2011: Looking Back

With the recent announcement of the Golden Globes nominations and the inevitable Oscar Awards, critics have been proclaiming that 2011 has been an especially significant year in film. So what exactly set it apart?

Was it Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, the meaning of life questioned through the eyes of a family in the heart of America, juxtaposed with sequences marking the beginning of the universe; a film so ambitious it has been frequently compared to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Or was it Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, an ode to 70's car films and existential protagonists from the French New Wave, starring cemented icon Ryan Gosling, which might be one of the most effortlessly cool movies to come out in recent years. 2011 also saw very well-established directors - Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Wim Wenders - expanding their sensibilities and trying out 3D for the first time (in Hugo, The Adventures of Tintin and Pina respectively). Woody Allen, has also made a significant work this year - Midnight In Paris, his 41st film, might be one of the most instantly likeable and accessible films he's ever done. Even critically acclaimed The Artist might be a reason why 2011 has been a special year - the audacity to release a silent film in the 21st century sounds crazy to many, but why not?

Whatever the case, this year was wholly satisfying and diverse - from Captain America, sex addicts, descendants, Iranian immigrants, Marilyn Monroe and evil cults - all subjects are covered. Independent cinema is extremely prevalent these days, as are foreign films (and that's a good thing). Mainstream action flicks are still fairly exciting, if only mildly. And 2011 also taught us that 3D is just one of many tools filmmakers can use to heighten their film, rather than using it as a novelty technique. So while most moviegoers count down the days until Christopher Nolan's magnum opus comes out next year in July, it's great to look back at the wealth of movies 2011 delivered.