Frank (Rainn Wilson) has just been left by his unstable wife Sarah (Liv Tyler). After he’s shed a few tears and wallowed in his own misery, he experiences a sort of enlightenment and realizes his true calling — he is meant to be a superhero, determined to fight evil. He starts small — fighting small-time drug dealers and even people who try to butt in line at the movie theater, but eventually, his true goal is to free Sarah from the fingers of the sleazy criminal (Kevin Bacon) who has stolen his wife. His work soon finds admiration by a nutty comic book clerk called Libby (Ellen Page), who insists on becoming his sidekick and sticks by him through good and bad on his quest to get his wife back. She does so with such passion and zest that she has instantly become one of the most lovable and memorable movie characters of 2011 for me.

Super is a felicitous experiment, a film that feels handcrafted like the weapons the two heroic anti-heros are applying — and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s constantly walking a tightrope between sweetness and some pretty graphic violence that for some reason never feels like it’s exploitative. It’s kinda nerdy but not in an annoying way. It’s politically incorrect but without making a big deal about it. But most of all, it’s very sharply written and once it’s over, you might even call it philosophical. Frank aka The Crimson Bold might not end up getting his girl back for good — but he is able to see beyond his ego, to discover the bigger meaning behind all the things that happened, and through this, this heartfelt and at times almost poetic film bears a lot more insight than many other films of 2011. A small movie — even though I hate that term — that totally gets the bigger picture, and it does so with such ease and wit that you might almost overlook its depth. Almost.

10. The Rural Alberta Advantage — Departing
Energetic, joyful and heart-breaking at the same time. It sounds exactly like the album cover. A great companion for drives through the snow.

9. Sin Fang — Summer Echoes
An emotional album that makes me want to cry and smile. Fortunately, one can do both at the same time, and this is the perfect soundtrack for it. Full of longing and tenderness.

8. Red Hot Chili Peppers — I’m With You
After a much-needed hiatus and with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer (and cowbells) on board, the Peppers seem completely rejuvinated and delivered a fresh and positive album while keeping truthful to what they have always been ⎯ a playful, spirited and passionate bunch that’s in it for all the right reasons.

7. Blind Pilot ⎯ We Are The Tide
This album is one big beautiful lullaby, and one thing I know for sure is that it can soothe a broken heart.

6. Ryan Adams — Ashes & Fire
Very mature and unagitated. Listening to it with half an ear might make it appear boring, but to the careful listener it will reveal a really rewarding depth and richness. An album for people with two ears. Sensual, elegant and focused. Like a really good Neil Young album, only better.

5. Diamond Rings — Special Affections
Oh, that voice! What a discovery. Introspective and sensual yet full of bubbles and color. Full of complexity and contradictions. Maybe the brightest gem of the year.

4. Joseph Arthur — Graduation Ceremony
An album that breaks your heart, blows your mind and gently sings you to sleep. Truly beautiful.

3. The Antlers — Burst Apart
Mysterious, absorbing and haunting. As was to be expected.

2. R.E.M. — Collapse Into Now
Still can’t believe this will be the last R.E.M. album in the history of music. Timeless and with a firm belief in the beauty of simplicity, it is a graceful goodbye of the band that shaped me, stayed with me, and really just meant the world to me. (And I like the way Michael Stipe waves goodbye…)

1. Mogwai — Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Atmospheric and deep. Takes me far away, or brings me back to the core, depending on what is desired, and that’s what I needed most in this brutal year of 2011.