Sorry, Doc, but you still got it wrong. Kill List is utter twaddle -a great cast and an interesting concept let down by a a completely nonsense plot - more holes than a Swiss cheese. Grrrrr!!!

Hooray. Big for Mark to rearrange his top 11 list based on audience feedback, I think. I am a bit surprised that Dragon Tattoo hasn't been mentioned anywhere that I can see in "Best of 2011" lists. Did nobody else enjoy it as much as me?

No, no, no! Melancholia is beautiful! It deserved to be in 7th place! I mean Drive is good but not THAT good. Yes, Antichrist was better, and that's why Melancholia is/was at number 7, and Antichrist was at number 5 two years ago.
Oh, well, you can't please everyone.
I don't blame you, Dr K. At least you are a man of your word.

This whole process seemed strange to me. Why have other people decide what films end up in your own personal top 11 list? If you liked Drive so much, then it should've replaced the last film in the top11 (that is, Tyrannosaur). I've got drive and Melancholia in my top ten of 2011 and no-one else is going to decide for me if they stick in my top ten or not.

I thought Kill List was pretty excellent but the ending was VERY weak - and WAY too similar to A Serbian Film's climax, in which the protagonist's wife and young son ALSO are 'used' as pawns in a similarly shocking denouement. As for Melancholia the "end of the world" bookends are the only things that kept me from dropping off entirely, the rest was utter, utter, utter claptrap. Not seen Drive yet, but I can't wait to see if it hits the mark.

Drive is really a special film, easily my favourite, Hugo was a close second but Drive has stayed with me the longest + a wrote a very long paper on it for university.

Oh dear Mark. Can't believe you buckled. Thought you would stick to your guns. What next? 3D is the next big thing?

This revised list is basically like the Star Wars re-issues.
Add a bit here, take a bit there, however it is ultimately the original version that people are interested in.

This revised list is basically like the Star Wars re-issues.

But which Doctor shot first?

@ 2 ikickstand

In his review, Dr K didn't really like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo stating that although more visual stylish it is ultimately the same as the original. I liked it, probably because I like the books and the Swedish version, although it was flawed in certain places (the Bond-like credits could have been done with out). Having it said that it did sort out some of the plot issues that was in Swedish 1 (at times the plot was a little bit rushed on). So your not the only 1 who liked it.

p.s. cheers for the mention Dr K, made my day.

Lose Tinker, Tailor, Soldier. Spy - it's 2 hours of confusing, tedious albeit well acted diaglogue.

Why not just have a top 12? Simples.

In a twitter discussion with Anne Billson (who doesn't know me from Adam but is very polite about replying to tweets) we came to the hypothesis that people tend to like EITHER Melancholia OR Tree of Life. I'm on the Tree of Life side of the fence, myself - I'm a Von Trier fan, and Dogville is one of my favourite movies, but Melancholia left me totally cold. The Hedda Gabler line is classic, well done to whoever wrote that. Tree of Life I thought was a genuine masterpiece. I even liked the dinosaurs.

Dear Doctor Mark,
I have not seen all the movies in your top 11, I however respect your list and agree the addition of movie I have already seen. You altering your list for your viewers shows incredible open-mindedness which is why I like to listen to your reviews and posts in your blog. I may not agree with everything you say or think, I nevertheless agreed with your list. I have not seen Drive yet, neither have I seen Melancholia. I am looking forward to seeing them both as much as I am looking forward of revisiting your number 1 We need to Talk about Kevin, a truly amazing film, well acted, well paced, one of the most disturbing and at the same time visually stunning movies I have seen up to date carried by stunning and noteworthy performances by Tilda Swinton and a chilling Ezra Miller.

Well done - it's good to see you actively allowing yourself to be corrected by your bloggers.

I would have been happy with pretty much any of the other titles going out (except The Artist) as Drive just really made me happy last year and restored faith in the notion that there are directors out there who can still make movies like they used to back in the 70s.

Great topic great result!

So does Drive go in at number 7 or does each film move a place forward?

Both Drive and Melancholia are pretentious. Drive being 'let's bend over for Hollywood exploitation' pretentious and Melancholia (as Mark might say) is just a B-movie with A Levels (the 'A' being for apolcalyptic).

Lose them both and actually have a top ten as opposed to this ridiculous top eleven.

"...and in comes Drive." I don't mean to throw a spanner in the works but in comes Drive to which position? Replacing Melancholia at number seven? Or in at eleven pushing the bottom entries up one place? This amendment, although commendable in intent, has merely left me even more conflicted than the original "Drive in/Drive out" debate. The only positive to come from this is that when I typed "in at eleven" above i immediately heard Whole Lotta Love in my head so for that I thank you. Not 'Arf!

Drive would not have made it on any of my top ten positions. What would have found its way would have been, Pina. Good interview (http://goo.gl/RycEs) with Wim Wenders explaining why he needed 3D to do the film. Don't know if you will embrace his ideas, but they are well worth listening to.

Having heard the good Doctor speak highly of Drive in the podcasts in 2011, for reasons not worth going into, I managed to miss it in 2011. However, on a recent trans atlantic flight I finally caught the infamous Drive.

I went into the movie with no expectations. At first I thought it was going to be a Jason Stratham Transporter clone with long drawn out musical driven sequences. The story line was somewhat contrived, not very believable even within the confines of the world that was created.

With all that said, I loved it. It was a fantastically simple movie, with very believable driving sequences, nothing too elaborate and no explosions. It was so refreshing to have a driving movie with no police cars doing any unnecessary flips or crashes.

Thoroughly enjoyable, now going to encourage my wife to see it, as we enjoy it in a screen that is greater than 6" in size.

In the spirit of original as opposed to revised and mostly weakened director's cuts I restore melancholia given that it is a better and richer film than Drive. Ta.

Drive was one of my favourite films of the year and one of the few films over the last few years to keep me completely gripped throughout. The only other film that had a similar but even longer lasting effect this year was, of course, Kill List. I loved the fact that it had lots of plot holes. Too much exposition can make movies run too slow - a bit like watching CSI, where they have to explain everything they've done. I urge anyone who was confused first time around to watch it once more to see if find more clues as to what's going on.

Great list otherwise and I'm afraid I'd have to agree with the masses about Melancholia. Its good, but nowhere near as exciting, evocative or affecting as Drive.

Mark, Its your list. Stick with it. Personally I loved Drive. I haven't seen melancholia yet so I can't judge. In agreement with lists going to eleven as well, after all my amp does. My favourite film of the year was Closer To The Edge. Never been a fan of motor sport and doubt I ever will be. I listened to your review of the film and even though you liked it. I didn't watch it till a friend borrowed it me on DVD. I bought a copy, which has since been on loan to friends. Nothing but praise for it. I urge you, drop into the life of a TT rider for an hour and a half.

Sorry everyone but for me 'Melancholia' was film of the year, personally I'd have ditched 'Hugo' which was ok but not great.

Good ...Mark!!! Thats more like it! I personally think kill list could be left out as well and bring Super 8 in , but thank you for including Drive..

The problem with Melancholia was that after a while I wished it was about the wedding, not the planet. The wedding scenes were masterfully handled, with all that forced jollity hiding the tension and resentment bubbling under the surface, and a wonderful cameo from Udo Kier.

Then it became about a planet, I lost interest, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland proved far more interesting that Kirsten Dunst, and Von Trier descended to his usual moody, infantile posturing.

"Look at me! I'm all depressed and nihilistic! I'm just like Werner Herzog!"

No, Lars. Just no.

Drive definitely deserved to be in the top 11.

I hate to be negative, but it's YOUR top 11 films not a collective top 11 of the year. I respect you for making unpopular choices and sticking to your guns when others call you crazy, that is what makes you a top critic. I think maybe a Kermode Uncut 'Peoples Top 10' could be in order?

I've only just watched Drive this morning, and really feel like I've missed something. Aside from the gore, I didn't feel like I watched a movie that had anything in it that made it stand out from any other Crime-based movie. Enjoyable, yes, but I really can't see why so many people are saying that it was their favourite movie of 2011.

No! Melancholia was the best movie of last year. Saw it with my mother in packed theatre in Paris. When the film ended, the entire theatre just sat there in silence. It was that powerful. We both still think about it all the time. Can't believe anyone thought it was dull.

Drive was my film of the year but I don't think you should've caved in to peoples comments. If you thought 11 films were better then it shouldn't be in YOUR Top 11.

No, no, no, Dr K. Please don't change your list because people don't agree with it. Melancholia was brilliant, if you thought it was one of the best films of last year then keep it in there. What next, are listners going to be able to call up 5 Live and tell you how they think you should feel about a particular film?

I just saw Kill List tonight (as I couldn't see in the cinema) and have say disappointing. I originally voted out Melancholia myself for Drive, but I could swap it for KL. Why the hell did have to go the unexplained cultish way (at least films like The Wicker Man and Eyes Wide Shut had a point). Really disappointing :-(. I was so prepared to feel like Nigel Floyd (so tense its suffocating) did when he reviewed on the BBC's 'flagship' film show. I even had the lights out and all to have that authentic cinema feel.

Oh no. I heart Von Tier's films, though I won't profess to being able fully embrace each and everyone, and I too thought Melancholia a little undercooked on first viewing (although, like most, was dazzled enough to have in linger in my mind for sometime after seeing it) but have to say it has only improved on repeat viewings. I particularly encourage people to go see it with yer Mum, or someone who has no idea who Von Tier is or where he has taken his films in the past. It'll make that silence at the (slightly wonky) end even more palpable.

BTW It's been a really good year (last year was terrible!) so I'd keep Drive in too. Drive may be mainly made out of surface textures but what a lush and effortlessly cool surface that is.

Drive is a film about minimalism, it's about being as minimal as human possible. Dialogue, budget, effects, length of film, script or lack of when filming the life stuff of Driver etc., it's a true masterpiece and the only true masterpiece of the last year, Hugo was very close but Drive was just perfect.

Nice one, Mark. I seriously thought you'd gone off the rails a bit by including Kill List over Drive.

It may be interesting to hear the arguments for and against Drive and other films in your top list, but if you change your top list to make us happy, is it really your list anymore? And why listen to us punters when we can't even agree amongst each other anyway.

Oh, Mark! You retain one of my least favourites (Kill List) and bump my favourite of last year (Melancholia). I was just today defending it to a friend who watched the first half and said it was great, then watched the last half and said it was stupid. I don't even know how that is possible to be honest!

The people in my screening of Melancholia sat in stunned silence for about a minute also - surreal but thrilling at the same time. I liked a lot of films this year, but unlike 2010 there were none that I loved. This came closest.

Hard to comment on this as I haven't seen a lot of the films on the list. But I have seen Drive and Melancholia.
I loved Drive in pretty much every aspect, the music was particularly good, lots of style and an ending that made me happy, which doesn't often happen in the cinema! I still wish Luke had been turned to the Darkside!!!
Melancholia was one of the most unsettling films I have seen in a long time, the first half had lots of parts that were undeniably boring but the second half and particularly the atmosphere that built at the end left me with a feeling I have rarely had after visiting a cinema. Difficult to describe, probably as close to existential angst as I'll ever get.
So in my opinion just keep them both in and have a top 12, if you can have a top 11 it hardly matters having a top 12.

I'd be prepared to forgive Kill List for its disappointing ending if it weren't for one thing - the sounds the cult members make. It totally destroys the naturalism the film has very successfully conveyed up to that point, is totally unnecessary, and opens up several gaping plot holes.

I largely agree with Mark's revised list (with one exception). Drive is a fantastic film. It's stylish, exciting and hugely entertaining, with great performances from Gosling and Brooks.

Kill List wonderfully builds tension for the first hour or so before it loses its way towards the end. I don't mind the weirdness of the climax, it's the lack of imagination compared to what has gone before that bothers me.

But, for me, there is only one contender for film of the year. It's flawed - the ending doesn't work at all - but The Tree of Life affected me in a way that no other film has. It's astoundingly beautiful, and its episodic nature captures the feeling of childhood memory perfectly. On first watch, it confused me, but repeat viewings allow it to wash over you, as more of an experience than a film.

Hi Mark,
Well, as an avid film-goer, I must say that I was disappointed not to see Super 8 on this list - a reminiscence of the good old Spielberg years, and most certainly, a movie that just impresses and makes you feel like there is still hope left in this modernised, digitalised, shallow world of film. And yes, Drive certainly deserves to be in this list - can it really remain unmnentioned and not make it on the Top 10 films of 2011? It deserves to be in the top 5!

Regards,
Kalina

Personally, I thought Drive was pretentious garbage and Ryan Gosling the most overrated actor of the year. I think Tinker Tailor should be taken out, even though it is a film about spying...

Good call on Melacholia. Such terribly flawed film. I wrote about why here: http://tracysface.com/a-few-thoughts-on-melancholia/

Drive also flawed for me; but no denying it's one of those films that sticks with you. The one omission - MI4: Ghost Protocol. Utterly ridiculous, completely brilliant.

You dropped substance for style, Dr Kermode.

I liked Drive plenty - it was slick and beautifully shot. The neon nights and sun-bleached days were gorgeous, and Gosling's performance was great. Ultimately, I thought it was hollow. It felt like a pastiche of a western, no characters, motivations or relationships grounded in reality. Nothing of it was affecting or lingering, it is the very definition of 'ephemeral'.

With Melancholia, the depiction of depression was perfect. The nature/nurture aspect wasn't as good as that of Antichrist, but the more central dilemma, that of reason vs emotion, was very well drawn. Melancholia unfolds in the mind long after viewing. Yes, it's flawed, but it poses questions that invite reflection.

The juxtaposition of Dunst's, Gainsbourg's and Sutherland's internal worlds, vs the external is interesting, thoughtful and deliberate, and that's why Melancholia deserves its spot.

I do not understand why so many people like Drive. Mr Kermode you are normally admirably quick to pick up on sexism in films so why is there no mention of the woeful lack of women in this film. Carey Mulligan's character does not speak and has no power - a woman to be rescued! And what about that terrible scene where there is a fight in a strippers changing room for no reason whatsoever... other than to show lots of, again voiceless, women topless! I have to say i found Drive incredibly annoying. Other than the soundtrack and the brilliant Ryan Gosling there is nothing of substance about Drive, fact.

After all the hype i was dreadfully let down by Drive.I thought id see this type of movie before,nothing new,not gripping and left me cold and mildly bored.Melancholia was lush,understated,great acting and totally gripping.A understated Von Trier dosent mean a Langweiilig one.

I think Melancholia deserved its spot. I think it was an interesting study of depression and how it affects the people around you and can destroy their lives too. The 'end of the world' concept was merely a back drop to create a dramatic iron which gave made me contemplate the perspective I have of my life.

At the same time I think that Drive should have been in there in the first place. It was emotional, it had a wonderful attention to detail and allowed a depth of character no often found it films with the word drive in the title.

This is more than can be said for Tinker, Tailor. I think that Tinker, Tailor was a very good film, the attention to detail and the tension in the rooms as accusation fly was riveting. But the ending was predictable from the outset. At no point did I really care who the spy was or who got harmed in the process of finding him because of the central issue of the film which was that there were far too many characters. This gave no time to develop any of them properly (except from one, and that is what gave the end away). For this reason I did not care about the characters and therefore did not care about the story, meaning I lost interest and became bored. It worked over a TV series because you were allowed time to develop connections but as a 2 hour film, it just did not hack it.

Just on a previous comment which suggested that Drive is a sexist film. No it is not. Just because a film has a predominantly male cast that makes it sexist? Furthermore, Carey Mulligans character does not speak a lot because that is not the relationship which she has with the driver. Per minute on screen I expect that Mulligan actually speaks far more than Gosling. And finally, the strip club scene was there to demonstrate the vulgarity of the characters that Gosling was dealing with.

Hmm... is Mark Kermode becoming so tired in his middle age that he's unable to swim against the tide? I've disagreed with Mark many times, but this is probably the first time I'm disappointed with him. Not because he included Drive, which is a reasonable film, although not that great (a little bit of style over substance comes to mind), but because I expect a critic to have his own opinions and believe in them.

Any film that contains long periods of silence and asks you to focus on analysing the image and structure will get labelled by 30% of the audience as pretentious. i.e. they don't get it and they're furious that other people do. As soon as I heard an interview where Gosling was talking about dialogue being removed I could alsready hear the lazy reviews on the way. People need to learn to be a bit more humble and accept that just because they don't connect with something doesn't make it terrible - give it a 3\5 rather than going out of your way to rubbish it - anyone who can't see the physical beauty of the first car chase, the lighting, the use of sound, the minimalist acting, the suspense, the poise.... what's the point of going to the cinema if you can't at least praise that. Watch some of Refn's other films like Pusher I, II and III if you've wrongly assumed he can't develope characters. Drives style was not a mistake, it was a bold choice.