Top 20 movies of 2011

4. The Artist

Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman

You won't find a film with a bigger heart on this list or any other. The Artist is pure celluloid happiness. Unfortunately there's no way to put this in a pill and bottle it, so you'll just have to shell out for a cinema ticket instead. Much has been made of the fact that it's shot in black and white with no dialogue, but it's done with a playful lightness of touch; there's no pretentious arthouse guff to be found here.

We arrive in 1920s Hollywood and, where the talkies have arrived, signalling a career end for charismatic silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and the start of a rapid rise to stardom for Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). The fate of the two characters is intertwined in what is essentially a 'will they won't they' plotline that weaves through a magnificent backdrop of Hollywood glamour.

There's romance! There's drama! There's dancing! There's John Goodman!
There's an awesome little dog! And it's gonna win a bunch of Oscars, too! Give your inner-cynic a day off and go and watch this film. Twice. Anna

Defining moment: George and Peppy's infatuation becomes clear on set as the two continually botch their scene while the cameras continue to roll. The first cut is cute, the second is funny, but the third, fourth and fifth takes are as serious as a heart attack.

Click here for the full review


3. Snowtown

Director: Justin Kurzel
Starring: Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway, Bob Adriaens

There are a few reasons not to watch Snowtown. If you're not comfortable with the sight of gore, for example; perhaps you rented it thinking it was going to be an animated Christmas movie and the kids are bored. The number one reason to give Snowtown a miss, however, is if you're thinking of going into the filmmaking business yourself – the debut feature of first-time director Justin Kurzel, featuring a cast of unknowns who haven't made a single movie between them, Snowtown is so good, it'll make you wonder why you should bother trying when there are guys this talented out there.

A retelling of Australia's infamous 'bodies in barrels' murder of the '90s, Kurzel does not set his viewfinder solely on serial killer John Bunting, but also on his young ward, Lucas Pittaway's Jamie, part of the surrogate family he shepherds since becoming de facto leader of his small community. As Bunting begins to erase the town's more unsavoury elements by various nefarious methods, he pulls Jamie into his own sick and twisted orbit, slowly poisoning him with his own irrepressible toxicity. Put it this way: shooting a dog is one of the more harmless things he does.

An astoundingly assured debut, Snowtown nonetheless bears the marks of a director with a lifetime of experience. The scenes of torture are ghastly, unbearable almost, but never exploitative, yet somehow, the slow, gradual degredation of Pittaway's youngster takes more of a toll. It's the hardest of all the films on this list to watch, but ultimately, is one of the most rewarding. Ali

Defining moment: John exacts a demonic revenge on one of Jamie's tormentors – by having Jamie be the one that kills him. Remember to breathe if you can.

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2. Bridesmaids

Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph

Though Judd Apatow's request that the Academy recognise comedies with their own category at the Oscars might seem a little self-serving, it is true that a genuinely funny movie is not celebrated half as much or often as a genuinely thrilling or dramatic one. Why? Because the bar is set much lower. Comedy can be born from character, situation, interpretation, anything at all, but all you can ask of a good one is that it makes you laugh, whether it's When Harry Met Sally or Jackass 3D. Bridesmaids has its flaws, but judged under that one reasonable criteria, it's far and away the best movie of its kind this year.

Perhaps Bridesmaids' biggest issue is the genre it unwittingly finds itself in – the wedding comedy. Previously the domain of screaming harpies like Kate Hudson and Katherine Heigl, Bridesmaids re-invents the wedding comedy by not being about the service itself, or even the bride and groom, but the maid of honour and the spanner it throws in her life plans. Kristen Wiig is superb as Annie, the bridesmaid in question, whose subsequent meltdown is mined for all its worth – from an alcohol-fuelled airborne rant to the futile one-upmanship doled out between herself and queen bitch Rose Byrne, Wiig sacrifices her dignity to the comedy gods but comes up smelling of roses.

Support is first class – Byrne is scarily good at passive-aggression ("Did you come from work?"), Chris O'Dowd makes for a charming romantic lead and Maya Rudolph shares effortless chemistry with Wiig, meaning the movie has a refreshing, all-female relationship at its core, instantly putting it head and shoulders above the Hudson/Heigl rabble. If the more shameless scenes, like the mass diarrhoea vomit-fest (inserted upon Judd Apatow's request, allegedly) made the film that little bit easier to market, then it's all it deserves – Bridesmaids is the funniest, most charming and most accessible film you'll see in 2011, and there's no doubt it's awards worthy in whatever category you'd care to mention. Ali

Defining moment: Before her walk of shame has even begun, Wiig ungainly hoists herself over her fuckbuddy's electronic gate, before it swings open, leaving her straddling it in front of an aghast onlooker. Deft physical comedy worthy of Keaton.

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"My movie this year - 'Senna'." [It still counts. Shut up - Ed.]