2011 »
Video: Biggest Moments of 2011
2011 was a year of extremes. From the tragedy of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, to the pageantry of a British Royal wedding; from the wave of revolutionary change in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya,
Read More »
Top 10 Video Games of 2011
1. Minecraft It could be argued that Minecraft was a 2010 release, but it just came out of beta in November, so we’re putting it on the list; anyway, it’s so great, it should be on
Read More »
Top 10 Songs of 2011
1. Florence + the Machine, ‘No Light, No Light’ In another context, this “No Light, No Light” could be the sound of a religious revival. Florence Welch’s rich voice has never sounded better than
Read More »
Top 10 Best Movies of 2011
1. The Artist A movie set in Hollywood’s silent era that is virtually wordless: a gimmick? No: sustained cinematic inspiration. For our first No. 1 movie since 2007 that’s not an animated feature (you
Read More »
Top 10 Worst Movies of 2011
1. Jack and Jill Unlike many of my critical brethren, I have in the past found merit in Adam Sandler’s comedy, and not just in his cute Wedding Singer days. As recently as February I sat
Read More »
Top 10 Movie Performances (2011)
1. Brad Pitt for The Tree of Life, Moneyball and Happy Feet Two Forty-eight on Dec. 18, he still hears the music of dreamboat squeals from his fans. Now an alto chorus of critical approval has joined the
Read More »
10. The Death Ray by Daniel Clowes
Daniel Clowes continues to plot a lofty, lonely course through the subconscious of popular culture with this hilariously bleak graphic novel starring a superhero who, in his venality and triviality, makes the heroes of Kick-Ass and Watchmen look
Read More »
9. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
Novelists used to specialize in entertaining, funny-sad, well-observed stories about complicated family relationships. But such books were in surprisingly short supply this year, which makes a gem like Maine all the more precious. Sullivan gives us
Read More »
8. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
Lars Kepler is Swedish, and he’s being billed, naturally, as the successor to Stieg Larsson. But Kepler casts a subtler, creepier spell than his countryman (Kepler is actually the pseudonym for a Swedish husband-and-wife
Read More »
7. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
It’s tough to say what list this book belongs on, but it’s the debut of a smart, funny, wholly unique voice, and it ought to be somewhere, so let’s put it here. Kate Beaton
Read More »
