Top Ten Favorite Movies of 2011

Like I have mentioned before, I felt 2011 was a surprisingly strong year for movies. Some of these movies reintroduced classic formats, told a new story, revived a series or were just great to watch. I haven't seen every movie in 2011 so if a movie is not on my top ten or on my honorable mentions, then I probably haven't seen the movie yet. This was an extremely tough year for my list since there were so many good movies out, but here is my top ten favorite movies of 2011.

10. The Muppets
Director: James Bobin

Being a huge fan of the Muppets growing up, I was amazed on how well they handled this film. The songs, the humor and the cameos...all were right for a perfect Muppets movie. I am so happy that they used the real Muppets in this film rather than CGI, it's a fresh and nostalgic change for once. No one thought that the writers of Forgetting Sarah Marshall could revive the Muppets in a beautiful and heartwarming way, but they exceeded all expectations here. In fact, this may be the happiest film of 2011.

9. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Director: Brad Bird

Who honestly knew that the director of The Incredibles, The Iron Giant and Ratatouille could make one of the most consistently entertaining action movies in a long time? Well, I am not sure of that. Before this installment, the Mission Impossible series was known for making somewhat disappointing films. The most recent one before this was known as the best in the series, but the box office was poor due to Tom Cruise's antics during release. Five years later, we have the best installment in the series. The set pieces are well put together, the acting is pretty top-notch for an action film, and the action scenes are simply BEAUTIFUL. Not one sequence has had made me worried or scared for a character in a while like the scene when Tom Cruise is climbing up the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest building. Simply put, out of all the action films released this year, this one's my favorite.

8. Attack the Block
Director: Joe Cornish

A fresh, fun and original alien invasion flick. The movie is set in the slums of London, where a youth street gang must face off against aliens invading their neighborhood. The characters are easy to fall for, even though they are criminals, their personalities and secrets make you root for them in the end. The aliens are very original looking as well, they are different from any other aliens I have seen. The setting itself is a fresh and fun place to be in for this film, it's different from New York or Chicago. The end result is a fun, hilarious and cool homage to alien invasion films.

7. Warrior
Director: Gavin O'Connor

Most people looked at this film as a Fighter ripoff. The only similarity between those two films is the fact that it involves two brothers. This film right here is possibly one of the most emotional and human films of the year. The acting from Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte is wonderful- Nolte deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as a former alcoholic father trying to reconnect with his family. The fighting scenes are very intense, it really shows the brutality of MMA fighting. But most importantly, it shows the battered relationship between these two brothers in a stunning climax that will leave people talking. This is one of 2011's criminally under seen surprises.

6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Rupert Wyatt

Another one of 2011's biggest surprises. The highly intelligent and engaging plot is what makes this prequel so intriguing. The acting all around is fantastic, but it's Andy Serkis's motion capture performance as Caesar is what shines and is truly Oscar-worthy. The special effects are amazing, the apes looked pretty realistic this time around. I haven't seen a Planet of the Apes movie until this one, and I'm curious to check out the other ones. I am also stoked that they are making a sequel to this film, let's hope they get the same crew that made this one a success!

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2
Director: David Yates

The series could have not ended on a better note! This installment is the most heartbreaking, magical and beautiful of the series, it may just be the best one of them all. The acting is the strongest here: it shows how Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have matured into their roles. Alan Rickman is also phenomenal as Snape, it's a shame he will most likely be forgotten at the Oscars for this powerful and heartbreaking performance. The set design and direction were very well handled for this movie. A series I grew up with is now over, but what a perfect way to end it.

4. X-Men: First Class
Director: Matthew Vaughn

In my opinion, 2011 was a strong year for superhero movies. This one right here is easily the best one of 2011. The director of last year's wonderful Kick-Ass did a fantastic job reviving the X-Men series as shown with this film. The plot and the writing are top notch, it shows the origins of each character very well. The special effects look really cool as well, they handled the set pieces very well. The acting is very strong for a superhero movie: Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult and James McAvoy all give wonderful performances. But it's Michael Fassbender as Magneto who steals the show, every action scene he's a part of is a spectacle to watch and when not in action, his scenes are still very compelling. This is easily the best X-Men movie of them all and I hope Matthew Vaughn continues with this series since he did such a wonderful job with this one.

3. Drive
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Here is an action movie with a style of its own and wants its own identity. Unlike other recent action movies, Drive has a compelling plot, strong characters and an unique style. From the opening sequence playing dark 80's-esque techno music, you can immediately tell that this is a film unlike any other. Ryan Gosling gives one of the year's best performances as the Driver, a near-silent performance that portrays cool from the beginning: one scenes he's wooing his neighbor, the next he's killing a thug in an extremely graphic way. Albert Brooks gives a unique performance as the evil mobster. Normally, he's the funny guy, here he's a serious, evil and violent man. The film builds up slowly at first, then becomes overly violent, similar to a samurai film style. Drive is simply compelling, intelligent and unique. One of 2011's memorable gems.

2. The Descendants
Director: Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne has returned from filmmaking after 7 years! And what a great film 7 years of waiting is worthy of. The Descendants is a beautiful human story, one that mixes humor and heartbreak gently. George Clooney gives the performance of his career here, and I will be extremely disappointed if he does not win Best Actor. The plot is great, it tells a realistic story without ever boring the audience. One scene has the audience laughing, the next has them close to tears. It's a beautiful film that deserves a lot of recognition at this year's Oscars. However, there is one film I feel deserves a lot more recognition.

1. Hugo
Director: Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese's latest is my favorite movie of 2011! This is easily his most ambitious film in his canon. It's not only his first children's film or his first 3D film, but also his most personal film. The end result is a magical, beautiful ode to early filmmaking. The visuals are enchanting to watch from the views of Paris to the train station. The 3D enhances the beauty of the visuals of this film, in my opinion, it may be the best 3D to date. The acting is great as well, with a compelling performance from Ben Kingsley and innocent child performances from Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz. The plot is what makes this film so ingenious, most people will think Hugo is about a orphan trying to find a secret message from his father. However, the film is about something much closer to Scorsese's heart: the magic of movies, in particular, early cinema. It shifts to a history lesson of early cinema beautifully and it never gets boring. Some moments in the movie are even inspired by early cinema, in particular the slapstick antics of the Station Inspector (played by an energetic Sacha Baron Cohen). Hugo is simply movie magic at its finest, which is why it's my favorite film this year.

Honorable Mentions: Bridesmaids, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Horrible Bosses, Kung Fu Panda 2, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Rango, Source Code, Thor, Winnie The Pooh


Hope everyone enjoyed reading my list. Feel free to comment on my list, or write some of your favorite films of 2011. Stay tuned for some reviews coming your way soon!