Top 20 Movies of 2011
So I was doing my own awards for a while, but got sidetracked and kind of ran out of steam. Honestly, I kept coming up wit the same awards. However, something I can do easily that I should have done earlier would be a top list of the best movies from last year. Next post I will list the 10 worst films of 2011. Look for that tomorrow.
I was going to originally do a top 10, but realized there are 20 movies I would at least like to mention positively from 2011. These are not all Oscar quality. They are all also not just the top scorers in my stars/black hole rating system. In fact, they are all based on my very biased personal taste in movies. I am rating these on how much I enjoyed watching them. Also these are all just the movies I saw, so don’t bitch to me about something I missed that should be on this list.
20. Warrior–I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy this, but then actually did. Also, I’ll see anything with Nick Nolte in it.
19. Thor-I had some issues with the pacing on this film (like how does someone land on earth, do the whole fish out of water thing, convince the super hot Natalie Portman to dedicate her life to you, and save the world in about six hours of movie time) but overall it was fun and exciting, with a good lead into the Avengers.
18. The Smurfs–Again, fun movie, and a pleasant flashback to a less painful childhood memory. Also, Gargomel was awesome.
17. The Muppets-Another fun flashback. You don’t get much better than seeing Gonzo the Great wreck his own life.
16. Fast Five–For all that this is really not my kind of movies (driving movies usually bore me) this movie was a big surprise for me. The story wasn’t just added on to propel the driving and was reasonably functional. Overall a big surprise.
15. Paul–Most other reviewers excreted all over this film, but I enjoyed it. Of course, I dream of meeting an alien and hanging out with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, so I have a personal bias.
14. Real Steel–Another film that I am probably alone in loving, but I thought this film was really super fun. I could watch giant robots fighting all day and night. If only this film had shown the inevitable conclusion, when the robots rise up and destroy mankind. Also, I loved the idea of mixing futuristinc high tech with white trash culture.
13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt2–I avoided Harry Potter for years, and when this movie came out did a marathon watching of all of them. I was shocked at how much I ended up enjoying the whole series. Quite good.
12. Tower Heist–Eddie Murphy doing what he should be doing, plus the great Alan Alda. Story was good, cast was good, acting was good. Overall a decent experience, and it sucks that it didn’t make a ton of money.
11. Don’t be Afraid of the Dark–Do you want a movie that actually scares you because you care about the movie? See this one. Want to see something that you think is scary because they are stacking the bodies like cord wood? Look for something stupider.
10. Captain America: the First Avenger–This is how movies should treat comic books. I love the fact that they kept everything in WWII, like it should have been. Also, Hugo Weaving was amazing as the Red Skull (Red Skull image courtesy of the Comic Book T Shirts).
9. The Thing–I normally despise prequels, so you know it must be good if I am going to put it on my top movie list. If you ever saw the first one, see this one immediately. If you haven’t, see this one immediately and then see that one. You will not be wasting your time at all.
8. X-Men First Class–I thought this was the best comic book movie of the year, and easily one of the best origin movies so far. I did a whole diatribe about why most origin movies suck, and this one manages to avoid all the mistakes.
7. True Grit–Great remake of a great movie based on a great book.
6. Troll Hunter–This film sounds like a recipe for everything I hate in film: documentary, found footage, and subtitled. Yet somehow it is really amazing. The Norwegians can do it right.
5. The Descendants–Not my normal cup of tea (and I hate tea) but really good.
4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes–I have watched this movie about six times since I got it on DVD, and saw it three times in theaters. Love this film.
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo–Once I got past the whole horrific rape scene this movie turned into an amazing film. I am really looking forward to the next one.
2. The Artist–I know I just saw this last week, but I should have seen it in 2011. Really an amazing film.
1. Moneyball–I was really torn on this. I almost gave it to the Artist, but honestly you can’t really compare the two. I really enjoyed this film, although a big part of it might be from living in Oakland.
That’s it. Look for my worst movies of 2011 tomorrow. Follow me on Twitter @NerdKungFu or email me at [email protected]. Feel free to comment with your agreement or disagreement here as well. Talk to you soon.
Dave
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