Top Ten... Movies of 2011

	#10 - The Guard Probably the funniest movie of the year for me, The Guard just beats out Super 8 for the final spot on this list. The first feature length film from director John Michael McDonagh features a hilarious performance from Brendan Gleeson. Perhaps Gleeson should only do films for the McDonagh family. John Michael's brother, Martin, directed In Bruges, one of my favorite films from 2008.
	#9 - Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol Finally, a legitimately good Mission Impossible movie. Why doesn't it surprise me that it took one of the Pixar geniuses to make this happen? Brad Bird is the man, and I will see anything he directs. Tom Cruise is good, and Jeremy Renner is even better. I hope Bird, Cruise, and Renner go on another mission together.
	#8 - Take Shelter I couldn't stop thinking about this movie for days after seeing it. I had always liked Michael Shannon well enough, but seeing this almost makes me want to revisit his other movies to see what I missed. He is absolutely riveting in this movie. Jessica Chastain is very good as well. I haven't see Shotgun Stories, the other movie from direct Jeff Nichols and star Michael Shannon, but it is now at the top of my Netflix queue.
	#7 - Fast Five I don't care what critics say, Fast Five is an absolute blast! The Fast and the Furious franchise has always been a guilty pleasure of mine (except for Tokyo Drift... wtf was that?). This could probably never surpass the original for me, due to pure nostalgia. But it comes awfully close. Whoever thought to add The Rock to an already pretty good cast is a genius.
	#6 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two I'm a Harry Potter geek, so this movie would have to be an absolute train wreck to not make this list. Luckily, they get it mostly right. Definitely the best of the Yates-directed Potters, Daniel Radcliffe really comes into his own here. If they hadn't butchered the final showdown, this might have reached the top 3.
	#5 - Hanna This one came out of nowhere for me. Who knew the guy that directed Atonement and Pride & Prejudice could make such a bad-ass action movie! Everything in this film worked for me. The direction, acting, cinematography, soundtrack... it all worked. I couldn't get that scene of the henchman whistling out of my head for days! Kudos to Joe Wright and Saoirse Ronan for completely nailing this movie.
	#4 - Warrior This movie doesn't really bring anything new to the table that countless other "against all odds!" sports haven't done already. But I'll be damned if it doesn't do it better than most. All of the credit goes to the three men that make this movie what it is... Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton, and especially Tom Hardy. That guy is a beast!
	#3 - Midnight in Paris I'm normally not a big Woody Allen fan. I've appreciated all of his films that I've seen, but I didn't really connect with any of them. That all changed with Midnight in Paris. The strange thing is that I usually don't care for Owen Wilson. However, he made a great Allen surrogate. Also, this movie is BEAUTIFUL. I never had much desire to go to Paris, but now I'm ready to pack my bags. The only real misfire for me was Rachel McAdams' character. She was just too much of a shrew.
	#2 - Drive This movie is so freaking cool! There are so many things I love about this movie. It has what is probably my favorite opening scene ever. Then later, it has an elevator scene that is even better! This is the film that cemented Ryan Gosling's position as my second favorite current actor. Surpassed only by the star of my #1 movie of 2011. This is the first film I've seen from director Nicholas Winding Refn, but I'll definitely be checking out Bronson in the coming weeks.
	#1 - 50/50 A cancer comedy? Who knew? This movie brings the laughs, it brings the tears, it brings it all. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is working on all cylinders here. The supporting cast is just as good. Seth Rogen is outstanding, and Anjelica Huston has some very touching scenes. Anna Kendrick just might be my favorite young actress. I got a bit choked up at the scene at the end between JGL and his father. This is a VERY underrated movie that you need to see right away!