Best/Worst Movie of 2011?

[merlange11]

Hi all, I've been reading a lot of lists of the Best and Worst Films of 2011. I do this every year and always jot down movie titles to catch up on. Sometimes I see some gems and sometimes I see some duds.

This year, I thought the best movie was Beautiful Boy (hardly anyone saw it) and the worst was Hangover 2 ( I think everyone saw it).

How about you guys?

[razzthekid]

I think compared to last year it was a pretty poor year generally, but then because money's a bit tight lately i haven't been half as often as i would've liked to. I missed out on so many films i wanted to see.

But my favourite by far is We Need To Talk About Kevin. I loved it so much i went to see it twice in the cinema. It was so powerful and distubing yet so beautifully made and well acted all round. Ezra Miller was amazing as Kevin, and Tilda, as always, was class.
Also really loved Retreat, Hanna, X-Men First Class, Harry Potter, Thor and Bridesmaids.
Didn't get to see Source Code, Limitless or Drive which i really wanted to.

Worst....i dunno. if i don't think somethings gonna be good i just don't go see it!

[Jinx]

This year I had the opportunity to work at a local cinema. It was really awesome and I got to see a lot of movies (my boss who was very, very nice, always said "You go check on the movie, see if the sound is alright, if it's in french and everything" but to be honest there it is not likely that the file of a movie they have is somehow corrupted, so it was just to be nice with me I guess, and I loved it).

The two best movies I saw were Captain America (I just loved it, usually I'm not into blockbusters but that one was awesome! Can't wait for the avengers!) and Midnight in Paris.
I love both Joss Whedon and Woody Allen so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to watch both of these in a cinema room

[cougarlady]

I have been racking my brain to think of ANY 2011 film I saw that I would consider "best." Or even "worst." Nothing really comes to mind, other than Limitless. I liked it a great deal, but I wouldn't say I loved it.

We spent more time at home with VOD this year than previous years, so we often watched movies that we missed when they were first released. Some of the better ones that come to mind were Insomnia, The Beach, Mao's Last Dancer, The Bank Job and Match Point.

We live in a rural area, so getting to a theater can be an ordeal, especially during the winter. If the movies are uninspiring, it's just not worth the hassle or expense.

[Cait]

I saw so many films in 2011 that I'm struggling recalling them all. The first one that comes to mind when I think of the best is The Help. I absolutely loved that film (and the novel!). Such an inspiring and heartbreaking story at the same time, I just loved it! I don't think I've met anyone who disliked it.

As for the worst, well, there were a lot of them. I'm going to have to say Season of the Witch, though. That was just terrible in my opinion. I have never really liked Nicolas Cage as an actor, but the quality of this film is poor all-round.

[Pisces]

Well, I will be laughed at heartily for this, but the only movie I saw in the theater in 2011 was In Time. I was insanely happy to see Cillian on screen again!!

Everything else I saw was either from Netflix or PPV... so I don't have many I could rank for 2011. But two pleasant surprises that exceeded my expectations were Limitless and SourceCode. I also enjoyed a little-known movie called Black Death, though I'm unsure if it was a 2011 release or not.

Big disappointment for me was The Tempest. I can't handle Russell Brand, lol.

[razzthekid]

I haven't go to see either Source Code or Liitless yet and i really want to. I've heard only good things about them and i love a good action movie that's intelligent and not just like "oh look at that explosion, wasn't it huge. Definitely bigger than the one in that other film we just released!" "Oh look he's jumping from a plane and gonna land on the horse galloping at full speed below him!"

Anyway yesterday i went to see Take Shelter which was absolutely brilliant. The acting was superb and i loved the story. I know i saw it this year but technically it's a 2011 film so i'm now gonna say that it and We Need To Talk About Kevin are my favourites.

Out of interest has anyone else seen We Need to Talk About Kevin? I highly recommend it, disturbing but really interesting, you'll be glued to your chair. Ezra is one to watch for the future, so genuinely creepy and stunningly beautiful at the same time in this. And Tilda is amazing as always. I went to see it twice!

Here's the trailers:

[Pisces]

I think you would really enjoy Source Code, Razz. I was surprised at how quickly it reeled me in, and Jake Gyllenhaal gave a wonderful sense of urgency to his performance. You truly CARE about his "mission" in this movie, and find yourself pulling for him every moment.

Another movie I'd like to mention that I think came out in 2011 was The Adjustment Bureau. Again, another big surprise - this is the kind of movie that's most hard to make believable, but it really worked, primarily because Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actresses) were so utterly convincing in their roles. Worth seeing!

[cougarlady]

That movie looks VERY intriguing, Razz, thanks for the links. I looked for it on Amazon VOD, no dice. I've looked for several British made films there, like "Never Let Me Go" "Tesseract" or even "Slumdog Millionaire" with no luck. I really feel that if films were more widely distributed, they would have the potential to earn so much more. I know nothing about acquiring rights for VOD, but it seems fairly easy to make digital downloads available, doesn't it?

[Cait]

Source Code was indeed a fantastic movie, I really enjoyed it! I was SO confused when I started watching it, but it was just so intriguing I couldn't stop watching it. It really does draw you in. I also love Jake, I think he's great, and he did really well in this movie.

[Alisa]

I didn't watch many movies last year, and there really weren't many good ones amongst the few I watched.

I guess I have to say Hesher was the best... Ok, it doesn't portray metalheads very realistically, but it's got a message. Kind of a spoiler in the next sentence, so I'll hide it. * It avoided the cliché of gathering sympathies for the character in the beginning, and allowed the audience to get to know him little by little. * The film makes you(or at least me) go through a whole range of feelings, as a good film does, and gives you something to think about. It's quite funny too, so it's got all the elements of a good film. Not for sensitive people, though.

The worst was definately I Am Number Four. I would give it only two points out of ten. One for each eye of Timothy Olyphant.

I was also very disappointed in Thor. I don't know why I expected it to be more like the book(Ragnarök) than the comics, which are really silly.

@razz: I haven't seen it, but definately going to.

[razzthekid]

Alisa. Ahhh you've seen Hesher! I'm still waiting to see that, it looks brilliant and i love Joseph. Good to hear you enjoyed it.
Hope you like We Need to Talk About Kevin, and you too Cougar. It really is a hard hitting film. The book, which i read afterwards, is definitely worth reading if you enjoy the film. It gives so much more depth to the complex relationship between Kevin and his mother.

Pisces. I'm definitely going to check out Source Code, my brother thought it was really great too.

[leyla11]

Best movie of 2011 for me was Shame by Steve McQueen, though it came out in early 2012 in many countreis. I saw it in 2011 so it's the best of 2011 for me. Worst, well I tend to flee blockbusters like the plague because I know they always bore me to death. I didn't like the new Planet of the Apes, which was on a lot of best of lists. Really hated it.