The 10 Films of 2011
Written by Paul Stathakis | January 29, 2012
In 2011, we were taken on a classified mission which was impossible to forget because it was incredibly entertaining. We spent midnights in the Paris of the 1920s. We watched a baseball team try to beat the odds. We rooted for a boy and his special horse. We were carried into the lonely universe of a soft-spoken getaway driver. We watched, painfully, as a young man coped with a baffling disease. We were reminded of that crazy little thing called love as a middle-aged man took notes from a young handsome mentor. We were introduced to a bureau unlike any other, unafraid to make special adjustments when necessary. There was a group of funny bridesmaids who proved that they could be as funny as a group of hungover ushers. We also got a lesson in politics when we were taken behind-the-scenes of a presidential campaign to see how messy things can get. And, finally, we were charmed by a little silent picture that, ironically enough, spoke to us more than any other “talkie” this year. These are the films that marked 2011. These are the ones you’ll want to see if you like your movies the way I like them. Enjoy.
1. The Artist
(Dir. Michel Hazanavicius, PG-13, 100 min)
2. Drive
(Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn, R, 100 min.)
3. Moneyball
(Dir. Bennett Miller, PG-13, 133 min.)
4. War Horse
(Dir. Steven Spielberg, PG-13, 146 min.)
5. Midnight in Paris
(Dir. Woody Allen, PG-13, 94 min.)
6. The Adjustment Bureau
(Dir. George Nolfi, PG-13, 106 min.)
7. The Ides of March
(Dir. George Clooney, R, 101 min.)
8. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
(Dir. Brad Bird, PG-13, 133 min.)
9. Bridesmaids
(Dir. Paul Feig, R, 125 min.)
10. 50/50 (tie)
(Dir. Jonathan Levine, R, 100 min.)
10. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (tie)
(Dir. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, PG-13, 118 min.)
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Honorable mentions: Horrible Bosses, Rango, Super 8, Limitless, The Trip, and Larry Crowne (this one’s a guilty pleasure, I enjoyed it, I thought it was good old-fashioned fun)
Biggest disappointments of the year: The Change-Up, Bad Teacher, Your Higness, Hall Pass, Trespass, No Strings Attached, The Green Lantern, Straw Dogs, Carnage, and Hugo (who would’ve ever thought that a Martin Scorsese picture would ever disappoint?)