2011 sucked. At least when it came to film. In my eyes, the top 12 movies of the year MUST be great movies. When 'good' movies leak onto the list, the year failed. It was potentially worse in 2009, but 2010 had much getter success. The movies I looked forward too tended to either suck (“The Thing” prequel, mostly) or underwhelmed me (“Drive”). It should be noted that I usually avoid critics picks in the theaters, because those movies feel tailor made to court the Oscars. When movies try too hard to get nominated for one, they come across as desperate ("147 Hours") and I don't like that feeling. With that said, I do genuinely regret not seeing a few movies. “Red State” and “Attack of the Block” sound pretty awesome, but I've yet to see those.

Or at least that's what I thought.

It occurred to me that 2011 didn't really suck, but the movies I expected to own me (example, “Cowboys and Aliens”) were just okay. Everything that I really wanted to see was underwhelming, one way or another, and that's why I was furious. The movies I loved the most were the films I expected to be underwhelmed by! So keep all of that in mind and let us discuss the biggest turds before moving onto the better stuff. 

What were some of the Stinkers of 2011? I'm sure “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” would be on this list, even though I've yet to actually see it. But the general consensus is that it's the same shit as before, except there's awkward sex scenes and a brutal birthing sequence. Pardon me while I yawn.

Paul: I expected this 'Simon Pegg and Nick Frost meet an alien' comedy to be at least somewhat funny. Instead, it sort of forgets the funny part. A lot of this movie tries to be thoughtful and deep, but these scenes don't mesh well with slapstick sequences, and there seems to be tug-of-war going on as to what tone this movie wants to have. Furthermore, some of the supposed jokes feel too mean spirited. The jabs at blue collar religion could've been funny, but it comes across like the director is trying to just make a statement about it. Awkward...But as lame as this movie was, it has nothing on...

The Dilemma: Ron Howard's return to comedy is arguably his biggest disaster. The film- about Vince Vaughn discovering that the wife of his best friend (Kevin James) is having an affair- also can't decide upon what kind of tone it wants to have. Is it silly, slapstick comedy? Or does it want to be dark, edgy and 'deep'? Whereas “Paul” at least had the occasional moment of both, “The Dilemma” has nothing. You can't take any of the deepness seriously because none of these characters are remotely likable. Characters lying or cheating? That can be forgiven, if they properly redeem themselves. Characters lying and cheating, but then damning others for lying and cheating THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE DAMN MOVIE? Now you've gone too far. I hate how we're supposed to feel sorry for Kevin James while we hate his wife, but he's doing the same thing! The closest thing to a funny running gag are the random cut to sequences as Vaughn relates some story, but otherwise, the best thing about this movie is Channing Tatum. Think about that for a minute...pretty scare! It's one of those comedies that just makes me angry.

Sucker Punch: I sincerely believe that Zack Snyder is a genius, if only as a visual artist. But I also believe that every genius is going to have a movie that perfectly represents the type of genius they are, but everything backfires from it. The film is crammed with so many ideas- visual and story- that the ideas start to battle each other and the movie ends up as a pretentious, incoherent mess. You can see Snyder's talent slipping through, but it just makes the movie more annoying.

Red Riding Hood: “From the director of “Twilight”” is an admission that should scare me away, but for some reason it didn't. While it's not worse than the franchise as a hole, it somehow makes the love story between Edward and Bella feel well thought out. Otherwise is at a glaringly predictable mystery with poorly thought out twists. It has actors whom are either devoid of talent or are just flat out wasted. It's biggest shame is just how boring and conventional it is. Shame, as I did like some of the films ideas as well as its fairy tail like atmosphere. Too bad it just sucked.

Special Mentions: “Tekken” and “I Saw the Devil” were 2010 movies, but were released for the U.S in 2011, so I wanted to state that both would've made each respective list. “Tekken” is just a subpar movie, but it's infuriating to watch as a Tekken fan. I hate it. “I Saw the Devil” would be one of my favorite movies of 2011. It's edgy, hard to watch and super exciting. Speaking of good movies....

Please remember that this is my top 12 FAVORITE movies of 2011. I haven't seen everything and you don't have to agree.

Runner Ups: I had a soft spot for “Moneyball”, which was a very good movie with a few nice inversions of the formula. Also, Brad Pitt is excellent, although that's nothing new. It didn't make the list though because it is just another 'sports' movie, and I often can't tell them apart. “The Debt” was also a contender and would've made it had it not been for a pointless and awkward love triangle subplot that was too distracting. Finally, I liked “Horrible Bosses” a lot. It's like “The Hangover”, although not as good. But I laughed a lot. One thing you must remember with me is that I often just want to be entertained. I would choose “Horrible Bosses” over “The Social Network” (as good as it was) any day!

But onto......THE LIST!!!!

12) Rise of the Planet of the Apes: This is one of those movies that I expected to be underwhelmed by, but instead found myself enjoying it a lot. Is it perfect? No. But it was a very moving drama with some phenomenal effects that are so phenomenal that they nearly cease being effects. It's probably the best thing to happen for The Planet of the Apes franchise since....well, “The Planet of the Apes”. One of those 'good' movies though.

11) Drive Angry: Some movies don't need to be thoughtful, artistic, moving character understudies to be great. Some movies just need Nicolas Cage drinking alcohol from a dudes skull. This movie is so wild, filled with creatively morbid ideas, that it's hard not to love. The cast is all great, playing funny and interesting characters, and the excessive insanity never really stops. Too bad it bombed, as it probably had the best 3D I've seen. I'm not sure if this is a good movie or a great movie. I guess it's somewhere in between. Either way it's epic!

 

10) The Adjustment Bureau: This was a movie that I had no desire to see, but because nothing else was coming out, I was left with little choice. I am glad I did, however, as the film is a smooth moving drama that's filled with so much engaging thematic material. The film deals with the dangers of free will in a surprisingly objective, thoughtful kind of way. Many criticized the 'Hollywood'ish type of ending, but I felt that balanced the proceedings for the most part. It also well well written characters played by actors who actually have chemistry with each other.  Unfortunately, it's only downside is that it's still not great, but perhaps the only 'good' movie on the list that I would've been fine with actually being on the list.

 

9) Fast Five: Wow, the first great movie is...”Fast Five”? Usually, franchises start jumping the shark around this time. I'm also mostly indifferent to this franchise in particular, which I consider to be harmless, escapist entertainment but nothing more. “Fast Five” comes out and manages to have the best action scenes in the whole series and the most hard hitting pace, but it also reinvents the format and plot of these films, making it less redundant. Furthermore, bringing back so many past characters was an awesome decision, and the addition of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson solidified this as an epic action movie. It's still harmless, escapist entertainment, but it's pretty epic at being that. To me, this is “The Expendables” of 2011. 

 

8) Hugo: What good is a top 12 list without some Martin Scorsese loving? One thing I love about Scorsese is that he's mastered the craft of gangster movies, but he also has extraordinary range in tackling other genres. “Hugo” isn't the steampunk fantasy the trailers make it out to be, it is actually a celebration of cinema's past. You feel Scorsese's love of filmmaking in every frame. Indeed, the film is masterfully shot (excellent 3D too) and you can see every penny on screen. But it also has heart, thanks to its potent human drama. I cared for everyone and everything about this movie, and how can you top that in terms of success? 

 

7) Source Code: When I saw the trailer for this, “Deja Vu” instantly flashed through my head in more ways than one. “Deja Vu” wasn't a great movie, but it did have Denzel Washington, who is great. I don't consider Jake Gyllenhaal to be that great. But “Source Code” surprised me and instantly became one of my favorite movies of the year. It never stops, having a crisp pace, a compelling plot and edgy suspense. But when the film allows itself to shed a few tears, I shed a few tears with it. My only regret is that it should've ended with the 'freeze' frame. Had it not gone further than that, it easily would've been in my top 3 favorite movies list.


6) X Men: First Class: Wow, there are a lot of sequels in this list. After the mediocre “X-Men 3” and the divisive “X Men Origins: Wolverine” (which did not hold up well upon multiple viewings by the way), no one had any real high expectations for this movie. Much to our surprise, the filmmakers didn't treat the film as if it were a sequel (or prequel; where action consumes plot/character development). Instead it went out of its way to create an interesting story with solid subtext, interesting characters with solid actors and interesting action sequences with solid visual effects. If only more sequels were this good.

5) Super 8: Steven Spielberg seems to be trying too hard to recapture his glory days with sappy, heartwarming pictures like “War Horse” and “The Adventures of Tintin”. I haven't seen those films, but the general consensus is that they try too hard. Then comes JJ Abrams, who pretty much makes his own golden age Spielberg movie. It's just a very good movie that hits all of the right notes, having heart while also having the ability to scare us. This is easily the underdog of 2011. 

4) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – Very rarely does a movie spawn a sequel that retains its strengths but also fixes its weaknesses. “Sherlock Holmes 2” was that kind of sequel. It takes the energy of the first film and the charisma of its actors, magnifies everything, and then focuses on creating more realistic looking set pieces and giving us a better villain. It's the perfect summer movie, except it came out in December!

3) Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol- A lean, mean action-thriller that cuts out the meta sappiness of “Mission Impossible 3” (fake Katie Holmes, I'm looking at you!), the inherent stupidity of “Mission Impossible 2” and the convolution of “Mission Impossible”. But it also takes what we like about these movies- cool espionage and slick action sequences- and delivers them in a shockingly realistic fashion. The special effects don't ever look phony and the stunts look very real, but the action never overshadows the suspense. One of the rare cases where 'part 4' turned out to be the best in the franchise.

2) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: I was actually adamantly against this movie, as much as I respect Daniel Craig and David Fincher. The book has a structure that works for the book, but isn't made for film adaptations. Yet the Swedish adaptation- what clearly inspired this- somehow made it work. It was very riveting, with some shocking and stand out sequences. But I figured that was the films execution that saved it, not the story or concept. Then David Fincher comes along and does the same thing himself. The film is pretty similar to the original, but it tries to be closer to the book and is pretty unique for it. The direction is sharper, the acting is more memorable and the opening credit sequence alone is worth admission. Movies that are over two hours have the tendency to annoy me, and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is closer to two and a half hours. But it was so freaking compelling and exciting that I never cared. It is a movie that I was able to fully invest myself into, even though I had only seen the original less than a year prior. When a movie that you've more-or-less seen before turns out to be THIS awesome, then you know you have a great movie. This is also the first four star film of 2011. The second?

1) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Let it be known that despite being my favorite movie of 2011, it has my least favorite title. I thought it was a freaking kids movie when I first heard the name and I can never get the damn words in order. But it's also a strikingly well done movie. It's frustrating that I'm unable to articulate anything of substance for this mini-review. I probably won't do it justice, but it has a great script. I love how there are implications of characterizations instead of anything that's elaborate or drawn out. It fits the theme of the movie and keeps it from being soap operatic. In a lesser film, the wife who left our protagonist would be more prominent and there would be plenty of lame sequences where she complains that he works too much or something. Instead, all of that nonsense is kept in the background. Slow burn suspense films tend to struggle because of these divergences, but “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” never becomes sidetracked. It sticks to the meat of the story and how it develops is downright fascinating. The direction is steady and the main artistic attractions come in the form of the films voyeuristic camerawork. Scenes are often shot as if the characters are being spied on, which fits the films style. It adds to the movie and never distracts us from it. Finally, the acting is superb all around, with Gary Oldman delivering his best performance in years. This is a movie where everything supports everything else and I have no complaints. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, thank you for being such a great film. I really, really, needed you this year.

 

(It should be noted that I wasn't able to see it until 2012).


So 2011 turned out to be a better year than I anticipated, although there were more bad movies than usual and it wasn't quite as impressive as 2010 or 2008. But the main problem was that the movies I looked forward too the most failed to impress me. But I still got my fair share of greatness, so I am content.