On the other hand, we have Goon. The four-letter film is also a semi-romantic comedy about a hockey thug who falls for a puck bunny. In the moments between their awkward dalliances, the titular Goon, Doug Glatt, winds up battling his former hero, a recently deposed NHL player who has a tendency to accidentally-intentionally cripple opponents. Goon is already considered a Canadian treasure, but the primary reason that non-hockey fans will enjoy it is that the movie was won in the casting department. Seann William Scott, Alison Pill and Liev Schreiber offer the three performances already described while Jay Baruchel and Eugene Levy provide comedic support. Goon is a hilarious celebration of the most Canadian of sports.

Our sixth and seventh place selections are documentary about an obscure musician and a martial arts movie about a siege of a single building. Searching for Sugar Man chronicles the struggles of a 1960s Detroit musician known only as Rodriguez. In the days before Google News, a rumor persisted that Rodriguez had committed suicide. Somewhere between then and now, Rodriguez became the voice of a generation…in South Africa. The documentary involves a few loyal fans trying to discover what happened to their icon.

Raid: The Redemption is a brutally violent moment about a misguided attempt by police officers to capture a wanted drug dealer. The claustrophobic setting of the story exemplifies the difficulties of law enforcement in third world countries. Loyal, well trained guards infiltrate the building and fight hundreds of well-armed residents who are effectively a local militia. One of the thugs in this militia, Mad Dog as portrayed by Yayan Ruhian, delivers one of the best martial arts villainous performances I have ever seen. Raid: The Redemption is a novel viewing experience, and one that will be re-made by Hollywood soon. They should consider bringing Yayan Ruhian to recreate his performance. He is a star waiting to happen, just as was the case with Tony Jaa in Ong Bak. Raid: The Redemption is not for everyone but people who love action films with a kung fu bent will agree that this is one of the Best Overlooked Films of the year.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Bernie and Compliance comprise the rest of our top ten. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a good-natured romantic comedy featuring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt. Bernie is a scarily based on true events tale of a well-liked man who murders a rich woman. Since nobody in town likes her and they all love him, Bernie avoids prosecution for way too long. Compliance is also based on a real event. A prank caller pretends to be a police officer. He demands that the employees of a fast-food restaurant be strip-searched. In a strange variation of sociological experiments, the workers are humiliated simply because their bosses are too weak-willed to question the source. All three movies are worthwhile investments of your time, albeit for very different reasons.

Just missing selection this year are several movies we still consider great. These include The Queen of Versailles, Arbitrage, Your Sister’s Sister, Take This Waltz, Holy Motors, The Secret World of Arrietty and Friends with Kids. Everyone reading this would be well advised to give all 17 of these titles a viewing. Our staff enjoyed them all so much that we were almost paralyzed with indecision in choosing the best of them.

View other awards
Calvins Intro
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture

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