Top 20 Favorite Movies of 2011

Well, 2011 has been a fun year for movies. There have been good times, there have been bad times, and I'm here to discuss them both, starting with the good times. I have seen a total of 59 movies, so don't be lost if one of your favorites didn't make it onto this list. Some of these I reviewed, and some of them I haven't, so I'll try to be as elaborate as needed. So, let's not waste any time and jump right into the list.



But before I do, I feel that it's necessary to mention one movie that couldn't make it onto the list but still gets a lot of appreciation.

My honorable mentioning is Drive. I made it an honorable mentioning because I get the feeling that this will be one of those cases where I didn't fully understand the film before, and I'll end up watching it again when it comes out on DVD and loving it. That happened with District 9, that happened with The Social Network, and it will most likely happen with Drive.


With that said, Drive is a damn good arthouse action flick that, in many ways, surpasses its big-budget, star-studded counterparts like The Fast and the Furious and Transformers. It takes the route (no pun intended) of developing dramatic scenes for the first two-thirds of the movie, then *BAM!* throwing in its intense action scenes in the last third. The style of the dramatic scenes is pretty unique as well. The characters only say what needs to be said, and then it takes the time to let that emotion sink in. On top of that, said emotion and characters are compelling. The anonymous driver pulls off his criminal schemes not out of devilish desires, but rather out of desperation as he has a debt to pay, and Gosling does a great job of pulling off his reserved nature in the first two thirds and his angry scenes in the last third. Carey Mulligan pulls off the innocent nature of Irene really well, making her equally as compelling. The cinematography is great, the editing is even better in its unique style, and when it does want to have intense action, it can be REALLY intense. But again, that's mostly due to development of emotion, giving the action purpose and allowing the audience to give a crap.


Now, with that said, the movie does have one major flaw. While I can relate to the emotion and the characters are compelling, there's a certain lack of energy to it. That's not to say that I would've preferred a full-out action movie; in its dramatic style, that would've been equally as boring; but in the drama scenes, they could've made the dialogue more riveting. I think the most riveting line I can remember in the movie is "If I drive for you, you give me a time and a place. I give you a five-minute window, anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours no matter what. I don't sit in while you're running it down; I don't carry a gun... I drive." If there was more dialogue like that, this would've been an absolute masterpiece. But like I said, it mostly relies on only saying what needs to be said and giving room to breathe so that the emotion can sink in. It's not a bad way to do things, and I can understand why people love that style, but for me, it might have been given too much room to breathe.


With that said, Drive is one of the better arthouse movies. If you haven't seen it yet, definitely rent it when it comes out on DVD.


Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at my Top 20 Favorite Movies of 2011!

20.Limitless

Now THIS is what I call riveting! Limitless follows a writer named Eddie Morra, played by Bradley Cooper, who takes a drug that allows him to use 100% of his brain capacity, as opposed to the usual 20%. As a result, he learns many things like playing the piano, speaking foreign languages, and working in the stock market at an incredible rate. This also allows him to look at the big picture of things, which gets the attention of a power dealer named Carl Van Loon, played by Robert De Niro, who's attempting to merge his company with another in an attempt to get everyone to come to him for electricity. Alongside what I consider to be a smart and witty plot, the movie mostly relies on the style of its incredible visual flair and the likability of its cast. Bradley Cooper is charismatic, but also quite mature in his role, and it's also really cool to see Robert De Niro in a role where I see him as less of a goofball and more of an elegant leader. Throw in one of the best soundtracks of the year, and you have yourself the adrenaline rush of 2011.

19.Winnie the Pooh

Sometimes, I find it hard to believe that I still watch kids movies at the age of 18, but Winnie the Pooh is one of those movies that reminds me why I still do. The movie follows the residents of the Hundred Acre Woods to find a new tail for Eeyore, while Pooh searches for honey as usual. It delivers on the nostalgia, making the characters just as likable as they were before. At the same time, its pleasant, simplistic style in terms of story and animation and its likable, if not forgettable, musical numbers make it fun for newcomers young and old, as well as easy to get into. It was pretty risky from a business perspective for Disney to send out another Winnie the Pooh movie, since it's not an entirely popular franchise, and it did bomb pretty badly at the box office, but I'm glad to have seen this movie.

18.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Even though I was hyped for this movie, given Fincher as the director and one of the best teaser trailers I've ever seen, I still felt surprised at how good it turned out to be. Essentially, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a story I was already familiar with. It follows a man named Mikael Blomkvist, played here by Daniel Craig, who's brought on to find a girl who had been missing for 40 years. He accepts the job in the hopes that this will help prove his innocence in a libel case he had previously lost. After finding out that he had been spied on and hacked, he gains the help of his hacker, Lisbeth Salander, played by Rooney Mara, in the hopes that her skills will help him solve the case. This wasn't like Avatar where the story itself could still be intriguing even though we heard it several times before. This was a mystery story that I knew the solution of because I had seen the Swedish version before. So, how did it still turn out intriguing? Well, there were two things I loved about it. First of all, the style in which the story had been told in terms of music, cinematography, editing, and an amazing opening sequence on par with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly made the story seem more like dramatic irony, making it fun to see the characters put the pieces together. The other thing was Rooney Mara's performance. I mean, I liked Noomi Rapace in the Swedish version, but Mara completely commits herself to this role to a point where she seems alien. It's a performance on par with Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Granted, it's not a perfect movie. It could've used a bit more breathing room, Mikael is essentially a character that could've been played by anyone, and the additional material at the end seemed out of place. With all of that said, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of Fincher's most intense movies yet, and easily one of the best movies of the year.

17.Bridesmaids

Typically, I will go to see any movie that gets good reviews, but the one genre I usually pass up on is chick flicks; not because they're supposed to be for girls, but because of how filmmakers portray girls and how much of an effect such movies have had on society. Surprisingly, Bridesmaids does not succumb to such cliches and delivers one of the funniest movies I've seen all year. The movie follows Annie Walker, played by Kristen Wiig, who is asked by her friend Lillian to be the maid of honor at her wedding. She meets her fellow bridesmaids and immediately grows jealous of Helen, who Lillian keeps describing as "perfect". The whole movie centers around the six of them preparing for the wedding, running through all these wild and often times vulgar antics. On top of being a lot of fun, the movie is surprisingly intense with some undeniable drama. Annie keeps trying to ruin every great thing Helen does for Lillian's wedding, but essentially, that ends up ruining the wedding just as much. Annie has to learn to get along with Helen, while also not letting her anger get in the way of her day-to-day life. I know I might be digging too deep into what is essentially a comedy, but that's what I got out of it alongside plenty of funny and original antics.

16.50/50

This is a damn good example of how it doesn't matter whether or not a story is predictable, but rather whether or not you care about what happens to the characters. 50/50 follows a man named Adam, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who finds out that he has a back tumor and that there's a 50/50 chance that he could die. He talks to a psychologist named Katherine, played by Anna Kendrick, and his best friend Kyle, played by Seth Rogen, who attempt to bring him out of his misery. In the end, however, his fear of death overcomes all that.  People have called the movie predictable, but when you get right down to it, it could only end with either Adam living or dying. Essentially, all that matters is whether or not you want him to live, and for me, Adam is a likable and relatable character, and only partially due to Gordon-Levitt's likability. He has so much that he wants to accomplish in life, and for him to possibly reach the end is terribly depressing for him, and all these people trying to cheer him up just pisses him off. The movie transitions between humorous and serious scenes smoothly and keeps a good balance between the two, often times using the humor to soften the drama (and make the characters more likable), while also using the drama to make it much more relatable than just flat-out humor. If you haven't seen it yet, definitely check it out.

15.Rango

Rango is a case of insanity given a firm narrative structure, resulting in a highly creative and surprisingly witty animated flick. The movie follows an anonymous lizard, voiced by Johnny Depp, who ends up plummeting out of the back of his owner's car in the middle of a desert highway. He travels to a western-style town called Dirt where, in order to survive, he sets himself up as a hero named Rango and becomes the sheriff of the town. But the town's water supply gets stolen, and he has to set up a posse to find it. While I personally found the movie to be extremely funny, the movie relies less on its humor and more on using the structure of a western to deliver creative images and witty antics. Everything from the gritty style to the incredible Hans Zimmer score gives the movie the feeling of a classic western, but the one thing it does differently is it gets creatively weird, ranking it on par with some of Nickelodeon's best TV work. The animation is incredibly well-detailed, thankfully not succumbing to typical faults like 3D or motion capture. The role of Rango was clearly written for Johnny Depp, as he considers himself an actor who can play any role, and Depp does an extravagant job. Do not miss this one, folks. It's a wild ride you won't soon forget.

14.Thor

More than just a visual dazzle, Thor seamlessly blends sci-fi and fantasy through beautiful visuals and an intriguing epic story. The movie follows Thor, the god of thunder from the mystical realm of Asgard played by Chris Hemsworth. He's banished to Earth by his father, Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins, for disobeying his order to not bring his relations with the Frost Giants of Yodenheim to war. He meets a scientist named Jane, played by Natalie Portman, who has been studying cosmos for years. She agrees to help Thor get back to Asgard if he gives her the answers she seeks. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the movie has some of the best visual design that a premise like this could possibly get, but it backs up that dazzle with its emotion. By that, I mean its balance between humor and drama, as it gives the movie just the right tone so that the audience takes it just as seriously as it takes itself while also not taking itself entirely seriously. With that said, Thor's character arc is intriguing. He starts off as an arrogant, war-driven man and has to understand that an act of war is meant to protect those who are innocent. It's a wonderful tale that results in one of the best blockbusters of our generation, as well as one of Marvel's finest.

13.Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension

Cheating? Perhaps, but a movie is a movie, and Across the 2nd Dimension is too awesome to ignore. The movie follows the duo, Phineas and Ferb, as they transport to another dimension with Dr. Doofenshmirtz where another, more evil Doofenshmirtz has taken over their city. Their pet platypus, Perry, reveals himself to be a secret agent who fights Doofenshmirtz all the time, and he has to work with Phineas and Ferb to stop the 2nd Doofenshmirtz from traveling to and taking over their dimension. At a time when the show wasn't quite on par with the previous seasons, this TV movie brings back the greatness of its glory days. It's a smart, witty, and wonderfully hilarious adventure that will grab the attention of kids and adults alike. The songs are catchy and upbeat, undoubtedly going alongside the Emmy-winning music from previous episodes as some of the best songs Disney has sent out in years. The only thing that makes it inferior to the other movies you'll see on this list is that its production value, while astonishing for a TV movie, is still pretty low. If this were given a bigger budget and released in theaters, it would've been the perfect movie for the franchise. As it is, however, it's still a great return to form for the franchise. Whether you see it on a DVD rental or on Netflix's instant stream, do not miss out.

12.Captain America: The First Avenger

When I heard this movie was being made, I thought it was going to suck. There was no way they could give a superhero this silly his own movie and possibly make it even halfway decent. Surprisingly, though, Captain America turned out to be one of the better superhero movies. The movie follows Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, whose constant attempts to enter the army get the attention of Dr. Abraham Erskine. He puts Steve in an experiment that turns him into a strong super soldier, and after putting on a few shows as the mascot Captain America, he decides to use that symbol in combat to symbolize his separation from humanity as he fights against the evil Johann Schmidt, AKA Red Skull, played by Hugo Weaving. Yeah, it's still pretty silly, but much like Thor, Captain America gives it just the right tone so that the audience can take it just as seriously as it wants to. Apart from dazzling visuals, well-constructed action, and by far my favorite score of the year, the one thing that catches my attention the most about this movie is how the character is so simple, yet so compelling. He doesn't have a character arc or even any problems to overcome in his personality. He's a good guy whom the audience can get behind, and for a superhero movie, what else do you need? It's amazing how well Marvel has handled their superhero movies in recent years, and I look forward to The Avengers later this year.

11.Kung-Fu Panda 2

Dreamworks has not impressed me over recent years. They're constantly shoving out crap in the hopes that something will work out, and when something does, they always bombard it with constant sequels. When Kung-Fu Panda worked and they said they were going to create a sequel (or five), I was indifferent. However, I was very surprised at how much I loved Kung-Fu Panda 2. The movie follows Po once more as he attempts to stop the evil Shen from using his fireworks to destroy the very foundation of kung-fu. While on this journey, Po realizes that he was adopted and tries to find out who he really is and why he was abandoned. This movie is not quite as funny as the first. For one thing, it keeps padding the joke of Po being adopted and how he never realized it before, and to be honest, the rest of the jokes barely did anything for me. However, everything else about the movie is far superior to the first one. The animation is at a much higher scale, the action scenes are much more exhilarating and uniquely established, and the story of Po trying to find his inner peace is surprisingly complex. In the first movie, the message just felt tacked on, but here, it feels like the story intertwines with the message. It's one of Dreamworks' finest, and by far my favorite animated movie of 2011.

10.The Muppets

Just the name alone can sum up why this movie is so great. The Muppets is a home run that tugs at the heartstrings of the nostalgic and provides plenty of laughs for newcomers. The movie follows Walter, a kid who never really fitted in with the crowd, but grew fond of the Muppets because he could relate to them. One day, his brother Gary, played by Jason Segal, takes him to Los Angeles to visit the Muppets Studio, only to find out that it's about to be bought out and torn down by an oil digger named Tex Richman, played by Chris Cooper. Walter then finds Kermit, and they decide to get the Muppets back together for one last show to save the studio. I wouldn't call The Muppets a cinematic masterpiece, but it doesn't need to be nor does it want to be. It exists in its own gleeful, "Muppet-sational" world of random but incredibly catchy musical numbers, constant but clever forth-wall jokes, and many, many celebrity cameos that are awesome just for being there. What else needs to be said? The Muppets is downright fantastic.

9.War Horse

You may or may not know this about me, but I can get behind a story we've all heard before if it's told with passion. It makes the movie feel alive. And let me tell you, War Horse definitely has a passion behind it. The movie tells the tale of a horse named Joey, who starts off on a farm where he connects with a boy named Albert. Eventually, he's sold to the military and ends up in the hands of Captain Nicholls, played by Tom Hiddleston who you might recognize as Loki from Thor. The movie utilizes the digital technology of today and combines that with an old-fashioned filmmaking style, resulting in a rather clean looking movie, or at least as clean as you can get while still making war look harsh. Throughout the movie, Joey is put through all the hardships of war, and throughout the movie, the audience is hoping that he will push through it all and come out alive. Why? Because he shouldn't have to go through that! HE'S INNOCENT, I TELL YA! DON'T LET HIM DIE! One of the best scenes of the movie is when Joey is running through what is called "No Man's Land". There wasn't a moment in that scene when I wasn't on the edge of my seat, and the fact that I was so connected with such a simple character means the movie really works. Do not miss this one.

8.Warrior

Yet another story we've all heard before, Warrior for the most part is Rocky all over again, but it's told with the same passion that elevated it to the top in the first place, and the result is equally as relatable, if not more so. The movie follows Tommy Conlon, played by Tom Hardy, a school teacher who used to be a boxer. He gets into a financial slump and decides to get into another boxing gig just to get himself out. Everyone is trying to get him against that just to save his life and his reputation, but he still moves forward with it. Much like Joey in War Horse, I was constantly rooting for Tommy in this movie because I wanted him to get out of his financial slump. Surprisingly, though, this movie also takes a lot of twists that essentially make it more than just Rocky all over again. I won't spoil anything, but let's just say that not only is the final fight different, it's also much, MUCH more dramatic. Tom Hardy pulls off a great performance, finding the right times to be reserved and the right times to let out the character's anger. I didn't expect it to be this good, but believe me when I say it is.

7.X-Men First Class

This is by far the biggest surprise of the year for me. The X-Men movies have been pretty underwhelming for me, with the only real remarkable entry into the franchise being X2. On top of that, doing a prequel like this just seemed like it would end up in a mess. However, the result is the brilliant entry that the franchise has needed for years. The movie follows Xavier and Magneto as they start up their mutant academy by gathering up mutants here and there. Meanwhile, they're trying to find a man named Sebastian Shaw and stop him from starting up World War III. The movie has some choppy CG effects, but its brilliant script, stellar performances, intense score, and well-established directorial style from director Matthew Vaughn more than make up for that. It's seriously one of the greatest comic book movies of all time.

6.Super 8

A derivative twist? Debatable, but I personally agree. A predictable twist? Absolutely. You see the name Steven Spielberg, and you know it's either aliens, war, or treasure hunting. Did that twist ruin the entire movie? Of course not. Super 8 relies less on its twist and more on its compelling emotional drama. The movie follows a young boy named Joe Lamb, who's attempting to help his friends create a zombie movie. While shooting a scene by a train, they witness a giant crash and attempt to find out what caused it, but are blocked out by the authorities. This leads to them constantly investigating to find out what they're trying to hide. Through all of this, Joe meets up with a girl named Alice whom his father has been trying to keep him from, and he finds out some deep secrets between the two of them, including the fact that she's not as bad as his father makes her out to be. Every character in this movie has an arc, they all intertwine with each other, and though the ending is more predictable than it thinks it is, the way it ties Joe's arc with that twist is very well-established. Really, my only problem with this movie is that it tends to get pretty silly. It's actually reminiscent of The Goonies. However, it's so dramatic and so tightly plotted that I end up forgetting about that. Add in a brilliantly chilling score and some fantastic production value, and you have yourself one of the best sci-fi movies of the year.

5.Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Now THIS is what I call a damn good prequel. Even though I have yet to see the other movies in the franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is still a deep and dramatic sci-fi movie that deserves recognition. The movie tells the tale of how Caesar, animated here by the famous Andy Serkis, was first created. He is born out of a mother ape given an enzyme designed to repair brain damage, which was carried on into him, allowing him to grow vastly intelligent. However, after a conflict with some neighbors, he's taken over to a safekeeping facility where, of course, he's treated like an animal. So, he gathers up with the rest of the apes in an attempt to create a rebellion against mankind. The movie's style of showing how man is no less of animals than apes is deep and thought-provoking, which is cool because that's usually a moral that gets treated poorly. The visuals are incredible, but less in how detailed and believable the artifical-looking CGI is and more in what images said CGI delivers. Serkis does an amazing job in his role, and the other actors, including James Franco who finally gets the mature role he deserves, do their jobs well. I look forward to renting the other movies in the franchise.

4.Hugo

While I'm not as huge of a fan of Martin Scorsese's work as most people, I do appreciate the man himself for using his love for movies as motivation for making them. Hugo is a case of Scorsese celebrating cinema, resulting in his masterpiece. The movie follows Hugo Cabret, a homeless boy in Paris who's attempting to put together a robot that he and his father had worked on while his father was still alive. He finds out that it's the property of the famous filmmaker George Melies, who went into hiding from the world when the world had forgotten about his films after the war started up. The movie discusses how cinema is a thrilling adventure of an experience while being just that on its own. Hugo is another one of those characters that is compelling simply because he's innocent, but alongside that, his intentions throughout the movie are relatable. On top of that, the visuals are beautiful, incorporating Scorsese's signature style into a family-friendly manner and utilizing the 3D to its full advantage. Sure, you probably saw The Muppets over this, but whereas The Muppets didn't try to be a masterpiece, this one, to put it simply, is a masterpiece.

3.Midnight in Paris

I'm trying to figure out why I consider this movie to be so friggin great. I would go as far as to say it's really, REEEEALLY close to being downright perfect. Much like Woody Allen's other classics, Midnight in Paris manages to draw both compelling drama and tear-inducing humor from its surprisingly likable protagonist. The movie follows Gil, played by Owen Wilson, as he constantly spends his nights drunk, wandering through the streets until he hallucinates meeting his favorite classic authors in person. The movie establishes that trying to reminisce into your nostalgia makes you lose sight of what's important in life in the present, as Gil keeps going further and further back into the past. I wasn't sure how I would adjust to Owen Wilson, as he does tend to get on my nerves, but he handles his role surprisingly well. I would go as far as to say he tops the protagonists that Allen himself played. The result of all of this is one of Woody Allen's finest, and by far the best arthouse movie of the year.

2.Source Code

As I've proven with this list, there are movies that are moralistic in specific categories like cinema and nostalgia, but what about a movie that broadens to moralizing life in general? For me, Source Code is that movie. The movie follows Colter Stevens, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, a pilot taken out of a mission to participate in a program known as Source Code, which recreates accidents in a digital interactive world. He's put into a recreation of an explosion on a train, and his mission is to find out where the bomb is and who activated it to stop the bomber from causing further accidents. All of that is made into an intensely thrilling plot, but what really catches my attention is what happens towards the end. Without spoiling anything, the movie creates a representation of how life can be more cheerful than most people are willing to admit, though it did take several recreations through Source Code to figure it out. Basically, what the movie tells its audience is to make every second count. Add in a great performance from Gyllenhaal and a brilliantly thrilling soundtrack, and you have yourself one of the best sci-fi movies of all time.

And my #1 favorite movie of the year is.....

When I place Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as my favorite movie of the year, I admittedly don't look at the movie on its own. Rather, I look back at the great legacy that this franchise has created; all the good times, all the hard times, the fun and laughs, and the dramatic moments that left an effect on the life of these kids; and look at this movie as the conclusion of that legacy, as that's essentially what that is, and I can honestly say that there couldn't have been a better a better way to conclude the series. Harry realizes all the sacrifices his friends have made for him, from the death of his parents to the massive number of bodies piling up at the battle at Hogwarts. He realizes that in order to stop Voldemort, he has to make that same sacrifice for them. Any non-compelling character would just run away if he knew he had to die, but Harry faces that fear and confronts what he should have confronted from the beginning. The Harry Potter movies are the kind of movies that more blockbusters should be like. They deliver on the necessary morals, they mature along with their audience, and they only use their technical wizardry to tell such amazing stories. What's especially amazing about this movie is how it leaves no doors open. It's over. Every story comes to an end, and this is how this money-grubbing story ends. That's a really big risk that most blockbusters would be too afraid to take. All of that is enough for me to dub it as my favorite movie of 2011.

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