Some friends have been putting together year lists of their favorite 20 films. They give about a 2-3 week deadline for each year, and count down a decade at a time. Since I have some downtime, I’ve jumped in with a 2011 list. From here we’ll go next to 1994, then 1984, and so forth.

The list year was documentary heavy, mostly because I got into a kick and saw quite a few. Listing The Story of Film was a bit of a cheat, as it is more of a TV series than a theatrical film, but I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless.

20. Margaret
19. Shame
18. Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
17. Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
16. Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope
15. This is Not a Film
14. Ides of March
13. Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times
12. The Descendants
11. 50/50
10. Cabin in the Woods
9. A Better Life
8. The Story of Film: An Odyssey
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
6. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
5. Moneyball
4. Project Nim
3. Hugo
2. Paradise Lost 3
1. Tree of Life

Tree of Life may be high concept, but the sheer beauty is hypnotic. Every frame is gorgeous.