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It was a lackluster year for the movies. The bad
movies were just slightly abysmal, while the good movies failed to be great
movies. We couldn't find a single amazing movie out of the bunch in 2011, but we
came close to finding ten really good movies, and ten really bad movies for the
year. 2011 was just a lull for everything in pop culture and the media and you'd
be hard pressed to find something excellent that stood out among the rest of the
muck. 2011 had a varied year of films, but while we did find more than enough
great movies to fill our top 10 we didn't find a masterpiece until the end of
the year, and even then we're having a hard time using the M word. Nevertheless
2011 was a year for new experiences, unique films, and most importantly
underdogs. The best films flopped and the worst films excelled at the box
office. There were surprises, some neat twists and of course the box office was
at its all time lowest. While Congress is working on that censorship thing with
SOPA, we appreciate our time delivering these top ten lists for our readers.
Sure they may not be the most agreeable lists on
the site, but they arouse conversation and we love to debate with our audience.
What with the increasing demand from the indie world we weren't able to cover
all of the year's films, but we tried to tackle all of our most promising and we
compiled lists of 10 great films, and 10 really bad ones. And for the first time
ever we compiled five indie films you should look out for. Of course we couldn't
catch many films in time due to our demands on the site (Warhorse, The Girl
With The Dragon Tattoo, Take Shelter, The Artist), but we have a nice little
mélange of 2011's banner films that we felt warranted mentioning. So by all
means indulge in Cinema Crazed's official Top 10 and Worst 10 of the year 2011!
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10.5. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Directed by Eli Craig
Magnet Releasing
Out of
all of the comedies to come to theaters this year, no
film made me laugh harder and more frequently than
"Tucker and Dale vs. Evil." Take the talented Tyler
Labine, and the ultra-talented Alan Tudyk, put them in
to horror trappings, compile a meta-movie and throw in
some dark comedy and you have comedy gold. Whether you
can classify this as horror comedy or dark comedy is
debatable, but "Tucker and Dale" is a movie that was
struggling for distribution and it's not a shock. It may
be a hard movie to market to fans. But like many others
of its ilk it's now just a shelf filler waiting to be
discovered by a comedy fan or horror geek. |
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It's a
simple movie that takes the psychotic hillbilly premise
and throws it in to its head twisting it in to a
self-aware and awfully ridiculous comedy that takes two
hapless well meaning brothers (both in the tradition of
Laurel and Hardy) and pits them against testosterone
fueled college kids, all of whom are convinced Tucker
and his brother are straight out of "Texas Chainsaw
Massacre." I knew very little about this film going in
to it, so suffice it to say I was shocked to discover
this film was awfully clever and rather rip roaring
funny at every turn. Plus no one can handle one-liners
and deadpan humor like Alan Tudyk. No one.
Best of the Best:
Best
Woodchipper scene since "Fargo."
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10. Hobo with a Shotgun
Directed by Jason Eisener
Magnet Releasing
Some audiences love it. Some absolutely hate it. But
we appreciate the heart and soul behind "Hobo with a
Shotgun," because we appreciate indie success
stories. For the uninitiated, "Hobo" began its life
as a fake trailer at the beginning of the 2008 event
film "Grindhouse" and was so popular and beloved it
eventually became its own film under the grindhouse
banner. Incidentally it ends up being even better
than its daddy "Grindhouse" and presents much more
soul than fellow spiu-off "Machete." Infinitely more
watchable than both predecessors, director Jason
Eisener's revenge thriller is a gritty, grimy, and
disgusting tale about a man seeking redemption
trying to preserve the soul of a child in a harsh
and amoral world that looks to destroy lives and
innocence at every turn. |
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Rutger Hauer's
return to form is magnificent as this man on the
verge of madness who seeks justice with his
shotgun at his side, taking on gangsters, thugs,
and a pair of brilliantly armed swordsmen, all
of whom want to taint Hobo's city, and damned if
he's going to allow them to destroy his reality.
"Hobo" will split everyone down the middle, but
our hearts are with the indie film circuit as
they often go overlooked and under appreciated.
"Hobo with a Shotgun" is a very underrated gem
and we proudly own it in our gallery of
grindhouse nail biters.
Best of the Best:
The head in the
manhole sequence followed by the blood geyser
dance is truly memorable.
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9. Insidious
Directed by James Wan
FilmDistrict
We're big fans of
the "Paranormal Activity" series and "Insidious"
feels as if someone took "Poltergeist," cribbed
some of the most harrowing moments from Oren
Peli's series and created a sick and twisted
hybrid with one of the most demented climaxes
we've seen all year. "Insidious" is a hell of a
scary film with some brutally intense moments
that rely on a unique concept to draw out
tension and suspense in a truly creative turn
that assembles an unusual cast to battle dream
demons in a dark world trying to consume a boy's
soul. James Wan has the ability to invoke this
incredibly original tone with his films, even
when he fails to deliver the goods and
"Insidious" never escapes the clutches of his
truly genius storytelling prowess. |
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The family on
the brink of destruction is one who finds
themselves at the mercy of a group of evil
spirits residing in a dream plain anxiously
trying to fight for the soul of a little boy
who has an innate ability to travel
dimensions in his sleep. With Patrick
Wilson, Rose Byrne and the incomparable Lin
Shaye, "Insidious" is a warped and often
uneasy bit of supernatural cinema that
succeeds in frights and jump scares with
pure ease and skill. Moments in this film
left us in awe and the final scene is so
absolutely twisted you'll turn around and
watch this all over again as soon as humanly
possible.
Best of the Best:
The "Tip Toe
Through the Window" sequence is still
haunting.
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8. A Lonely Place to Die
Directed by Julian Gilbey
IFC Films
We can't for the
life of us understand why over exposed
talentless waifs like Milla Jovovich are being
pegged action heroines when the true article has
been making movies for years and proving herself
to a wide audience. Melissa George is a real
action heroine, a woman willing to do whatever
it takes to show her abilities on screen and has
taken many roles in truly great films that have
gone under the radar and utterly unappreciated.
An understated beauty and unusual sex appeal,
George is more than capable of handling herself
in the thriller and action genre and shows her
chutzpah yet again in "A Lonely Place to Die."
In this unique and utterly harrowing picture,
George stars as a mountain climber who, along
with her friends, discovers a young girl in a
hole begging for her life. What begins as a
disturbing discovery amounts to a fight for
survival against all odds as two hitmen are on
the trail of the mountain climbing group led by
George. |
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George's
character evades death and injury at every
turn, taking the situation under control to
ensure the survival of the young kidnapped
girl, and does whatever it takes to live.
George impressed us in "30 Days of Night,"
wowed us in "Triangle," and tops herself in
this claustrophobic survivalist thriller
that's action packed, utterly engrossing,
and filled with surprises at every turn.
It's one of the more riveting movie
experiences of the year. We love Melissa
George, and you should too.
Best of the Best:
The mountain
climbing scenes will have you clutching your
partner's arm in agony.
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7. Martha Marcy May Marlene
Directed by Sean Durkin
FOX Searchlight Pictures
One thing I love
about this movie is that the character of Martha
Marcy May Marlene is such a brainwashed tool
that everything spouted from her mouth is
borrowed from somewhere. Taken from someone.
Learned from something. And expressed in the
guise of someone she looked up to previously.
Martha Marcy is a girl without an identity,
she's a woman without individuality. When she's
not spouting off about values and morals taught
to her by her sister, she's often expressing
views that were frequently explained by her cult
leader in her previous life. Martha Marcy may
come off as a character almost impossible to
root for. She makes bad decisions, she has no
empathy to her, and she has nowhere to go in
life. But what do you expect from a woman whose
never grown? What to expect from a young girl
whose never quite learned to think on her own? |
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She went from
strict parents to learning to think by the
rule of a cult, right back in to mainstream
society where she's forced to confront
violations of the tenets of her cult before
her very eyes. And all she can do is preach
with the reliance that her cult leader's
words will perhaps express some truths she
believes or subscribes in. Elizabeth Olsen's
performance is such a revelation here
because everything Martha Marcy says is
greeted by a subtle double take by Olsen as
if to ponder "Did I really just say that?"
and "Do I really believe that?" Every
action, every gut reaction is borrowed and
she's nothing but a hollow shell of a woman
trying to find where she begins and her
teachings end. Olsen is something of an
understated beauty whose appeal is not
surprising in the film. She's enticing and
alluring, but so damned fractured she loses
her charm within moments of introduction.
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a brutal and
uneasy little tale about learning to think
for yourself and breaking free from the
trappings of childhood and vicious violence.
Best of the Best:
The climax will
leave many an audience looking at one
another asking "Wait--what? What was that?"
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6. Super 8
Directed by JJ Abrams
Paramount Pictures
We're fans of JJ
Abrams, we're not going to lie. He gave us the
brutally entertaining "Cloverfield" which left
us addicts of viral marketing in 2007, and he
even turned us on to "Star Trek." This time
around he gives us "Super 8" a bonafide
Spielbergian Love Letter to everything cinematic
in the world that we could not love anymore if
we tried. A truly excellent throwback to the
golden age of eighties cinema, Abrams cast a
myriad of truly talented young actors to tell
the story of a town on the verge of emotional
collapse, brought to its knees by an alien
invader and a harsh military willing to do
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Even if it means
preying on its innocence. "Super 8"
masterfully draws out the suspense and
mystery of our alien character by depicting
its characters as well fleshed out and three
dimensional beings, all of whom have their
own personal battles in the world but are
brought together by their love of
filmmaking. When they seek to create movie
magic one night, fate knocks down their
doors and brings them face to face with an
alien menace prone to kidnapping the town's
animals and are tasked with rescuing one of
their friends when they go missing in the
middle of the carnage. "Super 8" is an
undeniably charming and magical film with
great direction, a charming young cast, and
a stand out performance by Elle Fanning who
is remarkable in her role as young Alice.
The ultimate mystery involving the alien is
truly gripping and utterly horrifying at
times and leads in to an ending that tips
its hat to modern storytellers like
Spielberg, warts and all.
Best of the Best:
The unveiling of
the monster in the picture is one of our
favorite cinema moments of the year.
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5. Attack the Block
Directed by Joe Cornish
Screen Gems
These days whenever
I make the trek to go to the movies, it has to
be a very special movie to garner my money and
effort. Or else I'll stay home and wait for the
home video release. In 2011, I made the effort
to travel to deep in to Manhattan here in New
York to see "Attack the Block," and was rewarded
with one of the better movie going experiences
in years. What would happen in aliens invaded a
lower class city block? What if aliens invaded a
South London city block and the only hope were a
group of thugs? "Attack the Block" is a funny,
entertaining and downright exhilarating first
time outing from director Joe Cornish who
unveils a slew of up and coming stars and
elicits a seemingly simplistic premise that is
realized in an epic scope with such a small
budget. Starring the powerful John Boyega as
leader Moses, "Attack the Block" is a very
exciting and hysterical alien invasion flick
that mixes rotoscoping and classic animation to
create some truly unique alien menaces, all of
whom go up against neighborhood thugs in an
effort to consume their block. |
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A veritable
throwback to "The Goonies," don't be fooled
by the young cast as the film is filled with
gore and gut chomping but with a slick sense
of levity to keep the events lively. In a
world where alien movies are suffocating the
market, it's a rare treat to find a science
fiction flick that is actually worth seeking
out, especially in a year teeming with
sci-fi films front and back. "Attack the
Block" stands as a very clever and memorable
genre hybrid that has re-watch value up the
wazoo. Allow it.
Best of the Best:
Moses scampering
from apartment to apartment running from the
aliens is still an exhilarating sequence.
Trust.
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4. I Saw the Devil
Directed by Jee-Woon Kim
Magnet Releasing
Whether or not it's
a 2011 film is debatable, but it was given a
video on demand and limited release in America
in 2011, so we're counting it. One of the most
riveting revenge thrillers of the past five
years, Jee Woon Kim's cinematic tale of blood
lust and evil had us at the edge of our seat
ready for anything. Destined to be a classic by
every definition of the word, Kim's film is a
horror outing and genuine thriller that takes a
look at the thirst for blood and what it can do
to a man's soul at the end of a long journey of
mourning and grief. Min Sik Choi is a remarkable
scoundrel as a disturbed and perverse man who
spends most of his time looking for women around
his town to kidnap. This time around he's
succeeded in kidnapping and raping a young girl
stranded on the side of the road. After
mutilating her, her husband Kim Soo-hyeon played
marvelously by Byung-hun Lee, vows vengeance on
her killer. |
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He then seeks
out every suspected serial killer in the
city inevitably finding Kyung, an
anti-social murderer whom he succeeds in
beating and disabling. What ensues is a
journey through madness and pure darkness as
the two men engage in a battle of wits as
one man seeks to inflict pure pain on the
other for his crimes ending in a very
disgusting and disturbing battle of wills
and wits. "I Saw the Devil" is yet another
in a series of modern revenge stories that
ends with no winners and doesn't seek to
stylize the act of payback, finishing off on
a low note that is both justified and
artistically logical. I was engrossed
throughout the chokehold that is this modern
gem.
Best of the Best:
The scene in the
taxi with the multiple stabbings is expertly
filmed and absolutely mind blowing
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3. The Tree of Life
Directed by Terence Malick
FOX Searchlight Pictures
We're not usually
fans of Terence Malick's films, but we've found
a lot of love for films in 2011 that were under
appreciated or misunderstood. "Tree of Life" is
another in a line of films that deserve an
audience because it's a riveting breathtaking
look in to the mysteries of life and
disconnection of family. The family here serve
as a microcosm for mother nature and god as they
share the duties of caring for a trio of young
sons, all of whom are evolving in to their own
beings. The oldest of which has sought to
question his very belief system and put to task
his mom and dad in the face of his blossoming
adult hood inevitably leading him in to a cold
and sterile existence in a world that's void of
beauty and natural charm. |
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Whether or not
this film is a testament to the power of
theism, or the bold statement about the
freeing nature of atheism doesn't really
matter as "The Tree of Life" will leave many
audiences breath taken and pondering on the
subtleties of its message and its look at a
world too scientific to have a god and too
beautiful to not have a creator behind it
weaving at its beings relentlessly. Malick's
film is a near masterpiece, a testament to
slow and steady filmmaking that has
completely celebrated the beauty of star
Jessica Chastain while acknowledging the
screen presence of co-star Brad Pitt who is
utterly three dimensional as a father
seeking to do right by his sons, playing the
role of authoritarian and leading them in to
adulthood even if it means sacrificing their
love in the end. Reportedly, "The Tree of
Life" has a six hour uncut version waiting
in the wings. And we're anxious to see what
comes out of it, should the studios ever
decide on releasing it in the future. The
film is just that good.
Best of the Best:
The subtleties
behind character Mr. Brien's relationship
with his sons make for some of the most
compelling moments.
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2. Warrior
Directed by Gavin O'Connor
Lionsgate
It's going to be
called a sports film. It's going to be called an
MMA film. To us it's really an underdog movie
about a fractured relationship that is
irreparable. On what note the film ends is up to
you. Is it ambiguous? Sad? Happy? Inspirational?
Regardless we're watching two men incapable of
repairing their relationship trying to work out
their demons in the ring. And they may or may
not have succeeded. Like many sports films
before "Warrior," Gavin O'Connor's film is about
men. It's about the bonds they share, the
relationships they hold, and the fragile thread
in their lives that can be broken and spell doom
for them once and for all. This film in
particular is about the precious relationship
between dads and their sons and how a good role
model can decide who the child will become. Will
they be a family man barely getting by? Or will
they be a boiling ball of rage and resentment
doomed to slide in to a pit of self-destruction?
2011's "Warrior" is an underdog in every sense
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A flop at the
box-office, this is destined to be revered
on home video as a tale about men living in
a cruel and vicious world that's offered
them no breaks. And they've found their
therapy in the ring battling out their
personal traumas and inevitably facing the
one and only true fate in their lives. Each
other. If there was ever a film to remind us
that Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton are two
humongous talents ready to storm the US box
office, it's "Warrior." Very few films have
touched us and enraged us so much this year.
A truly remarkable underrated gem, Gavin
O'Connor's film is man cinema in every sense
of the word and reminds us why the father
and son relationship is every bit as
important as the mother and son
relationship.
Best of the Best:
Tom Hardy is a
monster on camera, he needs a break out role
soon.
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And
The Best Film of 2011 is... |
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Drive
Directed by: Nicholas Winding Refn
Written by: Hossein Amini
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mullgan, Bryan
Cranston, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Christina
Hendricks
FilmDistrict
"Drive" is one of the
most misunderstood cinema outings of the past five
years. Essentially, it's a film about a getaway
driver who steps in to a heist that goes terribly
wrong, but it's not anything resembling a "Fast and
the Furious" film. It's about crime and cars but
it's nothing remotely similar to anything from the
aforementioned series. Almost like a lost Michael
Mann movie, "Drive" is very much in the tradition of
"Taxi Driver" and "Shane" in where a man must seek
redemption and atone for his sins through the world
around him. The cityscape painted in "Drive" is
colored in neon hues in eighties fashion and donning
a proudly unique soundtrack, focuses on a lousy
world inhabited by mean people. One of whom is named
Driver. Driver is an enigmatic individual whose own
sense of morality and limitations are foggy at best.
He has standards and ethics but he's more than
willing to help criminals who'd gun someone down in
cold blood so long as he's been paid. "Drive" sets
up the tumultuous and tense world from the prologue
where we view the stomping grounds of Driver and his
job and how he handles himself in the everyday
world. It's a world over run by crime and he's
managed to find a way to pick at it to earn some
money for himself. His only escape is through his
neighbor Irene, a source of innocence and purity who
he's absolutely infatuated with. |
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When he insinuates
himself in to the lives of Irene and her son, he
becomes a bastion for new experiences. But as
"Drive" shows the world is a mean and cruel
place and what begins as a romance transforms in
to Driver's attempt to preserve the innocence
and beauty of a young woman whose yet to be
tainted by life's woes, even in spite of the
entrance of her son's father, an ex-convict who
isn't too fond of Driver. Like a flower in
concrete, Irene is a woman who can be stomped on
at any moment, and Driver's mission becomes
preserving that flower from violence and madness
that reigns in his world. With remarkable
performances from the entire cast and a mélange
of bittersweet music paired with stark
photography and an almost dream-like series of
montages, "Drive" is easily the best film of
2011, if only for Ryan Gosling's quiet and
humble performance as this man pushed to the
brink of violence, willing to embrace it and own
it if he can prevent his one true love from
coming face to face with it.
Best of the Best:
The elevator scene
essentially sets the tone for the entire film
and the fight for innocence that defines the
narrative.
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
All Star Superman, Bridesmaids, Stake Land,
X-Men: The First Class, Midnight in Paris,
Super, Melancholia, Rise of the Planet of the
Apes
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YOU
PROBABLY DIDN'T SEE IT BUT YOU SHOULD, YOU
REALLY SHOULD:
Last Train
Home
Released in 2009, this
docudrama was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in
very late 2010, so we count this as a film
that's been lost in the shuffle but deserves
your attention. Based around the Zhang
family in China, this film centers on the
Chinese New Year and the trek dozens of
families take every year to rush in to the
train station and visit their families. Only
allowed a single free day the Zhang parents
take the day from working at their factory
to trek across the country to pay visit to
their children whom are living with their
grandmother in a farm. Desperately trying to
keep their family together, they watch
helplessly as their daughter enters in to
the dead end life of a factory worker and
anxiously try to bring their family together
dissolving in to a war of words, bitter
resentment and an inevitable confrontation
that will leave many viewers absolutely
disgusted. This compelling documentary
deserves as much attention as it can muster
up because it's absolutely excellent.
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OUR GUILTY PLEASURE OF 2011 is... I Am
Number Four
A lot
of it didn't make too much sense and it's
pretty melodramatic in the first half, but
"I Am Number Four" is one of our favorite
guilty pleasures of 2011 because it's so
damn entertaining and musters up some
creative action set pieces in its final
half. We really hope there's a sequel
somewhere down the road because we enjoyed
following these characters in their efforts
to preserve the world and themselves in the
process. With some truly entertaining action
sequences and a very fun final half, "I Am
Number Four" is the cookie in the jar we'll
keep gnawing on, even if we know it's filled
with no nutritional value. Something about
stories about messianic super powered beings
appeals to us. |
Five Choice Indies of 2011
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The Worst 10 of 2011!
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