Best of 2011
Best movies of 2011, in my personal opinion.
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- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingCarey MulliganBryan CranstonA mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver....Whoa.
- DirectorSean DurkinStarsElizabeth OlsenSarah PaulsonJohn HawkesHaunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.Haunting and intense, with a break-out performance from Elizabeth Olsen and steady-handed direction by newcomer Sean Durkin.
- DirectorTommy Lee JonesStarsSamuel L. JacksonTommy Lee JonesThrough a chance encounter, two men of opposing ideologies deliberate spiritual, philosophical, and profound matters in a New York City apartment.Cormac McCarthy, I think I love you. Also, Samuel L. Jackson: Do more of this kind of stuff! I was starting to loose faith in the man as a legitimate actor. This film proved he's still got it; when he puts forth the effort. Tommy Lee Jones is great as well, with a particularly brilliant turn at the end.
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsMichael ShannonJessica ChastainShea WhighamPlagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.It's intense and ominous in all the right places, for all the right reasons. Michael Shannon gives an excellent performance, perhaps the best of the year.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGina CaranoEwan McGregorMichael FassbenderA black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.Not nearly enough ass-kicking and action, but what little is offered is jaw-dropping. The more exposition elements of the film unravel in a very cool, very Soderbergh-ian way.
- DirectorPaul FeigStarsKristen WiigMaya RudolphRose ByrneCompetition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.Finally, a female-centric comedy that I find to be legitimately funny. Prior to its release, my friends and I could not think of one such movie.
- DirectorJason EisenerStarsRutger HauerPasha EbrahimiRobb WellsA homeless vigilante blows away crooked cops, pedophile Santas, and other scumbags with his trusty pump-action shotgun.How could I forget this little gem? A hilarious love letter to the exploitation genre.
- DirectorJohn Michael McDonaghStarsBrendan GleesonDon CheadleMark StrongAn unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is partnered with an uptight F.B.I. agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring.Brendan Gleeson is great, and the supporting cast is quite good in this genuinely funny and decidedly Irish buddy cop comedy. Cheadle is good as well, but is over-shadowed by the main star.
- DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsElle FanningAJ MichalkaKyle ChandlerDuring the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.Nice 1980s throwback flick. If you're not a child of the 80s, you probably won't experience the nostalgia. But this is probably definitely a film for a certain generation, and while it's in no way groundbreaking; it does the trick for the target audience.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsSaoirse RonanCate BlanchettEric BanaA sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.Stylish, artistic, kinetic and sporting excellent music, sound design, acting and cinematography. A pleasant surprise after recent disappointments such as 'Salt'.
- DirectorVera FarmigaStarsVera FarmigaJoshua LeonardDagmara DominczykA chronicle of one woman's lifelong struggle with her faith.An examination of one woman's life-long struggle with faith. Note-worthy because it's neither anti nor pro-religion. It stays away from both left-wing film conventions and Hallmark goody-two-shoes Christian family-friendly saccharine. It's earnest, it's challenging, it's worth checking out.
- DirectorMatthew VaughnStarsJames McAvoyMichael FassbenderJennifer LawrenceIn the 1960s, superpowered humans Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr work together to find others like them, but Erik's vengeful pursuit of an ambitious mutant who ruined his life causes a schism to divide them.Would be so, so much better had they not shat all over the previous film's continuity. They don't bother to call it a reboot, either. A pity. Still, better than Last Stand and Wolverine.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsChris HemsworthAnthony HopkinsNatalie PortmanThe powerful but arrogant god Thor is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.All the fun of a typical Marvel adventure, with a tad more heart. It's not The Dark Knight, Watchmen or even Kick-Ass, but it's a solid flick.
- DirectorJesse PeretzStarsPaul RuddElizabeth BanksZooey DeschanelA comedy centered on an idealist who barges into the lives of his three sisters.More consistently funny than a lot of the full-on comedies I've seen thus far in 2011 (September). Rudd is charming as always, and how can you not love that supporting cast?
- DirectorRodman FlenderStarsConan O'BrienAndy RichterStephen ColbertA documentary on Conan O'Brien's comedy tour of the U.S. and Canada after leaving The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009) and severing his relationship with NBC.For a longtime fan of Conan, this documentary is just a great treat. It's raw, unfiltered Conan...complete with his admitted passive-aggressive use of humor, and human side showing.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsPaul GiamattiAmy RyanJeffrey TamborA struggling lawyer and volunteer wrestling coach's chicanery comes back to haunt him when the teenage grandson of the client he has double-crossed comes into his life.Tom McCarthy directs his third film; and the third 'win' in terms of his directing career. He's treading familiar ground with the surrogate family motif, but perhaps this is the third in a deliberate concept trilogy.
- DirectorJonathan LevineStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittSeth RogenAnna KendrickInspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.Another good performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Seth Rogen is kind of oversold here, he probably has equal screentime with Anna Kendrick, who's rapport with Levitt is awkward and great. The movie is also consistently amusing without getting maudlin.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsMichael FassbenderCarey MulliganJames Badge DaleA sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.A beautiful film, in which subtext often replaces character and plot development. This is a double-edged sword, but the film is still worth seeing.
- DirectorJames WanStarsPatrick WilsonRose ByrneTy SimpkinsA family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.Although it gets silly towards the end, the build-up is filled with genuinely scary moments. Something few horror movies manage to do.
- DirectorPatrick LussierStarsNicolas CageAmber HeardWilliam FichtnerA vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.A fun exercise in neo-trash cinema. Finally, a role where Nic Cage can act like a maniac and actually feel right at home within the film.
- DirectorGreg MottolaStarsSimon PeggNick FrostSeth RogenTwo English comic book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.
- DirectorSebastian GutierrezStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittCarla GuginoErmahn OspinaLife for porn actress Elektra Luxx gets turned upside down when she finds out she's pregnant.
- DirectorQuentin DupieuxStarsStephen SpinellaRoxane MesquidaWings HauserA homicidal car tire, discovering it has destructive psionic power, sets its sights on a desert town once a mysterious woman becomes its obsession.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisAnanda GeorgeRay SahetapyA S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.
- DirectorJames WestbyStarsKatie O'GradyJohn KeyserStorm LargeA scathing black comedy of embarrassment, RID OF ME charts the emotional breakdown and rebirth of a woman ripe for self-discovery.From the director of Film Geek comes another excellent character piece. It's at times funny, as well. But beware, it's *beep* weird as *beep*