# Your Favorites Films of 2011 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345 "2011-12-15T23:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/21 "2011-12-17T22:59:15Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Everyone already knows what my very favorite movie of the year is anyway. Does it involve the words “Attack” and “Block” by any chance? I haven’t seen too many movies this year, partly because I rarely go to the cinema, and partly because my TV was dead for most of the year, so was stymied from both sides. Since getting my new TV and BluRay, I’ve been catching up on most of them on DVD, but still have a bunch to yet purchase and view. So far, though, my favourite films have been _Attack the Block_, _Paul_, and _Rango_ which proves how few movies I’ve seen yet. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/22 "2011-12-17T23:06:29Z")
I just saw\*\* The Help\*\* and thought it was wonderful. The acting was superb and I was told it stayed quite true to the book. I haven’t read it so I wouldn’t know. I also enjoyed **50/50** , mostly due to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s smiles. I loved the story too. **Super 8** was fun, but the one movie I didn’t like at all was Contagion. I was told it was a different take on the virus movie. I thought it was the same old story with nothing new added and Matt Damon was a robot. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/23 "2011-12-17T23:14:53Z")
I saw a lot more movies than usual this year…three. _Thor_, _Captain America_, and the latest Harry Potter. Cap and Harry were in 3D. I liked all three, and found the 3D to be worth the extra buck or so for admission. If I had to rank them, I’d go 1-Cap, 2-Harry, 3-Thor. Hoping to catch X-Men and Green Lantern on HBO sometime… And I’d probably watch a video of Cowboys & Aliens if one happened to be available. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/24 "2011-12-18T00:01:20Z")
Both technically from 2010, I suppose, but _True Grit_ and _TrollHunter_ deserve a mention. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/25 "2011-12-18T03:02:28Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Both technically from 2010, I suppose, but _True Grit_ and _TrollHunter_ deserve a mention. It’s true that [TrollHunter](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740707/) is listed as a 2010 movie on IMDB, but it opened in Chicago this year so I’m counting it for 2011. In fact I saw **Attack The Block** and **TrollHunter** for the first times on the same night. I had to go to two different theaters to do it but what a fun double-feature! After **Let the Right One In** , the **Millennium Trilogy** (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo etc.), the creepyfun **Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale** and **TrollHunter** (and several others I’m blanking on at the moment) the Scandinavian film industry is high on my radar. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Does it involve the words “Attack” and “Block” by any chance? How’d you guess? > [@GuanoLad](#): > > So far, though, my favourite films have been _Attack the Block_… I love you. ---
**Author:** ![coffinjumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@coffinjumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffinjumper)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/26 "2011-12-18T03:16:57Z")
The Muppets was the only film I actually gave a crap about this year ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/27 "2011-12-18T03:46:28Z")
First and foremost, _Limitless_. A twisty-turny technothriller that was exhilarating, unpredictable, clever and just a helluva lot of fun. For me, far and away the best of the year. _Moneyball, The Help_ and _Midnight in Paris_ were each pretty good, in their own ways, but not nearly as good as _Limitless_ IMHO. After that my enjoyment level dropped off pretty sharply. _Ides of March_ was not nearly as good as it could have been. _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2_ was a letdown; I think I just expected too much of it. _Cowboys and Aliens_ was more dumb than fun. _Thor_ had its moments and was better than _Captain America_, but just didn’t reach its potential. _Green Lantern_ was a big disappointment - just never quite clicked. _Rango, Horrible Bosses, Arthur Christmas_ and _50/50_ had some laughs but missed the comedic mark more often than they hit it. All in all, a disappointing year for movies so far… but still a few more I want to see (esp. _Sherlock Holmes 2, A Dangerous Method_ and _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_). ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/28 "2011-12-18T05:04:38Z")
Oh wow **Attack the Block** IS good! I’m not real keen on the genre but this kept me so interested I couldn’t stop watching. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/29 "2011-12-18T09:30:22Z")
I love you too! ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/30 "2011-12-18T18:49:24Z")
BTW, here is a list of the [top grossing films of 2011](http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2011&p=.htm) in case anyone wants to look them over to remind you what you have seen this year. I have only seen 41 of them, but hope to see quite a few more in the next few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/31 "2011-12-18T19:57:48Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > BTW, here is a list of the [top grossing films of 2011](http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2011&p=.htm) in case anyone wants to look them over to remind you what you have seen this year. I note those are Worldwide numbers/titles rather than a Domestic list which would look a bit different. I only saw 4 of the Top 10 but 9 from 11-20. From 21-363 I saw 107, however some of those haven’t opened in the US yet. For instance The Adventures of Tintin has been playing for several weeks in the UK & Europe and is already #20 but won’t open in the United States for another week. The Artist is only in Oscar contention release in the US (every film must play at least one week in NY and LA to be eligible for Oscar nominations) and it’ll be slowly opened across the country over the next few weeks. I saw lots of other films that were “officially” 2010 releases but didn’t open in Chicago until 2011 (like TrollHunter mentioned earlier) so they’re not on that list. It’s a depressing list in that so many great (in my opinion) films made very little money. I saw more films from the bottom half than the top half. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/32 "2011-12-18T20:08:36Z")
I just watched \*\*Insidious \*\*last night (Netflix Instant FTW!). It was pretty good–very creepy and scary at times. Nice to see a horror movie that’s not a gorefest or torture-porn. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/33 "2011-12-18T22:16:44Z")
Tangent ahead… > [@Equipoise](#): > > I note those are Worldwide numbers/titles rather than a Domestic list which would look a bit different. Just for fun I looked at the [Domestic (to where I live of course) list](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2011&p=.htm) and was surprised to see that instead of going to 353 titles like the Worldwide, it goes to 579! Think of it. 579 movies opened in the United States in 2011! To be sure, most of them (roughly 101-579) played limited runs in arthouse theaters in bigger cities since they had to have played in a theater to be listed (direct to DVD doesn’t count), but it does go to show just how many movies are made that most people are never exposed to. I saw a hell of a lot of movies in the theater this year (348 so far with 2 weeks and a lot of movies to go) and it seems I barely saw any looking at the list. From **[#501-#579](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?page=6&view=releasedate&view2=domestic&yr=2011&p=.htm)** I only saw 8 of those films, either at film festivals or during runs at the Gene Siskel Film Center. That’s a lot of movies missed, many of which I might have loved. Lest anyone think movies so low-ranked have to be stinkers, I’ll attest that of those 8, I thought 7 were very very good. Of those 8 two of them are among my _favorites of the year_ and since this is the thread for favorites, I’ll go ahead and name them. Numbers are where they ranked on the yearly chart. #520 [Korkoro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu8KPxRKe1E) (link is to trailer) - an exciting, intense and moving film about a band of gypsies targeted by the Vichy during WWII and a few townspeople who try to help them. It’s full of striking performances and the most wonderful gypsy music. #571 Little Girl ([La Pivellina](http://youtu.be/dMY-lUW-Zz8), link is to trailer), a delightful film of wintering circus performers who suddenly have to care for an abandoned child, featuring the most adorable toddler I’ve ever seen in movies. It’s sweet, moving and in no way sappy or cloying. If anyone’s interested, the others I saw, in order of regard: #571 [Illégal](http://youtu.be/L-8ERdY0lLE) (link to trailer) - Devastating film about an illegal immigrant Russian mother in Belgium desperately trying to hold off deportation so as not to leave her son. Emotionally draining, infuriating, heart-rending, it shows that we’re not the only country to treat immigrants like shit. Anne Coesens deserves an Oscar nomination. #553 [Protektor](http://youtu.be/-fsBBrOG_EY) (link to trailer) - Very good film about a rising film star and her rising radio star husband who find their lives turned upside down when the Nazis occupy Czechoslovakia. Jana Plodková is stunning! #514 [Special Treatment](http://youtu.be/j3yRPeuaKqw) (link to trailer) - Good French film with Isabelle Huppert as an aging high-end prostitute who knows she has to change professions soon. #531 **Rage** ([Rabia](http://youtu.be/wnE5pEs2aqU), link to trailer) - Thriller about a murderer who hides in the huge rambling house where his girlfriend is a housekeeper. Looked interesting, well-acted, had its moments. #513 [The Woman With The 5 Elephants](http://youtu.be/PsPW9VwuO-0) (link to trailer) - Documentary about a Russian woman who survived the German concentration camps and has devoted her life to translating Dostoevsky into German. It was interesting but I was tired and zoned so I can’t say I saw the whole thing. #515 **How I Ended This Summer** - I saw this at the 2010 Chicago International Film Festival and hated it, absolutely HATED it. So of course it won the main prize for Best Film there. Obviously the problem was with me, not the movie, but I still hated it. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/34 "2011-12-18T22:27:07Z")
I haven’t seen all that many of this years movies , but for me the outstanding one is [Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/) ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/35 "2011-12-18T22:35:26Z")
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy just opened here on Friday and we’ll be seeing it over the holidays. I’m excited! > [@Equipoise](#): > > #571 Little Girl ([La Pivellina](http://youtu.be/dMY-lUW-Zz8), link is to trailer), a delightful film of wintering circus performers who suddenly have to care for an abandoned child, featuring the most adorable toddler I’ve ever seen in movies. It’s sweet, moving and in no way sappy or cloying. I just found a much longer trailer with far more scenes of the little girl. It’s [in this Italian movie show](http://youtu.be/8EuNEzosNqI), starting around 1:46 (the host talks about Avatar 2 and some other things first) and goes almost to the end. The trailer starts out the same but then shows more scenes of the cutie pie. She’s so adorable you see why they fall in love with her and it makes you fall in love with all of them and the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/36 "2011-12-19T03:47:25Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Tangent ahead…Just for fun I looked at the [Domestic (to where I live of course) list](http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2011&p=.htm)… Thanks for that list. Looking over it, I see I’d forgotten that I’d seen: _Kung Fu Panda 2 Puss in Boots Source Code Hangover 2 Cars 2_ The first three were good; the last two were meh. But none were in the same league as _Limitless, Moneyball, The Help_ or _Midnight in Paris_, as noted above. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/37 "2011-12-19T13:42:07Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Nice! I’ve only seen 4 of those and liked them all to varying degrees (in order of regard: Melancholia, Certified Copy, Kaboom! and…Sucker Punch, which I thoroughly enjoyed but nowhere near as much as those other three). I wanted to see Bellflower but it only played two midnight shows one weekend. I wanted to see Miral but it played for a week then left. I hadn’t heard of the others on your list but they all sound fantastic and I’ll keep an eye out for them. Cool! Interestingly, **Bellflower** only played for 2 nights here as well, but they weren’t midnight shows. It was very very good. I remember liking **Miral** , but can’t remember much about it, (I keep getting it confused with **Incendies** in my mind, for some reason) except that Freida Pinto (who I’m really digging right now) is awesome in it and they kept playing an Ennio Morricone cue throughout (I think it’s from **Battle of Algiers** , which would make sense), both of which are enough to put it on the list for me. Of the other four, **Puppet** and **Vigilante…** are both documentaries, which I usually don’t like, but these two transcended the genre for me ( **Puppet** especially in that I’m considering quitting my job and just being a puppeteer for a living after seeing it). **Flood Streets** is the [Downtown 81](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208993/) of post-Katrina New Orleans, and **Circumstance** is an Iranian film that I’m actually surprised you hadn’t heard of (though I think we see more Middle Eastern films than normal here, for some reason, so maybe I’m skewed). ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/38 "2011-12-20T01:11:36Z")
OH, forgot **Source Code** - I found that really fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/39 "2011-12-20T03:13:48Z")
The Good Life…hands down, my favorite. Hesher…been there, done that, still have friends who do. Another Year…wish this was a PBS series… Our Idiot Brother…thought it would be a silly/fun movie but it Had a Good Storyline! I saw some duds but the absolute worst was Beginnings. I liked Bridesmaids. How often do you get to see a woman sink to her knees and shit in the middle of the boulevard in a wedding dress? ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345/40 "2011-12-20T03:24:35Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Our Idiot Brother…thought it would be a silly/fun movie but it Had a Good Storyline! See, I thought the same thing but felt it fell short. I did love the hippie/new age “fight” they had in that one scene. “Ok, I ACKNOWLEDGE your anger”…etc. That was epic. > [@](#): > > I liked Bridesmaids. How often do you get to see a woman sink to her knees and shit in the middle of the boulevard in a wedding dress? I think the pertinent question here is: why would you want to? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorites-films-of-2011/606345.md?page=3)