As the curtain falls on the 2011 movie season, it's not only time to reflect back upon all the overly-salted pretzels eaten, the gallons of soda chugged, and the tubs of artery-clogging gelatinous goo (posing as hot butter) poured over calorie-loaded popcorn, but it's also a moment to pause and think about all the great films that graced the cinemas this year.
The movie year certainly got off to a rocky start leading us to wonder if there'd even be enough quality films to put to a best-of list, but a late Fall rush of excellent fare saved the day and moved 2011's meter up from "piss poor" to "mediocre" - an assessment that was substantiated by the year's abysmal box office take.
We thank the heavens that such legendary directors as Woody Allen, Martin Scorcese and Alexander Payne - as well as relative up-and-comers like Nicholas Winding Refn, and Michel Hazanavicius - stepped up to rescue us from the depths of cinematic Valhalla where Season of the Witch, The Roommate, and Something Borrowed are still looking for an audience. Our personal thanks to each and every one of you!
Below is our list of the best films and performances that 2011 had to offer ranked within several major categories. If your favorite of 2011 isn't on the list, let us know about it in the comments section at the end of the article. Cheers, and hope we see you at the movies in 2012.
Best Picture
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
- The Descendants
- The Artist
- Drive
- We Need to Talk About Kevin
- Midnight in Paris
- Martha Marcy May Marlene
- The Help
- My Week With Marilyn
- Super 8
Best Director
- Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
- Alexander Payne - The Descendants
- Stephen Daldry - Extremely loud and Incredibly Close
- Nicholas Winding Refn - Drive
- Martin Scorcese - Hugo
- Lynne Ramsay - We Need to Talk About Kevin
- Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
- Steven Spielberg - War Horse
Best Actor
- George Clooney - The Descendants
- Jean Dujardin - The Artist
- Bard Pitt - Moneyball
- Leonardo DiCaprio - J. Edgar
- Paul Giamatti - Win Win
- Woody Harrelson - Rampart
- Thomas Horn - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
- Michael Fassbender - Shame
Best Actress
- Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn
- Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene
- Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin
- Berenice Bejo - The Artist
- Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
- Viola Davis - The Help
- Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Best Supporting Actor
- Albert Brooks - Drive
- Christopher Plummer - Beginners
- Alex Shaffer - Win Win
- Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Best Supporting Actress
- Berenice Bejo - The Artist
- Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
- Shaileen Woodley - The Descendants
- Octavia Spencer - The Help
Best Documentary
- Cave of Forgotten Dreams
- The Elephant in the Living Room
- Project Nim
Best Foreign Language Film
- 13 Assassins
- Happy Happy
- Trollhunter
- Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
- I Saw the Devil
- Point Blank
- The Skin I Live In
- Last Circus
Best Animated Film
- Rango
- The Adventures of Tintin
Best Cinematography
- The Artist (tie)
- The Tree of Life (tie)
Best Screenplay
- Midnight in Paris (tie)
- The Artist (tie)