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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Top 10 Films of 2011

Andrew Rieger said:
Yup. The only reason it is on my list is because it was it was so pretty. The film tested my patience to the max and I love Malick's others films so I'm not someone who just writes off everything that Malick does as being pretty yet empty. Just my opinion.
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Alright. Respect. You stated your opinion.
 
1. The Artist
2. The Interrupters
3. Drive
4. Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
5. Hugo
6. Tree of Life
7. The Descendants
8. Moneyball
9. Win Win
10. Martha Marcy May Marlene

There were quite a few that I still haven't seen from many other's lists.

Oh, and honorable mention…

Hanna
Bridesmaids
The Muppets
Senna
Mission Impossible: GP
Rango
Attack the Block
 
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The Turin Horse, Secret of the Unicorn, The Tree of Life, Le Quattro Volte, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Senna, Melancholia, Drive, Meek's Cutoff, A Separation are all up there. In no particular order but The Turin Horse is quite extraordinary. Yet to see Hugo or The Artist, The Skin I Live In, few others.

Observation - Two years running the films with the most beautiful image have been shot on Sony F35 - Mysteries of Lisbon and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. Who would have thought?
 
Kemalettin Sert said:
What do you think about european cinema? have you seen Once Upon Time in Anatolia or any other famous festival movies from europe? your top 10 list is %90 american and im sure you are aware of there are many people shooting movies outside of united states..so dont judge Paul Ellington because he picked movies shot only on Red
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Not sure what you are getting at. You used the term "real cinema" as if films shot in the U.S. are not part of cinema. I've watched hundreds of european films. I am a huge fan of Tarkovsky, Haneke, Wenders, Tarr, Park Chan wook, Herzog, Leone, Antonioni, Boyle, Ozu, Kurosawa and many others. I'm pretty sure that I put Of Gods and Men on my list which was French. I loved the Artist which was shot in the U.S but by a French director with the leads being played by French performers. I usually don't get to see many foreign films in theaters because there isn't a theater locally that shows them so I have to wait for the DVD's to show up on Netflix but when they do show up, I watch them. I was joking about Paul's lists because he has films on it that have not even been released in theaters (Hobbit, Spiderman, Underworld).

So yes, I am aware that they make movies outside of the United States.
 
Drive, Tree of Life, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Those are my top three in no order.
 
Favorites:
1. Take Shelter
2. Margin Call
3. Martha Marcy May Marlene
4. Moneyball
5. Drive
6. The Debt
7. Senna
8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
9. Hanna
10. Super8/ Mission Impossible 4

Overrated:
Midnight in Paris (felt like a first draft)
Hugo (cool story, great cinematography, terrible dialog, not much else to say)
Another Earth (tries way too hard)
Tree of Life (gorgeous cinematography from beginning to end, wtf did I just watch?)

Edit: just watched Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy. Really cool film. Very 70s vibe, not just in setting, but directing and cinematography as well. Incredible art direction, acting, script, etc. I'd have to put it somewhere around #5 or 6 on my list
 
Adam Beck said:
Tom,

I know you loved Tree of Life, but I could not get into it. The structure of the film just didn't do it for me. It was a pretty film, but your trailer to Timescapes in my opinion, is even better.
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Please don't say such things!!
 
My favorites:

War Horse
The Help
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Future
The Tree of Life
Meek’s Cutoff
 
The Tree of Life
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Descendants

Runners Up:
Hugo
The Ides of March
War Horse
Moneyball


Enjoyed:
Super-8
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
Tabloid
The World of Roger Corman
The Trip
The Muppets
 
In no particular order:

Le Havre
Submarine
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Even the Rain
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Rango
Water for Elephants
 
The film i most admired and enjoyed this year was Take Shelter. Every other film listed in this thread is good. Drive was very cool.

I also liked Friends with Kids.
 
It's interesting to look at the three major U.S. critics award winners:

L.A. Film Critics
Best Picture: The Descendants
Best Director: Terrence Malick, Tree of Life
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Tree of Life

New York Film Critics Circle
Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life

National Society of Film Critics
Best Picture: Melancholia
Best Director: Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
 
I guess the Tree of Life is a sure winner for best cinematography this year.

For overall best films of 2011, I have to say I truly enjoyed "Midnight in Paris", an entertaining yet somehow introspective film by Woody Allen about Woody Allen, but don't think it is "Best film" worthy. "Drive" had excellent cinematography with an "Indie" vibe to it, but in its heart was a "Grindhouse" "B movie"- nothing wrong with this, trully enjoyed it, it looked like a James Dean vehicle film done in 2011. The Artist is a film I'm really looking forward to see, as well as Hugo, this last one looks like a real Oscar contender, because it uses 3D, which is pushing Hollywood Box Office and many theatres invested in it, and it has a story that-from what I read- pays tribute to the magic of cinema. Both weren't released over here yet. The Descendants was also not shown over here. Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia" was intriguing, but, like Terrence Malik's "Tree Of Life", they felt to me a bit too pretentious. I have to say I really enjoyed a small action film done this year, called "Hanna". Great directing, fantastic soundtrack. "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" was entertaining but, again, not best film calibre due to the "Agatha Christie" conventional plotting and some plot holes. Great performance by the lead actress, though. As I said, I'm really, really looking forward to see the Artist. From what I read from movie goers and critics its a great film. The problem is, the more you raise your expectations, the less forgiving you become when seeing a film.

Josh, why did you name Spiderman and The Hobbit for a 2011 list? These aren't released yet! :)
 
So David, what's the word on the street about the Cinematography Oscar and ASC award this year? Seems like there is finally no one standing in Lubezki's way this year?
 
All hail Conan the barb-- oh wait.
 
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