Once again I present my favourite films of the year. As usual it's important to remember that this isn't the BEST films of the year, rather the movies that I've found the most entertaining; not necessarily the best crafted, most awards worthy, or most powerful dramatically, as a professional film critic might see them.
Personally I'm looking for a re-watchablity factor in all these films (do I want to purchase it on DVD for future multiple viewings?) There's a longevity factor to consider as well; I might love the film now but will I still love it in a year from now, or ten years time? Finally there's that highly subjective personal factor that means a film might have a look, or theme, or a story, or characters that talk to my tastes as an individual, more than it might to others who have viewed these films. What I'm trying to say is, this is my list. If you don't like it, go and compile your own!
20/ Real Steel
Rocky with robots is essentially what Real Steel comes across as. But it’s character driven, looks like a billion bucks, has a great star turn by Hugh Jackman in the lead plus some of the most gripping boxing sequences since Balboa squared off against Ivan Drago.
19/ Paranormal Activity 3
The simple premise of having CCTV camera’s pick up the spooky goings on in a suburban family house doesn’t outstay its welcome for the third installment. In fact, with a more knowing script, a mischievous director and a change of setting to the early 1980’s, Paranormal Activity 3 is even more suspenseful than the fantastic second film.
18/ Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt 2
David Yates might be a classy, mature film maker but the meandering scripts of the last two Potter films didn’t allow him to show off his best work. Fortunately Deathly Hallows Part 2 is pretty much all climactic gravy to the saga. Beautifully staged, often powerful and (as with all Yate’s efforts) elegant, it’s a very fine capper to a hit and miss franchise.
17/ 127 Hours
Not many directors could have pulled off a drama where most of the action takes place down a crevasse where its protagonist’s hand is pinned under a boulder, but Danny Boyle does. Not the dour, miserable experience we were expecting but a vibrant, experimental, uplifting celebration of living.
16/ Hugo
A Children’s story that’s far too good for children. Scorsese turns his attention to a different genre an typically masters it, and then som. A lively and moving tale of the interconnectedness of all things (and people) while celebrating the art of cinema from it’s days of conception to the present day of digital projection, CGI and 3D.
15/ True Grit
A much darker and gritty take of the story that won John Wayne an Oscar. Jeff Bridges makes for a gruffer, but equally brilliant, Rooster Cogburn but it’s young Hailee Steinfeld that steals the film as the story’s true lead character. Impeccably shot and scored, this is now my favourite Coen Brothers movie.
14/ The Human Centipede 2 – Full Sequence
Last years original started many with it’s gross central concept, but this years sequel trumps that tenfold with a rawer, nastier, more primal take on the premise. It’s more intelligent too with a post modern look at the effect the original might have on a ‘troubled’ individual. Centipede 2 pushes the boundaries of horror into uncomfortable places…but that’s what horror’s supposed to do. Never has the phrase “Never go ass to mouth” been more appropriate.
13/ Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol
Brad Bird gives the Mission Impossible franchise (and Tom Cruise’s career) a much needed kick in the rectum with this globe hopping, ultra entertaining spy adventure. It may not be the best in the series, but by golly is it the most fun, with witty banter, stunning non-CGI stuntwork and a cast firing on all cylinders. It’s also has the best, most suspense fill set pieces of the year that put most other action flicks to shame.
12/ Super
Super takes the premise of Kick Ass one step further and places an everyman in the position where he becomes a real life superhero/vigilante. To make things interesting, he gives the hero psychologically ‘troubled’ and gives him a diminutive psychopath sidekick. Raw, quirky and told with an abundance of director James Gunn’s signature black humour.
11/ Thor / Captain America – The First Avenger
I still can’t decide which Marvel Studios superhero movie is better Thor or Captain America so I‘m going to cheat and include them here as one film. One is an intergalactic Shakespearean family drama the other a World War II man on a mission movie. Both are action packed, respectful of the source material, bags of fun with two great leading men in the title roles. Equally enjoyable but for different reasons.
10/ Drive
Take the classic western structure , dress it up with some 80’s neon, synth score and retro fashions and dump it squarely in the crime genre and you’ve got Drive, a sleek, stripped down thriller. It’s a bold mixture that might never have worked in lesser hands but director Nicolas Winding Refn nails the tone immediately. The cast are supurb too with Ryan Gosling owning the screen as ‘the man with no name’.
9/ The Adjustment Bureau
It’s been a great year for high concept, intelligent science fiction. One of the best is this Matt Damon starrer as he battle the forces of destiny to be with his one true love. Sound corny? Bollocks to that. Emily Blunt has her star wattage set to overload, it’s brisk, thought provoking, haunting, amusing, exhilarating and original.
8/ Attack The Block
The poster says it all; Inner City vs. Outer Space. Attack The Block lovingly references the golden age of b-movie, alien invasion flicks while fusing it with an urban hipness. The characters are well defined, the monsters iconic, the jokes all character based and well timed and the action super slick.
7/ Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy
An tense, elegant, old fashioned spy thriller that’s as densely plotted as a collapsed dwarf star and faster paced than a speeding comet because of it. Gary Oldman turns in a beautifully lowkey and nuanced performance as the ‘spy’ of the title but each and every member of the supporting cast deserve an Oscar as much as he does. Exquisitely mature work.
6/ The King's Speech
If Real Steel is Rock with robots then The King’s Speech is Rocky with public speaking. Telling an absorbing true story with an abundance of wit, an economic directing style and two leads with nuclear chemistry it’s a small drama with high stakes drama that made its Best Picture win at the Oscars more than deserved.
5/ Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Coming from studio 20th Century Fox and following their disastrous 2001 reboot of the Apes franchise ‘Rise’ simply shouldn’t have worked. But what you get is an exciting, intelligently directed science fiction thriller with cutting edge effects and a brilliant central performance (Andy Serkis doing mo-cap, not James Franco).
4/ Tangled
Despite it’s trubled production history and astronomic budget Disney re-enter the animated fairy tale arena with this gorgeous reworking of Rapunzel. The songs are pretty good and it looks great but it’s the witty banter, stunning comic timing and brilliant comic performances from it’s animated stars that make this the funniest film of 2011.
3/ Super 8
A thrilling and moving monster movie that trades off the Amblin films of the 1980’s as well as 50’s science fiction B-movies. Pleasingly character centric with fantastic performances from it’s child actors, particularly Ellie Fanning who proves she’s just as much as an acting freak as her sister, Dakota. Not quite perfect, but it’s emotional power over-rides is defects.
2/ X-Men First Class
Bryan Singer’s movie X-Men univers gets a 1960’s reboot coutesy of Matthew Vaughan who delivers the most exciting and the most fun franchise entry to date.
It’s a retro-Bond adventure crosses with a modern superhero sensibility with a fantastic ensemble cast that’s dominated by the ultra cool Michal Fassbender.
1/ Sucker Punch
Hated by the critics and largely ignored by audiences, this may be a controversial number one for anybody who’s not me, but sod it. It’s The Shawshank Redemption for the X-Box generation with director Zack Snyder making the case for the power of imagination over hopelessness using pop culture references from comics, musicals, manga, computer games, pop music, cinema, theatre, music videos, etc. By far the most inventive and visually rich piece of cinema this year backed by an outstanding soundtrack of reworked pop classics. An exhilarating assault on the eyes with a powerful emotional sucker punch to back it up. Love it.
Bubbling Under
Source Code, Hobo with A Shotgun, Cell 211, Rare Exports, The Woman, The Ides Of March. The Guard, Moneyball, 50/50
