Another year, another list. Add mine to the pile!

To me, 2011 was not a tremendously strong year in film. But my favorites have an obvious theme: sentimentality. The following movies appealed to me on a surprisingly strong emotional level. These films were a beautiful mixture of sad and sweet, and I connected with specific aspects of each - as they reminded me both of my youth and recent history. 

BEGINNERS 

I found Ewan McGregor’s performance and his character’s interaction with his father to be incredibly touching. 

THE DESCENDANTS

Clooney is at his very best in a more subtle role like this, where the eyes speak almost more than he does. This film also offers a stunning Hawaiian backdrop and is another Alexander Payne gem for both direction and script (co-written with Jim Rash, who plays the Dean on Community!). 

HUGO

A love letter to cinema, and a fantastic adventure accompanied by beautiful cinematography and set design. 

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

As a Lit major who took a class specifically about Fitzgerald and Hemingway, I was absolutely enthralled in the world that Woody Allen presented.

MONEYBALL

Because I had attended many of the games during the Oakland A’s infamous 20-game winning streak and loved the book, I was very impressed with how they translated that experience onto the big screen.

SUPER 8

Absorbing the action and story in Super 8, I felt the same joy I had as a wide-eyed kid watching E.T. for the first time.

[Side note: there are still many Oscar contenders that I have yet to see and hope to soon, including Albert Nobbs, The Artist, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Iron Lady, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, We Need to Talk About Kevin and Young Adult]

TELEVISION

Everyone has a Top 10. I have 12, plus three that almost made the list.

Again, alphabetically:

1. Breaking Bad
2. Community
3. Friday Night Lights
4. Fringe
5. The Good Wife
6. Happy Endings
7. Homeland
8. Luther
9. Justified
10. Once Upon a Time
11. Parks and Recreation
12. Person of Interest

Honorable mentions: Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.

While many would argue that a few of the above shows may not qualify as the BEST that television had to offer in 2011, these are my personal favorites. To each their own. 

Thank you for reading, and Happy New Year!