Best of 2011 (2-1)

Before I get to my two favorite films of 2011, I want to reveal my pick for favorite song from a movie for 2011. It actually comes from one of the most laughable movies of 2011, and maybe even all time! My favorite song from a movie is Sleeping At Last's "Turning Page" featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1. I may be a little biased since my cousins, Emi and Kumi played violin with Sleeping At Last at a show at the world famous Troubador a couple of weeks ago, but that doesn't make it less of a stellar song. It was by far the highlight for me from that movie. Yes, even more so than Alice. If you haven't listened to Sleeping At Last before, I highly recommend doing so. I'll help you out by embedding a video now. You're welcome!

Now to wrap up the countdown, here are my two favorite films from 2011!

2. Super 8

When I heard one of my favorite directors, J.J. Abrams, was teaming up with the living legend Steven Spielberg, Super 8 instantly became one of my most anticipated movie experiences of 2011. And for me, it delivered the kind of movie that transported me back to my childhood movie experiences, back when I was easily awestruck. Back to the times of Stand By Me and The Goonies. I think as we grow up, we begin to lose that ability to be taken by a movie and to lose ourselves in the story. This film allowed me to get caught up in the story, in the moments of suspense as a mysterious train accident occurs in a small town. In the anxious moments as our youthful lead characters attempt to find out what's really going on and why the military is called in. In the heart wrenching story of a family broken by a workplace accident, leaving a father without a wife and a son without a mother, I could feel the strain the loss was causing these two characters. To experience the dynamic of their scarred relationship, played wonderfully by Kyle Chandler and Joel Courtney, just ate me up. The overarching theme of letting go of the past to move on with the future is something that we all should be reminded of. It is one of the toughest things to do in life because we hold on to memories, we hold on to pain. And while there should be time allowed for us to reflect on the past, we also must know when to move on because sometimes it's our inability to let go that hinders us from living a fuller life.

1. Moneyball

If you've been reading along throughout this countdown, you may have noticed that I talk about chasing dreams a lot. This is because I believe that having a dream and doing everything you can to make that dream come true is how you live a heroic life. In Moneyball, General Manager Billy Beane had a conviction that it was possible to go against the odds and put a winner of a baseball team on the field without spending an extravagant amount of money on players. He saw the value in players where all of baseball had written these players off. He also proved that some old, stodgy institutions like major league baseball, can be turned on their ears and revolutionized by visionaries. A more efficient system was needed to allow smaller market teams to contend with the behemoths in the major cities with endless amounts of cash. While some of the facts have been stretched for the film, it was still an educational experience watching Beane, along with his new assistant, Peter Brand, blaze a path for the future of baseball. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill couldn't make for a stranger pairing but they had a chemistry about them that made it that much more enjoyable to watch. Pitt's portrayal of a man dedicated to his work who was also trying to balance his relationship with his daughter was stirring to say the least. Bottom line, if you put a compelling story together with my favorite sport, it will more than likely be one of my favorite films.

There you have it, my favorites films of 2011. Thank you to everyone who followed along and I hope you all have a fulfilling 2012! Happy new year!