My top 10 films of 2011

For more than a decade now I've listed my favorite films from the previous year in The Mennonite (www.themennonite.org), which I serve as associate editor and in which I write a column called Mediaculture. I also write for Media Matters, an online review that's hosted by MennoMedia.
Here's my list of top 10 films of 2011, with the caveat that it's based on what I've seen (some films that likely would have made the list either have not come to theaters in my area or are not yet available on DVD):
1. The Tree of Life
2. Of Gods and Men
3. Margin Call
4. The Descendants
5. Hugo
6. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
7. Poetry
8. Le Quattro Volte
9. Higher Ground
10. Buck
For my summary review of each of these, go to http://www.thirdway.com/mm/?Page=6943|Top+10+Films+of+2011
Here's what I wrote about my No. 1: "This mesmerizing film is unlike any other at the cineplex. Terrence Mallick uses impressionistic images and a nonlinear narrative to explore the life of grace and the life of nature, represented respectively by Mrs. O’Brien and Mr. O’Brien, a couple in a 1950s Texas small town. The film is less something to watch than something to experience."
For a trailer of The Tree of Life, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRYA1dxP_0&noredirect=1
Film is a powerful medium,and they often take us into other worlds. It's often helpful to explore those with others and talk about how they affected us.
Let me know what your favorite films of the year were and why.