Top Ten Movies of 2011

This is my eighth annual Top Ten list. It's running rather late this year but it's just in time for Oscar season. Our daughter Jade was born in September and movie time was definitely on the lighter side as Cam and I tried to keep up with our little one...

As before, this list only accounts for movies that were officially released in 2011. I saw 39 new releases in all this year. I only considered the movies that I actually saw but there are still 56 movies on my future wish list. I'll have to balance out that number eventually. And without further ado...

[10] The Company Men (Link)
This is a little drama with a bunch of recognizable names and faces like Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper. My fave actor is probably Kevin Costner in an understated supporting role. This film has a few different perspectives about the recession and it certainly has some strong opinions to consider, even if it is rather preachy and everything gets wrapped up with a nice bow in the end.

[9] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (Link)
This was a big, bold ending for the series finale, and it was way better than Part I. Some of the actors whined that this wasn't nominated for Oscars and whatnot but I don't agree with 'em. The last two movies were basically a long search for 7 MacGuffins, which was convoluted and dramatically inert. The gigantic battle and the final plot twists were lots of fun, though, so it still makes my list for the year.

[8] Limitless (Link)
This is one of those movies that came in under the radar and really surprised me. I've been a fan of Bradley Cooper since his days on Alias and he had no trouble holding the movie on his own, and duking it out with Robert De Niro. The concept was oodles of fun and they stretched out the idea really well. Great pic to recommend to friends.

[7] Super 8 (Link)
Sure, sure, it's a "found camera" monster movie. However, it also boasts the talents of J.J. Abrams, which is another shout-out to Alias. That automatically sets the bar high, a goal they had no trouble achieving. It focuses on a group of kids making home movies back in the late 70's. The young actors did a superb job and it was all quite satisfying in the end.

[6] Captain America (Link)
Hooray for the modern age of comic book movies! This led a big pack of films including Thor and Green Lantern. Tommy Lee Jones shows up in this flick, too, but the star of the show is clearly Chris Evans. The fact that he played the "scrawny" version of Cap for the first half hour was impressive, both in terms of CGI and plain acting. The story was true to the comic origins and it had a most excellent foil in the form of the Red Skull. The villain was brought to life by Hugo Weaving and it was a perfect old-school Captain America movie. Makes me wish they could have more movies set during WWII instead of fast-forwarding to setup the Avengers movie.

[5] Bridesmaids (Link)
This was definitely the comedy of the year, nothing came close. Sharp writing, layered characterization, actors inhabiting their roles - no kidding it gained so much acclaim. It's a pity the Oscars keep things so serious. Granted, I can't put this any higher on my list due to the gross-out humour but I won't hold that against them. Funny is funny, right? I dare anyone to watch and not laugh out loud a bunch of times.

[4] The Help (Link)
This movie got robbed. It should have won both acting awards for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. (Yeah, I'm not a fan of the fact that the Academy is comprised of so many old white males.) I don't enjoy dark and depressing movies and I didn't know how far they wanted to go in this one. Fortunately, it had plenty of drama and major themes without being brutal on me emotionally. Well, it did get me choked up one time when everyone was gathered in the living room...

[3] X-Men: First Class (Link)
This was my surprise of the year. Waddayaknow, Fox can actually allow a director (Matthew Vaughn) to make a good movie once in a while! The backstory of Professor X and Magneto was the bedrock for everything, and I got a kick out of Kevin Bacon as the big baddie as well. Granted, this conflicts at times with the other X-Men movies and the comics but those are mere nuisances that I was able to overlook since everything else was so well done. High praise coming from a serious comics geek like myself.

[2] Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Link)
The very best way to see this movie is in IMAX 3D. Wow, that was an experience and a half! Knowing that Tom Cruise was actually hanging around outside the world's tallest building made it thrilling, but peering over the edge of the skyscraper was almost too much for me too handle. Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner were the perfect complements to Cruise, and Cruise brought his A-game this time. I also have tons of respect for the director, Brad Bird. This may have been his first live-action flick but he's a resident genius at Pixar and great film-making knows no bounds.

[1] Hugo (Link)
Well, it seems like I agreed with plenty of critics out there on this one. The primary reason that this tops my list for the year is that it really resonated with me and stayed in my brain. You know how easy it is to forget some movies? This one tied back into real-life film history (with a slight sci-fi twist) and the true stories mixed with the fantastical imagery to create something that I won't ever forget. I actually saw this with my buddy Adam and he thought it was kind of slow and lifeless. I'll agree that it takes a while to get going but once it does, it grabs a hold of your mind's eye and sears itself into your grey matter. I really enjoyed this version of Scorsese (drink!), and Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley left a great impression as well. Highly recommended and you'll learn something, too.

Honourable Mentions:
Fast Five, Cowboys & Aliens, Ides of March, Paul

Most Disappointing
Your Highness was aiming for The Princess Bride territory but it got lost in so many lewd jokes that I have a hard time recommending it to anyone.

Worst Comic Book Movie
This award goes to The Smurfs. I have a bunch of Smurf comics in both English and French ("Les Schtroumpfs") and I grew up with the TV show. Hank Azaria was a lot of fun as Gargamel but it was kind of painful to sit through the whole thing. Just for fun, though: Does anyone know how old Papa Smurf was when the Smurfs made their first appearance in the comics? ;)

My Previous Top 10 Lists:
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008,2009 & 2010

References:
Top Grossing Movies of 2011