1. Warrior
2. Midnight in Paris
3. Moneyball
4. Super 8
5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
(Honorable Mentions):
- X-men: First Class
- The Help
(Notes: Most of these movies were surprises for me, especially Rise and Super 8. I don’t think these were the best or most challenging or most ingenious movies of the year, simply, these were the best moviegoing experiences I had of 2011. I was drawn into the plots and lost myself in the worlds these movies created. I highly recommend all of them.)
Top 5 Worst Movies of 2011
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Unknown
- Just Go With It
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
- Drive
(Notes: alright alright. I know Drive is making most serious and learned critics favorite movies of the year lists, but I am not a serious or learned critic. I thought Gosling’s performance was so understated that I couldn’t care less about him in the movie. I like what director Nicolas Winding Refn was trying to pull-off, but the over stylized, glossy frames wear on the viewer, the ultra violence doesn’t off-set the calm, coolness of the writing/acting, but simply confuses the audience. I was highly disappointed.)
Top 5 Movies I still need to see:
- The Tree of Life
- Certified Copy
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- Martha Marcy May Marlene
- The Artist
Top Underrated Movies of 2011
- Source Code
- The Adjustment Bureau
- Warrior
I am wondering why Sherlock Holmes made your "worst" list. Although I have not seen it, many around me have and said it was great, and that it may have even been better than the first. Just wondering your reasoning behind your choosing :)
ReplyDelete-Brittany J.
Well.... i like RDJR and Jude Law quite a bit; however, i think rachel mcadams was wasted. noomi rapace felt out of place and wasn't given much to work with. she did what she could with subpar material, but ultimately, her character was necessary in order to move the plot along.
ReplyDeletethe basis of sherlock holmes is grounded in logic and reality mixed with mild humor and much wit. however, in this movie, so many people die, and the violence is so over-stylized (too many slow motion sequences!) that all the playful banter between holmes and watson cannot make up for the bleakness of the film. I was confused as to whether or not i should be laughing or weeping over the state of man.
lastly, instead of making the plot interesting and digging deeply into characters, situations, and sets, the movie seems to pick up and move to a new location every 10 minutes. Each new character, development, tension, and laugh seems to get its own backdrop. there was nothing to hold onto.
To be fair, I also didn't like the first one. So, maybe I came into it with my own presuppositions. I also know many people who liked it and am glad they had a better experience than i did!