And even when the films, and filmmakers, turned to more upbeat matters - love, laughter, art, sex, family, Jack Russells - there was inspiration to be found. From the femme raunch of the Kristen Wiig-y Bridesmaids to the sweet nostalgia of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (the Woodman's biggest movie ever), from the life-affirming cosmic-osity of Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life to the people-affirming docs Bill Cunningham New York and Buck to the Silent Era love letter that is The Artist, there have been, heck, dozens of truly satisfying cinema experiences.
More than dozens. Which makes the admittedly artificial task of honing it down to a nice round 10 particularly challenging. But here's my list, anyway, followed by some other essential "bests" to go with it:
The Artist. Who'd have thunk that watching a black-and-white silent set in 1920s Hollywood could feel like a new moviegoing experience? French writer-director Michel Hazanavicius did, and his tale of an old-time movie star struggling to make it as talkies take over is sweet, smart, sublime. (And Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier, almost steals the show.)
Beginners. Ewan McGregor is an L.A. art designer struggling to make peace with his dying, just-out-of-the-closet dad - a beautiful performance from Christopher Plummer. Mike Mills' autobiographical piece is also a romance that treads the same turf as the ballyhooed Like Crazy, exploring our need for - and our fear of - intimacy. (And Cosmo, the Jack Russell terrier, almost steals the show.)
The Descendants. Director Alexander Payne makes it look easy, giving us a funny, sad, complicated portrait of a Hawaiian lawyer trying to reconnect with his two troubled daughters as his wife, their mother, lies in a hospital bed on life support. George Clooney gets the best actor nod for this one.
