Check out contributor Bhairavi Thanki’s top 10 movies of 2011:

10 – The King’s Speech
There is a lot about this movie that I enjoyed. What I loved most was what it brought to the act of swearing. I hardly ever swear but now, whenever I do, I think of how great it feels. It’s like a bunch of endorphins being released. And as if I wasn’t madly in love with Colin Firth already, add a stutter and I want to find him wrapped in a bow under my Christmas tree.

9 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
After obsessively reading all the books at least five times, I was so sad to see the last movie come and go. That’s it. No more quidditch, spells and the whole will they, won’t they scenario with Ron and Hermione.  Despite my sadness, I was satisfied with the way the final movie was directed and that final battle scene was pretty rad. Yeah, I said it. Rad.

8 – 50/50
Cancer isn’t funny, you guys. Stop it. You are making laugh. This is exactly what I was muttering as I watched this. I walked out of the theatre feeling pretty great after seeing Joe Levitt shave his head and Seth Rogen make penis jokes. It was typical and yet, somehow, it wasn’t. We might not have reached the phase where we can joke about cancer, but it’s okay to laugh with people who do, right?

7 – Take Shelter
An order of Michael Shannon with a side loony, please! I wasn’t the biggest fan of the story and had it not been for Shannon, I probably would not have enjoyed it. Here’s an example of how a good actor can carry an entire movie. You can also witness those swarm of birds on the poster sometime at Dundas Square. I kid you not.

6 – Moneyball
What is it with Brad Pitt and his ability to so flawlessly mimic accents? I can’t say that he is aging well (what is with all the hair?), but I am amazed at his ability to continuously choose amazing films. I don’t like sports films but this was less about playing ball and more about actually playing the game, if you know what I mean. And it wasn’t Pitt that stole the show, it was Jonah Hill. New crush.

5 – Bridesmaids
There is nothing attractive about a bride relieving her bowels in a wedding dress in the middle of a road. But, it is pretty hilarious. I was sold on this movie the moment I saw the poster. Kristen Wiig AND Maya Rudolph in a movie about bridesmaids? Yes, please. And puppies as bridal shower favours?! I want to go to there.

4 – Drive
We saw no shortage of Ryan Gosling this year, whether it was in the form of memes or his blank expression staring you down while you sat there feeling less than worthy of his attention. Due to the sheer tallness of him and the badass-ness of this movie, it stands pretty high on my favourite movies list this year. And the soundtrack, oooh the soundtrack.

3 – The Muppets
I cried. I did. The moment Kermit showed up on the screen all I wanted to do was go back in time to when I used to make myself a blanket fort and watch the musings of these odd but lovable characters on my TV. If it wasn’t enough that I was reliving my childhood, cameos from many of my current favourite celebrities just added to the mix of emotions. Admit it, you loved it too. You even sang when the credits rolled to ‘Mah-na Mah-na.’

2 – The Skin I Live In
There are directors who are twisted and then there is Pedro Almodovar. While there is no shortage of directors who use the human body to convey a message, Almodovar created a way of making sure you never look at the human body the same way ever again. If the sex, nudity, violence or characters in Skin I Live In don’t shock you, the story sure will. I may or may not have said “What the eff?!” about a hundred times while watching it.

1 – Beginners
There are very few movies that focus on the topic of love that I like. Beginners is one of them. It’s been a while since a movie came around that could make me feel so many emotions at once. Everything from the cast (Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer), to the writing, to the production and direction was just so beautiful that the story flowed effortlessly. It made me want to be in love and fall out of it all in one heartbeat.

Honorable mentions: The Ides of March; Crazy, Stupid, Love; The Descendants; Like Crazy; Rango; True Grit; Super 8; Midnight in Paris

Movies that I still have to see (And you should too!): We Were Here; Melancholia; Shame; The Adventures of Tin Tin; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo; Hugo, J. Edgar