2011 seemed like yet another year in the erosion of Hollywood. There were a few gems but for the most part, the theaters were littered with more sequels, more 3D exploits, and more of the same garbage just to make a buck. The festival circuit, thankfully, continued to offer up some great examples of independent cinema that saw a little box office success but 2011 was still a down year with the highest grossing movies being exactly what you, and the studio, would expect: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (3D sequel), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D sequel), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (sequel), The Hangover Part II (sequel), and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (3D sequel). Would you believe it or, none of those movies make it on my top movie list. Here are the ones that did:
Top 5 Best Narratives
Sound of My Voice
Brit Marling was the darling child of both Sundance and South By Southwest this year. She starred and co-wrote both amazing films that premiered there: Another Earth and Sound of My Voice. Another Earth got a theatrical release while Sound of My Voice got picked up by the same studio, Fox Searchlight and will hopefully be released in 2012. The movie tickled me in a way unlike any other movie this year and quickly became my standard to compare the rest of the year’s films. The movie deals with cults just like Martha Marcy May Marlene which ended up on a lot of others’ top 2011 movie list.
Attack the Block
Attack the Block, not Attack of the Block, was wicked cool. People mistakenly describe many movies as non-stop action but this movie is literally non stop. With a banging electro soundtrack from Basement Jaxx and great acting chops from fresh newcomer kids alongside the funny Nick Frost, this movie takes a new twist on the alien invasion scenario. Some complain that it’s kind of hard to understand what people are saying (since it’s a British movie and they speak a mixture of ebonics and patois), but it’s actually not that bad – and really natural.
50/50
I still don’t understand why people didn’t go see this movie. I understand it deals with a very sensitive subject, but many movies do. The beauty of 50/50 is that it balances its comedy and drama perfectly…almost exactly (get ready for the pun) 50/50. Seth Rogen is his typical self which is a great support in the film while Joseph Gordon-Levitt does an incredible job depicting a range of emotions and states that his character must go through.
Stake Land
This is an imaginative apocalyptic vampire zombie movie. Done before? Sure, but not quite like this. Jim Mickle and Nick Damici took the campy genre and turned into a deep character-driven epic journey. It’s like if The Road had a pulse. While most genre films do not get the respect they deserve, Stake Land demands the respect because it’s just a great feature rich film that happens to have horror elements in it. As I’ve said before, it’s my new favorite zombie/vampire movie and you should definitely check it out…
Drive
What more is there to say about Drive? By now you’ve either decided that you love it or hate it. I think it’s the perfect example to distinguish between a blockbuster action movie and an art house action film. Ryan Gosling once again proves himself as one of the best upcoming actors of our time. Combine that with a hard hitting big bass soundtrack and impeccable direction from Nicolas Winding Refn and a slew of supporting actors, Drive is one of the must see movies of 2011.
Top 3 Documentaries
Senna
SENNA was the best documentary of 2011. Even if you’re not a documentary fan or a sports fan, this movie will have you tied to the screen from beginning to end. Ayrton Senna de Silva was such an incredible figure in real life that this documentary about him is well deserved. Words aren’t enough to describe the feeling you get from this piece of work, you just have to experience it for yourself.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Get ready to shed a tear. Being Elmo is a touching and beautiful story that proves that good things do happen to good people. It’s the story of Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind the magic of Sesame Street’s Elmo. You get to see him in his professional life as well as a bit into his personal life where he must struggle with the fact that he neglects his own child to make so many other children happy.
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
If you’re not a fan of Morgan Spurlock yet, this movie will do it for you. It’s the funniest of his movies and still has a message. It’s the most meta movie of 2011 taking us through the process of product placement in films while being a movie about product placement in films. The keyword for this project is transparency allowing the audience to see exactly what goes on behind the camera in terms of the marketing side of business. Spurlock strikes documentary gold once again with this hilarious look in the mirror.
Bottom 5 Movies
I’m fearing the movies that come out in the beginning of 2012 because the first couple of months of 2011 were so awful. Terribly awful. Here are my top bottom 5 of 2011 (4 of which came out in the first 3 months): Season of the Witch, Beastly, Red Riding Hood, Sucker Punch, and Dream House.
I know I missed a few amazing (and awful) movies, so which were our favorite and most hated movies of 2011?
Tags: 2011, 50/50, Attack the Block, Beastly, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, Dream House, Drive, Red Riding Hood, Season of the Witch, Senna, Sound of My Voice, Stake Land, Sucker Punch, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
