Now, the best films of the year....

10 BEST FILMS OF 2011

10. X-Men: First Class: Outstanding way to reboot a series, great cast and writing.

9. Crazy, Stupid, Love: Once again, a great cast really selling the smart script, makes for a fun watch.

8. Red State: Kevin Smith smacks fundamentalism of all sorts with this savage film.

7. Bridesmaids: One of the finest ensemble comedies in a long, long time.

6. Attack The Block!: Outstanding directorial debut, taking a good idea, can do attitude and awesome cast and molding it to a woefully underseen film.

5. Melancholia: Kirsten Dunst gives a flawless performance as we all await the collision of Earth with the titular planet; a year in the life was never more powerful.

4. Hanna: A teenage girl, groomed her entire life to be an assassin, finds herself taking on challenges she may not be yet equipped to handle. Brilliant film.

3. We Need to Talk About Kevin: Heartwrenching film of a mother who knows her child is a sociopath early on, she hates her own son as he hates her. Suddenly the film culminates in a horrific outburst of terror and grief. Not easy to watch, but rewarding.

2. Warrior: A horribly fractured family dynamic collides with a brother trying to make a war event right, and the other trying to save his family home. Add to this a father trying to make amends for their terrible chidhoods. Both see their answers in the MMA ring, and this dynamic explodes there.

1. Circumstance: Not merely a lesbian love story, this film concerns two high school girls in Iran, trying to not only find themselves and enjoy a normal teenage life, but escape their country’s shackles to pursue their lives and love. A powerful story of finding a way in the face of horrible repression, and the best film of 2011.

Worst of 2011!!!!

10 WORST FILMS OF 2011

10. "Martha Marcy May Marlene": How does a film with outstanding performances and a strong cast get on this list? Oh right, it’s a pretentious piece of shit.

9. "The Captains": William Shatner chats with all the captains that followed him, and it’s one of the most boring journeys since "Star Trek V".

8. "Sucker Punch": Masturbatory fantasy masquerading as a film. Apparently to Zack Snyder, female empowerment means being slapped around and pole dancing.

7. "Scream 4": Let me save you an hour and 40 minutes…..EMMA ROBERTS is the killer…yes, 98 lb. Emma Roberts!!

6. "Just Go With It": Wow, you mean Adam Sandler made a stupid movie? I’m …well, not surprised at all.

5. "Green Lantern": Special effects so bad, it made me long for "South Park"s cardboard animation days.

4. "Friends With Benefits": If either were my friend, I’d choose celibacy.

3. "Apollo 18": Stupid movie with weak acting, huge plot holes and I can’t even say it was all in focus.

2. "Shark Night 3D": Kept hoping the film would snap and pierce my eyeballs.

1. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon": Nothing, I mean NOTHING says “shoot yourself now “quite like the words “A Michael Bay Film” on the screen.

Mini Review: "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale"

A part scary, part funny Finnish film about the slightly more ....dark side of Santa.

A-

Mini Review: "Warrior"

"Warrior" is NOT an MMA film, its a fractured family film with MMA serving as a backdrop. Oh, by the way..its magnificent.

A+

Best/Worst lists...

Coming in the next couple days. Expect "Worst Of" no earlier than Thursday, and "Best Of" by Xmas Eve.

Movie picks wrap-up as we end the year..

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: B-

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: C

Bridesmaids: A+

Priest: C

X-Men: First Class: A

Super 8: B+

Green Lantern: F

Bad Teacher: C

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: A+

Cowboys & Aliens: F

Apollo 18: F

Contagion: B+

Archie's Final Project: (Was in VERY limited release)

Paranormal Activity 3: A

Martha Marcy May Marlene: C-

Red State: A

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas in 3D: A

The Muppets: (Passed to DVD)

The Darkest Hour: DEC 23 (moved from 8-5)

Mini Review: "The Captains"

A surprise last second addition, this film features William Shatner interviewing all the other captains of the "Star Trek" universe.

Aside from a few funny moments, I was mostly bored and wondering what Avery Brooks had been smoking prior to his segment.

D

Mini Review: "A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas"

Without doubt, the funniest of a very funny series.

A

Mini Review: "Circumstance"

This riveting film, set in modern day Iran, chronicles the lives of teenage schoolmates Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) and Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri). Not merely friends, they are lovers as well, trying to find their way out of a society that views them as lesser merely because of their gender.

A stunningly brilliant film. Best of the year to date.

A+

Coming before the 31st:

Rare Exports, Warrior, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas and The Darkest Hour

Mini Review: "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Tilda Swinton offers up a haunting performance as a woman who has her life turned upside down by the birth of her first child, a withdrawn, sociopathic boy named Kevin. After he murders his father and younger sister, he turns his attention to his school. We see the before, during and after of these two agonized souls. Pace is a little slow, but overall the film is stellar

Not a fun film to watch, much more something you experience. Glad I watched it, have no desire to sit through this haunting experience again.

B+