Let’s be totally ridiculous for a moment. Since the whole concept of ranking the top 10 movies of the year is an arbitrary exercise to begin with, let’s take the ridiculousness of it to an extreme. I thought I’d try ranking 250 of the films officially released this year that I’ve seen, just to see what would happen. What I’ve found is that the movies are still pretty good well down past the top 60. If you think this has been a bad year for movies (whatever that’s supposed to mean), there’s your answer. At the same time, the movies don’t get really bad until the bottom 70 or thereabouts.
As with my Top 10 list, films that haven’t yet shown in theaters in North Texas nor been released on DVD are denoted with an asterisk (*). Before you rake me over the coals for, say, rating Limitless ahead of Sarah’s Key or for leaving Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star off my rankings, just remember what I said at the top of this post: This list is ridiculous.
1. Bridesmaids
2. Drive
3. Shame
4. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
5. Attack the Block
6. Meek’s Cutoff
7. Weekend
8. The Artist
9. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
10. Rango
11 (tie). Melancholia
11 (tie). The Tree of Life
13. Incendies
14. Source Code
15. Le Havre*
16. We Need to Talk About Kevin*
17. Project Nim
18. The Guard
19. The Skin I Live In
20. The Descendants
21. A Separation*
22. Cave of Forgotten Dreams
23. Tuesday, After Christmas
24. Young Adult
25. Pariah
26. The Muppets
27. Hugo
28. The Double Hour
29. Margin Call
30. Contagion
31. Cedar Rapids
32. Certified Copy
33. Moneyball
34. Jumping the Broom
35. Buck
36. Footloose
37. 50/50
38. The Last Circus
39. Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
40. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
41. Paul
42. Sucker Punch
43. Senna
44. Mysteries of Lisbon*
45. Submarine
46. Gnomeo & Juliet
47. The Housemaid
48. Cold Weather
49. Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
50. El Bullí: Cooking in Progress*
51. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
52. The Eagle
53. Happy, Happy*
54. Higher Ground
55. The Arbor
56. Cracks
57. The Adventures of Tintin
58. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
59. A Dangerous Method*
60. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
61. Septien
62. Jane Eyre
63 (tie). The Interrupters
63 (tie). If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
65 (tie). Limitless
65 (tie). The Lincoln Lawyer
67. Midnight in Paris
68. Take Shelter
69. Crazy, Stupid, Love.
70. TrollHunter
71. The Future
72. We Were Here
73. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
74. Super
75. Page One: Inside the New York Times
76. Poetry
77. Winnie the Pooh
78. Potiche
79. The Hedgehog
80. Raw Faith
81. The Elephant in the Living Room
82. Horrible Bosses
83. A Better Life
84. Norwegian Ninja
85. Cars 2
86. The Ides of March
87. Love Crime
88. Paranormal Activity 3
89. The Mill and the Cross
90. Sarah’s Key
91. 30 Minutes or Less
92. Win Win
93. Circo
94. Martha Marcy May Marlene
95. Captain America: The First Avenger
96. Like Crazy
97. Making the Boys
98. Stake Land
99. Super 8
100. Carnage*
101. Brighton Rock
102. Tabloid
103. Eames: The Architect and the Painter*
104. Aurora*
105. The Debt
106. Real Steel
107. Friends With Benefits
108. Pianomania*
109. Beginners
110. Kaboom
111. Thor
112. Insidious
113. Black Death
114. Point Blank
115. I Saw the Devil
116. The Trip
117. My Week With Marilyn
118. Warrior
119. The Darkest Hour
120. Bellflower
121. Straw Dogs
122. The Beaver
123. Take Me Home Tonight
124 (tie). The Conspirator
124 (tie). The Devil’s Double
126. X-Men: First Class
127. Everything Must Go
128. Arthur Christmas
129. The Princess of Montpensier
130. Circumstance
131. Terri
132. Drive Angry
133. I Am Number Four
134. The Help
135. Fast Five
136. The Rum Diary
137. Albert Nobbs*
138. Sleeping Beauty
139. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
140. City of Life and Death
141. Bad Teacher
142. Saving Private Perez
143. Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
144. The Adjustment Bureau
145. The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975
146. Kung Fu Panda 2
147. Putty Hill
148. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
149. We Bought a Zoo
150. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
151 (tie). Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
151 (tie). Our Idiot Brother
153. 13 Assassins
154. Public Speaking
155. Viva Riva!
156. War of the Arrows
157. Anonymous
158. Killer Elite
159. A Little Help
160. Tower Heist
161. The Double
162. In a Better World
163. Of Gods and Men
164. Arthur
165. Colombiana
166. Ip Man 2
167. Elevate
168. War Horse
169. Rampart
170. The Roommate
171. Texas Killing Fields
172. The Mechanic
173. The Big Year
174. There Be Dragons
175. Rio
176. Trespass
177. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
178. Dream House
179. Happy Feet Two
180. Cowboys & Aliens
181. The Three Musketeers
182. Prom
183. The Son of No One
184. Season of the Witch
185. Dolphin Tale
186. In Time
187. Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football
188. Skateland
189. Abduction
190. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
191. Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain
192. Soul Surfer
193. One Day
194. Red Riding Hood
195. J. Edgar
196. Mooz-lum
197. Puss in Boots
198. No Strings Attached
199. Water for Elephants
200. The Thing
201. Monte Carlo
202. The Green Hornet
203. Go for It
204. The Rite
205. Trigun: Badlands Rumble
206. Something Borrowed
207. The Mighty Macs
208. Priest
209. Courageous
210. The Iron Lady*
211. The Change-Up
212. Mars Needs Moms
213. From Prada to Nada
214. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
215. The Dilemma
216. Hop
217. The Caller
218. Cat Run
219. Your Highness
220. Sanctum
221. Beastly
222. Green Lantern
223. Johnny English Reborn
224 (tie). Larry Crowne
224 (tie). New Year’s Eve
226. What’s Your Number?
227. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I
228. Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer
229. Hoodwinked, Too
230. Seven Days in Utopia
231. The Art of Getting By
232. The Smurfs
233. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close*
234. Restless
235. The Grace Card
236. Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
237. Just Go With It
238. Scream 4
239. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
240. The Dead
241. Hall Pass
242. Monogamy
243. Turtle: The Incredible Journey
244. Zookeeper
245 (tie). Atlas Shrugged: Part I
245 (tie). The Undefeated
247. The Last Godfather
248. Creature
249. Suing the Devil
250. A Serbian Film
My favorite movie of 2011 was Hall Pass. Hilarious. I laughed the whole time. And it’s No. 241 on your list? That makes me laugh too.
It’s also funny that in a list of 250 movies you have multiple ties. Was it that difficult to determine whether Atlas Shrugged should be No. 245, or The Undefeated? Two words: coin toss!
You made your case for Midnight in Paris, tough I disagree, but, Hedgehog at #79??? You’re getting too elitist, Kristin, and I consider myself an elitist. Still, I admire your gumption.
Did I miss Detective Dee on this list??? Another of my faves.