns of the story, like in both the film and tv series Friday Night Lights, his work is nothing short of incredible. My hope for the future is that Berg only does films for which he is passionate. Films like Lone Survivor. Based on a real life mission during the Iraq War, the film centers on four SEALs forced into an impossible battle against a Taliban army. The film is intense and unrelenting. However, just like how Friday Night Lights isn't really about football, this film isn't really about war. It's about the people caught up in it, and the bravery and integrity each of them demonstrates. It's one of the best films about the Iraq War I've seen, and Berg's ability to ground it in reality is what makes it so effective.

4. The Bling Ring:
If pop culture enthusiasts were asked to sum up the youth of America in the 2000s, no movie does it better than Sofia Coppolla's The Bling Ring. Based on the real life burglaries by a bunch of teenagers who brazenly walk into celebrities homes and take what they please, the film takes a firm stance in its complete takedown of not only these people specifically, but celebrity culture in general. It's very clear that Coppolla is making the case that this obsession with wealth and fame, regardless of talent, has created an environment where these kids have no concept of right and wrong. She allows the camera to linger on them texting, taking pictures and doing drugs, never making it look cool, but always sad and empty. By allowing the audience to sit and just watch these kids, it makes their vapid, repetitive lifestyles all the more deplorable. But don't get me wrong, this is not just some boring morality tale. Coppolla smartly keeps the pace of the story moving with a whip smart script that is funny in its absurdity, as well as a soundtrack that at one moment is satirical, and the next, brilliant.

3. Afternoon Delight:
Satire can be an incredibly difficult genre to pull off, and yet Jill Soloway's script for Afternoon Delight makes it seem so easy. This dramedy follows Rachel, a stay at home mom, who feels her life completely falling apart. In an effort to be the post-modern feminist she thinks she is, she takes her husband to a strip club where she meets a young girl, seemingly in need of some help. The next day, Rachel goes back to the club and asks the girl if she'd like to live with her family as their nanny. It's at this point that you'd assume the movie would go off into some sort of slapstick comedy of errors. Instead, Soloway creates an incredibly smart and darkly comical take on what it really means to be a feminist, and the idea that if a woman is working in the sex industry, she must be broken. Kathryn Hahn gives a devastatingly brilliant performance as Rachel, specifically in a later scene with the women of the neighborhood over a bottle of wine. It's some of the funniest and most honestly heartbreaking acting I've ever seen. This is a small movie, one that didn't get nearly the attention it deserved when it was released this summer. It comes out on DVD next month, my hope is it will be discovered there. There's way too much goodness going on here for it be missed.

2. American Hustle:
The most fun I had with a film this year. It's David O. Russell's 70s opus of music, excessive hair, excessive clothes, and incredibly excessive personalities. Loosely based on the ABSCAM scandal in the late 70s, Russell has smartly decided that the facts aren't important, he even opens the film with the title card "Some of this actually happened." He instead focuses on the characters. And I use the word characters very deliberately, since I fail to see any actual people in this movie, instead the actors are let loose in this playground of crazy. Russell's cast, lead by four of the best working actors today, are clearly having the time of their lives. Especially Jennifer Lawrence, who continues to prove what an incredible talent she really is. I can't wait to watch her career continue to evolve.

1. Philomena:
Impeccably scripted, beautifully acted, Philomena is a film that really took me by surprise. In her most funny and emotional performance, Judi Dench stars as an elderly Irish woman searching for her long lost son who was taken from her when she was forced to live in a convent after becoming pregnant out of wedlock. She is aided by a down on his luck reporter for the BBC, who takes the story on, even though he seemingly has nothing in common with Philomena. This is a film that can be enjoyed on a multitude of levels. You can decide to watch it simply for its fascinating true life story, and see where this mystery leads. Or if you're like me, you'll quickly realize this is a film that offers the viewer much more than that. At it's core, it's a film about the ability to separate the institution of religion from ones own personal faith. The ideas that are brought up never feel preachy, or heavy handed. As Paul put it after our viewing, it's a film that is about the human condition.



And now for the honorable mentions:

Saving Mr. Banks: A charming movie about the making of Mary Poppins that centers around the relationship between Walt Disney and author PL Travers. The structure is very effective, as is the great performance from Emma Thompson.

Blackfish: The best documentary of the year. It exposes the incredibly horrifying treatment of killer whales by SeaWorld, and how they seemingly put their trainers lives on the line for the sake of profit and saving face. It's a tough film to watch, especially when the footage of the accidents are shown, but it's an important film, and one that has already started real world change.

August: Osage County: An adaptation of a southern gothic melodrama, this film features some of the best performances by the best actors around. There's so much Meryl Streep here, but I've never found that to be a bad thing. Ever.

And finally, the worst of the worst:

Kick Ass 2: If you are going to make a sequel to one of my favorite action comedies, I'd hope that it would at the very least be fun. And fun, this is not. It feels completely haphazardly slammed together at the script-level to the point where entire plot lines make absolutely no sense, and large sequences of the film are filled with exposition filled narration to try and smooth it all out. And to top it off, the action sequences are some of the worst I've seen since A Good Day to Die Hard (also a film that needs to be forgotten immediately).

The Best Films of 2012

Here we are yet again. Another year, another list. I'm pretty happy with the way that 2012 shaped up. I think that overall we saw several great films, and it was the return of the adult drama. For the first time in years, several films that didn't star robots made over a hundred million dollars at the box office. This should hopefully spell at least a couple of years where the story matters more than the toys. That's naive of course, but one can hope. And now, the Best Films of 2012.





Zero Dark Thirty
I am a sucker for a great procedural. Give me hours of people sitting in dark rooms pouring over old newspapers and audio tapes and I'm in heaven. I love watching smart characters figure out the answer to the mystery, and the chase to find out where the killer is before he can strike again. This is that movie and so much more. Zero Dark Thirty, the drama about the intelligence mission that located and ultimately killed Osama Bin Laden, is the best example of this genre since David Fincher's Zodiac. But unlike that film, here we get an unbelievably satisfying ending. Jessica Chastain gives the performance of her career as Maya, a women hellbent on finding Osama Bin Laden, and refusing to take no for an answer. The film chronicles ten years of false leads, red tape, and the terrorist attacks that set the mission back again and again. It is exhausting as you watch her struggle to find the answers, and then find people to believe her. I would have been happy if that's all this was. But then it becomes so much more. The final 40 minutes is an almost real time reenactment of the raid on Bin Laden's compound, and it's the most tense piece of filmmaking of the year. Kathryn Bigelow directs this film with such precision and confidence that it's almost as though you can see her projected through Maya. It's incredibly refreshing to see filmmaking so focused and determined to tell this story as clearly and undramatic as possible. There's none of those horrible war movie cliches here. Just cold, hard revenge. Zero Dark Thirty is a great example of the perfect marriage between excellence in the art of film and the art of entertainment. It is also the best film of the year.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The film that I have shown to more people this year than any, Perks is a coming of age drama set in the early 90s, and it is the perfect example of a movie that just gets me. I can't remember the last time that a screenplay felt so honest, funny and heartfelt. The plot of the film is simple, it follows a shy kid as he chronicles his freshman year of high school, and the friends that he meets along the way. But as with every great story, the devil is in the details. This is a movie about moments. Moments that made me genuinely smile and think back to when I was a kid and how completely this film rang true. These aren't characters who are cool or trying not to be cool, they simply are high schoolers. With all the charm and flaws that go along with it. It is the most personal film on this list for me, the one that resonated with me on so many levels.

The Dark Knight Rises
Christopher Nolan's conclusion to his wonderful Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises is not a film that one can simply watch on its own, but must be viewed as the final chapter of a story that's been setup since Batman Begins. I've seen this film now about ten times, and I find that every time not only do I get swept away by the fun of it all, but I marvel at how well constructed this trilogy really is, and that Nolan has given this Batman fan the definitive portrayal of this character on film. No, this is not a perfect film, and the trilogy isn't either. But when it comes to big summer movies, none was better this year at giving the audience a thrill while also allowing their brains to work right along side.

The Cabin in the Woods
A horror film that is a comedy about horror films while also being a horror film. I know, confusing. But trust me, it's one fun ride. Written by Joss Whedon and written and directed by Drew Goddard, “Cabin” revolves around a group of college kids who take a weekend trip to, you guessed it, The Cabin in the Woods. But nothing is as it seems, and that is evident from the first seen that takes place in what looks like a laboratory where Bradley Cooper and Richard Jenkins discuss the annoyances of baby proofing a kitchen. It is the weirdest movie of the year, but one that keeps you on your toes. The script to ingenious, but never feels full of itself, always poking fun at the slasher horror cliches, but still being an excellent addition to the genre. The final 25 minutes of this film is probably the most fun I had in a movie theater last year, and was the perfect example of a movie paying off every plant and culminating in a cornucopia of awesome.

Skyfall
The fact that a James Bond movie is in my top ten at all surprises no one more than me. I've never been a fan of this series, mostly due to its tongue in cheek nature. It never kept my interest past a fleeting viewing. But this one is different. Director Sam Mendes strips away all of the cliches that we've come to expect from this series, and gives us a vulnerable Bond, one who must face his past. Judi Dench is given so much to work with here as M, and her performance is second to none. Javier Bardem's villain is so creepy and menacing, it finally feels like a real threat. This is the kind of big budget action filmmaking that I would like to see more of. Making us care about the people firing the guns makes the gun battle so much more exciting.

Pitch Perfect
The best comedy of the year is about an acapella girl group. If this were any other movie, I would see that as more of a comment on the state of comedy, but this movie delivers from start to finish. 30 Rock writer Kay Cannon and Avenue Q Director Jason Moore have crafted a witty and fun competition comedy that kept me laughing the entire way through. The casting is absolutely perfect, especially Rebel Wilson who cements herself as one of the funniest actresses working today. Also of note are John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks playing “Best in Show” type commentators. Every one of their lines lands perfectly, and adds to this very clever comedy.

How to Survive a Plague
A documentary about the AIDS crisis that is thrilling, funny and NOT depressing? Somehow this film is just that. How to Survive a Plague documents the creation of activist group ACT UP that in the 1980s forced the government to take action against the AIDS crisis and begin releasing drugs to the masses. The film wisely sidesteps the devastation of AIDS and focuses on the group of people that saw their lives in jeopardy and weren't going to take it sitting down. It is a mixture of interviews and archival footage, some of which is really incredible. The documentarians were able to capture some of the most heated and intense moments of the protests and it really is a compelling piece of cinema. The film itself is also structured like a thriller, where you are unsure who survived and who didn't, which adds a level of urgency to an already intense documentary. It is available on Netflix and I strongly urge you to look past the subject matter and enjoy an example of fantastic documentary filmmaking.

Bernie
Bernie is the kind of dark comedy that I fall head over heels for. It is a Christopher Guest mockumentary wrapped in a true crime drama. The film centers around Bernie, played by Jack Black, who works at a funeral home in a small Texas town. He befriends the mean old women in the town, played by Shirley McClaine, and over the course of the film we see their relationship unravel and have grave results. I feel comfortable spoiling that since not only is this based on a true story, but it is not nearly where the enjoyment of this film lies. The film is a mixture of testimonials from the towns people who lived through this experience, as well as reenactments of the events. The folks in this movie are so genuinely hilarious, and their comments in the later half of the film are so brilliant, it's shocking to find that they are almost all non-actors. The film is written and directed by Richard Linklater who has been a prolific filmmaker from Austin for some time now, always dabbling in different genres and trying his hand at all sorts of stories. For me, this is his best film since 2003's “School of Rock.”

Compliance
Every year I like to put a film on my list that is for the varsity level film goer .The person who thinks they've seen it all, and can sit through anything. Compliance is the kind of film that if it wasn't based on true events, you would turn off in ten minutes. It just would require such a suspension of disbelief that any self respecting person would roll their eyes at. But the fact that the movie is very closely based on a true story makes you never want to turn away in fear that you will miss the next crazy revelation. The film centers on a manager of a fast food restaurant who gets a call from someone claiming to be a police officer, and tells her that one of her employees is being accused of stealing money. The officer then asks the manager to do a series of increasingly unbelievable things to prove the employee's guilt. The film is an excellent case study in how people respond to authority, and what lengths someone will go to if they believe it is what society has told them is right. Writer/Director Craig Zobel shows an incredible amount of restraint in his directing by never going for the gratuitous moments, and instead opting for a feeling of unease. The performance that Ann Dowd gives as the manager is one of the best of the year. The range of emotions that she goes through here is at times terrifying and at the same time elicits such empathy from the audience, it is a real shame she was not nominated for an Oscar. It is not an easy film to watch, but I guarantee you will have one hell of a wonderful debate afterwards.

Argo
With every film he has made, Ben Affleck has shown that he is becoming not only a more competent director, but one of the best of his generation. That was never more true than with Argo. The film, an adaptation of a declassified CIA mission from 1980 to rescue Canadian hostages from Iran, is classic Hollywood filmmaking. It is at times incredibly tense, and then in the next scene laugh out loud funny, and after that, it becomes a well written procedural. The final few moments of this film are the testament to its greatness. Even though this is based on a well known event, and we are pretty sure we know the outcome, Affleck creates a sequence filled with so much tension, you are suddenly on the edge of your seat. This is the kind of popcorn cinema that was made 20 years ago, and now we consider high art. While that speaks more to the state of studio filmmaking, it is nice to see a well made and intelligent film for adults that is a great time at the movies.


And of course what Best of List would be complete with out a Worst of List? This year, it was simple. One movie was far away the worst of the year.



Ted
I don't think I've ever seen another film completely devoid of laughs that is selling itself as a comedy. It's as if Seth McFarlane seems to think that the joke is that we all happen to consume some of the same pop culture, so if you call it out, we'll just laugh at the familiarity of it all. It's tired and dull. And it was insulting to my intelligence. I love movies that push the boundaries of good taste. That's where some of the best comedy originates. But it's not funny to just have a bear smoke pot and talk about how awesome the Flash Gordon movie was. It wasn't awesome and neither is this.  

The Best Films of 2011

Well, another year has passed, and another top ten of the year has been written. Now as always, keep in mind that this list is based off of all of the films that I saw last year, and not every movie released last year. That being said, I've seen probably 80-90% of the films of note, so this is pretty comprehensive.

The Best Films of 2011:

1. The Artist- While yes, this film is pure Oscar bait from start to finish, it is also brilliantly original, and incredibly well-made. It takes a premise that would seem very gimmicky, a silent black and white film, and turns it on its ear. The plot, about an aging silent film star and the young peppy actress who steals his spotlight, is so perfectly crafted that I found myself smiling throughout. I defy anyone to watch this film and not be swept away with its charm. If you are hesitant due to the silent film aspect of this, trust me, while yes, the film is silent, it is not attempting to mimic the style of old cinema, but rather tell a story set in old cinema. The pacing, editing and cinematography are all very much contemporary, which I think is what makes this such an original piece of work. In a year that I think will go down as not one of the best for cinema, this reminds us of a heyday long gone.

2. Bridesmaids- At first glance, this comedy about a woman dealing with her best friend's wedding, and the competition that arises with the new best friend, would be regarded as simple chick-flick fluff. But writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo elevate this into the best film about how women relate since Mean Girls. In fact, I sort of think of this as the adult Mean Girls. And like that film, these relationships aren't just mocked, but dissected, so that we can really laugh at what makes them tick. In any given scene I found myself alternating between cringing and laughing. Wiig's performance here is also one of my favorites. She turns Annie into a living, breathing person, and not the caricature that would have been the easy way out. It's not only the best comedy of the year, it's the best comedy in years.

3. Martha Marcy May Marlene- Who knew that the year's best horror film would be a quiet drama that premiered at Sundance? This film, about a young girl who escapes a cult and is haunted by what she experienced there, is the definition of a slow burn. It's a movie that never reveals it's hand to you, until you're so tense and afraid that you don't want it to. Elizabeth Olsen gives a tour-de-force performance as Martha, never choosing the conventional acting beats, but the more challenging, difficult ones. Writer/Director Sean Durkin, a self professed fan of horror, understands that to not show the monster is sometimes so much worse then just getting it over and done with. There is absolutely nothing visually graphic in this film, but the feeling of dread that you get will stick with you for days. A stunning debut from Durkin, and Olsen who is an actress that with this film has become a force to be reckoned with.

4. Pariah- You can sort of think of Pariah as the anti Precious. It isn't blunt, mean, sad or pandering. This story of a young black lesbian living in New York, struggling to come out to her family, is filled with so many great performances, all of which sell realism and reject dramatic gestures. Writer/Director Dee Rees brings us into a world that is rarely seen in mainstream films, and if it is, it's never treated with this much care and honesty. The main character, Alike, gives a speech near the end of the film that I felt encapsulates the fantastic message of this film “Breaking is freeing, broken is freedom.” She's a character that doesn't want or need anyone's acceptance, and is more powerful because of it. This is an important film, one that I fear will go unnoticed by most, which is a huge shame.

5. Drive- I hated this film the first time I saw it. I found it to be one of the most pretentious, boring, and gratuitously violent films I've ever seen. But there was something there. And I gave it one more shot. Boy am I glad I did. Drive, about a Hollywood stunt driver who gets in over his head with the mob, is absolutely one of the best films of the year. And in fact, I think it's the one that I had the most fun with upon second viewing. This is an exercise in style, of course, but the tension and pacing are perfect. And it doesn't hurt that it has one of the best soundtracks in years.

6. Pearl Jam Twenty- My favorite documentary of the year. This film, chronicling Pearl Jam's twenty year career, is one that can be enjoyed by folks who aren't fans of their music. I certainly enjoyed them before watching this, but was by no means a fan. I am now. The movie is directed by Cameron Crowe, who made the definitive film about rock and roll, Almost Famous, and I found myself thinking when this started that I wished that Crowe had simply taken this and created a narrative film. But the strength of this film is that it has been crafted with such care for story that it is totally a narrative film. Sure, there are talking heads, but the footage that Crowe has is so all-inclusive, there isn't much left to say after you see the film. There is a moment at the end of the movie, where Crowe shows a concert of Pearl Jam's and intercuts it with another concert earlier in the film, and the moment is pure magic. A return to form for Crowe for sure.

7. Midnight in Paris- I don't know where Woody Allen was hiding this, but I am so happy that he's back in perfect form. The plot, about a Hollywood screenwriter obsessed with nostalgia who travels back in time every night in Paris, is so charming, and oddly meta I hardly knew where to begin when dissecting it. The film seems to offer us a glimpse into Allen's own frustrations with the way that his work has been glorified, and is saying to the audience that it's ok to like the past, but just don't live in it. It's his best screenplay since Match Point, and feels just as fresh. Also, in pure Woody Allen form, he has assembled an incredible cast.

8. Bellflower- Here's a film that took me completely by surprise, and forced me to pay attention to every incredible minute. Two friends obsessed with apocalypse films, spend their time building flame throwers and flame shooting cars. That plot alone in an independent film as small as this would be impressive enough. But then, a relationship plotline is added with our main character, Woodrow and the girl who steals his heart, Milly. Their love affair is treated with so much care that it sort of shocked me that we're watching a film about flame throwers and killer cars. But then, the film folds in on itself once more, and becomes such a cluster of arresting images and sequences, it's almost like the movie itself explodes. It's an unbelievable debut from Writer/Director/Producer/Editor and Star Evan Glodell. Hollywood had better be taking notice. This guy is one to watch for sure.

9. Young Adult- The marketing for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo would have you believe that film is the feel bad movie of Christmas, when in reality it's Young Adult. And yet, it's not the kind of feel bad movie that you don't completely enjoy from beginning to end. Charlize Theron stars as an author of young adult novels who decides to go back to her hometown to try and get back with an old boyfriend, and in the process breakup his family consisting of his wife and newborn baby. Writer Diablo Cody and Director Jason Reitman sidestep every cliche that you think this film will fulfill and instead gives us one of the most consistent character study I've ever seen. And to top it off, the film contains the best supporting performance of the year from Patton Oswalt.

10. Super 8- The best blockbuster movie of the year. There's no question that this is a total rip-off of classic Spielberg films like Close Encounters and E.T., but director J.J Abrams turns in a film that is funny, entertaining and thrilling. The story, set in 1979, involves a group of kids who, while filming their homemade zombie flick, witness a train crash that thrusts them into the middle of an alien mystery. The film stumbles in its final act, but the first two thirds of this are just perfection. The kids are perfectly cast, especially Elle Fanning, who between this and We Bought a Zoo, proves that Dakota may have not been the most talented Fanning child after all. Her performance here is Oscar worthy. No joke.

The Movies The Just Missed The Cut:

HappyThankYouMorePlease- Writer/Director Josh Radnor's charming debut, this romantic comedy set in New York reminded me of the kind of small, independent films that we got a ton of ten years ago, but are few and far between now. It's a great little movie, and deserves to be discovered.

I Will Follow- Writer/Director Ava DuVernay's film chronicles one day in the life of a young woman in the process of moving out of her Aunt's house, who has recently died, and the twelve people she meets throughout the day that help her. This is a wonderful, understated film that has some of the best editing I've seen all year, and truly great performances. Seek it out if you can.

The Skin I Live In- Pedro Almodovar's weirdest movie yet, by far. This one, about a plastic surgeon who creates a synthetic skin, and the woman he's holding captive as a test subject, is totally twisted, but also plotted with such precision you can't take your eyes off it. Recommended for those in the mood for something very much out there.

Like Crazy- Drake Doremus' intimate romantic drama about a young couple's relationship is painfully realistic, but also incredibly sweet and touching. Felicity Jones is absolutely electric here, and commands every scene she's in. I can't wait to see what she does next.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark- Troy Nixey and Guillermo del Toro have crafted a devilishly fun little horror flick in the same wheelhouse as 80s classics Gremlins and Child's Play. It's the kind of horror film that is truly a roller coaster ride of thrills, and it doesn't help that the Cinematography is absolutely gorgeous (considering the genre). If you're looking for a fun horror flick, this one was surprisingly good!

And Finally The Worst Films of 2011:

The Marvel Films (Thor, Captain America)- I really really hate these movies. Marvel has taken interesting filmmakers like Kenneth Brannagh and Joe Johnston and taken out everything that made them unique and instead create these totally generic superhero films devoid of any characterization and drama. These films simply exist so that we can get The Avengers this year, which judging by these movies, is going to be one to watch with extreme caution.

No Strings Attached/Friends With Benefits- Two films with exactly the same plots, beats, and outcomes. I'm totally sick of these romantic comedies that point out the cliches and then make sure to follow through on every single one of them. It's not clever, it's lazy and boring.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon- The latest attempt by Michael Bay to kill our senses with bombastic, obnoxious filmmaking, this was dumb dumb dumb. And a total waste of Chicago. And also the highest grossing film of the franchise. God help us.

The Beaver- Jodie Foster's completely misguided attempt at something, I'm just not sure what. This movie is dead on arrival, and can't even be enjoyed on a so bad it's good level. It's just sad.