ScreenGeek’s Top Ten Films of 2011
We nominate our favourite ten films to have graced cinemas this year.
2011 was overall a pretty good year for film. Amongst the rubbish blockbusters and samey comedies, there were a few genre gems to be uncovered. Here our various minions give their cases for why their favourites should be counted amongst the top movies of the last 12 months.
Kill List (words by Jonny Muir)
In many ways, Kill List is the best film that came out all year, but in many other ways it’s a cinematic experience I never want to repeat. Not for the faint-of-heart, the film is directed with consummate skill by Ben Wheatley, as if he is trying to punish his audience. He totally succeeds, effortlessly balancing horror set-pieces like the pitiless and unforgettable hammer scene (a scene of violence so horrific and unflinching it will unnerve even the most desensitized of filmgoers) with a relentless atmosphere of doom-laden foreboding.
Cycling through genres – from kitchen-sink drama to violent hitman thriller to frenetic supernatural horror – with stunning confidence, the film always manages to keep a consistent tone, aided by excellent performances. Neil Maskell’s psychologically intense performance as Jay keeps us uneasy throughout the film, and Michael Smiley’s wearily understated turn as Gal is worthy of the awards and praise that have been heaped upon it.
Kill List resolutely denies you any sense of closure and narrative resolution, but this only serves to make it more shocking and compelling. No film of 2011 has so successfully gotten under my skin and occupied my thoughts for so long after the desolate, crushing ending credits. This truly is one of the best horror films of the decade, let alone 2011.
X-Men: First Class (words by Becky Reed)
It's rare to see a film so confidently and assuredly executed in tone - director Matthew Vaughn gives the viewer everything they could possibly wish for in an "event" movie, and then some. Fassbender and McAvoy are polar opposites, but equally terrific. The former plays Erik like Daniel Craig's Bond, but with more history and intensity. Every single moment he's onscreen something jaw-dropping occurs, whether it be a dramatic Western-style showdown in a bar, or his mindblowing attempt to take down a cruise liner, or his icy-cool extraction of information (and other things).
There's such an onslaught of elaborate and fantastic action sequences, it's a remarkable feat by the writers that First Class has such a strong human angle. It boasts more memorable set pieces than most films of its kind, which tend to have one or two "money shots". You could go home content you've had your money's worth of awesome after 20 minutes, let alone 130.
First Class is drenched in spine-tingling X-Men reverence but manages to be unlike any other entry in the franchise. An absolutely magnificent film, let alone summer blockbuster.
Drive (words by Christa Ktorides)
Undoubtedly 2011’s man of the year - although Michael Fassbender may have a thing or two to say about that - Ryan Gosling really sealed the deal with his role as the virtually mute and nameless getaway driver in Nicolas Winding Refn’s stylish, violent ode to John Hughes films’ of the 80’s. Pretty in Pink with added car chases, head smashing and tragedy.
Probably the coolest film of the year with the sexiest male lead of the year and the biggest shock scene of the year - hello kissy, stompy lift scene - Drive is a brutal, beautiful beast of movie. LA photographed in all its seedy, neon glory with some of the most heart thumping car chases committed to celluloid focussing on the driver and forgoing flashy flips and stunts in favour of character. Add a sweet Carey Mulligan and a terrifying turn by Albert Brooks as the crime lord kingpin of the piece - you will never look at Nemo’s Dad Marlin in quite the same way again - some truly nerve shredding sound effects and we have tense, brutal, beautiful beast of film wrapped lovingly in a satin jacket.
Black Swan (words by Sam Faulkner)
A haunting modern fable, Black Swan took an in-depth look at the fragile psyche of a young ballerina as she pursues perfection in the famous dual lead roles in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Natalie Portman easily picked up the Best Actress Oscar for her performance, as she takes us on a journey through personal corruption, loss of innocence and obsession. Ably backed up by a beguiling Mila Kunis, and the artistry of director Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan is one of those films which stays with you long after the credits have rolled.
Source Code (words by Andrew Jones)
The (relatively) mainstream blockbuster follow up from Moon director Duncan Jones somehow managed to mix Jones' geeky love of sci-fi and physics with the star-driven action-thriller stylings that a lot of films utilise for big bucks.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Captain Colter Stevens (A name so good that months on it's still imprinted in my mind), a man stuck in a pod with only a computer for comfort. On that computer, Vera Farmiga's Captain Goodwin delivers exposition on his situation (we’ll hold off on the spoilers), and sets about the entertaining, rip-roaring thriller-cum-romance of the year. More intense and entertaining than In Time, and dealing with a blossoming love far superior to The Adjustment Bureau, Source Code ticks all the right boxes, whilst adding a parallel universe aspect to the whole shindig so us soft science fiction nerds go gaga for months afterwards.
Furthermore, there's one shot near the end which pretty much seals this film in the year's best, and although the rest of the film is integral to the story, if the film could have ended on that note, well, it'd be recognised as one of the most powerful beats in modern cinema.
Hobo with a Shotgun (words by Sam Faulkner)
A film we were excited about ever since director Jason Eisener took the SXSW grindhouse trailer competition by storm, Hobo with A Shotgun was a lurid, grimy, Technicolor love letter to the kind of exploitation cinema we grew up with.
Centring around a typically intense performance from Ruger Hauer, who laudably plays it perfectly straight, we are taken on a ludicrously fun ride through a Robocop-esque dystopia, laughing and retching in equal measure. Hobo is an absolute blast, and by the time we are introduced to Shredder-style villains, The Plague, we are totally sold on the street crusader’s campaign against sleaze.
(See our full review here)
The Skin I Live In (Words by Sam Faulkner)
Reviewers at early screenings of Pedro Almodovar’s disturbing thriller were asked not to release any significant plot details, such was the nature of this twisty effort from the Spanish director. Plastic Surgeon Antonio Banderas and his live-in patient Elena Anaya are two characters with a bizarre, compelling relationship which will keep viewers on edge long after the big reveal.
Many films featuring big twists hinge on the reveal, that moment when the audience is told what is going on. The Skin I Live In feels like one huge reveal, as more and more layers of the story are uncovered, leading to some truly stunning revelations which will leave the viewer's jaw hanging.
A gripping piece of twisted genius from a great director, backed up by two wonderful performances, The Skin I Live In is a wonderful accomplishment, and may just be Almodovar's finest to date.
(See our original review here)
Take Shelter
The themes of Take Shelter are timely and relevant. In these times of economic uncertainty, the examination of a working man’s worries as he struggles to protect his family from disaster, whether literal or figurative, is one which audiences should easily relate to. A wonderful central performance from Michael Shannon, ably assisted by the ubiquitous Jessica Chastain anchor this as a very human film.
Perhaps a little too slow paced for some, Take Shelter is nonetheless a real triumph for all involved. Emotionally involving, spectacular and atmospheric, it is a memorably engaging watch which features two pitch-perfect performances at its core. Watch out for an Oscar campaign for Michael Shannon, after a turn which will be difficult to top this year.
(See our original review here)
Attack the Block (words by Jonny Muir)
2011 was such an annus mirabilis for UK cinema it seemed you couldn’t buy a paper in the morning without running into at least six delightfully assured, lovingly crafted directorial debuts from young British directors. So it was great to find that British science fiction is in terrific shape with Attack the Block, an original, taut, tense, funny alien-invasion flick from first time writer-director Joe Cornish (or Adam & Joe fame).
One part visionary Spielbergian sci-fi, one part Alien-style creature-horror, one part Die Hard urban action film, Attack the Block wears its cinematic influences proudly on its sleeve. Cornish, however, is talented and confident enough a filmmaker not to let his film sink into pandering homage. You would never guess that this is Cornish’s first time behind the camera, as he directs with boundless energy and natural flair. What makes the film so fun is the way Cornish takes horror film staples and modulates them into the council flat idiom – scenes like the smoke-filled corridor chase fizzle with invention, wittily riffing on the numerous sequences that inspired them.
(See our original review here)
Stake Land (words by Sam Faulkner)
If you are a fan of The Walking Dead, you should urgently seek out Stake Land. Criminally under-released, this independent horror from the States depicts a future where a vampiric plague has swept the world, leaving small bands of survivors competing with the undead hordes.
Writer Nick Damici plays Mister, one of the coolest characters of the year – a vampire hunter who effortlessly dispatches any number of fanged beasties. With young Martin taken under his wing, we join them and their group on a trek across what was once America.
In these days of Twilight, it is refreshing to see vampires portrayed as feral, monstrous creatures who have no qualms about snacking on a baby, or raiding a peaceful settlement for a drop of claret. They are truly horrifying creations, and there is no sanitisation of the horror on show here. Stake Land is a masterpiece of survival horror, and those comparisons to Frank Darabont’s TV series do not come lightly.
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