Critics' Choice Movie Awards of 2011 | Movies & TV

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Critics' Choice Movie Awards of 2011
A mix of Oscar favorites and little-known indie films makes up our annual list. PLUS: Macho Christians in the movies.

posted 1/25/2012 02:00AM

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Last week, we rolled out our Most Redeeming Movies of 2011.

This week, it's our annual Critics' Choice Awards, recognizing those films our critics believe were the best movies of the year as movies, whether they carried a redeeming message or not. Five of our choices also appear on our Most Redeeming list, and five were also nominated for Oscars for Best Picture. We also pay more attention to small indie films than the Academy generally does—thus our inclusion of films like Win Win, Of Gods and Men, Drive, and The Mill & The Cross.

Drum roll, please: Presenting the CT Critics' Choice Awards for 2011.

1. The Tree of Life

Directed by Terrence Malick
(Fox Searchlight) | PG-13

2. The Artist

Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
(The Weinstein Company) | PG-13

3. Win Win

Directed by Thomas McCarthy
(Fox Searchlight) | R

4. Hugo

Directed by Martin Scorsese
(Paramount Pictures) | PG

5. Of Gods and Men

Directed by Xavier Beauvois
(Sony Pictures Classics) | PG-13

6. Moneyball

Directed by Bennett Miller
(Columbia Pictures) | PG-13

7. Drive

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
(FilmDistrict) | R

8. Midnight in Paris

Directed by Woody Allen
(Sony Pictures Classics) | PG-13

9. Super 8

Directed by J. J. Abrams
(Paramount Pictures) | PG-13

10. The Mill & the Cross

Directed by Lech Majewski
(Kino Lorber) | Not rated

Honorable Mentions: (in alphabetical order)

The Descendants, Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, The Muppets, Take Shelter, War Horse, The Way

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Stephen M

January 30, 2012 10:50pm

CT, this is a great list. Well done. I am always encouraged by your good taste and high level of engagement with the arts. Christians need more of that--a willingness to see film as art and evaluate it on proper artistic terms, instead of constantly moralizing over whether scenes are "appropriate" or not. (That said, Drive is probably the one I'm least enthusiastic about on this list. It's not just that it's brutally violent--I'm not entirely convinced the violence serves a purpose, or that the film has anything to say other than its "cool.") I'm also very glad that you have promoted The Mill and the Cross so consistently. It's not an easy film or a well-publicized and popular one, but it is beautiful and profound and definitely worth viewing. And to anyone else looking for great 2011 movies: Check out The Sunset Limited, written by Cormac McCarthy, w/ Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. The whole film is an debate between the two men over faith and hope vs. atheism and despair.

david

January 26, 2012 5:13pm

Heather, are you disappointed that CT frequently commends the Bible? It has a few inappropriate scenes of its own... Excellent choices CT- thanks for being brave enough to put forward your critics' choices for the best movies of the year rather than simply the one's that won't make your readers uncomfortable...

Carl L

January 26, 2012 3:23pm

This is a great list. Thanks. I have seen 7 of these and look forward to watching the rest. "The Tree of Life" deserves to be at the top. I also have wondered why "Win Win" has not been on more best lists.