CM's Best-Reviewed Movies of 2011
PART 1 [No. 20 - 11]
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PART 1 [No. 20 - 11]
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11. Take Shelter (8.50/10)
Overall summary: Quietly ominous, at times disturbing, but constantly compelling, and shot with a subtle beauty and refined care, "Take Shelter" is a seamless mixture of affecting drama and unconventional horror, led by Michael Shannon's astounding performance.
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12. Wu Xia a.k.a. Dragon (8.50/10)
Overall summary: Amazingly-choreographed, masterfully-directed and visually stunning, Peter Chan's "Wu Xia" captivates with its compelling characters, gorgeous scenery and strong script, and showcases Donnie Yen in top form, both acting-wise and fighting-wise.
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13. Source Code (8.50/10)
Overall summary: Thanks to its unique premise, clever plot structure, flawless execution, and Gyllenhaal's top-notch performance, "Source Code" easily ranks as one of the most accomplished and skillfully-crafted sci-fi films of the 00'sand also one of the best films of the year.
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14. Hanna (8.25/10)
Overall summary: With its unique premise, stellar execution, impressive variety of settings, and Ronan's show-stealing performance, "Hanna" is not only a true breath of fresh air into the genre, but also one of the most clever and spectacularly entertaining action thrillers of the decade.
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15. Drive (8.25/10)
Overall summary: A seamless blend of full throttle action, shocking violence and unexpected romance, "Drive" is a moody, yet tasteful and stylish art-house action thriller, masterfully helmed by Refn, who combines a clever script with an outstanding direction and dramatic music score to deliver probably the biggest surprise of 2011.
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16. Rango (8.25/10)
Overall summary: Charmingly-bizarre, smartly-written and beautifully-crafted, Verbinski's "Rango" is undoubtedly one of the most visually-unique animated features ever created, and certainly the quirkiest one, and it will appeal to anyone with an open mind and great imagination.
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17. Sleep Tight (8.00/10)
Overall summary: With its refined direction, flawless execution, strong characterization, and Luis Tosar's sensationally disturbing performance, "Sleep Tight" is a subtly scary and darkly unsettling psychological horror thriller that certainly won't help you sleep tight at night. At all.
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18. The Descendants (8.00/10)
Overall summary: Boasting a smoothly elegant direction, touching script, picturesque scenery and bravura performances from Clooney and Woodley, "The Descendants" is wise, witty, amusing, heartfelt, affecting, funny, exhilarating and visually-ravishing all at the same time.
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19. A Separation (8.00/10)
Overall summary: Using no gimmicks whatsoever, "A Separation", is a complex, tensely engrossing and impeccably-acted film, that is as suspenseful as it's affecting, whose director never judges his flawed, very human characters, but dares to give us a glimpse at Iran's unfair legal system and the only ostensibly democratic life in this country.
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20. Arthur Christmas [3D] (8.00/10)
Overall summary: Witty, amusing, and splendidly-animated, "Arthur Christmas" is a modern take on Santa Claus and Christmas, that not only fascinates with its rich 3D visuals and colorful characters, but also delivers an emotional story and a powerful message for kids.
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Are you watching the new original HBO series Luck starring Dustin Hoffman? You can find more information about this amazing TV show HERE. Also check out this awesome Top 5 list of Classic Casino Movies.
________________________________Honorable mentions:
Kung Fu Panda 2 (8.00/10)
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (8.00/10)
Rio (8.00/10)
The Tree of Life (7.75/10)
Jane Eyre (7.75/10)
The Skin I Live In (7.75/10)
Real Steel (7.75/10)
Mother's Day (7.75/10)
Super 8 (7.75/10)
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30 comments:
Interesting list! Really liked the ones I've seen on there; Rango, Drive, Hanna and Source Code. Very intrigued about Sleep Tight, will have to read more about that one!
Thanks, Pete. Glad you enjoyed it. ;)
I loved all these films too. Obviously. :)
If you need more info about Sleep Tight, just click on the title and read my review. Or.. just check out below the list. The review is right there. :)
Happy birthday!!
Haven't seen half of them, but the ones I have (Source Code through Rango and Arthur Christmas) are excellent choices.
Alex, thanks, but my birthday is tomorrow (Mar 9). :)
You should check out all of my picks you haven't seen yet. They're all great movies, IMO.
Nice diverse round-up. Of course, I would nudge Drive higher. I really enjoyed The Descendants, Take Shelter, and Rango, so I'm happy to see they've made your cut. And it's also refreshing to see Source Code getting some time under the spotlight as the film has been largely forgotten.
Well-done, George :)
I agree with the only two on the list that I have seen. Source Code and Hannah
Love Descendants & Hanna, Skin & Mother's Day.
SH2 totally disappointed me, and Super 8... well I hated it.
Matty, thank you so much. Your approval always means the world to me. :)
I liked Drive a lot, I just didn't think it was as genius as most people claim it is. Glad you noticed Source Code made the cut. Sadly, it was forgotten, probably because of its early release.
I arrange my BEST OF lists basted purely on the ratings I've given throughout the year.
Budd, does it mean that you haven't seen the rest of them? If so, you definitely need to catch up. :) Glad you agree with those two though. ;)
Maynard, and know that you hated Super 8. It wasn't as amazing as I expected it to be, but I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was. It didn't made the final cut anyway, so... ;)
Glad you liked all of these!
I so want to watch wuxia! Very nice to see you gave it 8.5. :)
FilmPuff, I think it's already available on DVD and Blu-Ray. You should look for it, if you want to see it. It was a brilliant martial arts movie. Much better than both Tsui Hark's Flying Swords of Dragon Gate and Siu-Tung's Sorcerer and the White Snake.
Great list. Seems that, overall, 2011 wasn't too bad of a year for movies.
Alex, well... sort of. Compared to last year (2010), and the year before, it was a quite weak year for movies. I gave far too little 8s and 9s, not to say I didn't give a single 10. And I'm quite generous when I get very impressed by a movie. :)
Thanks, glad you liked it.
Happy Birthday! Hope you have had an incredible day.
Many here I haven't seen. Netflix will be happy. I loved 'Rango' thoroughly enjoyed 'Source Code' and liked 'Hanna'
Sherlock Holmes, Rio, Real Steel and Super 8 were also among my favorites.
Enjoy what's left of YOUR day.
farawayeyes, thanks, but my birthday is actually tomorrow on Mar 9. :)
Give those you haven't seen a shot. :)
Just 'liked' Hanna? :) C'mon, that was a stellar action movie. :)
Expect my top 10 tomorrow.. it will be full of surprises... or not. :)
This is a terrific list so far. I loved Rango and Hanna. Two outstanding films. Still have yet to see Drive and The Descendants. I can't wait to see your other choices.
Mel, I know you did. They were excellent, weren't they? Drive is moody but has something special about it and The Descendants is Clooney at his finest.
Alex, mentioned that it was your birthday so I wanted to say Happy Birthday!
I haven't seen Hanna and I really want to! It looks great.
2011 was a great year for films, I think.
Jai
Jai, thank you so much! :)
Hanna is a magnificent film. Alex can confirm that as well.
Yes, there were many solid films, but for me it was rather disappointing.
MY fave ones are actually in your honorable mentions: Mother's Day is a no-brainer, The Skin I Lived In was an absolute surprise for me! and Real Steel is pure PG-13 family fun! and still loving Jerry Goldsmith's scoring!
I'm struggling to even think of 5 movies I loved in 2011. Thought last year was a poor year for cinema.
Kaijinu, you need to see Sleep Tight. I think you're gonna love it.
A no-brainer? More like extremely violently disturbing if you ask me. :) Agree about the other two.
Movies on my Mind, I agree, it was a pretty lackluster your for movies. However, there were still some great ones. If you struggling to name 5 you liked, than you are extremely critical.
Happy Birthday! Most of these movies I haven't seen yet.
Happy birthday!
Lx
M Pax, thank you so much!:) You should check out all of these you haven't seen yet.
Thank you, Laura! :)
A very well chosen selection of films! Bravo!
Glad you liked my picks, Craig.:)
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