2011: World Premieres 2011: U.S. Releases 2011: Still Left to See 2011: Cannes Festival 2011: Chicago Festival Looking Back Moving Ahead Browse Films by Title / Year / Reviews Home / Blog / E-Mail The Movies of 2011: U.S. Releases  By Title // By Grade, with Top Ten Complete Reviews ★ = Full Review   /   ★ = Capsule Review   /   ★ = Special Feature or Blog Review (new window) ★  Beginners Dir. Mike Mills. Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent A– ★  Hanna Dir. Joe Wright. Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander B ★  The Housemaid Dir. Im Sang-soo. Jeon Do-yeon, Youn Yuh-Jung, Seo Woo C+ ★  In a Better World Dir. Susanne Bier. William Jøhnk Nielsen, Markus Rygaard C– ★  Leap Year Dir. Michael Rowe. Monica del Carmen, Gustavo Sánchez Parra B ★  Meek's Cutoff Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood B+ ★  Sleep Furiously Dir. Gideon Koppel. Documentary observing village life in rural Wales B Full Listing of Films Screened 3 Dir. Tom Tykwer. Sophie Rois, Sebastian Schipper, Devid Striesow, Angela Winkler B The Adjustment Bureau Dir. George Nolfi. Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie C– Albert Nobbs Dir. Rodrigo García. Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Mia Wasikowska D+ Another Earth Dir. Mike Cahill. Brit Marling, William Mapother, Kumar Pallana B– Another Happy Day Dir. Sam Levinson. Ellen Barkin, Ezra Miller, Daniel Yelsky C The Arbor Dir. Clio Barnard. Natalie Gavin, Manjinder Virk, Christine Bottomley B– The Artist Dir. Michel Hazanavicius. Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman B+ The Beaver Dir. Jodie Foster. Mel Gibson, Anton Yelchin, Jodie Foster C+ Beginners Dir. Mike Mills. Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent A– A Better Life Dir. Chris Weitz. Demián Bichir, José Julián, Joaquin Cosío C+ The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 Dir. Göran Hugo Olsson. Documentary B Bombay Beach Dir. Alma Har'el. Documentary about eccentric Salton Sea community B Bridesmaids Dir. Paul Feig. Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Chris O'Dowd B Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff Dir. Craig McCall. Documentary B– Carnage Dir. Roman Polanski. Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet C+ Caterpillar Dir. Kôji Wakamatsu. Shinobu Terajima, Shima Ohnishi, Keigo Kasuya B Cave of Forgotten Dreams Dir. Werner Herzog. Documentary about cave paintings B– Certified Copy Dir. Abbas Kiarostami. Juliette Binoche, William Shimell A– Circumstance Dir. Maryam Keshavarz. Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai B City of Life and Death Dir. Lu Chuan. Liu Ye, Hideo Nakaizumi, Fan Wei, Gao Yuanyuan A– Contagion Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law B Coriolanus Dir. Ralph Fiennes. Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave B Crazy, Stupid, Love Dirs. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa. Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling B– A Dangerous Method Dir. David Cronenberg. Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley B+ The Descendants Dir. Alexander Payne. George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller F Drive Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston B+ Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Dir. Stephen Daldry. Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock C Fast Five Dir. Justin Lin. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson B– Friends with Benefits Dir. Will Gluck. Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Woody Harrelson D+ Fright Night Dir. Craig Gillespie. Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Colin Farrell B– The Future Dir. Miranda July. Miranda July, Hamish Linklater, David Warshofsky B The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Dir. David Fincher. Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara B The Guard Dir. John Michael McDonagh. Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle C Hanna Dir. Joe Wright. Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander B Heartbeats Dir. Xavier Dolan. Monia Chokri, Xavier Dolan, Niels Schneider, Anne Dorval B The Help Dir. Tate Taylor. Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer C+ Higher Ground Dir. Vera Farmiga. Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, Dagmara Dominczyk B House of Tolerance Dir. Bertrand Bonello. Alice Barnole, Iliana Zabeth A– The Housemaid Dir. Im Sang-soo. Jeon Do-yeon, Youn Yuh-Jung, Seo Woo C+ How I Ended This Summer Dir. Aleksei Popogrebsky. Grigoriy Dobrygin A– Hugo Dir. Martin Scorsese. Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley C– The Ides of March Dir. George Clooney. Ryan Gosling, George Clooney B– If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front Dir. Marshall Curry C+ If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle Dir. Florin Şerban. George Piştireanu, Ada Condeescu C+ Immortals Dir. Tarsem Singh. Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans C In a Better World Dir. Susanne Bier. William Jøhnk Nielsen, Markus Rygaard C– Incendies Dir. Denis Villeneuve. Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin B Insidious Dir. James Wan. Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey C+ The Interrupters Dir. Steve James. Documentary about anti-violence workers A– The Iron Lady Dir. Phyllida Lloyd. Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head C– J. Edgar Dir. Clint Eastwood. Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts C Jane Eyre Dir. Cary Fukunaga. Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell B Kaboom! Dir. Gregg Araki. Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Juno Temple, Chris Zylka D+ Kinyarwanda Dir. Alrick Brown. Hadidja Zaninka, Edouard Bamporiki, Cassandra Freeman B Leap Year Dir. Michael Rowe. Monica del Carmen, Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Marco Zapata B The Last Circus Dir. Álex de la Iglesia. Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Carolina Bang C Le Havre Dir. Aki Kaurismäki. Andre Wilms, Blondin Miguel, Kati Outinen C+ Like Crazy Dir. Drake Doremus. Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence B The Lincoln Lawyer Dir. Brad Furman. Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe C Making the Boys Dir. Crayton Robey. Documentary about legacy of The Boys in the Band C Margaret Dir. Kenneth Lonergan. Anna Paquin, J. Smith-Cameron, Jeannie Berlin A– Margin Call Dir. J.C. Chandor. Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci B– Martha Marcy May Marlene Dir. Sean Durkin. Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson B– Meek's Cutoff Dir. Kelly Reichardt. Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Rod Rondeaux B+ Melancholia Dir. Lars von Trier. Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland A– Midnight in Paris Dir. Woody Allen. Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard C Mildred Pierce Dir. Todd Haynes. TV Miniseries. Kate Winslet, Morgan Turner B Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Dir. Brad Bird. Tom Cruise, Paula Patton B+ Moneyball Dir. Bennett Miller. Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ken Medlock B The Muppets Dir. James Bobin. Jason Segel, Amy Adams, voice of Peter Linz C+ My Joy Dir. Sergei Loznitsa. Viktor Nemets, Alisa Slepyan, Pavel Vorozhtsov A My Week with Marilyn Dir. Simon Curtis. Eddie Redmayne, Michelle Williams C– The Myth of the American Sleepover Dir. David Robert Mitchell. Claire Sloma C+ Nostalgia for the Light Dir. Patricio Guzmán. Documentary about Chile A– Of Gods and Men Dir. Xavier Beauvois. Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale C+ Outside the Law Dir. Rachid Bouchareb. Roschdy Zem, Jamel Debbouze, Sami Bouajila B– Paranormal Activity 3 Dirs. Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost. Chloe Csengery C+ Pariah Dir. Dee Rees. Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell B Pina Dir. Wim Wenders. Performance collage of Pina Bausch's famous dances A– Poetry Dir. Lee Chang-dong. Yun Jeong-hie, Lee Da-wit, Hira Kim, Ahn Nae-sang B+ Project Nim Dir. James Marsh. Documentary about humans training a chimpanzee B Putty Hill Dir. Matt Porterfield. James Siebor, Jr., Sky Ferreira, Zoe Vance, Charles Sauers B Le Quattro Volte Dir. Michelangelo Frammartino. Giuseppe Fuda, Bruno Timpano B+ Rampart Dir. Oren Moverman. Woody Harrelson, Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver B+ Rango Dir. Gore Verbinski. Animated. Voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty B Rise of the Planet of the Apes Dir. Rupert Wyatt. Andy Serkis, James Franco C The Robber Dir. Benjamin Heisenberg. Andreas Lust, Franziska Kreczi B+ A Screaming Man Dir. Mahamet-Saleh Haroun. Youssouf Djaoro, Dioucounda Koma B– Senna Dir. Asif Kapadia. Documentary about Formula One champ Ayrton Senna B A Separation Dir. Asghar Farhadi. Peyman Moaadi, Leila Hatami, Sarina Farhadi A– Shame Dir. Steve McQueen. Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale B Silent Souls Dir. Aleksei Fedorchenko. Igor Sergeev, Yuri Tsurilo, Yuliya Aug, Ivan Tushin B The Skin I Live In Dir. Pedro Almodóvar. Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes B Sleep Furiously Dir. Gideon Koppel. Documentary observing village life in rural Wales B The Sleeping Beauty Dir. Catherine Breillat. Carla Besnaïnou, Julia Artamonov B Sleeping Beauty Dir. Julia Leigh. Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie A Source Code Dir. Duncan Jones. Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga C– The Sunset Limited Dir. Tommy Lee Jones. TV Movie. Samuel L. Jackson B– Tabloid Dir. Errol Morris. Documentary about beauty queen and scandal magnet C+ Take Shelter Dir. Jeff Nichols. Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart B– Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Dir. Tomas Alfredson. Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch B To Die Like a Man Dir. João Pedro Rodrigues. Fernando Santos, Alexander David B Tomboy Dir. Céline Sciamma. Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Mathieu Demy B+ Too Big to Fail Dir. Curtis Hanson. TV Movie. William Hurt, Billy Crudup, Paul Giamatti B– The Tree Dir. Julie Bertuccelli. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Morgana Davies, Marton Csokas B The Tree of Life Dir. Terrence Malick. Hunter McCracken, Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt A The Trip Dir. Michael Winterbottom. Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Margo Stilley B Trust Dir. David Schwimmer. Clive Owen, Liana Liberato, Catherine Keener, Jason Clarke C– Tuesday, After Christmas Dir. Radu Muntean. Mimi Brănescu, Maria Popistaşu B+ Tyrannosaur Dir. Paddy Considine. Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan B– Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul B War Horse Dir. Steven Spielberg. Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson B+ Warrior Dir. Gavin O'Connor. Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison B We Need To Talk About Kevin Dir. Lynne Ramsey. Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller B– Weekend Dir. Andrew Haigh. Tom Cullen, Chris New, Jonathan Race, Loretto Murray A– The Whistleblower Dir. Larysa Kondracki. Rachel Weisz, Roxana Condurache C Win Win Dir. Thomas McCarthy. Paul Giamatti, Alex Shaffer, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale C+ Winnie-the-Pooh Dirs. Stephen J. Anderson, Don Hall. Animated C+ X-Men: First Class Dir. Matthew Vaughn. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender C Young Adult Dir. Jason Reitman. Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson C