I’m a firm believer that good movies are relatively easy to find, and of the 108 movies I saw from 2011, I enjoyed quite a few of them.

I just didn’t love very many.

North Idaho has yet to receive late season standouts like “The Artist” or “A Separation.” Still, the calendar year hasn’t been marked by any significant benchmarks in cinema (although “The Tree of Life” could go down as this generation’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”).

Nevertheless, my top 20 films of 2011 definitely deserve your attention. A few you will love, some you’ll probably hate, but hopefully most are easy to enjoy.

Update: An updated article will be posted in the first part of February, which will (hopefully) include more late season titles.

1. Moneyball
On the surface, it’s a movie about baseball and statistics. It’s all the characters talk about, yet “Moneyball” tells a compelling and universal story about what it means to be the underdog.

Brad Pitt plays Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane as a man who learns that winning a little less than the big guys can be winning enough. It’s the most compelling performance of Pitt’s career, and you won’t find a snappier script this year than the one effortlessly crafted by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Available Tuesday on home video.

2. Super 8
The smartest and most entertaining blockbuster of the year, made by J.J. Abrams as a tribute to the science-fiction work of Steven Spielberg, who serves as a producer on the project. Stacked with a talented cast of young actors and a more-than-meets-the-eye monster, “Super 8” pays homage to all the best parts of “E.T.,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Jaws” and “The Goonies” while also playing on its own terms. Available on home video.

3. The Descendants
George Clooney delivers another terrific performance as a man who must deal with a comatose wife, rebellious daughters and a land deal that will literally change the landscape of Hawaii. It’s another unique mix of comedy and drama from Alexander Payne, writer and director of “Sideways.”

4. The Tree of Life
Easily the most ambitious and baffling movie of 2011, Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” tackles the birth and death of the universe, framing it all within a story of a small-town family in the 1950s. There are dinosaurs, purposefully ambiguous voice-over narration and spectacular shots of the cosmos. Brad Pitt plays a stern father, Jessica Chastain a whimsical mother.

“The Tree of Life” is a love-it-or-hate-it experience, but the cinematography alone is masterful. It worked a spell on me, even though I’m not entirely sure what happens in the final minutes. See it and decide for yourself. Available on home video.

5. Beginners
An engrossing and unique romantic drama about a commitment-phobic man (Ewan McGregor) who embarks on a new relationship with a quirky actress. He follows the inspiration of his dying father (an Oscar-worthy Christopher Plummer), who, following the loss of his wife, announces that he’s gay. Superbly acted and smartly written, “Beginners” is especially genuine when compared to the typical romantic comedy slop coming out of Hollywood. Available on home video.

6. Margin Call
A tense, fictionalized look at an investment bank on the eve of financial meltdown, “Margin Call” is anchored by a stellar cast led by Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons and Stanley Tucci. The boardroom meetings are more exhilarating than the phony explosions in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Available on home video.

7. Drive
Violent, moody and retro in all the right ways, “Drive” is a car-chase movie for the art house crowd. Ryan Gosling commands the screen as the nameless driver who says maybe 20 lines of dialogue throughout the entire movie. Another love-it-or-hate-it experience, but you can’t ignore the craft by director Nicolas Winding Refn (“Bronson”). Available Jan. 31 on home video.

8. Hugo
Martin Scorsese’s enchanting 3D adventure follows an orphan who meets one of the pioneers of modern storytelling. Though it begins as standard kiddie fare, “Hugo” transforms into the masterwork we expect from Scorsese.

9. 50/50
Cancer shouldn’t be funny, but it is here thanks to a soulful performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a sharp script from cancer survivor Will Reiser. And look! Seth Rogen’s raunchy humor serves a cathartic purpose. Available Jan. 24 on home video.

10. The Muppets
If I’m being honest, no movie this year left me as happy and satisfied as “The Muppets.” Credit screenwriter and co-star Jason Segel for bringing these beloved characters back in such fun, spectacular fashion.

11. Win Win
Another year, another solid indie comedy starring perpetual sad-sack Paul Giamatti. Here he plays a struggling lawyer and wrestling coach who manipulates a troubled teen to solve all his problems. It’s sweeter than it all sounds, I promise. Available on home video.

12. Attack the Block
A bloodier, funnier companion piece to “Super 8,” this British science-fiction import pits a London gang of teens against vicious aliens with glowing teeth. Simultaneously embraces and pokes fun at horror/monster movie conventions. Available on home video.

13. Bill Cunningham New York
The best documentary of the year follows New York Times photographer and fashion columnist Bill Cunningham. Even if the subject matter doesn’t interest you, the fascinating mind and spirit of this 80-year-old artist most certainly will. Available on home video and Netflix Instant Streaming.

14. The Adventures of Tintin
Steven Spielberg’s first crack at animation is an exhilarating adventure in the spirit of his own “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Knowledge of the comic source material not required.

15. Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen’s best comedy in years follows Owen Wilson as a modern-day writer who takes a magical trip through 1920s Paris, where he meets Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and a new perspective on romanticizing the past. Available on home video.

16. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Better than anybody probably expected it to be, “Rise” has more on its mind than mindless monkey vs. human fisticuffs. Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar nomination for his motion-capture performance as the intelligent and resourceful chimp, Caesar. Available on home video.

17. Terri
This alternative take on the “coming-of-age, high school” movie focuses on the relationship between an overweight, pajama-wearing teen (Jacob Wysocki) and the lonely school principal (John C. Reilly). Available on home video.

18. Young Adult
Charlize Theron is viciously good as an alcoholic fiction writer who returns to her small town to re-claim her ex-boyfriend. Comedian Patton Oswalt anchors the dark material as an old classmate who tries to talk sense into the potential home wrecker. This reteaming of “Juno” collaborators Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody dives into new territory as it challenges the audience to take pity on a seemingly unredeemable, unlikable character.

19. The Ides of March
This political thriller from George Clooney stumbles in the third act, but the powerhouse acting of Ryan Gosling, Clooney and Philip Seymour Hoffman more than make up for it. Available Jan. 17 on home video.

20. War Horse
Steven Spielberg’s second effort of the year is way too sentimental for its own good, but the sweeping, old Hollywood style is impossible for classic cinema lovers to resist. The opening act needs a serious reworking, but the cinematography throughout is breathtaking.

Honorable Mention: Certified Copy, Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: First Class, Winnie the Pooh, Life in a Day, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Help