Top films: The best family fare from 2011

I loved Hugo! Great film with a wonderful story.

D.N., as much as everyone likes a 'top 10' list- there are a few online trends worth keeping up with. Listing all films on one page would be less tedious and for those who have slower connections, would be an easier format to use. This is nothing more than a friendly suggestion.

Article, on "Courageous": "...even though the acting is mediocre and Christian themes are bluntly overt... only 37 percent of critics liked the films while a whopping 93 percent of audience attendees liked it."

I would hope that a Top Ten list would consider the technical merits of a film as well as the thematic content. It's hard to see how a film that even the compiler of the list concedes has mediocre acting and clumsy screenwriting could qualify as a Top Ten film.

The gap between critics and viewers in the Rotten Tomatoes ratings is easy to explain. Critics are looking at the film as a whole, as a creative work of art, and responding to the quality of the script, acting, and production values, which even the DesNews writer admits are not great. Viewers are reacting from the gut with a more emotional response that is related to the theme of the film. Also, for a niche film like "Courageous," only people predisposed to like it are likely to see it. It's not hard to imagine that the viewer ratings are pumped up by highly motivated group of viewers actively trying to raise its profile.