Jacob Picks…The Top 10 Movies of 2011

 

 

2011 has been a memorable year for movies.  We have seen incredible performances, well written screenplays and impeccable cinematography in the past 12 months.

 

But out of all of these movies, only 10 stood out as the best films from the worlds of animation, comedy, drama and science fiction.  Without further ado, here are jacobelyacharjournalist’s top picks for this year.

 

10. Moneyball

 

This biographical baseball drama based on the turnaround of the Oakland Athletics’ 2002 season under Billy Beane (played brilliantly by Brad Pitt).  From the film’s dialogue to brilliant performances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill, this film was a delight from beginning to end.

 

9. Batman: Year One

 

One of the best animation movies that were not featured in movie theatres was Batman: Year One.  This film was based on the classic comic story-Batman: Year One by legendary creative team Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli.  Batman: Year One represents the best screenplay, smooth animation and amazing vocal performances by Bryan Cranston, Benjamin McKenzie and Eliza Dushku, who voiced James Gordon, Batman and Catwoman respectively.

 

8. Bridesmaids

 

This film was one of the most hilarious movies I have seen this year.  The story follows the misadventures of Annie (Kristen Wiig) as she plans her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph)’s wedding shower while the bitchy Helen Harris, III (Rose Byrne), wants to plan Lillian’s event and shove Annie out of the process.   Add an unbelievable screenplay and amazing performances by Jon Hamm and Melissa McCarthy and you get an incredible movie.

 

7. Horrible Bosses

 

Horrible Bosses perfectly illustrates how some people work with complete psychos, man-eaters or even jerks.   This movie features jokes that will make filmgoers laugh as you might have the potential to fall to the floor because of the hysterical jokes that is peppered throughout the film.   In addition to the jokes, watch out for Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston’s portrayals of the nasty bosses.

 

6. Hugo

 

Based on the 2007 novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, this Martin Scorsese film transported audiences to 1931 Paris as they followed the journey of Hugo Cabret, who tries to finish his late father’s work while taking care of the clocks in a Paris train station.   This film has an extraordinary acting ensemble, superb cinematography and a staggering screenplay that makes this film part of this list.

 

5. The Ides of March

 

2011 belonged to George Clooney.   The Ides of March laid the foundation of Clooney’s dominance in 2011 cinema.  He managed to direct, star and co-write the screenplay for this cutthroat film.    This film saw strong performances from its’ ensemble including Ryan Gosling as Junior Campaign Manager Stephen Meyers and both Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti who deliver mind-blowing performances as rival campaign managers.

 

4. The Descendants

 

Clooney continued his dominance through the Descendants.  He gave one of the best performances of his career in this film as Honolulu lawyer Matt King, who struggles to bring his family back together, decide the fate of a trust that controls 25,000 acres of land and learns a very dark secret of his comatose wife.   In addition to Clooney’s performance, The Secret Life of the American Teenager’s Shailene Woodley shines as Clooney’s rebellious daughter Alex.    Besides the performances, the film was spectacularly co-produced and directed by Alexander Payne.

 

3. X-Men: First Class

 

At first this author was skeptical of relaunch of the X-Men franchise but this film proved me wrong.  This film is the best superhero movie of 2011.  From its’ terrific acting ensemble that was filled with talented newcomers including Michael Fassbender (Magneto) and James McAvoy (Professor X), two surprising cameos from the previous franchise, a superb screenplay and phenomenal special effects makes X-Men: First Class-the perfect 2011 superhero movie.

 

2. War Horse

 

This movie about the relationship between Albert (brilliantly played by newcomer Jeremy Irvine) and his horse, Joey, was one of the best movies of the year for numerous reasons.  War Horse featured an extraordinary screenplay written by Richard Curtis and Lee Hall, an outstanding casting ensemble, a strong film score by John Williams and hundreds of horses that made this movie part of the list.

 

1. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part Two

 

This list would not be complete without this film.  The final Harry Potter film represents the close of a chapter in millions of peoples’ lives.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part Two was a brilliant end to one of the best film and book franchises of all time.  From the Gringotts break-in to the final battle at Hogwarts, this film was a complete joy to watch.   Congratulations to the entire Harry Potter cast, crew and creator J.K. Rowling for a job well done and thank you for bringing Harry’s stories to life.