I didn't like Flash Gordon for a long time. I watched it on blu-ray and it is truly amazingly flawed but so wonderful. 3.75/5
Gremlins 2 is a wonderful parody of sequels. Scattered and random but lots of fun. 3.5/5
I didn't finish Bunraku. Just so uninteresting. 1/5
The Thin Man is a great comedy. I can't wait to see the rest of the series. 4.25/5
Picked up The Wild Bunch on blu-ray for next to nothing. Only my second time to see it and it is so much better than I remember. 4/5
I'm not a big fan of early Roman Polanski films and Cul-De-Sac did nothing to change that opinion. 2/5
Drive is amazing. Just an incredible film. Another one in my best of the year list. 4.5/5
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop starts off with a goofy tone and then awkwardly shifts gears and never really recovers. 3.25/5
A Horrible Way to Die has a great idea but due to half-assed directing, it makes it almost impossible to watch. 2.75/5
Bellflower just shot to the top of my favorite films of the year list. It's almost impossible to describe but it's damn impressive. 4.5/5
Der Sandmann is one of the most unusual rom-com's I've seen and certainly the best one I've seen in years. 4/5
I think being Norwegian or Scandinavia would make this a lot of fun. Not being either, I didn't find Norwegian Ninja that enjoyable. 2/5
Very Irish film. The Guard is funny but I think if you're from the UK, I think you'll really love it. 3.5/5
Square Grouper is a decent documentary about pot trafficking in Florida from the 70's up to present. Worth a watch not nothing amazing. 3.5/5
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane wasn't as good the second time around. It has its moments but it's kind of flawed. 3/5
Page Eight has a great cast but is really dull. 2.5/5
Red Heat starts with nude men in loin cloths and goes down from there. It doesn't really work. Jim Belushi should quit acting. 2.75/5
I loved Attack the Block. It is the movie that Super 8 really wants to be. I can't wait to own it on blu-ray. 4/5
Kevin Smith once again makes my worst of the year list. Red State is total crap. 1/5
The Last Circus took the most convoluted way possible to tell the simplest story. By the time it's over, all the good will is gone and you just want it over. 2/5
August was a rocking month of movie watching. Somehow I got in 53 movies. I don’t know how I did that.
This is probably the most diverse collection of films I’ve watched to date. Everything from classic Disney to film noir to horror and a good helping of rom-coms. As usual there were some great high’s and some terrible lows.
Despite mixed reviews, Bad Teacher didn’t disappoint. It’s not often I like Cameron Diaz and she’s perfect in the self-centered teacher role. Grindhouse fans will want to check out American Grindhouse. It’s a decent retrospective documentary. I found a few new films to check out. Basically it’s an introduction to the different grindhouse genres. Scream 4 was a disappointment and Greatest Movie Ever Sold pays lip service to the growing trend of product placement but never digs too deep. Super 8 and Captain America make it into my honorable mentions for the year but don’t rank in my top ten.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes easily makes it into my top ten of the year and has a good chance to be there at year’s end. That’s something I totally didn’t expect to happen. I hate the Apes franchise and this movie held no appeal for me at all. But it is crazy good. Also check out Blackboard Jungle and The Big Heat if you haven’t. You won’t be disappointed.
This year I've seen 338 movies.
Best releases of 2011
1. Hanna
2. Confessions
3. 13 Assassins
4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
5. Troll Hunter
6. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil
7. I Saw the Devil
8. Stakeland
9. Thor
10. Source Code
Honorable Mention: Gantz, Vanishing on 7th Street, The Big Bang, X-Men: First Class, La Casa Muda, Limitless, Paul, Super 8, Captain America, Rango, Bad Teacher
Best films I saw in 2011
1. Cool Hand Luke
2. Bridge on the River Kwai
3. Blackboard Jungle
4. Anatomy of a Murder
5. Pretty Maids All in a Row
6. Hickey and Boggs
7. The Big Heat
8. Ghostbusters
9. Rififi
10. The Collector
Worst of 2011
1. Sanctum
2. Tamara Drewe
3. Wound
4. Elektra Luxx
5. Mother's Day
6. Super
7. Melancholia
8. Sucker Punch
Hanna is still one of my favorite films of the year but it doesn't hold up as well the second time. Still a very solid film. 4/5
Stuart Gordon loves H.P. Lovecraft and what's probably his best adaptation is From Beyond. Great 80's cheesy, gory horror. 3.75/5
True Legend is what I hate about martial arts films. Half asses martial arts sequences that run on forever and the last 30 minutes is a total waste. 2.25/5
One of Hitchcock's early films, The 39 Steps is a pretty good, suspenseful film. It's not great but it's easy to see why it's a classic. 3.75/5
