Usually I like to get my Top 10 list up before the Oscar noms come out, but life got in the way, as it likes to do. 2011 was a rich year for movies, and my list surprisingly skews a bit mainstream. Guess I’m not a hipster after all.

Without further ado, my favorites:

10. Source Code

A near-perfect thriller from Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie and the director of “Moon.” It’s bursting with intriguing ideas, and anchored by a moving performance by the brilliant Vera Farmiga. The only sci-fi thriller in recent memory to bring me to tears.

9. Higher Ground

Speaking of Very Farmiga, have I mentioned that I have a huge crush on her? She writes, directs and stars in this even-handed look at evangelical Christianity in a small town. At times devastating, but deals with religion in a refreshingly non-partisan way.

8. 50/50

The hilarious cancer movie. So it can be done. Very funny and very poignant, with great performances across the board (except for Bryce Dallas Howard, who has made “one-note” a career choice). The script is a deft balancing act and I was thrilled to see it pulled off perfectly.

7. Shame

An unflinching, harrowing look at sex addiction, with layers and layers of subtext. You could pick at this one for days and still find something new to analyze. The lead performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan are as good as it gets.

6. Mission Impossible 4

Stunts! Effects! Explosions! And yet I actually cared about the characters. You can’t do grand spectacle any better than this, people. Every second was riveting. And how did they get Tom Cruise on the side of that building? That scene was seamless.

5. Moneyball

I don’t care about baseball. Never have. This movie is remarkably compelling despite that. With an ultra-sharp screenplay by Aaron Sorkin (does he write any other kind?) and charismatic turns by Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill (pre-skinnifying), it manages to make sports and finances an interesting combination, which is quite an accomplishment.

4. The Help

A cavalcade of incredible acting, this ostensibly homeworky history movie is a million times more entertaining than anyone thought it would be. From start to finish a complete joy (with the exception of, once again, Bryce Dallas Howard, making the least interesting choice at every turn). Otherwise, this is a hug, in movie form.

3. The Descendants

Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways) makes his least snarky, most mature movie yet. He somehow gets great performances out of children (and I mean great), and whether you like his form of minimalism or not, George Clooney is very naturalistic here. Plumbs family dynamics and mortality in a subtle and beautiful way rarely seen in film.

2. The Artist

As the race to make movies bigger and technologically better goes faster and faster, it turns out the gutsiest move was to make a silent black & white film. Who knew? Like the Help, this one may look like homework, but it is a pure shot of happiness. That dog deserves an Oscar. I wish I could bottle this movie and drink it every morning.

1. Hugo

In a year of incredible movies, Hugo stood out as the best by far. Initially it may seem like Scorcese would be an ill fit for a children’s film, but it became obvious that this was a labor of love. The best use of 3D I’ve ever seen (even James Cameron has quoted that this movie did it better than Avatar), and it’s filled with gorgeous visuals. But it’s the movie’s huge heart that won me over. I’m not ashamed to admit: I cried like a baby.

Honorable Mentions: Bridesmaids, Drive, Young Adult, The Tree of Life, The Trip

Every year on Oscar Sunday, I compile my favorite movies into a Top 10 list.

Why?

1. Everybody loves lists.
2. So I can remember my opinions without actually having to think.
3. Why not!? How dare you question me!!

Usually my list is filled with Oscar bait, gentle indie dramas and gritty, harrowing slices-of-life.  (Here’s last year’s list, for example). But something happened this year.  Must have been internal, because I suddenly found myself not enjoying the big/intense/dark movies I used to, and felt very drawn toward lighter fare (with a few exceptions, of course). That said, you won’t find Confessions of a Shopaholic on this list.

In honor of the rising Oscar hysteria, here is my list of the top 10 movies of ‘09 (in reverse order).

10. Up

I love Pixar.  LOVE them.  Everything they do is gorgeous and heartfelt and smart.  So the question here isn’t “why did I include this on my year-end list?” but rather “why is it at the bottom of said list?”  Well…

The first 15 minutes of Up are a masterpiece, exploring themes that have likely never been featured in an animated film before (did I really just witness a cartoon miscarriage!?).  I was weeping.  If Up was a short film, it would be the most accomplished and beautiful short ever made.

However, once the “adventure”-proper begin, it veers into traditional Disney territory: talking animals, one-dimensional villain, set piece after set piece.  The success of the film depends on the viewer’s willingness to just go along with it and still feel for the old man.  I expected the tonal maturity of the opening to continue.  I expected more.  So it is with great sadness that I have to be the sole voice in a void, saying that Up is minor Pixar. Still, minor Pixar is better than puppies and candy and joy.

9. Precious

This movie hates you.  It wants you to suffer.  It says, “do you know what I’ve been through!? My life is harder than yours and I’m gonna rub your nose in it until you break.” Yet somehow, in the end, it feels life-affirming.  Sure, not life-affirming like “everyone is beautiful and I’m happy to be alive”.  More like, “my mundane existence could be a million times worse so I’d better shut up and be grateful for what I’ve got.” Gabourey Sidibe is a revelation in the title role, and Mo’Nique has never been better (understatement of the decade). Even Mariah Carey acquits herself nicely.  It’s a hard ride, and you may be sore afterwards, but it’s worth it.

8. Drag Me to Hell

Sam Raimi is BACK!! After the by-the-numbers Spider Man movies, he returns to the exuberant, risk-taking silliness of the Evil Dead series. Don’t expect shivers or blood & gore; this is a Three Stooges movie in the guise of horror, which answers the question, “exactly how much bodily goo one can fit into a PG-13 rating?” (spoilers: a LOT). The gypsy-curse tale is fairly stock, but the fun is in seeing just how far Raimi takes each scene. I was laughing all the way to the final frame. And the sound mix is truly something to savor.

7. District 9

Basically the movie equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife: comes complete with everything you could ever need. Aliens? Check. Human drama? Check. Huge guns, mech suits, and a brilliant script with parallels to apartheid? Check check and check! If Michael Bay had anything to say (or a brain in his head)… he still wouldn’t be able to make a movie this rad. Part pseudo-documentary, part survival story, part action thrill-ride, District 9 keeps moving in unexpected directions. I’ll take a thousand of these over a formulaic spectacle like Avatar any day.

6. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

I don’t care what anybody says, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is better than Up. With a crackly, edgy sense of humor, and a breezy pace, it casts its silly spell from the opening credit (A Film Made By: A Lot of People). The cast is an embarrassment of off-kilter riches: SNL-vets Bill Hader, Will Forte and Andy Samberg, as well as Mr. T, James Caan, Bruce Campbell and Neil Patrick Harris (as the most adorable movie monkey ever.) Totally charming and odd.

5. The Hurt Locker

I’m not usually into war movies, but The Hurt Locker takes such an honest look at the life of a bomb defusal expert in Iraq, that I couldn’t help but be drawn in. There is much debate over the realism or lack thereof, and as I’ve never been to Iraq I can’t comment on that, but it is certainly compelling and every scene is an adrenaline rush. Jeremy Renner is incredibly human in the lead role, and Kathryn Bigelow deserves to handily beat her ex (James Cameron) in the Best Director category.

4. Star Trek

J.J. Abrams gives the series a serious kick in the backside with this reboot. The approach is streamlined, action-packed and thankfully character-driven. As someone who has never been a ST fan in the past, I was hugely surprised at how much fun  I was having. A huge-scale spectacle with a solid script to back it up. Like 2008’s Iron Man, Star Trek is far better than it should have been.

3. An Education

Whatever your biases (you’re anti-period-piece, you think Peter Sarsgaard is the creepiest human to ever walk the planet), An Education is an undeniably great film. Carey Mulligan runs away with the lead role and the pacing is perfection. Intoxicating from start to finish.

2. Up in the Air

Jason Reitman’s third perfect movie (out of three), Up in the Air stars George Clooney in one of his best roles as a “Termination Facilitator.” Timely and beautifully subtle, the film finds itself concerned more about small internal shifts than grand sweeping plot points and I loved its gentle spirit. The ending may polarize, but it is inevitable and apropos. Also, Vera Farmiga is the bees knees.

1. (500) Days of Summer

“This is not a love story.” It is an extremely well-told story about loss of love, bursting with whimsical charm and yes, a little of that ol’ indie-film angst. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt have chemistry in spades, and the direction pulls all kinds of high-minded film school tricks off the shelf in a surprisingly new and accessible way, elevating the film far beyond typical rom-com territory. Completely blindsided me with its greatness, and stuck with me far longer than any other movie on this list. It may not be a love story, but I am in love with it.

Honorable Mentions:

Moon, Adam, Zombieland, Where the Wild Things Are, Coraline, Whip It

Now it’s your turn! What were your favorite movies of 2009? And why?

Worst movie title ever?