http://www.imdb.com/list/4680C4cqeA0/ (Revised) It was a rough year at the movies. Coming off a strong 2010, my expectations might have been high, but I barely had ten films for a list (last year I had 15). However, they're all very much deserving, and more or less in order. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:24:21 GMT Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:08:07 GMT Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:24:37 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/ One of the most stunningly beautiful portraits of childhood ever committed to film. I don't think I've ever had a more emotional experience; it wasn't that I could empathize with one of the characters, I AM one of the characters. A masterpiece. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:24:56 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675192/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675192/ A very worthy pairing of two of the greatest actors working in this country today, Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, and a minor American masterpiece. The power of mental illness to sever the strongest bond imaginable, that of familial love has never been examined in the way it has been here. Frightening, tragic, and nothing short of masterful. Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:50:05 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1911600/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1911600/ A stunning neorealist take on the Mexican drug war, Miss Bala is one of the finest and most important films of the 2010's. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:24:46 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242599/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242599/ Another overwhelmingly emotional picture. It's not without it's flaws (horrific acting, conventional plot), but the refreshingly original exploration of the male psyche makes it a small classic. Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:49:40 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1714210/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1714210/ I'll admit that I didn't adore it immediately after I saw it, but in the months that passed since, I've been unable to shake it out from my mind. It's a film of resounding beauty and emotional maturity, a remarkable feature debut. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:25:20 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/ Made for and by cinephiles. A movie that could have easily been a nostalgic gimmick is so much more; it's as if Scorsese is calling to arms everyone who has ever witnessed a miracle of the screen. Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:07:30 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1788391/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1788391/ Notable for being one of the only remotely watchable non-ironic horror movie in recent memory. However, that's not as backhanded as it sounds; it's a genuinely hypnotic and scary film with an unforgettable ending. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:25:13 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242460/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1242460/ An ambitious, uneven effort. The first act is incredibly tedious, but Ramsay overcomes that to produce a memorably disquieting fever dream of a film. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:26:01 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740047/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740047/ An endlessly rewatchable existential comedy of sorts. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:28:21 GMT http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/ Probably the only studio film this year not directed by Martin Scorsese worth a damn. Moneyball is so genuinely engaging because it's driven by its characters, flaws and all. You wouldn't know it from all the plot-oriented nonsense in theaters now, but there was a time when Hollywood made movies like this.