2011, a year in which I watched many a film. I saw some absolute stinkers and got blown away by some of the best films I have ever seen. I am not normally a lists person but I felt like I should put my opinion out there regardless of how pointless and unimportant it is. So I am going to give the world the ten best movies I saw in 2011, not necessarily films that were released in 2011. I don't see enough new releases to give a list of films released in 2011. So here it is, what the world hasn't been waiting for:
10. Aldila (Dir. Michael Daye)
This is a student film from one of my fellow students at University College Falmouth. This completely blew me away when I saw it at Pixel-8, to think someone on my course could make something as amazing as this, inspired me to be as good as that. Stunning visuals, clever use of music and haunting imagery made it a beautiful piece of work that I most definitely wanted more of.
9. Tree of Life (Dir. Terrence Malick)
Opinion splitting on release, I waited a long time to watch Terrence Malick's first film since 2005. If I'm honest I was a little bit disappointed with this poetic vision of the beginning of time. But the fact that it has made it onto this list shows how good a film maker Terrence Malick is. The visuals are stunning and the voice over as always create the perfect mood. I hope Malick's next film makes a little more sense.
8. Everything is Illuminated (Dir. Liev Schreiber)
Waiting 6 years to see a film is a long time and this one proved worth the wait. Who would've known that the lead singer from Gogol Bordello could act and so fucking well! Very funny throughout and extremely moving at the end, Liev Schreiber has shown that he can do something other than play a very camp Sabretooth with fake sideburns in a shitty Wolverine movie. Can't wait for his second outing.
7. Antichrist (Dir. Lars Von Trier)
A truly amazing film with a talking fox. Waited too long to see this film as I was stunned by it's beauty. Von Trier never fails to disappoint me and from what I hear Melancholia is even better than Antichrist. Just as a word, genital mutilation is a no no.
6. Little Red Flowers (Dir. Yuan Zhang)
I saw this on Film 4 and thought to myself why won't they give me a job. Not really, (give me a job you bastards!!!) I was intrigued by the title and the relentless advertising that the channel put on. I am a sucker for relentless advertising, I even got insurance from Go Compare for a car even though I don't have a license. I joke. This film about childhood rebellion was extremely funny and anti-communism, which makes it even better in the context of China's relentless bashing of nonconformity. Another thing I took from this is that children wet themselves a lot in China.
5. Adventureland (Dir. Greg Mottola)
A Holywood film masked as being independent in order to draw in more of an audience made me think I should stay away from this film featuring Mark Zuckerberg...oh shit sorry, easy mistake to make. Jesse Eisenberg plays the role of everyone who has left uni this year. Trying to find a job to make some money before moving elsewhere and fulfilling his dreams. He tries to win over the irritating, hair fiddling, vampire shagging Kristen Stewart, who is as bedraggled as always. This film was a breath of fresh air and was wholly realistic in it's portrayal of post uni life. The use of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground made it even better. Much better than Superbad although McLovin was an amazeballs name.
4. Inside I'm Dancing (Dir. Damien O'Donnell)
When I saw the title of this film and the cover I thought it was about two wheel-chair bound teenagers finding each other through their love of dance. Boy oh boy was I surprised when I put the doovde on. James Macavoy playing a man suffering with Duchenne muscular dystrophy befriends a man suffering with Cerebal Palsy in his new care home. James Macavoy's character is a free spirit and takes his friend along for the ride only to not tell him that he has been dying all along. This is what people would consider a "weepy" and yes my friend Jen proved that but it is much more than that. Despite the sad ending it brings a smile to your face with it's proof that disabled people are just like everyone else and can have just as much fun if not more than everyone else. Also, the two main performances are outstanding considering none of them are actually suffering with the illnesses they are portraying.
3. Black Swan (Dir. Darren Aronofsky)
Natalie, Natalie, Natalie. Oh the Portman. A woman beyond women. In a word - intense. This film left me on the edge of my seat, not only because I like Natalie Portman but because the tension of it all builds and builds into a sumptuous crescendo. The score is one of the best I have ever heard and Vincent Cassel is the perfect Frenchman in the antagonist role. The scene where Wynona Ryder stabs herself in the face still gets me and I have seen it four times. Scary dary.
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Dir. Julian Schnabel)
Another film about a wheelchair bound man, I must be really depressing to hang around with. This is an amazing look at Jean Dominique Bauby, who could no longer speak or move due to an accident. He discovers he can communicate with people by blinking, which sounds ridiculous but works for him. We hear his thoughts as he comes to terms with what has happened to him. It is all very cleverly done as he reminisces about his past and most importantly his relationship with his father. The French know how to make films and this is another in a long list of exceptional films to be made in the land of Thierry Henry.
Drum roll please.......
1. $9.99 (Dir. Tatia Rosenthal)
A claymation film about the meaning of life from the land of the Australian. Funny, smart, obscure and touching, this was most definitely the best film I saw last year. It took me a while to track it down on DVD after I saw the trailer a couple of years back and finally I found an import and bought it without hesitation. What I liked about it was the sheer audacity of it all. There were some extremely weird scenes including one where a man has all of his bones removed in order to impress the girl he loves but it all fit into one cohesive storyline. The ending is genius and made me think about my own ideas in a different way. I suggest you go and see it as soon as you can.
So there you go, please discuss or take no notice of what I have just written. If anyone does read this feel free to comment and we can get into an argument where I will insult you until you admit that I am right. I kid, please do comment and write your list down on here. I did it so you might as well.
Prometheus will be number 1 on my list in 2012, I just know it.
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