Starring Kevin Parent, Caf de Flore is a multi-layered mystery about intertwined lovers separated by space and time. (Alliance Films)

Every year, January comes, the industry unloads all the drek they've been sitting on and I wonder: "What will inspire me? What will rise above the mediocre and the predictable to remind me why I spend so much time in the dark?"

Well here we are. We made it through another year of sequels, slumps and superheroes. Amidst the CGI cacophony of 2011, there were films that enchanted, surprised and provoked me. Here are the ones that left an impression.

3D comes of age

If there was a prevailing trend in 2011, it would be the evolution of 3D. It appears the technology is sticking around. I say this a little reluctantly, because I'm an old fashioned guy who likes his movies in two dimensions.

But 2011 was the year we started to see some art come into the effect. Martin Scorsese made Hugo, a lovely film that transports us by using 3D in an intelligent, thoughtful way. Just this week, we saw the release of Pina, a documentary about choreographer Pina Bausch directed by Wim Wenders. Like Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams (my fav of TIFF 2010), the extra dimension adds another layer and lets us truly see the space the dancers inhabit.

We're finally starting to see film auteurs use this tool as a device and not just a gimmick. No mainstream film showcased 3D better than Kung Fu Panda 2. From the floating paper silhouettes of the opening title sequence to the film's flashbacks, director Jennifer Yuh shows how to use the extra dimension to give depth to a story.

Small, but mighty

Some of this year's most entertaining and insightful films were small-budget productions or titles by first-timers. Forget about J.J. Abrams' overexposed Super 8, Attack the Block was the '80s action throwback of the year. Margin Call, written and helmed by debut director J.C. Chandor, reminds us what can happen when Kevin Spacey gets great material. In the age of Occupy Everything, his movie stormed the barricades of Wall Street in a way Oliver Stone could only dream of.

And the funniest film of the year was The Trip. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon embark on a food-tasting odyssey through North Britain. You've got one arrogant actor and a comedian armed with an endless stream of impressions stuck in a car. Shot it as a documentary by director Michael Winterbottom, it's difficult to tell where the improv stops and the acting begins. It's the one film that had me laughing to the point of tears.

Bang for your buck

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 and Warner Brothers certainly deserve some credit. The finale of the blockbuster series had everything one could want: Harry at his darkest hour, the tragic turn of Severus Snape and other beautiful character moments -- just think of the rise of Neville Longbottom (note: link is somewhat NSFW).

While HPDH2 raised the bar for film franchises, if you want to talk about putting the art back into action films, Hanna wins the day. After his period piece Atonement, director Joe Wright decided to make something a little "punk." The result is a girl-power punch, scored to great effect by the Chemical Brothers. One of the lasting images of the year has to be Cate Blanchett, as the villainously vampy CIA agent Maria, standing in the jaws of a wolf awaiting her prey.

The top three

Third place: Moneyball

This is a movie that will change the way you feel about baseball and Brad Pitt. Normally, I couldn't give a damn about baseball, but Moneyball captures a sports fan's devotion to and faith in his or her team of choice. It's also an extremely timely film about changing the odds when the numbers are stacked against you. It offers the beauty of that green diamond tinged with a bittersweet aftertaste. Oh, and it's funny.

Second place: The Tree of Life

Brad Pitt (yes, him again) and Jessica Chastain portray a mother and father fighting over a young boy's soul. The Tree of Life isn't a mere movie. It's a visual poem with moments of dialogue -- so loose and breezy at times, it feels like we're spying. I will admit that the film doesn't make sense. And you know what? That's okay. You wouldn't ask the plot of an abstract painting, which is the way to approach Terrence Malick's latest.

First place: Caf de flore

No other movie moved me the way this post-modern mystery and ode to eternal love did. Director Jean-Marc Valle fused one story about a mother in 1960s Paris and another about a modern Montreal couple into a cinematic collision that left me gasping.

I'm a sucker for a mix of music and motion, so every element of Caf de flore sang to me like no other film this year. My first viewing left me stunned. The second time I watched it, I uncovered subtleties and undercurrents missed the first time around.