CAST
OWEN WILSON, KATHY BATES, ADRIEN BRODY, MARION COTILLARD, RACHEL McADAMS, MICHAEL SHEEN, COREY STOLL 

WRITTEN BY
WOODY ALLEN

PRODUCED BY
LETTY ARONSON, JAUME ROURES, STEPHEN TENENBAUM

DIRECTED BY
WOODY ALLEN

Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris is both a majestic romantic comedy and exploration into the dangers of nostalgia. Owen Wilson stars in the typical Allen role as neurotic writer Gil, an American in Paris who at the stroke of midnight is magically whisked away to the time of Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Dali.

Although a film of little logic, Midnight in Paris makes all the sense in the world with Allen’s assertion that the time to live is here and now an important life lesson amongst the fantastical delights this film delivers.

CAST
JOHNNY DEPP, NED BEATTY, ABIGAIL BRESLIN, ISLA FISHER, ALFRED MOLINA, BILL NIGHY, STEPHEN ROOT

WRITTEN BY
JOHN LOGAN, GORE VERBINSKI, JAMES WARD BYRKIT (SOTYR); JOHN LOGAN (SCREENPLAY)

PRODUCED BY
JOHN B. CARLS, GRAHAM KING, GORE VERBINKSI

DIRECTED BY
GORE VERBINSKI

That 2011 wasn’t a particularly good year for animation shouldn’t take anything away from Rango, an exceptionally fine film that wielded spaghetti western conventions with an existential journey to make for a one of a kind animated feature.

Johnny Depp is in top form as Rango, a chameleon lizard who in search of himself stumbles upon a dusty old western town where he is quickly established as their saviour. With top notch animated creature designs, excellent voice performances and the best directing effort to date by Gore Verbinski, Rango is one of the best movie experiences of the year.

CAST
LAMBERT WILSON, JACQUES HERLIN, PHILIPPE LAUDENBACH, MICHAEL LONSDALE, XAVIER MALY, LOIC PINOCH, OLIVIER RABOURDIN

WRITTEN BY
XAVIER BEAUVOIS, ETIENNE COMAR

PRODUCED BY
PASCAL CAUCHETEUX, ETIENNE COMAR

DIRECTED BY
XAVIER BEAUVOIS

Of Gods and Men is a special film on two fronts. The first is that it went against the grain and presented religious observance in a positive light. The second was how director Xavier Beauvois went about doing so, never rushing through the prayers and hymns that these men of God express with every bit of their souls.

Of course the film is not one big mass. Its story about a group of Catholic monks caught in the middle of the Algerian Civil War was a riveting and heartbreaking one, terrifically acted, paced and sure to haunt the soul at completion. That it did not receive an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film is a travesty.

CAST
JEAN DUJARDIN, BERENICE BEJO, JAMES CROMWELL, JOHN GOODMAN, PENELOPE ANN MILLER, MISSI PYLE

WRITTEN BY
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS

PRODUCED BY
THOMAS LANGMANN, EMMANUEL MONTAMAT

DIRECTED BY
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS

Novelty can be a dangerous thing, yet The Artist avoids any such trappings. Yes it is a silent movie, but the legacy of The Artist will not rest upon its concept but rather the details found within. It’s story of a silent movie star (Jean Dujardin) whose career is destroyed after the introduction of the talkies is one filled with laughter, bitterness, romance and a crippling sadness, where tap dance numbers sit comfortably alongside tear jerking scenes.

It is the writing and direction of Michel Hazanavicius which makes it all work so well, not to mention the stellar performances from Juan Dujardin and the enchanting Berenice Bejo. The Artist proves that silence is indeed golden.

CAST
GARY OLDMAN, BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, COLIN FIRTH, TOM HARDY, JOH N HURT, TOBY JONES, MARK STRONG

WRITTEN BY
BRIDGET O’CONNOR, PETER STRAUGHAN (SCREENPLAY); JOHN LE CARRE (NOVEL)

PRODUCED BY
TIM BEVAN, ERIC FELLNER, ROBYN SLOVO

DIRECTED BY
TOMAS ALFREDSON

An espionage thriller that does away with action choreography and exotic seductresses, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy builds its foundations on complex mystery, thick tension and stirring drama, not to mention the best ensemble cast of the year delivering high level performances.

Gary Oldman leads the charge as George Smiley, a semi-retired spy brought back into the fold to smoke out a Soviet agent hidden deep in MI6. Complementing Oldman’s wonderfully introverted performance are supporting turns by Benedcit Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy and Mark Strong. Weaving it all together is director Tomas Alfredson, who followed Let the Right One In with his best film to date. Exactly how Alfredson will follow Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a mystery on its own.

CAST
PEYMAN MAADI, SAREH BAYAT, SARINA FARHADI, LEILA HATAMI, SHAHAB HOSSEINI, ALI-ASGHAR SHAHBAZI, MERILA ZAREÍ

WRITTEN BY
ASGHAR FARHADI

PRODUCED BY
ASGHAR FARHADI

DIRECTED BY
ASGHAR FARHADI

This Iranian movie from writer/director Asghar Farhadi works on several facets: family drama, perplexing mystery, court room thriller and exploration into the social fabric of Iranian society. The result is an absorbing and (at times) frustrating movie that surprises with each carefully planned reveal.

Equally impressive are the performances from its cast, especially by Sareh Bayat whose debut performance as a lower class caretaker evoked much sadness and anger. If A Separation is an example of what Iranian cinema can create under such strong censorship, who knows what could be without such restrictions?

CAST
BRAD PITT, STEPHEN BISHOP, JONAH HILL, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, CHRIS PRATT, ROBIN WRIGHT

WRITTEN BY
AARON SORKIN, STEVE ZAILLIAN (SCREENPLAY); STAN CHERVIN (STORY); MICHAEL LEWIS (BOOK)

PRODUCED BY
MICHAEL DE LUCA, RACHEL HAROVITZ, BRAD PITT

DIRECTED BY
BENNETT MILLER

The baseball movie has become a fixture in America cinema. Field of Dreams had a spiritual spin. Bull Durham brought sex to the occasion. A League of Their Own took on gender politics. Moneyball delved behind the scenes in its portrayal of how Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Bean (Brad Pitt) transformed the game by taking innovation over tradition by using statistics to build a winning ball team.

That a film about the mathematics of a sport which barely registers outside of the U.S. can be so engrossing is something of a miracle, yet that is what happens when a great (not to mention underrated) director like Bennett Miller is handed a script by power duo Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian. With Brad Pitt out front hitting a home run in each scene with a naturalistic performance, it is no wonder why Moneyball is such a winner.

CAST
JOEL EDGERTON, TOM HARDY, KEVIN DUNN, FRANK GRILLO, JENNIFER MORRISON, NICK NOLTE

WRITTEN BY
GAVIN O’CONNOR, CLIFF DORFMAN, ANTHONY TAMBAKIS (SCREENPLAY); GAVIN O’CONNOR, CLIFF DORFMAN (STORY)

PRODUCED BY
GAVIN O’CONNOR, GREG O’CONNOR

DIRECTED BY
GAVIN O’CONNOR

In the pantheon of macho films that can make men cry like babies, Warrior ranks high. While the film was promoted as a blue collar MMA fight picture, Warrior was much more than that. Directed by Gavin O’Connor (one of the best un-sung filmmakers working today), the film starred Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy and Brendan and Tommy Conlon, estranged brothers whose one connection is there mutual disdain for their alcoholic father (Nick Nolte).

Although the knock-down, drag out slugfests in the cage were thrilling, the real battles were outside the ring where this broken family find a way to mend their wounds through courage, forgiveness and love. The excellent performances from Edgerton, Hardy and especially Nolte, to go along with O’Connor’s excellent direction makes Warrior’s special blend of blood, will and tears work so well.

FEATURING
ARYTON SENNA, ALAIN PROST

WRITTEN BY
MANISH PANDEY

PRODUCED BY
TIM BEVAN, ERIC FELLNER, JAMES GAY-REES

DIRECTED BY
ASIF KAPADIA

What makes a man a legend? That is the basic theme of Senna, an engrossing look into the life and exploits of Formula One driver Aryton Senna whose passion for his sport and obsession to win made him a highly controversial and respected figure in motor racing.

The biggest surprise to Senna’s legacy was his spirituality, with the Brazilian believing the hand of God led the way during his races. This led many to labelling him arrogant and dangerous, especially arch rival Alain Prost.

Yet such are the complexities of this man whose presence is felt throughout Senna, with director Asif Kapadia wading through mountains of footage to create a hypnotic film about obsession, passion and arrogance in action, presenting just what it takes to become a God amongst men.

CAST
JESSICA CHASTAIN, HUNER McCRACKEN, SEAN PITT, BRAD PITT

WRITTEN BY
TERRENCE MALICK

PRODUCED BY
DEDE GARDNER, SARAH GREEN, GRANT HILL, BRAD PITT, BILL POHLAND

DIRECTED BY
TERRENCE MALICK

Has there ever bee as complex, polarising, and confident a film as The Tree of Life? Director Terrence Malick is not one to create straight forward movies, and in his limited yet bountiful filmography of complex works The Tree of Life is his masterpiece.

Both grand and intimate, Malick’s exploration into the relationship between man, God, and nature is one of assured conviction in both its ideas and its imagery. Whether it is the scenes of a family eating dinner or the creation of the universe unfolding before our eyes, there is not one frame or hushed narration that doesn’t belong.

Performances also impress with Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain giving soulful turns as the parents of a young Texan family, who take centre stage in Malick’s theologically rich submergence into the divinity of nature, and the nature of the divine. Simply stunning.