2010 was an extremely good year for movies. ‘Inception’, ‘The Social Network’, and ‘Black Swan’ rounded out my top 3 films of the year, and they’re surely some of my favorite films of all time. These films are totally different from one another, yet they’re similar because they feature amazingly-told stories and ambition. A densely layered science fiction film, a riveting drama revolving around the creation of the most popular social networking site in the world, and a psychological thriller they were.

I don’t believe the films that came out in 2011 were as strong as 2010’s, but there still were plenty of memorable and great ones, as is the case in any year. This year’s best films seem to have quite a few common themes. We have films that express their love for cinema, films that approach death in new lights, and films that take artistic ambition to new levels. These types of films are the ones that populate my list of the best of 2011.

11. The Artist

The first film on this list is an unusual one that may shock first-time viewers: it’s a black and white silent film. ‘The Artist’ concerns a famous silent film actor, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), who quickly descends from popularity once sound takes over the film industry. As Valentin grows irrelevant, Peppy Miller (Berenico Bejo), a dancer whom Valentin helped gain more exposure, rides to stardom. There’s also Valentin’s cute sidekick, a Jack Russell Terrier named Jack, that has a memorable trademark trick and that’s just as charming as the film’s leads. Despite the film’s unorthodox approach, ‘The Artist’ is just as good as some of the best films of the year. It’s a crowd-pleasing film filled entirely with joy and energy, and in the end it’ll leave you smiling.

10. Midnight in Paris

While ‘The Artist’ is an ode to cinema’s past, Woody Allen’s latest film is an ode to the history of art. ‘Midnight in Paris’ is a film that takes a nostalgic look at the world’s rich history of art and literature. Owen Wilson is Gil Pender, a successful Hollywood screenwriter vacationing in Paris with his beautiful fiance Inez (Rachel McAdams). While Inez is more of the superficial type, Gil appreciates history, art, and culture. The magic of the film lays with Gil’s midnight adventures in Paris. Each night when the clock strikes midnight, Gil is taken to “the past,” filled with people he’s ever love and appreciated. The Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, Picasso, and Gertrude Stein are just some of the many historical figures Gil meets in this adventure. Not only is the plot full of rich figures, but the cast is composed of some great and well-known actors as well, such as Kathy Bates, Tom Hiddleston, Adrien Brody, and most importantly, Marion Cotillard, who plays one of the most influential characters to Gil’s life. ‘Midnight in Paris’ is a special romantic film filled with lots of love and heart from director Woody Allen. This isn’t a strongly-plotted film brimming with engaging characters, but it is a charming and beautiful film that appreciates the past.

9. Take Shelter

This is an eerie and sometimes terrifying film involving a young family man named Curtis, played by a fantastic Michael Shannon. He lives with his wife Samantha, played by Jessica Chastain, who seems to be in every movie the past year (she’s in 3 of the films in this list), and his young daughter Hannah, who has a hearing disability. The central conflict arises when Curtis begins having terrible nightmares and hallucinations. These visions signal an apocalyptic storm that turns Curtis extremely paranoid. Doing everything in his power to protect his family, Curtis spends his time repairing an old tornado shelter in preparation for the “storm.” During all of this, Curtis seeks out help from medical professionals in order to prevent what happened to his mother from happening to him. Curtis’ mother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in her 30’s, and he’s now in his mid-30’s, which alarms him. Director Jeff Nichols does an excellent job at providing plenty of terror and dread in ‘Take Shelter’ and Michael Shannon balances his character’s love for his family and his dangerously paranoid personality very well.

8. The Help

‘The Help’ is probably one of the most beloved films of 2011 for the majority of people. It’s a touching film that shows the cruel treatment of Blacks in the early 1960’s. Yes, I know many films have featured similar themes in the past, and some even better-made, but ‘The Help’ benefits from a grand ensemble cast and powerful performances. Emma Stone, who’s welcomed by me in any film, stars as Skeeter, a Jackson, Mississippi journalist who runs into controversy after she wants to write a novel from the point of view of “the help,” the mistreated and underprivileged black maids. Bryce Dallas Howard is great as the hateful villain of the film, a social advocate against Blacks. Jessica Chastain is lovely as the naive, yet adorable and affectionate Celia. Most memorable, however, are Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer as two of the main help who work with Skeeter. As we delve more into these two characters’ personal lives, we feel more heartbroken.

7. Hugo

Martin Scorsese’s first ever 3D family flick is one of the biggest surprises of the past year. ‘Hugo’ was marketed towards children, yet it turns out to be much more than a kiddie film. What starts off as a simple mystery adventure soon turns into a mature and engrossing film that explores cinema’s past; t’s a love letter to the history of movies, much like ‘The Artist’. The film stars its titular character, a young orphan (Asa Butterfield) who wants to find the key to his late father’s automaton. Hugo soon encounters Isabelle, who mysteriously has a key that fits perfectly into the automaton. Isabelle’s grandfather (and Hugo’s sort-of-nemesis) is Georges Melies, the real-life innovative filmmaker. From this point on the film changes entirely and focuses solely on Melies’ past, and what a magical experience it is.

6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Director David Fincher took the number 2 spot last year with ‘The Social Network’. His newest film, the remake of a Swedish film based on a popular novel, isn’t as near the top of the list, but it’s still a remarkable film. ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ is an incredible film with one of the most memorable cinematic characters in recent memory – Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). Her all-leather and black, gothic nature is a surprising contrast to her genius personality. She’s a brilliant investigator who ends up working with Michael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) in order to help solve a 40-year-old murder mystery. What makes this film so great is actress Rooney Mara’s full dedication to her character, transforming herself completely as Lisbeth. This is Mara’s breakout role as an actress, after having appeared in a minor role in ‘The Social Network’. Returning with Fincher are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who composed the fantastic score to ‘The Social Network’, and who both scored the just-as-fantastic 3-hour soundtrack to this film.  Everything about ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ is top-notch, even when we don’t want it to be (like the brutal rape scene). And I thank Fincher for including the completely badass opening title sequence.

5. Drive

Ryan Gosling starred in quite a few films in 2011, all of which I liked. But the one that takes the cake is this neo-noir film from talented director Nicolas Winding Refn. The Driver (Gosling) is a stunt driver for movies during the day, but at night he drives getaway cars for criminals. We’re not told why he does this, or even anything about his past. All we know is that he’s good at what he does, and it’s entertaining as hell to see it. The thrilling opening getaway sequence best represents the core of ‘Drive’. This is an artistically brilliant film and a throwback to various classics. Its neo-noir art house format features stylized film sequences, as well as a heavy mix of a 1950′s small-talk hero, 1980′s-like score, and present-day Los Angeles setting. Refn’s work in ‘Drive’ is truly commendable because he’s done such a great job at balancing contrasting genres and for utilizing retro, European influenced film sequences and music. Besides the great look of the film and its wonderful music, the film also boats an impeccable cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaacs, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, and last but not least, Albert Brooks, who’s turn as a respectable but ruthless mobster should have been honored with an Academy Award nomination.

4. Beginners

Mike Mills’ ‘Beginners’ is a beautiful and heartfelt film about starting over again. The film involves Oliver (Ewan McGregor), whose 75-year-old father comes out of the closet soon after Oliver’s mother passes away. The two were married for 44 years, and Oliver’s father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), has kept this from him the entire time. The film follows three different time frames, one of Oliver’s childhood relationship with his mother, one of Hal’s final years of life after  revealing that he’s gay, and one that takes place after Hal’s death, where Oliver starts a relationship with a young woman named Anna (played by Melanie Laurent, from ‘Inglourious Basterds’). Each of these time periods are great and explore different aspects of Oliver’s life. His childhood memories show us the relationship between his mother and father, and how distant they actually were. The scenes involving Hal’s last few years of life after coming out are wonderful, as he finds himself sucked into the gay lifestyle, such as new clothes and parties, and he even finds himself a young boyfriend (Goran Visnjic). Oliver, never having been successful at relationships, tries his best to make the one with Anna last. Their time together is nice and touching, and the chemistry between McGregor and Laurent is great. ‘Beginners’ features some unusual film aspects, such as subtitles for Hal’s dog (also a Jack Russell Terrior), who offers some witty and funny lines. Overall, ‘Beginners’ is an optimistic, cheerful, and in-depth look at a multi-generational romance full of wonderful performances from its actors, most specifically Christopher Plummer.

3. The Tree of Life

No other film in recent memory can match the incredible ambition of Terrence Malick’s epic masterpiece, ‘The Tree of Life’. This is a gorgeous film with a grand scope that extends from vast space of the universe to a small Texas home in the 1950’s. The film explores the creation of the universe and the meaning of life from the very beginning with the Big Bang. We see massive forms of planets taking shape and even dinosaurs on Earth. There’s a non-linear narrative to ‘The Tree of Life’ that takes the form of Jack’s memories, played by Sean Penn. The family that is featured in the film is that of Jack’s when he was just a boy. His father, Mr. O’Brien (Brad Pitt), was strict, but a loving family man. His mother, Mrs. O’Brien, was more delicate and outwardly kind. When the film isn’t exploring the mysteries of the universe and creation itself, it explores the relationship between Jack and each of his parents. The film’s absolutely stunning cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki must be mentioned and praised because it is the best of the year. Terrence Malick combines visual flare, outstanding camerawork and operatic music, and ambitious scope to tremendous results in this masterpiece.

2. 50/50

Jonathan Levine’s ’50/50′ is a comedy that tackles a very serious issue, and the fact that it does this so well is what makes the film so great. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam Lerner, who’s only 27 years old when he finds out he has a life-threatening back cancer. The film follows his life’s downhill spiral and his relationships with his terrible girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), his best friend (Seth Rogen), his mother (Anjelica Huston), an his very young therapist (Anna Kendrick). It’s truly wonderful how well the film balances laugh-out-loud humor with heartbreaking emotion. This film is written by Will Reisner and is actually based on his real-life experience with cancer. Reisner is also best friends with Rogen. Perhaps the fact that Reisner based the entire film on his experiences is what makes it so powerful. And c’mon, Skeletor’s in this film!

1. The Descendants

And finally, the film we’ve all been waiting for. This year’s number one pick for the best film of 2011 is Alexander Payne’s ‘The Descendants’, a triumphant film that, overall, tackles family issues. George Clooney’s performance as Matt King is one of his best in his career. The film concerns Matt’s dilemma when his wife is put in a coma after a boating accident. He must now deal with his two daughters, sassy pre-teen Scotty and 17-year-old, hard-laced Alexandra (Shailene Woodley). Matt faces more problems when it’s revealed that his wife was cheating on him, which makes him want to meet the man she had an affair with (Matthew Lillard). Like ’50/50′, ‘The Descendants’ will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. This is a family drama that is also about the unpredictability of life, and how sometimes it’s better to forgive. Alexander Payne avoids all cliches with Matt’s approach to meeting “the other man,” and this is especially the case when he finds out the man has a wife and kids. ‘The Descendants’ is not the most ambitious film of 2011, nor is it the most visually-striking or artistically made. It’s my pick for the best of 2011 because of how it made me feel, and how it still hung in my head as one of my favorite movies ever. It’s memorable for its fantastic performances by George Clooney and Shailene Woodley (who should have been nominated for an Academy Award), memorable for its emotionally tear-jerking scenes, and memorable for just about everything in between the laughing and crying, the comedy and the drama.

Honorable Mentions: ‘Contagion’, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’, ‘Cars 2’, ‘Super 8’, ‘X-Men First Class’, ‘Another Earth’, ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’, ‘Bridesmaids’, ‘Horrible Bosses’, ‘Friends With Benefits’.

Films I Wish I Could Have Seen: ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’, ‘Melancholia’, ‘Win-Win’, ‘My Week with Marilyn’, ‘Shame’, ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’.

Surprisingly Good Films or Films More People Should Have Seen: ‘Cars 2’, ‘Warrior’, ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, ‘Hanna’, ‘Source Code’.

Disappointing Films That Should Have Been Good: ‘Rango’, ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’, ‘Green Lantern’, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’.

Best Picture Nominees That Were Not On My List: ‘Moneyball’, ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’, ‘War Horse’.