Let’s be honest. 2011 was an…interesting year in terms of movie releases. There were some really great films that came out and that I had the pleasure of seeing. But along with that, we saw a lot of crap.
But, why promote how bad the crap was when we can celebrate the standouts of 2011? Here’s 5 of my favorite films from 2011 in no particular order
Warrior:
The premise interested me. Two brothers from rough childhoods who are both MMA fighters enter an international competition with a $5 million purse. One is a war hero with an explosive fighting style (Tom Hardy), the other a teacher whose a submission specialist (Joel Edgerton). Add in their recovering alcoholic dad (Nick Nolte) whom they both despise and you already have some epic drama.
This movie was so good, better than good. It was great. Despite not being a hit at the box office, Warrior brought the perfect balance of family drama and MMA fighting to the silverscreen. And I’d be shocked if Nick Nolte does not get an Oscar nomination for his part the film.
Mission Impossible 4:
Let’s call it a comeback for Tom Cruise, who hadn’t had a real box-office hit with him starring in almost 7 years.The movie is what one expects from an Mission Impossible movie, over-the-top plots of world domination and kick-ass action scenes. But the difference between this film’s plot and that of the past three MI films, the MI team is now being framed for a crime they didn’t commit and have hence been disavowed by the US Government. So now Ethan Hunt and his team have to save the world and clear their names. It was fun, exciting, funny and had some really edge of your seat moments. And to think that this was director Brad Bird’s first foray into live action!
Forget your aversion to Tom Cruise and see this movie! It’s worth it.
Drive:
This film. Beautifully shot. Beautifully acted. Beautifully scored. Ryan Gosling proved once again why he’s so in demand in Hollywood. Gosling did so much with so few lines. A look or a subtle expression conveyed all that his character needed to do to convey his emotions at times. And the violence, while not constant, came in super gory spurts that shocked even me with my iron stomach.
I also loved the shots of the unsung areas in Los Angeles which usually do not get equal film time with the Hollywood sign, the various beaches, Santa Monica/Venice/Malibu or the downtown LA skyline.
And on a shallow note, Carrie Mulligan looked super hot in this film.
Attack the Block:
Call it the little indie sci-fi flick that could. This British indie sci-fi flick came out of nowhere. I heard enough about the film that I finally decided to give it a watch. The first time around I was so tired from work I dozed off a few times. So the second time around, I made certain to stay awake. It rocked, plain and simple. It mixed in the gritty south London neighborhood called ‘Tha Block’ with an alien invasion. Ha! Yes, the Cockney accent was a bit hard to comprehend at times but this was a great addition that sci-fi fans everywhere should see as soon as they can!
Fast Five:
Say what you want about the Fast & The Furious franchise, but these films are big, bombastic summer action films that know what they are and have embraced it.
But what made this movie even more fun was how it moved from the standard fast cars and hot girls formula and made a heist film out of it. Plus, Fast Five ended up being a kind of reunion film with all of the best characters from each of its predecessors.
The addition of The Rock to the film elevated it as he fit right into this over-the-top zany world and provided a good foil for Vin Diesel. In short, I enjoyed the hell out of it and the flick was a great kickoff for the 2011 summer season.
Honorable Mentions:
Thor: This was the first cosmic-based Marvel film to be released, coming out just ahead of DC’s own cosmic effort in Green Lantern. Clearly the former movie performed better. The acting and the reverence to the source material held together what could have been a laughable affair for Marvel. Also, Kat Dennings really stood out, easily outshining female lead Natalie Portman.
Captain America: Fun period piece comic flick, which only furthered the shared universe that Marvel Entertainment is building. Captain America would have been a bigger hit had it not been for the very evident comic movie fatigue that had started to set in on film audiences in 2011.
X-Men First Class: I had very low expectations for this film. A lot of that ha to do with being so burned by X3 and Wolverine. Plus, the plot of the movie really did not appeal to me. However, I usually give most comic book movies a chance. And X-Men First Class ended up being a winner, despite the bad retcons to the X-Men film history and the rush job to turn Erik Lehnsherr into the villain we love to hate Magneto. A lot of that was thanks to the great performances from James McAvoy (Professor Xavier) and Michael Fassbender (Magneto).
The Adjustment Bureau: While the film was not perfect, the chemistry between stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt was very believable. If only there had been more time spent together on-screen. Either way, I enjoyed this latest adaptation of a Philip K. Dick work.
Source Code: This was the second flick by rising filmmaker Duncan Jones. While I was not thoroughly enamored with his debut film Moon, Source Code came off a lot better for me. Aisde from feeling more polished, I just liked it more. Source Code took an interesting and pretty original sci-fi concept and had fun with that. Is that, aside from a good plot and solid continuity all we ask for from a sci-fi film?
My Week With Marilyn: I dug this film not just because it was an interesting spotlight on the late star’s attempt to become a serious actress, but mainly because of Michelle Williams. She was AMAZING, Oscar-worthy. Definitely worth a look.
I’ll have up my top anticipated movies for 2012 tomorrow, so be ready!
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