As we draw near the end of the decade, I’ve been looking back at the past ten years of cinema and gathering my thoughts on each film released within each of them. In the leadup to my Best Films of the 2010’s list, I will also be sharing a Top 10 for every year this decade that I didn’t get a chance to before starting this blog. So here are my top 10 films of 2011!
2010|2011|2012|2013|2014|2015|2016|2017|2018|2019
Honorable Mentions: The Descendants, Hugo, Young Adult, Super 8, We Need to Talk about Kevin
Yeahhh…2011 remains one of the weakest years of the entire decade. Most of the films outside my Top 10 are either deeply flawed or wholly unmemorable beyond the initial viewing experience. It’s no wonder that a yawner of a film like The Artist won Best Picture when you look at the quality of competition it was up against this year. When voters are forced to choose between a safe period piece and a Terrence Malick art film, you know the year isn’t exactly the cream of the crop. There are some goodies, but a whole lot of crap too.
10. The Cabin in the Woods
Now this is satire done right! I’m a big fan of Drew Goddard as a writer, and here he co-writes and directs (in his debut) this horror flick that is able to both deliver the thrills and chills that the genre promises while also poking fun at the genre from afar. That’s a tough dichotomy to pull off, but he nails it. As someone who is a bit queasy about horror, I appreciated the way this film balances its scares with meta-humor and distant reverence for the mechanics of the genre while also indulging in them itself. It is able to escape the formulaic label by poking fun at the formulaic nature of horror films as a whole, which doesn’t always work but here manages to operate on both levels just fine. It probably wouldn’t have worked if the humor and writing weren’t such fire, but it’s Drew Goddard, so of course they are!
9. The Tree of Life
Terrence Malick possesses a rare ability to craft stories that are at one epic and grandiose in scale and yet intimate and universal in its messages. He takes this story of a middle-American family and turns it into a sweeping statement on generational inheritance and the role of parenthood in childhood development. Brad Pitt’s father character is a torn man, one unsure of how to properly dole out punishment and wisdom upon his young boys and prepare them for the cruel and uncaring world they will soon enter for themselves. His wife (Jessica Chastain) is more nurturing and compassionate in her parentage, but similarly harbors doubt about the way she tries to raise her children to be good people – whatever that means to her. Sure, this film could have been a lot better with a little less dinosaurs and Big Bangs, but when it focuses on the simple, human story at its core, it is surprisingly effective and resonant.
8. Melancholia
Speaking of Cannes 2011…if Lars von Trier had just kept his dumb mouth shut, he might just have stolen the Palme d’Or from Terrence Malick. His masterful look at depression is NOT for the faint of spirit; I recommend only watching this film if you’re in a good headspace and willing to examine your relationship with death. Supposedly, von Trier was inspired to make this film after suffering a depressive episode that required therapy. This story, which involves a rogue planet about to collide with Earth and extinguish all life, is about coming to terms with our inevitable mortality. He presents three methods of coping: relentless optimism (which results in an inability to accept one’s fate), incessant fretting/worrying (which worsens and even hastens the coming end), or melancholic acceptance (which allows one to make peace with the circumstances). I’ve seen my share of nihilistic films that deal with depressing material, but this is one of the few to leave me with a meaningful reflection on life. It’s also just a gorgeous film with one of my favorite scores of the decade – a sweeping meditation on life and death.
7. Midnight in Paris
As much as I want to hate Woody Allen for being a rapist scumbag and refuse to patronize any of his future projects, this is one of his finest works and I can’t in good conscience leave it off my list. Many of his characters feel too close to his own persona for my own taste, but here he does a great job constructing unique and memorable characters with tangible goals and wants. He poses the question, “What is the Golden Age, and can we attain it?”, then spends the film breaking down each character’s tenuous grasp of whether it is possible or not. It also features some solid sequences of tension and slapstick humor that kept me on my toes, and I never felt like I knew where the plot was going until it arrived at its intended destination. I have no choice but to hold my nose and separate the art from the artist, because I adore this film in spite of my misgivings.
6. A Separation
One thing I love about foreign cinema is the way it can provide a window into a culture I knew little about. Before watching this movie, my only perception of Iran was that which I heard through American media: a strict religious society full of fanatical enemies of freedom and human rights. This film demonstrated to me just how nuanced and complex the social dynamics are over there, not in spite of their differing culture but because of it. This was a fascinating exploration of the many social taboos and traditions of Iran seen through the lens of modern-day progressive culture. The fact that Asghar Farhadi managed to do this while also slipping his daring script past Iran’s strict Ministry of Culture approval process is simply amazing.
5. Drive
I distinctly remember when this movie came out, because I was in college and I soon started seeing dudes walking around campus wearing Ryan Gosling’s scorpion jacket from this film. (None of them pulled it off.) What a stylish treat from a director with a strong vision for the look and feel of his world! Sleek, fun, and yet grounded in realism, Drive is the crime film that doesn’t glamorize its action but depicts it in all of its ugliness and terror. And yet we enjoy every moment of it, thanks in part to the brilliant central performances from Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, and even Heisenberg himself, Bryan Cranston. Despite a so-so story that I’ve already forgotten, the stunning visuals and carefully-crafted images linger long past their shelf life.
4. Shame
Before Steve McQueen was winning Oscars for his brutal 12 Years a Slave, he was making powerful, singular stories of power and addiction, like this Michael Fassbender-led exploration of a sex addict. This is a film that doesn’t expect us to sympathize with our protagonist at all times, and therefore has the power to do whatever it wants with him to explore the depths of his depravity. Similar to PTA’s The Master, this is a plot-light film that puts character front and center, allowing us to fully understand his behavior and yearn for him to find inner peace. It’s not necessarily an optimistic film about love and relationships for someone so clearly off the deep-end, but it’s a fantastic ride with powerful performances (particularly from career-best Fassbender and Carey Mulligan) that had me gripped for the entire runtime.
3. Warrior
I stumbled upon this gem when I was scouring a Redbox for something to watch at home and only picked it because nothing else looked appealing. And boy am I glad I did, because what I assumed would be schlocky sports action turned out to be a gripping character drama with powerful acting and tension-building. Tom Hardy has had a great decade for himself with high-profile roles like Bane and Venom in superhero flicks, but this is by far the most powerful he’s looked on-screen as a tormented cage fighter forced to battle his estranged brother (played by an excellent Joel Edgerton). I was on the edge of my seat for the entire third act and was brought to tears by the powerful and emotional ending. That’s just strong filmmaking.
2. Moneyball
I love it when a film introduces me to a world I knew nothing about. I never realized what went on behind-the-scenes in the baseball world…hell, I don’t even like baseball that much! But Aaron Sorkin’s script made the whole process sleek and fun to watch, wisely fashioning Billy Beane as the underdog railing against an unfair system. With that framing device firmly in place, we’re able to follow along with his schemes and root for him to succeed at all costs. Fantastic writing (as always from Sorkin, who deserved a second consecutive Oscar) and a career-best Brad Pitt (also Oscar-worthy) made this an absolute joy, and somehow very re-watchable as well. The latter quality is what puts this so high for me, because if a film is still worth my time on the fifth rewatch and beyond, it’s got the keys to my heart.
1. Margin Call
Margin Call is essentially a souped-up stage play, with limited sets and heavy dialogue sequences that overshadow any set pieces that may exist. And yet it is one of the most engrossing films of the entire decade. It features an ensemble cast of ultra-talented actors, and all of them get plenty of characterization and depth that is rare for such a film. By the film’s end we have a keen sense for what every character wants and fears most. I mean really, given the need to flesh out so many diverse characters, and create engaging dialogue in every scene, and dump complicated exposition about the financial crisis without boring the audience, AND say something greater about modern-day society, this screenplay is a towering achievement. Unlike the very similar The Big Short, Margin Call doesn’t cut corners, tackling the crisis head-on and examining the human element behind the cold Wall Street machine. We may not agree with our characters’ choices, but we understand them a helluva lot better now.
Thanks for reading! Check back soon as I fill out the rest of the decade with my Top 10 lists this month, leading up to my Top 100 Films of the Decade ranking! Check out the home page for more Top 10’s, reviews, and film musings…I’m willing to bet you’ll find something you like!
-Austin Daniel
Scriptophile 
Surprised you left “We need… Kevin” at mention, despite its ongoing hype in 2020.
I haven’t watched them all, but have to disagree on your Woody Allen pick: I thought it stiff and formulaic on the Allen screenplay and hated Wilson’s (whiny) acting, if you can even call it that. Better than the Rome trash that came after it, but not by much.
Warrior, on the other hand, is a gem. Also watched it with zero expectations and was throwing air punches by the end. For me, it had the makings of a modern Rocky.
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