BEST OF FILMS, 2011. Part 3.

Daryl's List of Top 5 Films of 2011 (listed in alphabetical order):

1. 13 Assassins (dir: Takashi Miike)
2. Black Swan (dir: Darren Aronofsky)
3. Drive (dir: Nicolas Winding Refn)
4. The Tree of Life (dir: Terence Malick)
5. Winter's Bone (dir: Debra Granik)

My "almost-made-it" film was Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. The film was a wonderful blend of pitch-perfect casting and expert direction, but its statements on the trappings of nostalgia ultimately felt somewhat inconsequential and superficial. Still it remains a wonderful piece of entertainment and a highlight from one of my favourite directors.

The film that nudged it out of the list was Winter's Bone, a dark tale about a young girl's quest to protect her family in a meth-addicted neighbourhood. In truth, the decision to include Winter's Bone was a late one, with other films occupied the spot including Sarah's choice of The King's Speech. Debra Granik's film won my vote due to its ability to create and sustain an unrelenting sense of tension and bleakness. Jennifer Lawrence was phenomenal in the lead role, but the character that I really remember is Teardrop, played with astonishing realism by John Hawkes.

My Best Film of the Year was The Tree of Life. Dinosaurs. Biblical quotations. Planets. And no real ending. At a time where most films are more concerned with making themselves accessible to the audience, Malick's work offers a truly personal and singular vision. I can't profess to understanding completely what the film tries to achieve, but it is hard not to admire the film's sheer ambition. In that sense, this is the best film of the year less for what it actually is, than what it symbolises: a reminder of why films are studied as an art-form and how something like a film can truly transcend the realm of entertainment.

I want to take the time to mention Drive, which would have been my alternate choice for Best Film. Quite simply, it was the film that I was the most passionate about. In some ways, it's almost the opposite of Tree of Life, aiming to deliver complete entertainment. However, that shouldn't take anything away from Winding Refn, who directs with such stylish flair, and Gosling's cool and nuanced performance as The Driver. Most people also write-off the story too easily, missing out on its intentionally perverse take on a real-world Disney fairytale.

My Worst Film of the Year goes to Sucker Punch. I considered changing it because it matched Sarah's choice, but as she said to me: "if it's the worst film, it's the worst film". I've never before felt so uninterested when watching a film, and I walked out of the cinema convinced the entire film (not the plot) must be some sort of satire or wink-wink parody of modern films. For all of his supposed artistic intentions, Snyder's little plot machinations fail to hide what is simply the consensus worst film of the year.