Top 20 movies of 2011

12. Black Swan

Director: Darren Aronofksy
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassell

When Ali asked me to write about Black Swan, my first thought was "Oh God, that's the one where Mila Kunis plays Hungry Hungry Hippos with Natalie Portman's lady bits, I'm sure to say something needlessly brash and twatty". Fortunately, Darren Aronofsky's tale of misplaced aspiration and dangerous obsession is more of a ballet of the mind than of the bed, as Portman's brittle ballerina Nina pirouettes deeper into madness, leaving the audience unsure if what they are seeing is real or a figment of her imagination. A bit like Fight Club with dancing.

But with critics left divided by the admittedly hyperactive symbolism, it's clear Black Swan isn't going to be a film for everyone. So here's a checklist to help you decide whether you will like it or not:

- Dancing. The dancing in this film is nice.
- Thing within a thing. Parallels with Swan Lake (the ballet being performed within the film itself) are got the smarts.
- LESBIAN SCENE.
- Vincent Cassel is awesome.

So in conclusion: it's like an even gayer version of Staying Alive. Which is brilliant, obviously. Luke

Defining moment: The tension between Nina and dance rival Lily spills over into violence, as Nina's dark side catches up with her. But did it ever leave her in the first place? Hmmmm… (*strokes chin*)

Click here for the full review


11. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Director: David Fincher
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer

David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo? That's just about as invested as I can get in a movie without bankrolling it myself. Not only am I a fan of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy in print, but the Swedish films are cracking thrillers in their own right. Plus, of course, there's no taking my uncomfortably intimate Fincher love out of the equation. Expectations, therefore, were sky high, but Fincher's Girl is as brilliant as you'd expect: uncompromising, uncomfortable and chilled at a sub-zero cool.

Despite a lofty runtime of 157 minutes, the damn thing moves like a rocket, quickly establishing the motives of Daniel Craig's disgraced journalist, Rooney Mara's social outcast hacker and the circumstances that conspire to have their worlds collide. Steven Zaillian's adapted script makes light work of Larsson's weighty prose, condensing decades of family history into audience-friendly 'research montages' without short-changing the key characters. Mara leaves the most long-lasting impression, her Lisbeth Salander easily the equal of Noomi Rapace's fiery take, but kudos also for Daniel Craig's considered turn as Mikael Blomqvist, adding humour and humility to his archetypal leading man skillset.

Yes, it's little more than a highly polished retread of the Swedish original, with few surprises (other than a slightly different ending), but the atmosphere is thick as fog and Fincher is clearly in his element, crossing the police procedurals of Zodiac with the gristle and bite of Seven. And hey, if what you really want is something new, then the opening credit sequence, set to Karen O's pounding cover of 'Immigrant Song', is the most visually spectacular thing you'll see all year. As indelible as ink. Ali

Defining moment: Lisbeth exacts revenge on her state-appointed rapist by turning the tables with such force, it won't fail to make you flinch.

Click here to read the full review


10. We Need To Talk About Kevin

Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C Reilly

Without a doubt the least appropriate film to ever have a 'mother and baby' screening, We Need To Talk About Kevin kicks up the dust on a concept that's rarely seen or heard in cinema: the idea that the bond of family isn't as instant and permanent as you'd been led to believe by Tim Allen movies.

Tilda Swinton gives the kind of towering performance that'd give the Nakatomi Plaza a bad name, playing the lead from Lionel Shriver's novel (disclaimer: haven't read, don't need to now) and the despairing mother of a troublesome tyke. Though Lynne Ramsay's adaptation apparently loses some of the ambiguity of the source material – exactly how much is Eva to blame for her errant son's homicidal behaviour? – Swinton embodies the role completely, immersing herself in a part that, in the wrong hands, could play towards grandstanding. Swinton, with her gaunt, sunken features, underplays it expertly.

Ezra Miller deserves plaudits for adding dimension to a difficult role (just how surly do you play it?), as do the younger kids who play his junior counterparts, but this is the Tilda Swinton show and she deserves the Oscar she'll inevitably lose to Meryl Streep. Ali

Defining moment: Comforting her son after his brief bout of illness, Eva gets a cuddle – maybe her first ever. Her resulting smile breaks the heart.

Click here for the full review


9. Submarine

Director: Richard Ayoade
Starring: Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor

Who would have thought that Moss from The IT Crowd was capable of producing such an affectionately directed portrait of childhood and whimsy? Who knew that Garth Marenghi's publicist Dean Learner would become the UK's next indie darling? Who would have guessed that Richard Ayoade would soon be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn?

With this adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's intimate novel, Ayoade not only delivers an affecting comedy-drama, but one that is busting with quirky directorial flourishes perfectly suited to its protagonist's flights of fancy. Submarine tells the Swansea story of 15-year-old Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) as he pursues the girl of his dreams Jordana (Yasmin Paige) and tries to rekindle the fading embers of his parents' relationship. During his missions, his wild imagination and overblown sense of self-importance and entitlement give rise to frequent digressions, including one brief daydream of the candlelight vigil that would ensue were he to commit suicide.

Roberts' performance is perfectly laced with self-righteous awkwardness as he acts with the intelligence of someone far older and more sophisticated, and Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor give well-suited portrayals of his stoic parents, particularly the latter who convinces of a deeply-set depression without show or exaggeration. The most enjoyable character, however, is Paddy Considine's self-help lecturer Graham, whose bullshit truisms somehow help to seduce Oliver's mother, an old flame.

Overall, the film is charming, brilliantly funny and overflowing with the kind of wonder and fuzzy nostalgia that will have you reminiscing about long-forgotten classroom dramas. Matt

Defining moment: Oliver's parents sit him down to candidly discuss his mother's indiscretions: "I gave Graham a handjob in the back of his van".

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"The unflinching bleakness of Justin Kurzel's Snowtown, about Adelaide's infamous 'Bodies in the Barrels' murders, is only made bearable by his controlled direction and mostly oblique presentation of the actual killings. With the exception of one extremely distressing scene, he focuses instead on the psychological dynamics of a working class community riven by social deprivation. His sympathetic understanding of dysfunctional relationships reveals how vulnerable teenager Jamie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway) came under the malign influence of plausible psychopath John Bunting (Daniel Henshall). When Bunting moves in with Jamie's mother, he brings stability and economic stability to her family; but he also becomes the self-appointed spokesman for a marginalised community seething with anti-paedophile prejudice. But because everything is seen from Jamie's naïve point of view, we wonder if the charming Bunting really is capable of the violent, homophobic vigilantism he brags about. Stripped of the flashy visuals and generic trappings that marred the overrated 'Animal Kingdom', cinematographer Adam Arkapaw's prowling camera, Shaun Grant's spare script and Jed Kurzel's pulsing electronic score generate nerve-shredding tension and a profound sense of dread."