Top 10: 2011's bedste film

Årets film: Julen har bragt velsignet bud - ikke mindst når det kommer til top 10-lister. Endelig er det igen blevet tid til at fælde dom og gøre status. Over årets gang og op- og nedture i almindelighed, og over årets film i særdeleshed: Hvilke film efterlod størst indtryk set fra denne nørds elfenbenstårn?

Alle film er naturligvis udvalgt efter 100% subjektive kriterier, og kun film udsendt i dansk biografdistribution i 2011 kan komme i betragtning (repremierer tæller ikke). I hovedkategorien akkompagneres hver titel igen i år af en kort anmeldelse fra min Critiker.com-profil. And here. We. Go. 

ÅRETS FILM
10) Rise of The Planet of The Apes - Rupert Wyatt
- With both the pretentious Burton installment of the franchise and a crappy trailer in way too recent memory I was prepared for the worst - but out of nowwhere comes the surprise and blockbuster of the year. Serkis outdoes himself yet again, and without much monkey business "Rise" is driven by great characterization as well as both thrilling, entertaining and partly moving prove that the days of miracles in mainstream Hollywood aren't over.

9) Beginners - Mike Mills
- Though brilliantly delivered by Plummer the dying gay dad character feels a bit misplaced here and there, but that aside one of the most intriguing and intimate mixes of love story and existential journey to come across the silver screen since 'Lost in Translation'.

8) Hanna - Joe Wright
- In an almost Kubrick way of fashion Joe Wright knows how to mix and match sound with pictures like few living directors. 'Hanna' is yet another proof and depicts new and quirky sides of his immense talent flirting with Lynch-surrealism and challenging several filmmaking conventions. The story is bordering of non-existing but every piece of frame and audio demands - and deserves - your utmost attention. Plus, of course, behold the brilliance of Saoirse Ronan - the world's #1 rising star by far.

7) The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) - Pedro Almodóvar
- 'Frankenstein' according to Almodóvar? The Spanish excentric's most intriguing work since 'Hable con ella' - and Banderas' best part since... well, ever?

6) Of Gods And Men (Des hommes et des dieux) - Xavier Beauvois
- A cinematic proof that sometimes questions have a much more profound power than answers. With an exceptional calm, patience and use of mise-en-scène and tracking shots Beauvois leaves you in a trance both physically and mentally.

5) Winter's Bone - Debra Granik
- Stripped down to the bone indeed, Jennifer Lawrence's Ree Dolly copes with more life or death threatening struggles in a few days than most will or should in a lifetime. Still, and in spite of the hardcore content, 'Winter's Bone' feels natural. Real. And so close you can reach out and touch the redneck hell - if you dare. Fearless and striking cinema from the first to the very last frame.

4) A Separation (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) - Asghar Farhadi
- What Susanne Bier wished she could do: Two hours of first-class yelling, screaming and crying by characters so three-dimensional they'll touch, if not break, both your heart and mind. In other words the best truly dramatic movie experience of 2011 - with a closing shot as powerful as they gets.

3) Drive - Nicolas Winding Refn
- "What do you do?" "I drive". Though stylized and pumped to the max, Refn keeps a strict focus on only what truly needs to be said or done and perfectly balances slick pulp noir and evocative action drama. 'Drive' is packed with unforgettable moments - like the opening montage and the time-stopping elevator scene - driven by the instantly iconographic performance by Gosling. I'd prefer a little less damsel in distress and a little more driving, but nevertheless easily the coolest of 2011.

2) Another Year - Mike Leigh
- Nothing short of outstanding characterization even for Leigh standards. In a more than Oscar-deserving performance Manville leads an impeccable cast in one of those rare gems equally hilarious and moving that manages to get extraordinary plateaus and human relations out of - at the first glance - plain ordinary situations and interactions. I could watch this go on for 8 hours - it's that sharp and three-dimensional.

1) The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick
- The story of life. Envisioned as a prayer, told through jaw-dropping poetry and imagery. Nothing like any piece of art you've ever seen - and arguably the most memorable movie of the decade.

* Special mention:
Bird on a Wire (1974, repremiere i 2011) - Tony Palmer
- One of those rare 'how did I ever manage to get by without having experienced this before?'-life changing eye openers. Cinema verite at its finest and a brief yet truthful and magic glimpse at what defines the poetic and musical genius that is Leonard Cohen.

Senna (2010, lanceret på dvd i 2011) - Asif Kapadia
- I wasn't even 10 years old when Ayrton Senna died but I still vividly remember hearing the news on the radio that fatal day in May 1994. There was something out of this world with him - both while alive and in the later years as the legend of today. This documentary fully captures Senna's talent, spirit and - more than anything else - drive. The drive towards perfection, towards victory and towards true sportsmanship that few can equal in today's way too politicized and polished world of sports.

* Andre nævneværdige film (i alfabetisk rækkefølge): 50/50, Ambassadøren, Black Swan, Bridesmaids, Contagion, Crazy Stupid Love, Dirch, Exit Through The Gift Shop, George Harrison: Living in a Material World, Incendies, Inside Job, Jane Eyre, Juan, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, Niceville, Potiche, Rabbit Hole, Rango, Super 8, SuperClásico, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The King's Speech, X-Men: First Class.

* Årets skuffelser (i alfabetisk rækkefølge): Beast, Captain America: The First Avenger, Cars 2, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2, Melancholia, Paul, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Rio, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, The Fighter, The Green Hornet, The Hangover Part II, True Grit.

* Film jeg - desværre - ikke fik set: Hesten fra Torino, Mother, Oslo, 31. august, Submarine.
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ÅRETS INSTRUKTØR
5) Debra Granik - Winter's Bone
4) Xavier Beauvois - Of Gods And Men
3) Mike Leigh - Another Year
2) Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive
1) Terrence Malick - Tree of Life
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ÅRETS MANUSKRIPT
5) Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo - Bridesmaids
4) Mike Mills - Beginners
3) Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life
2) Asghar Farhadi - A Separation
1) Mike Leigh - Another Year
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ÅRETS SKUESPILLER
5) Antonio Banderas - The Skin I Live In
4) Peyman Maadi - A Separation
3) Andy Serkis - The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2) Michael Fassbender - Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class
1) Ryan Gosling - Drive, Crazy Stupid Love
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ÅRETS SKUESPILLERINDE
5) Jessica Chastain - The Tree of Life, Niceville
4) Mia Wasikowska - Jane Eyre
3) Saoirse Ronan - Hanna
2) Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
1) Lesley Manville - Another Year
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ÅRETS SCENE
5) Toget afspores - Super 8
4) "I was perfect" - Black Swan
3) Åbningsmontagen - The Tree of Life
2) Afsluttende frame - A Separation
1) Elevatorscenen - Drive
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Således min liste for 2011 med bemærkelsesværdigt få danske film, men til gengæld med en bred vifte af andre filmnationer repræsenteret. Jeg glæder mig til at høre jeres bud og kategorier, god fornøjelse.