My Favourite and Least Favourite Movies of 2011

   No, that title isn't a typo! :) My best-and-worst list for 2013 will be coming tomorrow, but for now, in accordance with the lists I post every Monday, I think I'll share the first annual recap I ever did. I already posted my recap of 2012, but I did do another one before I started this blog.
   Since I'd seen tonnes of people do lists of their favourite and least favourite movies of the year, in 2011 I decided to join the club. Out of the movies I'd seen that year, I did a recap of the year, picking out my favourites and least favourites, and posted it on December 31st. But, of course, in the time since then, I've seen quite a few more movies from 2011. And in some cases, I may have rewatched some of the movies that I'd already seen and found they only got better with repeat viewings. So what I'll be sharing with you now is not the original list that I posted at the end of the year itself, but rather a more up-to-date version.
   And keep in mind that, though I do try to see as many movies as possible, I didn't see absolutely everything that came out in 2011, and even today I still haven't got round to everything I wanted to. So there might be some glaring omissions on these lists, particularly for the worst-of one.
   There are quite a few films that I'm sure would have been in the running had I seen them, though. So, before I get to the actual top ten list of my least favourites of the year, I'm just going to call out a few movies that I haven't seen, but that I'm sure would be bad enough to be contenders.

   The first movie I'll mention is The Fast and the Furious 5, which I avoided for the simple reason that I haven't seen any of the first four. But from what I've heard, there is absolutely no reason for this movie to exist! The original film was about street racing, but they've long since abandoned that idea to make the series about whatever the hell they want. To quote Film Brain, the original was about people with cars, but by now the series is just about people who happen to have cars, which is a huge difference.
   In fact, there were several shameful-sounding sequels that I was able to get out of just because I hadn't seen their predecessors, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2, Spy Kids 4 and Big Momma's House 3 – which, honestly, just hurts me to even know that it exists!
   Neither did I see the remake of Footloose, again because I hadn't seen the original yet. But I've heard that the remake is a complete carbon copy, which of course is never a good thing.
   Johnny English Reborn looks excruciatingly painful! I like the original enough, but I still don't think it warranted a sequel. Besides, there was only one part in any of the trailers that made me laugh; all the rest just had me facepalming.
   Abduction – you know, that one with Taylor Lautner – got some of the worst reviews of the entire year, so it might well have been in the running too.
   And finally, a movie that probably would have been in the top three had I gone to see it (but I didn't because I still had some shred of dignity left) is, as you can probably guess, Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. Now, the trailer for this popped up a few times when I went to see other movies in the cinema, and I felt dirty just having to sit there and watch that! I guess it still gives its target audience exactly what they want, but I'm sure I'd find it just as dull, overlong and vapid as any of its predecessors.

   And now on to the actual list. :)

#10 = J Edgar

It breaks my heart that this is on the list, because I'm a big fan of Clint Eastwood as a director. So imagine my disappointment in this case. I mean, what happened, Clint? I kept catching brief glimpses of what this movie could have been, but I was constantly distracted by consistently poor lighting (and not just in the scenes where everything's dark) and the absolute worst old-face makeup I've ever seen, so I didn't care about either of the two stories the movie juggles. A good biopic of J Edgar Hoover could certainly be possible, but this definitely isn't it!


#9 = Rango

I already talked about this in the top ten movies that I hate but everyone else loves, so I don't want to repeat myself too much. I didn't mention before, though, that I never bought into the idea of the desert animals setting up their own town like this. I know it's a typical kids' movie setup, but it always seemed kind of pointless to me. The extremely realistic-looking CG animation is admittedly cool, but Happy Feet came out five years earlier, and I think it handled that animation a lot better. And like I said before, it's just not a pleasant film to watch.


#8 = New Year's Eve

This is a movie like Valentine's Day that's so obviously trying to be Love Actually, with its schmaltzy tone and a huge ensemble cast. Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I really do like Love Actually. But this movie, even though it makes it clear that it's trying to tug on your heartstrings, is simply not in the same league. Maybe it's because I don't feel the same way these characters do about New Year's, or maybe because I simply don't like any of the characters themselves or their situations. In any case, this is an ill-conceived, unfunny and joyless movie.


#7 = Battle: Los Angeles

In this case, the key word is "boring". Oh, God is this movie boring! It's pretty much just wall-to-wall military combat, which gets old really fucking fast! The fact that so much of the action is shot in shaky cam certainly doesn't help, because it means you can't even see what's happening. And even though it takes the time to introduce all its characters at the beginning, it's pointless because there are so many and they're thrown into the action so quickly that you're not given any time to take them in, which just strips you of your final reason to care.


#6 = Bridesmaids

Probably the most unpopular pick on my list. This is another one I already covered in the hate-but-everyone-else-loves list. You know my main problem is that the characters are complete immature assholes. So perhaps I should address the humour in the movie. It didn't do a thing for me at all. It seems to stem mostly from the fact that these characters are women, and women aren't supposed to do things like take massive shits in a sink! I only laughed once in the entire movie, and ironically it's when a character says, "Don't laugh!" :D I really just don't see the appeal of this film.

#5 = Horrible Bosses

This movie can kiss my ass! Again, I already covered this one in the hate-but-everyone-else-loves list. Yeah, 2011 was a really big year for my disagreeing with the public! :) I really thought I was going to like this flick, but it turned out to be one of the most unfunny so-called "comedies" I've seen in quite a while. As far as making me laugh, this one has all the no-nos: clowning and screaming just for the sake of clowning and screaming, completely idiotic characters who don't know when to shut up, and thinking it's being cute by arbitrarily referencing other, better movies.


#4 = Auschwitz

I guess I really should have expected no better from director Uwe Boll, but there really is no excuse for fucking up a subject matter as serious as Auschwitz. The middle section of the film is not believable as a drama because the actors never convince you of the torture they're supposed to be going through, and the documentary side of it is laughable because of the absurd stupidity of the teenagers being interviewed. You can get a bit of fun out of spotting typos in the subtitles, but for the most part it's just a mind-numbing, festering ball of nothingness.


#3 = Priest

I haven't read the comic books this movie's based on, but they surely can't be this bad! The whole narrative is kind of like a runaway train. It all rushes along at breakneck speed without ever bothering to set up its characters, and the action scenes seem so rushed that they never have a chance to excite. As a result, the running time is reduced to about eighty minutes, and it's maddening because you never have a chance to get invested. The sheer level of frustration I felt while watching this movie is really what puts it at the number three spot.


#2 = Sucker Punch

Perhaps the most annoying and despicable movie of the year. I highly doubt it accurately represents retreating into your mind as a coping mechanism! And it fails as an action fantasy because none of the action scenes have any tension or stakes whatsoever, since they are, after all, just in the main character's head. The oversaturation of CGI robs them of any grandeur, too. But my real issue with the movie is how downright mean-spirited it is, with one of the most shockingly cruel openings and endings I've ever seen. It's just a thoroughly unpleasant movie, and it really left a scar in my soul.

But, there was really never any doubt what #1 was going to be.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is seriously one of the most boring, worthless movies I've ever seen in my life. It's certainly not as bad as Revenge of the Fallen, but that would be one hell of an accomplishment! It still has many of the same problems, though, like the practically nonexistent story, the unrelenting, tiresome action scenes, the disgracefully vulgar humour, and the special effects that look like they belong in a PS2 game. The Transformers sequels perfectly sum up everything that's wrong with the film industry, and Dark of the Moon is just such a nothing movie that it was, hands down, the most miserable movie-watching experience I had all year.

Runners-up:
• The Dilemma bills itself as a comedy, but takes itself so seriously that it's actually quite depressing to watch.
• The Hangover Part II is just a mean-spirited copy of the first one.
• Mars Needs Moms is boring and nonsensical, so it's no wonder it was such a gigantic bomb!
• Red Riding Hood tries way too hard to be Twilight, ending up being just as dull and poorly acted.
• Retreat is so predictable that it's not suspenseful at all – just kind of nothing.
• And Season of the Witch occasionally gets laughably stupid, but overall it's just underwhelming and not entertaining.

   Well, there you have it: the top ten 2011 movies that really made me regret my compulsion to stick with any movie to the very end. So now let's wash those ten awful tastes down by going to the other end of the spectrum! :) Here are my top ten favourite movies of 2011.
   Now, again, I admit this list may be as yet incomplete, because there were several reputedly good movies that I still haven't seen, like The Help, The Muppets, The Descendants and many others. So again, this is just going by what I've seen to date.
   So, without further ado, let's get started. :)

   First I'm going to throw in Rio as an honourable mention, because this, honestly, was the surprise of the year for me. I was all ready to hate this one in advance, but it turned out to be one of the finest family films I've seen in quite a while. The characters are interesting, the colourful nature of the rainforest is used to good effect, and there aren't even as many songs as you might expect, which proves that kids can handle straightforward drama. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and am most disappointed that it ultimately got bumped off the list.

   Which begins now…

#10 = Captain America: The First Avenger

If the Transformers movies are big-budget blockbusters at their worst, then these Marvel Comics movies are definitely the best kind! Why? Because they're not stupid! They're witty stories based on interesting characters. And this is by far my favourite of the four building up to Avengers Assemble. Thanks to the careful build-up in the first two acts, you get a perfect sense of the character's ideals and root for him completely, and his progression to superhero status actually makes a lot of sense. Plus, the action scenes are just fantastic. It all perfectly balances the line between legit drama and tongue-in-cheek fun.

#9 = X-Men: First Class

This was actually my first exposure to the X-Men franchise – I'd seen neither the classic animated show nor the first three movies – and what a place to begin on! :D It does a terrific job at juggling its many characters so that they all get their moment in the spotlight, and everyone's motivations are crystal clear (even if I do think James McAvoy is slightly miscast). The action scenes are some of the best I've ever seen in a comic book movie, particularly the flying scenes. I was looking forward to seeing other X-Men material anyway, and this most definitely got me hyped! :)


#8 = Drive

If you're expecting a high-octane, Fast and the Furious-style action-fest, then you're going to have to excuse this one, because that's not what it's all about. It's a drama first and foremost, and it really takes its time to let its characters develop relationships in plenty of quiet moments. These moments spent getting to know the characters are so tender and work so well that every act of violence later on feels like a genuine punch in the gut, and that makes the action scenes even more exciting. And, of course, you have a stellar, chilling central performance by Ryan Gosling.


#7 = Hugo

Hugo was sneered at before its release, since it was Martin Scorsese's first family film. But, as it turned out, it towers high above many family films on the market these days! :) The film really demonstrates Scorsese's love for cinema, by having the classic era of silent film be central to the plot, and it's rich in themes of purpose, dreams and imagination. I should also mention that I did see it in 3D, and it looked glorious! As well as one of the best movies of the year, it's one of the most intelligent and charming family films in several years.


#6 = March of the Dinosaurs

Granted, it's a TV movie, and a documentary at that, but it shows that even the natural world can make for a compelling narrative story. It's divided into two parallel stories: a juvenile Edmontosaurus called Scar joining the perilous thousand-mile migration south from Alaska, and a young Troodon called Patch trying to survive the winter back home. I was far more interested in Scar's story; I really felt for him when he starts to run into peril after he gets isolated. It's one of my favourite dinosaur films ever, and the main reason I can't take the recent Walking with Dinosaurs movie seriously.

#5 = The Skin I Live In

This one is nearly impossible to talk about without getting into heavy spoilers, but, suffice to say, it kicks insane amounts of ass! :) Antonio Banderas stars as a scientist with a troubled past, who's working on a new type of skin. But he's hiding a cold secret behind the closed doors of his experiments. Banderas firmly casts his ladies' man persona aside here, and gives a fantastically dark performance. And when the truth behind the experiment is revealed, you will be talking about it, most likely confused and deeply shocked. But you're going to have to find out why for yourself.


#4 = Attack the Block

This movie does something incredibly rare, which is to set up completely detestable characters in the first ten minutes (young South London hoodlums) and quickly get you to root and cheer for them. So, as they defend their apartment block from an alien attack, I'm along for the ride one hundred percent. Most people might opt for a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster, but this is my idea of simple entertainment: a relatively low-budget indie flick that's immensely fun to watch because you get the feeling that everyone was having a blast while making it. That's all there is to say: it's just so much fun! :)

#3 = Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

I'm a Harry Potter fan through-and-through, and this franchise finale was everything I wanted it to be – and more! This is the first Harry Potter movie that I'd call genuinely great! :) It's easy to dismiss it as simply an action-filled offset to all the build-up in Deathly Hallows: Part 1, but what really sets it apart from all the rest is how it manages to perfectly balance really intense battle scenes with genuine heartfelt drama. It all amounts to a relentlessly captivating thrill ride. It has to be the closest a Harry Potter movie has come to being my favourite movie of its respective year.


#2 = Source Code

Not since Groundhog Day have I seen such genius in the concept of reliving the same circumstances repeatedly! :) Director Duncan Jones really is establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with. I'm a big fan of thrillers, especially sci-fi thrillers, and this is one of the smartest, most exciting and most intriguing I've seen in a long time. It's 2011's equivalent of Inception: twisty and complex, but also very entertaining to watch. I even love the ending, though a lot of people say it let the movie down. On the original end-of-year list, this was straight in at number one.

But my #1 favourite movie of 2011 is now… The Artist

I didn't catch this until January 2012, and it completely blew me away! :) If Hugo was classic silent film in theory, then The Artist is silent film in practice. It attempts to recreate those olden-day silent movies, which today have a charm all of their own. It just goes to show that you don't need bright colours or even sound to make a great movie: just a good story. When sound is used, it's used to terrific effect. And the story itself is a deeply heartbreaking one, about a silent film actor losing his job with the coming of sound movies – which, again, rings very true, since it's reminiscent of what happened with a lot of actors in real life. The Artist is a flawless tribute to the roots of cinema, and it truly deserves every ounce of praise it gets. It's nothing short of genuine movie magic.

Runners-up:
• Arthur Christmas is one of the best Christmas movies in many years, embracing the whimsy of the holiday.
• Crazy, Stupid, Love is a surprisingly charming romantic comedy, thanks to its stellar cast and fun scenarios.
• The Ides of March is one of very few political movies I could get into, because it's more about trust and betrayal than anything else.
• Paul was probably the funniest movie of the year, thanks in no small part to Paul himself.
• Puss in Boots is a relentlessly witty and fun adventure that I liked better than any of the Shrek movies.
• Rio, I covered already.
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a wonderfully exciting ride, with near-perfect build-up and character development in the first two acts.
• And Submarine is a low-key, poignant comedy drama that really succeeds in putting you in the mind of a teenager.

   And those are my lists of my favourite and least favourite movies of 2011. I hope you enjoyed them. Be sure to check in tomorrow for my best-and-worst recap of 2013. And next Monday, the first list I post in the brand new year will probably be my most anticipated so far.
   So have a great New Year, and I'll see you on the other side. :)