Another year begins and – as is traditional – I've been trawling through memories of last year's viewing: the things on DVD and Blu-ray that have stuck in my mind.

The biggest development through 2011 was the blossoming of 3D. There are now 3D Blu-rays out there (for people who have the requisite equipment) but the real change came from the way action movies are now being filmed. Gone is the fast-cutting addiction typified by the Bourne movies, where fights are just a blur of one second close-ups – quick cuts look rubbish in 3D. For the most striking example of this change is between the third Transformers film and the first two. The film itself is again rubbish, but it looks sensational. The action unfolds in long unbroken takes, making the last 40 minutes the most exciting of the year.

But, on to the films. Let's start at the beginning of the year, when last year's Oscar nominees were released on home video...
...and a pretty good bunch they were too. The following swag were all nominated – even if they failed to pick up statuettes – and all are very rewarding viewing:

My favourite is still The Social Network, which is simply so well-made and written that it merits repeat viewing. The opening scene where Mark Zuckerman is dumped by his (fictitious) girlfriend is a masterclass in itself and the broader questions of society's changing methods of communication continue to resonate.

The Kings Speech and True Grit are both perfect examples of quality genre filmmaking, the first a Triumph-Over-Adversity tale with royal stuffiness appealingly punctured, the latter a pitch-perfect western, featuring the turn that really should have netted Bridges the Oscar (but Colin Firth should have won the year before when Bridges won for Crazy Heart so I guess they're even)

Humanist drama The Kids Are Alright centred on the family of a lesbian couple and was as real, warm and honest as they get; 127 Hours had a bloke cutting off his arm after being trapped for - guess how long? – showing it's all about how you tell the story. Black Swan was lurid and, in retrospect, a bit silly, but featured a great quartet of women's performances and stunning dance cinematography; Winter's Bone was just the opposite, the model of minimalist storytelling but absolutely gripping, exploring the unseen backwoods of the Appalachian mountains.

The year's best comedy? Well, for me, nothing came along that topped Four Lions, which managed to be unlike any other comedy, taking on, as it did, the threat of terrorism in England with a quartet of the most misguided jihadists in history who, despite their absolute stupidity, managed to be both dangerous and alarmingly likeable. Other comedies – The Hangover 2, Bridesmaids, Horrible Bosses – seemed timid and formulaic in comparison, though hats off to Jennifer Aniston for her fearless turn in the latter.

Funnier than most live action films were the ever-increasing number of animated films, the best of which was Cars 2. Given that the original was the red-headed stepchild of the Pixar opus, this sequel really knocked it out of the park, creating a whole new story, incorporating clever spy spoof elements, and adding the always welcome Michael Caine to the cast. It also looks – unsurprisingly – simply fantastic. The other animated film that rocked my world was Rango, an odd proposition given that it was a parody western (borrowing plot elements from Chinatown!) not really aimed at kids, featuring the year's best voice work from Johnny Depp. Like Cars 2 it heaps in so much subtle detail that a second viewing is almost obligatory.

That'll do for this week. Next time I'll move on to documentaries, biopics, family films, foreign outings and all those other tasty treats that made the long winter nights just fly by. Till then...