I now present you with a list of my favorite movies from 2011. I do not believe that most of these films will win any awards, but I enjoyed them the most of all the things I saw this year. They were the movies that stuck in my head the most and made me want to watch them again as soon as I walked out of the theater. You may disagree, and that is fine, and I would invite you to share your favorite movies with me in the comments section below.
So now without further ado and in no particular order.....
Limitless I am a little Bradley Cooper-biased, but I actually really enjoyed this movie a lot. I especially liked that it was not presented as a science fiction movie but more as an exploration of the human mind. You think more about the moral implications of what it would mean to take a drug like NZT. How would it change the way you interact with other people and how you live your life. This movie was engaging and highly entertaining.
Bridesmaids This was the funniest movie I have seen in a really long time. I have been in six weddings, none were quite this hilarious, but I can definitely relate to many of the situations with which these ladies had to deal. The entire cast was great as an ensemble and even better in their individual roles. Each women adds a different level of hilarity throughout the entire movie. Also, I have said it before and I will say it again, I expect puppies to be given as favors at every bridal shower I go to from now on.
You tell me where we start, where we're going, where we're going afterwards, I give you five minutes when we get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours no matter what. Anything a minute either side of that and you're on your own. I don't sit in while you're running it down. I don't carry a gun. I drive." -----------------------------------
We all know that I love Ryan Gosling, so I would have seen Drive regardless of the reviews, but this movie really was excellent.
Gosling's character has no name, but is simply referred to as 'Driver.' He is a movie stuntman by day and a criminal getaway driver by night. He becomes interested in his neighbor and when her husband come home from prison, he tries to help with a heist and it goes horribly wrong. A contract is put out on him and he now must protect himself and the woman he loves.
I thought that it was fantastic. The tone and style of the movie are totally different than any thing you have seen. Like Gosling's character, the plot is simple and to the point. There is not a lot of dialogue in many of the scenes because the Driver only speaks when he feels it is necessary. It was a little darker and more violent than I expected, but not in a bad way. There actually is not a lot of violence, but in the few violent scenes it is pretty intense.
Drive is about a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a get-away driver for criminals. He must protect his neighbor and her son after a heist goes south. This movie stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks. I think we all know that I would be seeing this movie regardless, but it actually has been getting great reviews.
I have finally received my Entertainment Weekly Fall Movie Preview! As I did last year, and at the beginning of the summer, I will now list for you the movies that I am most looking forward to seeing this fall.
September 9 - Warrior (Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte) 16 - Drive (Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman) 23 - Moneyball (Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman) - Red State (Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo) 30 - 50/50 (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick)
Limitless
