The Obligatory 2011 Favorite Films List

Confession: I did not go to the theater as much as I would have liked to this past year. Times were, as they say, tough. The long and short of it...I was broke. To say that there are worse things for a movie buff to be is an understatement, but I made the best of it. I did manage to see three of these films in the theater, and another five through various other means. That gives us eight films to work with, so here we go:

#8. Scream 4

While it may have been way below the original in terms of quality, Scream 4 was definitely a big improvement over Scream 2 and 3. I just hope that Scream 5 and 6 don't tarnish what might be a good start to a new trilogy.

#7. Cowboys & Aliens

A film called Cowboys & Aliens is a disappointment to critics? What a shock. This film did what it set out to do and that's all I asked of it. In terms of pure popcorn films, this one was one of the best in years.

#6. Hanna

While this film was a slight disappointment considering the degree of talent involved, it still managed to be fantastic at times and a real treat to watch. I definitely recommend checking it out at least once, even if the film doesn't quite live up to the hype.

#5. Insidious

After the fairly awful Dead Silence and disappointing Death Sentence, I wasn't sure if James Wan had another good film in him. Thankfully he proved me wrong with this Poltergeist for the 21st Century. Smart, creepy and surprisingly funny, this was an oasis in a desert of bad horror films that came out in 2011.

#4. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

I didn't expect much out of this film, as the marketing campaign made it look like a fairly generic apes vs. human kind of film. Color me surprised when it turned out to be a fairly deep film that actually managed to be better than all of the films that came before it! Yes, even better than Charlton Heston and those damn dirty apes!

#3. Paul

Pegg and Frost strike again! One of the few truly funny comedies of 2011, and a must watch for fans of those two crazy Brits!

#2. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Another confession: I expected this to be my number one pick of the year, so the fact that it's at number two is a bit surprising. That said, it's still a fantastic film that sits proudly next to David Fincher's other great films. This one is still out in theaters too, so go see it!

#1. Super 8

It's been a while since a film came along and reminded me of what I loved about childhood. Even though I never made Super 8 films (I was a Hi-8 child) or had run-ins with aliens, I connected with this film in a very personal way. It reflects that sense of wonder that we have as kids and tend to lose as we grow older. Although I saw some great films in 2011, none of them reached me the way this film did, so naturally I had to make it number one. It's just a great film all around, and a reminder that films can be magical even in this day and age.

Here's a list of the films I discovered (or rediscovered) and fell in love with in 2011:

24 Hour Party People

127 Hours

Blow Out

Control

Irreversible

Last Night (1998)

The Boat That Rocked

The Ten

Wet Hot American Summer

Wristcutters: A Love Story