Top Five Movies of 2011

1. Attack the Block

Absolutely loved this movie. There were a ton of alien invasion movies this year, including Super 8, which I also really liked, but Attack the Block took the cake for me. It’s always interesting to see a disaster scenario in a setting where guns aren’t as ubiquitous as they are here in the States. And I appreciated the moral ambiguity of the protagonists. Great alien design, too.

2. Drive

What more is there to say about Drive? It’s gorgeous, it’s moody, it’s soundtrack is incredible, and the performances are incredible across the board. And let me tell you, riding your bike (YOUR BIKE!) while listening to “Nightcall” is way more epic than it deserves to be.

3. Warrior

I actually just watched this last night and I was completely enthralled with it. Nolte and Hardy both deserve some Oscar love for this little fight film. And the fight scenes, man oh man, beautiful and brutal. It’s a shame it made next to nothing at the box office but hopefully more people will discover it on DVD.

4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Full disclosure: In fifth grade, I wanted to be a primatologist to teach sign language to gorillas. I was also way into the original Planet of the Apes movies, so I fully expected to hate this one. Andy Serkis (and the necessary Weta-magic) really made Rise much better than it had any business being. Why Cookie Rocket, indeed.

5. Tabloid

Errrol Morris is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to documentaries and Tabloid does not disappoint. I love that Morris just lets everyone tell their story and allows the audience to figure out the “truth” of a really bizarre story that takes an even more bizarre twist into the world of dog-cloning. Yup.

-SRD