2011 – Best films

That heading is not a typo. As we work on a best-of for 2012, here’s my list of the previous year’s best movies.

THE TOP TEN

1. “A Separation” * - A profound procedural; gripping from beginning to end.

2. “Martha Mary May Marlene” – Mesmerizing story and a powerful combination of John Hawkes and Elizabeth Olsen

3. “Win Win” – The one movie of the year I could watch over and over

4. “Pariah” * - A moving portrait and the rare tolerable coming-of-age tale

5. “Weekend” – A gorgeous, visceral love story

6. “Take Shelter” – Unsettling and raw

7. “Margin Call” – Tension and drama, with the smartest script of the year

8. “Meek’s Cutoff” – A brutal slog, but that was the point. Great ending. Kelly Reichardt strikes yet again.

9. “Higher Ground” – Memorable tale of a woman struggling with her faith

10. (tie) “Shut Up, Little Man” – A fascinating look at a pre-Internet meme and the human condition

and “Bill Cunningham New York” – A moving portrait of a unique man

* - Note: Both “A Separation” and “Pariah” were released in the final days of 2011 and thus will end up in the 2012 category in some circles. In either year, each would have made my top ten.

JUST MISSED THE LIST

-  “Beginners” – Heartfelt, sweet, clever and engaging

-  “Cedar Rapids” – Pure fun and great comedic performances all around

-  “We Need to Talk About Kevin” – Yet another jolt from Lynne Ramsay

-  “Oranges and Sunshine” – The most emotional film of the year for me

-  “Silver Tongues” – The most fascinating story, another late-year release that most folks (but not many) saw in 2012

-  “The Descendants” – George Clooney wins me over again

-  “Melancholia” – The wedding was perhaps the best scene of the year

-  “Moneyball” – Solid all around; Pitt comes through in the clutch; Sorkin back on his game

SOMEONE TO WATCH

Brit Marling in the touching “Another Earth” (and 2012’s “The Sound of My Voice” and “Arbitrage”)

VARIOUS LEVELS OF FUNNY

-  “The Future” – I can handle Miranda July at her twee-est

-  “Bridesmaids” – A lot of laughs, but the awkward love story dragged it out

-  “The Trip” – Winterbottom and Coogan are still a dynamic duo

KIDS OF ALL AGES

-  The touching “Terri”

-  The high-octane “Hanna”

-  The gorgeous “The Myth of the American Sleepover”

-  “Young Adult”

DRAMAS AND THRILLERS

-  “Shame” (Riveting and visually arresting, but dragged down by a thankless role for Carey Mulligan)

-  “Contagion” (Brilliantly unnerving)

-  “Incendies”

-  “Queen to Play” (Sandrine Bonnaire!)

-  “The Double Hour”

-  “Small-Town Murder Songs” (Noir at its best)

-  “Tuesday, After Christmas”

THE BEST DOCUMENTARIES

-  “Paul Goodman Changed My Life”

-  “Exporting Raymond”

-  “Eames: The Architect and the Painter”

-  “My Perestroika”

-  “Into the Abyss”

-  “The Interrupters”

SHOULD'VE PASSED ON THESE

-  The dull “Certified Copy”

-  The needlessly obtuse “Tree of Life”

-  Trashy date movie “Friends With Benefits”

-  The silly “Drive”

-  The overwrought, scattered “Hugo”

WORST OF THE YEAR

-  The insulting, repulsive “Rampart”