Favorite flicks of 2011

I see more movies than the average person (21 in 2011) but not as many as some of my friends. Other than some of the superhero movies, my tastes run to the indie side, and even a lot of those pass me by.

I haven’t seen most of the awards-bait films, from “Moneyball” earlier in the year to “The Artist” or “Melancholia” or “Iron Lady” or even “The Descendants,” which unlike the others is actually playing in the 909. Also, you would have to pay me to see “War Horse.”

Take this list, my fifth annual, as one man’s moviegoing rather than some sort of comprehensive list. And what is that list?

My top 10, in roughly descending order:

The Adjustment Bureau, My Afternoons With Margueritte, Midnight in Paris, The Women on the Sixth Floor, The Hedgehog, Bill Cunningham New York, Win Win, 50/50, The King’s Speech and Beginners.

(Yes, I know “The King’s Speech” is technically a 2010 movie, but like most people I saw it in 2011. Also, my absolute favorite of the year wasn’t a new movie but a re-release of 1984’s The Green Ray ((Le Rayon Vert)), a French film by Eric Rohmer. I decided not to count that since it wasn’t a new movie.)

Rounding out my year’s 21 movies, my next 11 would run something like this: Captain America, Project Nim, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Jane Eyre, Point Blank, Contagion, Drive, Young Adult, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Page One: Inside the New York Times and Thor.

I liked “Apes” but it didn’t have the zest of the older ones. The last Potter movie was fine and I know a lot of people loved it, but I’m tired of the whole thing.

What were your own favorites, or stinkers, of 2011?

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