On December 25th 2010 I decided for one year to track every movie I watched in 2011.  88 movies later I marvel at how cool I am.  This is not a definitive list.  I haven’t been able to see every movie that came out this year.  This list is based on the films I was able to see.

Honorable Mentions:
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Horrible Bosses, Thor, Super 8, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Insidious, & Paul

#10
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol – Rated PG-13

Tom Cruise returns to the MI franchise in the best sequel ever.  MI4 brings back good old fashion suspense along with a great villain.  The threat of nuclear war may be tired but it works well here.  Ghost Protocol was more in the vain of a normal spy thriller then past sequels.  I want Ethan Hunt using his brains and cool gadgets rather then shooting and jumping all over the place.  It also didn’t hurt that Simon Pegg was on top of his game.

#9
The Muppets – Rated PG

I was skeptical when I first heard about a new Muppet movie.  Luckily the writers Jason Segel, and Nicholas Stoller brought back the comedy we loved from these characters for so many years.  It was funny but still had tons of heart.  Most of the true drama comes from new Muppet Walter and his journey to be accepted.  Plus Chris Cooper raps at some point and it didn’t make my ears bleed.  Though I could have used more Beaker.

#8
Moneyball – Rated PG-13

This is a movie about the front office of The Oakland Athletics based on the book.  The weight of this film goes to Brad Pitt who is awesome.  He takes control with some sort of super confidence.  But what takes the movie up to another level is the humanity shown when the pressures of the press and public start getting to Pitt.  Kudos also goes to Jonah Hill.  Who knew he could do drama and still be funny?

#7
Drive – Rated R

Ryan Gosling stars in an action movie that harkens back to the action films of 70’s.  There is not tons of action or huge action sequences involving jets or tanks.  What we get is a chance to care about the characters before the gun fighting and car chases.  Any truly good action film has you care if the main character lives or dies and achieves his goals.  Drive does this in spades.  Hats off to Albert Brooks.  Hey Al, play the villain more often.  I will give you a buck.

#6
Captain America: The First Avenger – Rated PG-13

This is my favorite movie in the build up to 2012’s The Avengers. Cap wasn’t as goofy as Iron Man 2, and I empathized with the main character more then I did in Thor.  I did not have much faith in Chris Evans bringing Steve Rogers to life but he did it with out seeming too over done like the 70’s movies did.  The supporting casting including Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones, and Hugo Weaving made whatever small moments they had on the screen matter.

#5
X-Men: First Class – PG-13

The new X-Men movie is great for one reason: Magneto.  Not only did Magneto have a great origin story but also Michael Fassbender did what I though no one could do.  Match Ian McKellen’s portrayal of the master of magnetism.  The audience can sympathies with Magneto but at the same time his actions never make his eventual turn seem forced or uninteresting.  James McAvoy and Kevin Bacon were good too but this is Fassbender’s show.

#4
50/50 – Rated R

Not always funny, 50/50 was both heartbreaking and uplifting.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a front-runner for a best actor Oscar for his turn as a cancer patient.  Instead of being overly dramatic Gordon-Levitt’s Adam holds it in letting his actions show his pain.  Seth Rogen was good too.  I was afraid for Rogen for a bit but this is one film that proves Seth Rogen should stick to supporting roles for the time being.

#3
Warrior – Rated PG-13

Boxing has Rocky, MMA has Warrior.  This is not a story about Mixed Martial Arts.  This is a story of two brothers.  One is a Iraq war vet who has demons in his past and believes that winning a MMA tournament will ease the pain.  The other has big money troubles and has to go back to a sport he swore off of to save his family.  So much time is spent with these characters training that the actual MMA matches take up very little time.  We knew Tom Hardy was good but I hope that Joel Edgerton can take his performance in Warrior to become a hot commodity in Hollywood.

#2
The Help – Rated PG-13

When I first heard about The Help I was dismissive.  I did not think highly of leading lady Emma Stone and most of the trailers looked like this was going to be a light hearted movie.  Boy was I wrong.  The Help is amazing.  Sure Stone did a good job but this movie would be nothing with out Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer who deserve tons of awards.  The Help shows just how enraging early 60’s Mississippi can be.  I still want to punch Bryce Dallas Howard in the face..  There are parts that make you laugh out loud and parts that tear your insides apart.

#1
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Rated R

Where do I even begin?  Daniel Craig is his usual awesome self.  Ronney Mara is going to be a break out star playing a punk with cool tattoos.  David Fincher is probably going to get an Oscar nom because on top of his great cast this is one of the better-shot movies this year.  Sweden is both modern and bright but at the same time old and dark.  On top of all that, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a very well done thriller. After deliberately going slow, the plot picks up and keeps you guessing until the end.

Agree? Disagree?  Post a comment below and we shall argue.

Credit –IMDB.com