In varying degrees, there were aspects of all the following that had something going for them. In the drama/thriller category I liked The Fighter, Blue Valentine, Rabbit Hole, The Lincoln Lawyer, Limitless, Super, The Devil’s Double, A Better Life, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Debt, Red State, Contagion, The Ides Of March, Fair Game, Moneyball & Fincher’s remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

In sci-fi & blockbusters, I can recommend Source Code, X-Men: First Class, Captain America, Thor, Super 8, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, True Grit & Another Earth.

In horror, Amer, Wake Wood, Julia’s Eyes, The Silent House and The Awakening were worthwhile, whilst in documentaries Inside Job, Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, Bobby Fisher Against The World, The Story Of Lover’s Rock, Sound It Out, Tabloid and Senna all demonstrated that the documentary is here to stay in cinema. Animation too provided a couple of gems in My Dog Tulip & Arriety.

Some decent comedies in 2011, a genre that increasingly seems to be the hardest to pull off over 90 minutes – I liked Paul, Morning Glory, Ka-boom, Tower Heist, Midnight In Paris, Bridesmaids & The Guard. World cinema, if it’s fair to call it a genre (I suspect Damon Albarn wouldn’t agree) continues to provide a rich seam with many titles making the final 20. Those that just missed out included Confessions, Essential Killing, I Saw The Devil, Mammuth, 13 Assassins, Potiche, Point Blank, Sarah’s Key, In A Better World, Troll Hunter, The Salt Of Life, Guilty Of Romance, The Big Picture, Le Quattro Volte and Post-Mortem.

Finally a mention for British films, which continues it’s renaissance – we can argue whether the following fit in that category, depending on where the money came from (and indeed in some cases where they were set), but those deserving special mention in my book were Neds, Never Let Me Go, Route Irish, Oranges And Sunshine, A Lonely Place To Die, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Anonymous, My Week With Marilyn, Archipelago & Treacle Jr.

The 11-20 section are, in no particular order:

Animal Kingdom – a dark Australian crime thriller with terrific performances throughout.

Black Swan – so far back at the start of the year, but unforgettable work from Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman in this Argento-esque thriller.

The Deep Blue Sea – the return of the other Terrence (Davies) was this perfectly composed, wonderfully evocative drama.

Drive – a super stylish thriller directed by Nicolas Winding-Refn with excellent work from Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and Albert Brooks.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 – I’ve found something to enjoy in all the films in this series, but this really was the way to go out.

The King’s Speech – as with Black Swan released much earlier in the year, but Tom Hooper’s work deserves mention, along with Geoffrey Rush’s standout performance.

Poetry – a wonderful Korean drama, a one-line synopsis about a woman succumbing to Alzheimer’s who decides she wants to write poems really not doing it any justice. Great performance from Jeong-hie Yun.

The Silence – a German serial killer movie that grips & doesn’t let go throughout.

The Tree Of Life – Terrence Mallick’s dazzlingly beautiful film was a visual treat. And I even liked the dinosaurs.

We Need To Talk About Kevin – great to see Lynn Ramsey back in a perfect vehicle for her poetic style – not a thriller, but gripping throughout.

Which brings us finally to my Top 10.

10 – Little White Lies – a wonderful French comedy-drama with echoes of The Big Chill – Nina Simone’s playout of My Way at the end is one of my favourite moments from cinema this year.

9 – Kill List – A truly unsettling British horror film, and one that it’s best you don’t know too much about in advance. Incredibly violent in places, a tough but rewarding watch.

8 – Dreams Of A Life – How did a beautiful, well-liked young woman end up lying dead undiscovered in her North London flat for 3 years? – this film doesn’t answer that question fully, but tells her story in a way that brings Joyce Carol Vincent to life. Genuinely thought provoking, it may make you count your blessings, though you may prefer not to see it if you live alone.

7 – A Separation – basically like a Mike Leigh script directed by Hitchcock and set in Iran, this manages to take no sides in it’s story of a couple separating and what happens as a result, without ever seeming worthy.

6 – Tyrannosaur – Paddy Considine’s directing feature debut with heart-breaking work from Olivia Coleman and Peter “NEDs” Mullan, this drama about abuse and addiction works because it’s so well-written dramatically and you care about it’s leads through their performances and direction.

5 - Hugo – or should I say Hugo 3D – the one film I’ve seen in 3D where it’s a must, this was also a great story about the birth of cinema that worked for children and adults. Although it has some visually astonishing moments, the 3D works because it never seems to be there to show off, pushing the story along rather than getting in the way. Scorsese’s best non “adults only” film to date.

4 – Melancholia – Lars Von Trier’s beautiful end of the world movie can also be seen as a film about depression, but is never depressing. The stupid comments he made in Cannes should not detract from the impact of one of his best films.

3 – Incendies – a Canadian film set largely in the Middle East that, like Kill List, I don’t want to say too much about it as it’s best discovered cold in the way I saw it. Totally gripping from start to finish.

2 – The Skin I Live In – I’ve been a bit agnostic about Pedro Almodovar in the past, but not any more. The best thriller of the year, and as with Incendies, the less you know about it in advance, the better. Almodovar direction is fully in command of his story that in lesser hands would have been all over the place, and he is ably supported by Elena Anaya and Antonio Banderas.

1 – Submarine – Another debut film, Richard Ayoade (Moss from The IT Crowd) has produced the best first-love film since Gregory’s Girl (anyone who knows me will know that’s quite a compliment). Quirky but never annoyingly so, the film boasts terrific performances from the entire cast and a genuine warmth and affection for it’s characters. I hope Ayoade continues to find material worthy of his talents.

So that’s it, another great year (you can read my Best Of 2010 here http://wordmagazine.co.uk/content/my-top-10-films-2010 if you’re interested) . And I haven’t seen The Artist or Snowtown yet.

But what did you like/love in 2011?

Any of the above you strongly disagree with as recommendations?

I’ve managed to avoid anything truly terrible this year, though there were quite a few so-so films not mentioned – did anything you saw really get on your nerves?

Thanks for sharing this.

The one film that really stood out for me this year was Tree of Life.

It has its ups and downs, and it's probably a little too long, but overall it was one of the most beautiful pieces of cinema I've seen in years.

The footage of deep space was gorgeous and worth the price of entry alone (I'm a nut for that stuff, so that was always a given), but the depiction of childhood and its many confusions and joys brought a tear to my eye and put a spring in my step.

It also confirmed to me, once and for all, that Brad Pitt can and will be acted off the screen by small children.

If there's a better performance than Ben Mendelsohn as " Pope " this year, I`ve yet to see it

I appreciate the geeky nature of whittling down to a top ten, because I did exactly the same thing! (On my Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/arthurcowslip)

My list is:
10: The Troll Hunter
9: The Rum Diary
8: The Guard
7: Kill List
6: The Next Three Days
5: Neds
4: Black Swan
3: The Green Hornet
2: 13 Assassins
1: The Tree Of Life

Lots of excellent choices above, but the Australian film 'Snowtown' knocked me for six. Based on real events(the bodies in the barrel murders)and with excellent performances from the two leads, well recommended if you're a brave soul

You must be joking. Not only was this the worst film I saw in 2011, it must be the worst film Almodovar has made. Tellingly, I went with a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. We all hated it.

For me the best of 2011 (which was far from being a good year for movies) were:
Senna
Norwegian Wood
The Guard
Limitless
Essential Killing
Rango