Oh dear. I thought recessions were supposed to inspire original art? But it appears that Hollywood’s well of fresh ideas has run dry, as 2011 – or the Cinematic Year of the (Mostly Shameful) Sequels – saw the release of a record-breaking 27 franchise additions and follow-ups. From that scarred and bespectacled teenage wizard to the vampire-attracting brunette to our old friend Optimus Prime, we sought out the familiar – and so inevitably the mediocre – in our droves. Sequels made up eight of the top ten grossing films of the year – and the other two films were The Smurfs and Rio. May we all take a moment to hang our heads in shame.

But let’s just blame the rest of the world for their poor cinema-going habits, because there still is cause for hope – and it’s homegrown. This year was a stellar year for Irish filmmakers, as John Michael McDonagh’s black comedy The Guard became a worldwide critical hit, overtaking The Wind That Shakes The Barley as Ireland’s most successful independent film. Other highlights included Conor Horgan’s dystopian drama One Hundred Mornings; Colm Meaney’s subtle and moving performance in Parked; and Carmel Winter’s award-winning debut feature film Snap, a harrowing examination of family relationships and abuse.
And on top of the admirable efforts of us Irish, there have been many other wonderful films released this year. From cancer comedies and anti-romances to the stylized examinations of an iconic beat poet and a Brazilian racing driver, here’s my pick of the top ten films of the year. And could Hollywood take note – there’s not a 3D flick to be found. So can you stop making me wear glasses on top of my glasses, please? It hurts both my nose and my soul.

1.Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn
Ryan Gosling plays The Kid, the stoic getaway driver whose uncompromising philosophy is echoed by director Nicolas Winding Refn. Setting an incredible pace, Refn knows exactly when to sit quietly in the shadows before suddenly revving Drive into fifth gear, tyres screeching. As newly acquainted neighbours, Gosling and Carey Mulligan give breathtaking performances, sharing a seductive chemistry that grows on vines of stolen glances and meaningful silences until it blankets them like ivy. But when her husband returns home, The Kid becomes embroiled in the merciless, dog-eat-dog world of drug dealers and thugs, including violence so shocking, visceral and strikingly shot that it’s physically jarring. Shot in gorgeous blue and golden tones that play up the beauty of LA’s cityscapes and filled with an ‘80s nostalgia that’s brimming with grace, not gimmicks, Refn’s film blends striking action and burgeoning romance masterfully.

2.The Skin I Live In
Pedro Almodóvar

When it comes to combining the inspired with the insane, Pedro Almodóvar’s arthouse horror The Skin I Live In not only takes the biscuit, but turns the biscuit into a nightmare-infused flying-saucer of sheer crazy and brains you with it. Almodóvar revisits his oft-explored themes of sexual identity, familial breakdown, lust, death and violence, all while letting his gaze linger on a beautiful woman. Antonio Banderas plays Robert, a wealthy plastic surgeon who performs face transplants on burn victims and advocates the use of transgenics to toughen skin. He also sees no ethical quandary in keeping the beautiful Vera (Elena Anaya) imprisoned in his home in order to experiment on his submissive Bride of Frankenstein. In Almodóvar’s own words, “The thing that a madman’s love can do.”

3.Warrior
Gavin o'conner

Let’s get the obvious comparisons (and bouts of hysterical protesting) out of the way immediately: this MMA-based emotional drama is far better than The Fighter or Rocky, packing an emotional punch that will have you clapping, punching the air triumphantly and sobbing like a little girl. Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy play estranged brothers, who have only two things in common: an interest in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts, for the uninitiated) and a complicated relationship with their ex-alcoholic father (Nick Nolte, in a devastatingly beautiful performance.) When the two brothers sign up to compete in a high-profile tournament, the dysfunctional triumvirate collide in a vicious, emotional and wonderfully authentic-feeling showdown.

4.Super
James gunn

Tragically not given a cinema release over here, this dark gem deserves to be seen. Directed by the brilliant James Gunn, this mix of Taxi Driver and Kick Ass by way of Tarantino is hilarious, outrageous, vicious, gory, unflinching and emotionally affecting, and marks Rainn Wilson as a fantastic character actor. Wilson plays Frank, a depressive burger-flipper who falls for Sarah (Liv Tyler). But when Sarah is seduced by drug lord Kevin Bacon and falls off the wagon, he struggles to find a reason to go on. But through a moment of divine intervention (or a psychotic episode), he realises his fate is to become a superhero: The Crimson Bolt. Donning a homemade costume and a wrench, he prowls the street with his hyper-active sidekick Boltie (Ellen Page), attacking child molesters and queue bargers with the same violent sense of morality. Unhinged and endlessly quotable, there’s only one thing left to say: “Shut up crime!”

5.Blue Valentine
Derek Cianfrance

Dating couples be warned: this ain’t no rom-com. In Derek Cianfrance’s second feature, he brings together two of the best and most beautiful actors working today and allows them to fall in love. But far from being an inspiring love story, this contemporary indie drama becomes a painfully raw exercise in anti-romance. Using a non-linear narrative style, Cianfrance presents us with two different timelines. One follows the disintegration of a marriage between Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling.) As Dean alternates between extremes of vicious aggression and childishly naïve romantic gestures, Cindy remains the ever-impassive pragmatist who proves that indifference can be more hurtful than hatred. Cut to the other timeline, which shows the couple on their first date. As Cindy giddily tap-dances to Dean’s earnest crooning of ‘You Always Hurt the Ones You Love’, the characters’ blissfully hopeful flirtations are genuinely touching, but knowing what the future holds adds an ominous tone to even the most affectionate moments.

6.True Grit
Joel and Ethan Coen

In the hands of anyone else, the straightforward, revenge-glorifying Western classicism of Charles Portis’ 1968 novel could have been an underwhelming and tame B-movie. But the Coen Brothers’ impeccable screenplay coupled with unrivalled production values make True Grit a truly stunning feature. Mattie Ross (Hallie Steinfield) is a strong-willed 14-year-old who hires Deputy US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (a hilariously gruff Jeff Bridges) to track down her father’s killer Tom Chaney, despite Rooster’s unorthodox and alcohol-fuelled mannerisms. Joined by the straight-laced Texas Ranger LaBouef (Matt Damon), the three unlikely travel companions embark on an epic journey across largely uninhabited Choctaw terrain, with inevitable separations and shoot-outs happening along the way. Held up against the Coens’ wonderfully odd and personally nuanced original work, True Grit’s simplicity marks a dramatic change for the directors.

7.Take Shelter
Jeff Nichols
“Dreadful.” Simplified over time from an evocative expression into an overused adjective, the original form of the word acts as the most accurate description of Jeff Nichols’ tense, beautifully constructed, deeply unsettling examination of family, mental illness and the devastating, unshakeable effects of dread. Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is a quiet, unassuming blue-collar worker living a simple but idyllic life with his beautiful wife (Jessica Chastain) and adoring daughter. But when Curtis begins having nightmares about an impending storm, it’s unclear whether his visions are religious prophecies, manifestations of anxiety or the first symptoms of the paranoid schizophrenia that plagued his mother.

8.50/50
Jonathan Levine

Despite my (hard-earned) reputation as a heartless cynic, 50/50 left me sobbing. Openly. Loudly. Repeatedly. And not because there are dramatic speeches or rain-soaked love declarations, but because, well, it’s goddamn cancer. What else can you do? It’s a question asked by all of 50/50’s characters. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Adam, a meek 27-year-old who’s diagnosed with a vicious form of cancer. As he numbly attempts to survive, everyone around him quietly falls apart. From his clowning best friend (gorgeously played by Seth Rogan), to his smothering mother (Anjelica Huston), to his 24-year-old trainee therapist (Anna Kendrick), there’s a devastating honesty to each performance as everyone scrambles to figure out what to do in a situation where nothing can be done. Together with The Wackness director Jonathan Levine, Reiser has created a disarmingly honest and personal film that’s simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking.

9.Senna
Asif Kapadia

Asif Kapadia’s examination of the life and death of Brazilian racing prodigy Ayrton Senna has no talking heads or needless reconstructions. Instead, the film is constructed from over 15,000 hours of existing archived footage, with only occasional voice-overs from those close to Senna. Throw in some heart-stopping shots from inside Ayrton’s car and shocking footage of multiple crashes, and the result is a pacy, Kapadia’s entire approach echoes Senna’s philosophy on racing, as both of their visions focus purely on the asphalt in front of them. Just as the racing purist eschewed the politics behind the racing, Kapadia refuses to take the easy option of focusing on the driver’s many famous girlfriends or his celebrity lifestyle, focusing on the driver, not the man. The corrupt machinations of driving politics are revealed, and Senna’s rivalry with his teammate, the well-connected, smarmy Alain Prost is given due coverage here, as the Frenchman becomes the pantomime villain of the piece, the perfect foil to Senna’s naïve, religious outlook.

10.Howl
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

“Poetry is a rhythmic articulation of feeling.” A quote has never lent itself so easily to a film’s description. In Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Freidman’s Howl, the iconic work of poet Allen Ginsberg is explored and evoked through four disparate, non-linear, uniquely styled strands that captivatingly weave themselves together into something a little bit beautiful. James Franco’s performance as Ginsberg is pitch-perfect, capturing not the only the slightly awkward, affected mannerisms of the intellectual poet but every drawling cadence of his distinctive voice. While a revealing interview with him comprises one strand of the narrative, we are also shown the court case that surrounded Howl’s publication.

And the runners up are…. 127 Hours, The Tree of Life, Cell 211, Project Nim, Pina, Never Let Me Go, We Need to Talk About Kevin, A Separation, Snap, The Guard. Happy viewing!