In vague order, my personal Top 10 Movies of 2011. Ranked not necessarily in order of quality, but factoring in just how much fun I had watching them as well.
(Subject to change, as there’s a few I haven’t seen yet, that I want to.)
1. True Grit*
And amazing movie that’s anchored by an incredible performance from Hailee Steinfeld. It doesn’t hurt that it’s the Coen brothers most accessible movie in years and Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon are both on top form either.
2. Real Steel
Topping the list of fun “blockbusters” this year, Real Steel was a simple story told well. Cliched? Sure, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. The story romps along and Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo are utterly charming. For simple entertainment value, high on the list.
3. Tangled*
And speaking of charming… Disney’s retelling of Rapunzel is a beautiful movie on every level. Bright, breezy and witty with it, without being overly sickly sweet. Disney’s best in years, if not decades.
4. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tomas Alfredson’s strong, glamorless adaptation of John Le Carré’s Cold War spy drama is aided by Gary Oldman’s masterful performance as drab George Smiley. The movie does well streamlining the novel to screen without losing too much, in part thanks to an incredible cast.
5. Captain America: The First Avenger
Shamelessly sub-titled to tie into next year’s event movie, nonetheless Captain America’s an enjoyable, nostalgic romp. Thor’s undoubtedly a better made movie, but for a sheer sense of fun, harking back to Indiana Jones and other 80s action flicks, Captain America stands head and shoulders over some other offerings this year.
6. Submarine
Offbeat and whimsical, nonetheless Richard Ayoade’s debut movie has a deadpan cycnicism to it which makes the story of teen angst in coastal Wales all the more unique. Stylish and often hilarious, not least thanks to Paddy Considine’s laugh-out0loud turn as a small town self-help guru.
7. The King’s Speech
An excellently crafted movie, which is predictable enough and plays a little hard and fast with actual events on occasion, as well as being deliberately aimed at the US market by shoehorning in recognizable figures like Churchill, but elevated by genuinely memorable performances by Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth and solid direction from Tom Hooper.
8. Thor
Kenneth Branagh’s take on the mix of Marvel superheroics and Norse mythology benefits from a charismatic performance from Chris Hemsworth and a subtle one from Tom Hiddleston as Loki. The action scenes stand up, but the movie succeeds by focusing on character above all else.
9. Super 8
Essentially a love letter to the golden age of Amblin and Spielberg, this film has more heart than its basic monster movie template might initially suggest, thanks to a talented group of young actors, led by Gabriel Basso and Elle Fanning. It’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind meets The Goonies, with teeth.
10. The Lincoln Lawyer
Certainly not the most groundbreaking movie of the year, nonetheless this is an effective cat-and-mouse thriller. Or, perhaps, in this case, cat-and-cat as Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe chase one another through the twisting legal plotline.
Also rans: Source Code, X-men: First Class, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Brighton Rock, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II, Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Running, but no chance: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Transformers III.
Want to watch, but haven’t found the chance yet: Cowboys and Aliens, Tintin, Attack the Block, Drive, Hanna, The Artist, Hugo, The Descendants, Weekend, Senna, The Guard.
* Yes, I’m aware these movies came out in the US in 2010, but they didn’t hit the UK until a few weeks, or in some cases, months, later.
