What did we think of the films of 2011? Well here's our picks of the year...
So
here it is, the obligatory list of 2011's finest films. No doubt we're
not the only site you've visited that offers such a treat, but, as
always, we've done it a little differently. Not to be swayed by the
already released top 10s and award nominations, we've chosen films based
on what we thought throughout the year.
This list is not one of the finest written, directed or performed pieces of cinema this year, but of films that inspired and nurtured our love of movies. We think it's been a great year for film, and here lie some examples of why we thought so. There may be some unconventional choices, but who won't leave the year behind without some guilty pleasures secreted away?
Happy New Year and may 2012 offer an even greater feast of movie magic!
There's a valid debate as to what genre Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan fits
into but, by its place in this list, you can guess where we'd put it.
Part psychological drama, part titillating sexual exploration, the film
starts to lean towards the body-horror side of things very quickly, and
produces some of the best and most visceral shocks in film this year.
It's a haunting portrayal of a woman on the verge of a breakdown, but uses all of the most effective horror techniques to take the audience down there with her. Black Swan may be about ballet, but it takes its lead from seminal dance film The Red Shoes and explores the fearful side of the art form right down to its primal heart.
Runners -up:
What can we say about
The Inbetweeners Movie that hasn't
already been written, said, and plastered all over the posters? Well, we
can call it the finest comedy of 2011, and in a strong year for laughs
on both sides of the pond, that's quite a thing to say. No matter what
your particular taste in comedy is, you can't deny that the film outing
for the four E4 lads was a great achievement.
The truth is, everyone thought it was sure to travel down the Kevin and Perry route of crass humour and over-the-top set-pieces, but it took the formula and injected some very welcome heart and charm into proceedings. Its appeal crossed generational boundaries the series might never have been able to, and it made bucket loads of cash as a result.
Read our original review here.
Runners-up: 50/50; Bridesmaids
In other years, we might not have been able to name more than one
superior romantic-comedy for this look-back, but 2011 spoiled us with
several. The stand-our effort was Crazy, Stupid, Love which
just happened to star some of the best performers around, including our
no. 1 man of the year, Ryan Gosling and no. 2 lady, Emma Stone.
The film was unashamed of its roots, but delivered the possible clichés and over-worn story tropes with care and attention to making them fresh, and it paid off. CSL is a big bear-hug of a movie that uses its talented cast flawlessly to deliver laughs, tearjerking scenes and aw-shucks romance all in the space of 2 hours.
Read our original review here.
Runners-up: Friends With Benefits; Footloose
There was so much great sci-fi this year, but we've stayed on home ground for our pick of the best alien invasion of 2011. Attack the Block, from writer/director Joe Cornish, shared similarities with fellow sci-fi Super 8,
what with a group of youths caught up in an alien encounter in their
hometown, but this was more painfully honest about what might happen
should extra-terrestrial life actually land in inner-city London.
It was made before the London riots, of course, but stands now as an example of a 'good-will-out' morality tale where the hunters become the hunted. The gang, seen at the start mugging someone on their way home, are forced to help the same victim, while also staying alive amidst a nasty alien invasion. Attack the Block marks one of the most interesting and unique ideas in movies this year, and proves we can make sci-fi just as entertaining as the US.
Runners-up: Super 8; Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Yes, Drive might not be as action packed as its trailer
suggests, but how else would you sell such a quiet, considered, and
thoughtful film to a general audience used to the hi-jinks of the Fast and Furious franchise? The truth is, Drive
actually enters the action genre more and more towards the end, as Ryan
Gosling's character becomes embroiled in something he didn't want to.
It's an incredibly violent film, but has a grace and beauty that is almost never present in its genre's modern form. It certainly contributed to Gosling's stellar year, as he cuts through the frame like an old-school movie star, a charm that makes Drive often feel like a film out of its proper place and time.
Read our original review here.
Runners-up: Warrior; Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
We Need to Talk About Kevin courted much controversy this
year due to its 'improper' depiction of a relationship between mother
and son. We weren't supposed to discuss those parents that find
themselves feeling less than undying love for their offspring, but Kevin was doing exactly that.
The controversy was obviously misguided, as the film emerged as one of the year's finest, a splendour of cinema that used Tilda Swinton at her best to inhabit the role Eva, the woman who feels an unease about her first-born, Kevin, that continues through to his adolescence. It's a difficult film, but a story worth telling nonetheless.
Read our original review here.
Runners-up: Take Shelter; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
This is it, the end, finished, no more. That's a sentiment that was
hammered into us between the first and second instalments of Deathly Hallows
and, by the time it actually arrived, pretty much everyone was curious
as to whether the film could live up to its sizeable pressures.
The Potter films were never perfect, and the debate as to which was the strongest will go on until the end of time, but Deathly Hallows finished the series with a bang worthy of its legacy, pleasing fans of the books and cinema audiences alike. Unlike the first part, this was essentially an action movie that depicted the horrors of war while never losing sight of its characters, something not seen since The Lord of the Rings.
Read our original review here.
Runners-Up: Hugo; Thor
Animation shouldn't really be a category all by itself, as we're of
the persuasion that a great film is a great film no matter how it was
made, but it allows us to recognise more films than we would have
otherwise, so here we are. Tintin was a strange case, anyway,
as it was the most extensive use of motion-capture technology to hit
cinema in its history, and managed to be a stellar example of family
adventure as well.
It was also Spielberg's come-back movie after Indiana Jones 4, and his fingerprints could be seen all over it. The technology was great, the 3D actually managed to enhance the spectacle, and it was a joy to watch. Also, in a year devoid of any strong Pixar contender, it's a comfort that there was so much great animation to choose from.
This list is not one of the finest written, directed or performed pieces of cinema this year, but of films that inspired and nurtured our love of movies. We think it's been a great year for film, and here lie some examples of why we thought so. There may be some unconventional choices, but who won't leave the year behind without some guilty pleasures secreted away?
Happy New Year and may 2012 offer an even greater feast of movie magic!
Horror of the 2011 - Black Swan
It's a haunting portrayal of a woman on the verge of a breakdown, but uses all of the most effective horror techniques to take the audience down there with her. Black Swan may be about ballet, but it takes its lead from seminal dance film The Red Shoes and explores the fearful side of the art form right down to its primal heart.
Runners -up:
Comedy of 2011 - The Inbetweeners Movie
The truth is, everyone thought it was sure to travel down the Kevin and Perry route of crass humour and over-the-top set-pieces, but it took the formula and injected some very welcome heart and charm into proceedings. Its appeal crossed generational boundaries the series might never have been able to, and it made bucket loads of cash as a result.
Read our original review here.
Runners-up: 50/50; Bridesmaids
Romantic-comedy of 2011 - Crazy, Stupid, Love
The film was unashamed of its roots, but delivered the possible clichés and over-worn story tropes with care and attention to making them fresh, and it paid off. CSL is a big bear-hug of a movie that uses its talented cast flawlessly to deliver laughs, tearjerking scenes and aw-shucks romance all in the space of 2 hours.
Read our original review here.
Runners-up: Friends With Benefits; Footloose
Sci-Fi of 2011 - Attack the Block
It was made before the London riots, of course, but stands now as an example of a 'good-will-out' morality tale where the hunters become the hunted. The gang, seen at the start mugging someone on their way home, are forced to help the same victim, while also staying alive amidst a nasty alien invasion. Attack the Block marks one of the most interesting and unique ideas in movies this year, and proves we can make sci-fi just as entertaining as the US.
Runners-up: Super 8; Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Actioner of 2011 - Drive
It's an incredibly violent film, but has a grace and beauty that is almost never present in its genre's modern form. It certainly contributed to Gosling's stellar year, as he cuts through the frame like an old-school movie star, a charm that makes Drive often feel like a film out of its proper place and time.
Read our original review here.
Runners-up: Warrior; Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Drama of 2011 - We Need to Talk About Kevin
The controversy was obviously misguided, as the film emerged as one of the year's finest, a splendour of cinema that used Tilda Swinton at her best to inhabit the role Eva, the woman who feels an unease about her first-born, Kevin, that continues through to his adolescence. It's a difficult film, but a story worth telling nonetheless.
Read our original review here.
Runners-up: Take Shelter; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Fantasy of 2011 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
The Potter films were never perfect, and the debate as to which was the strongest will go on until the end of time, but Deathly Hallows finished the series with a bang worthy of its legacy, pleasing fans of the books and cinema audiences alike. Unlike the first part, this was essentially an action movie that depicted the horrors of war while never losing sight of its characters, something not seen since The Lord of the Rings.
Read our original review here.
Runners-Up: Hugo; Thor
Animation of 2011 - The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
It was also Spielberg's come-back movie after Indiana Jones 4, and his fingerprints could be seen all over it. The technology was great, the 3D actually managed to enhance the spectacle, and it was a joy to watch. Also, in a year devoid of any strong Pixar contender, it's a comfort that there was so much great animation to choose from.
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