I am closing the book on 2011 films. I took in 43 films last year and managed to stay away from a lot of crap in my opinion. There were some guilty pleasures of course but for the most part I was pleased with the chosen titles. Here's what I won't be seeing:
As I stated previously I didn't see a lot of bad films since I'm being a bit more selective. For example Cowboys & Aliens was a silly premise but I knew that going in and I didn't think it was too awful but here's the list of the "worst" films that I saw in 2011:
20. X-Men: First Class
19. Kill The Irishman
18. Hugo
17. Cedar Rapids
16. Thor
15. Ides Of March
14. Outrage
13. Martha Marcy May Marlene
12. Melancholia
11. The Debt
These films were all well acted and nicely done but the top half was tough. Thor was the best of the superhero films. I liked Hugo but not enough to put into the top 10. Ides of March was real good make no mistake but I had enough issues with it (albeit relatively minor) to keep it out as well. Some titles might be in other people's top films but this is my list. Here are 6-10:
10. Bellflower
9. Conspirator
8. A Dangerous Method
7. Margin Call
6.The Guard
The Guard was in the top 5 but I saw it early in the year. It's easily the most audience friendly in terms of pacing, dialogue and action. Margin Call had an all-star cast all of whom brought their "A game." All these films that are in the top 20 I would recommend. Here it is, my top 5 films of 2011:
5. Drive - I liked this film a lot. Some might not agree that this is a top 5 film but it makes my list and I won't apologize.
4. The Skin I Live In - this was one of 3 foreign films I saw & it has everything including a lot of strange plot twists. I was glued to my seat and was not able to see things coming. People should see this film.
3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - what can I say, I dig a good spy thriller. Excellent cast that was excellent and a few plot twists. I didn't have a problem with the pacing but some people might. Another must see.
2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - I don't think it got a nomination (despite the academy going to 10 films, WTF?) but I thought this lived up to expectations and more. Another excellent cast that did an excellent job. Fincher is a director that when he puts out a film, you have to see it.
1. Descendants - I may have liked the #2 entry more but this was a flawless film. I would be stunned if this film doesn't get the Oscar.
Now I'm not going to watch the Oscars and as of now I don't even know what's been nominated or if the nominations have come yet. Hope you enjoyed reading this and as usual, your input is welcome. Hope all is well.
- The Artist - sure it may win best picture but I'm just not interested.
- The Iron Lady - it's a given that Streep will win best actress, she has no peers.
- Tin Tin - yes it's Peter Jackson & Spielberg teaming up but I'm not into it and I saw Hugo.
- War Horse - just wasn't into it, probably spectacular visually but I took a pass.
- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - it's my anti-Bullock sentiments that get in the way.
- Flowers of War - I had a chance to see this during the NYC Film Fest Extravaganza but since it clocked in at 2:30 it made fitting other films around it difficult so it got cut.
As I stated previously I didn't see a lot of bad films since I'm being a bit more selective. For example Cowboys & Aliens was a silly premise but I knew that going in and I didn't think it was too awful but here's the list of the "worst" films that I saw in 2011:
- There Be Dragons - big disappointment, I expected more.
- Transformers 3 - too over the top
- Sucker Punch - you'd think that hot babes in revealing outfits dispatching zombies & other hideous creatures via machine gun & samurai sword would be cool. It wasn't.
20. X-Men: First Class
19. Kill The Irishman
18. Hugo
17. Cedar Rapids
16. Thor
15. Ides Of March
14. Outrage
13. Martha Marcy May Marlene
12. Melancholia
11. The Debt
These films were all well acted and nicely done but the top half was tough. Thor was the best of the superhero films. I liked Hugo but not enough to put into the top 10. Ides of March was real good make no mistake but I had enough issues with it (albeit relatively minor) to keep it out as well. Some titles might be in other people's top films but this is my list. Here are 6-10:
10. Bellflower
9. Conspirator
8. A Dangerous Method
7. Margin Call
6.The Guard
The Guard was in the top 5 but I saw it early in the year. It's easily the most audience friendly in terms of pacing, dialogue and action. Margin Call had an all-star cast all of whom brought their "A game." All these films that are in the top 20 I would recommend. Here it is, my top 5 films of 2011:
5. Drive - I liked this film a lot. Some might not agree that this is a top 5 film but it makes my list and I won't apologize.
4. The Skin I Live In - this was one of 3 foreign films I saw & it has everything including a lot of strange plot twists. I was glued to my seat and was not able to see things coming. People should see this film.
3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - what can I say, I dig a good spy thriller. Excellent cast that was excellent and a few plot twists. I didn't have a problem with the pacing but some people might. Another must see.
2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - I don't think it got a nomination (despite the academy going to 10 films, WTF?) but I thought this lived up to expectations and more. Another excellent cast that did an excellent job. Fincher is a director that when he puts out a film, you have to see it.
1. Descendants - I may have liked the #2 entry more but this was a flawless film. I would be stunned if this film doesn't get the Oscar.
Now I'm not going to watch the Oscars and as of now I don't even know what's been nominated or if the nominations have come yet. Hope you enjoyed reading this and as usual, your input is welcome. Hope all is well.
1 comment:
"Anti Bullock" is the credo by which I make all my movie-watching decisions.
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