84 replies to this topic

[Anders]

My brother and I post our favourite films of 2011 over at our blog.

For the record:

THE TREE OF LIFE
HUGO
CERTIFIED COPY (COPIE CONFORME)
OF GODS AND MEN (DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX)
DRIVE
MELANCHOLIA
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2
A DANGEROUS METHOD
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

[Christian]

Anders, on 20 January 2012 - 09:28 PM, said:

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

Hey, hey! I remember you liking the film in our Tintin thread, but hadn't realized it rose to Top 10 level for you (it's on my list as well). You wrote in that thread:

Basically I liked a lot of this film. It's pretty good, and I guess I can't quite see some of the issues that others have with the film as far as action sequences, etc.

That's a pretty nice endorsement, but I suspect that film may have risen a bit in your estimation since seeing it. If so, care to elaborate on your thoughts in the Tintin thread? I never did get to a second viewing.

Edited by Christian, 20 January 2012 - 10:03 PM.

[Ryan H.]

Rather than a top ten, a top five:

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS
CERTIFIED COPY
MYSTERIES OF LISBON
OF GODS AND MEN
TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY


Of course, there's plenty I have yet to see.

[Persona]

Finally made a full list Here, after much thought and switching things around over and over and over and over. The list of what I've not seen (listed on the blog) is so huge it is embarrassing, but oh well, what am I gonna do - release a best of 2011 list in 2014?

10. Midnight in Paris
9. Letters to Father Jacob
8. Take Shelter
7. 50/50
6. Insidious
5. Amer
4. The Mill and the Cross
3. Budrus
2. The Tree of Life
1. Certified Copy

[Peter T Chattaway]

That list is so strange to me, seeing as it includes a film that I saw in 2009 -- a film that played an indirect part in my parting ways with CT Movies back then. (Long story. But also a somewhat old one, now, which is sort of the point I'm making here.)

[Persona]

Yeah. You must be referring to Budrus, right? One of the things I said on the blog was that I am including films that made their theatrical debut on a Grand Rapids screen this year. I really wanted to include Budrus, and that's the way I found to do so.

But then, every year I do this I know in advance that my year of release isn't quite exact. I'm sure Amer and Letters to Father Jacob have flaws with the year of release too. Heck, maybe more than that. When you're in a smaller city and not a paid critic, you don't do these things to the same scale as others.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Persona wrote:
: Yeah. You must be referring to Budrus, right?

Actually, no: Letters to Father Jacob.

Don't worry, I get why you're including the films that you do; in the past, I have followed a Vancouver-centric rule myself. It's still just a little weird to see ghosts from the past pop up like this, though.

[Persona]

If you saw Letters to Father Jacob in 2009, you must have seen it before it hit even a minor film festival in the US. It began hitting those in 2010, and had a limited release in the fall of that year (and in this case by limited, I mean severely limited)... When I caught it at EUFF in March last year, I thought they said that was its Chicago debut.

I guess in the case of Letters to Father Jacob, my thinking was that if it first came out in Chicago in March of 2011, then it MUST be safe on any 2011 list.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Persona wrote:
: If you saw Letters to Father Jacob in 2009 . . .

Yep, I did.

: . . . you must have seen it before it hit even a minor film festival in the US.

Could be. It's a sort of "minor" film, i.e. the sort of film that doesn't necessarily "make the rounds" like a lot of Cannes favorites do, etc. -- so it might take a while for festivals and others to notice it, pick it up, etc.

[Thom]

I can whittle it all down to one (and it isn't totally because I don't see a ton of theatrical releases).

Tree of Life is my number one with a bullet. I have not been affected by, engaged with, or been fully immersed in the experience of a film like I was with this film in years!! It was so incredibly visceral and unexpected. The last film that had such an impact on me probably wasn't even seen in a theater! I loved this film and all others pale in comparison.

[Timothy Zila]

Not that anyone cares now that it's mid-February (although the Oscars are next weekend), but I have my 'final' list. By final, I mean: I've seen a good chunk of the films I hadn't when I posted my tentative list, but of course I'll see and discover more films and this will change.

Top Ten (in order):


1. The Tree of Life
2. Melancholia
3. Certified Copy
4. Beginners
5. Win Win
6. Take Shelter
7. Of Gods and Men
8. Pina
9. Jane Eyre
10. The Trip

Pretty Good (in no order):


Meek's Cutoff
Everything Must Go
Rango
Hugo
Mission Impossible -- Ghost Protocol
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Mill and the Cross
Midnight in Paris
Le Havre

Still Haven't Seen:


Nostalgia for the Light, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Descendants, The Artist, The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Drive, stuff I'm doubtless forgetting.

Edited by Timothy Zila, 19 February 2012 - 01:36 AM.

[Nick Olson]

I'm way late to the party on this one. I blame the fact that I don't live near a city to catch all of the significant releases on time. Anyway, I posted an Oscar preview today over at CaPC. At the end of my list of predictions, hopes, and regrets, I list my current top ten and some honorable mentions. Two caveats: the one film that I really regret not being able to see before compiling a list is A Separation, which I have a feeling will be a strong contender for me. Also, I feel I need to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy again before ranking it, but I could see it being a favorite from this year. Lists like this are always fluid for me, anyway...

Quote

What would be my ten favorite 2011 films right now?

1. The Tree of Life

2. Certified Copy

3. Of Gods and Men

4. Hugo

5. The Mill and the Cross

6. Moneyball

7. Martha Marcy May Marlene

8. Take Shelter

9. Meek’s Cutoff

10. Attack the Block

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order): Buck; Tuesday, After Christmas; Melancholia; Win Win; Cave of Forgotten Dreams; The Muppets; Midnight in Paris; The Ides of March; Carnage; Margin Call; Drive; The Trip; Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol; Young Adult; Jane Eyre

Edited by Nicholas, 23 February 2012 - 10:53 AM.

[Darren H]

Wasn't sure where else to put this. Sergei Loznitsa's My Joy is now streaming on Netflix.

[M. Leary]

I watched that when it popped up. It would certainly have been on my list for the year. Very stunning.

[Darren H]

Figured you'd like it. I still haven't written up a best of 2011 list and might not until I've had a chance to see a few more films and re-view a couple others, including this one.

[Darren H]

To Die Like a Man is also now streaming on Netflix.

[Darren H]

When I relaunched Long Pauses a couple weeks ago, I also finally got around to posting my Best of 2011 list. It's quite a bit different from the earlier one I posted in this thread.

Also, my favorite film of the 2011, House of Pleasures, is now streaming on Netflix in the States.

[kenmorefield]

Darren, the closest I've come to actually hurting someone at a movie screening came last year as I was watching House of Tolerance at the Isabel Bader. The couple next to me was restless through most of the movie, and they finally decided to get up and leave with about 5-10 minutes to go in the screening. As you know, something particularly dramatic and important happens at just that moment. and as they were exiting the aisle, standing in front of me, they reflexively stopped at that moment to turn to the screen and see what was happening.

I nearly killed them.

(As for the film itself, I appreciated it artistically, but it wasn't of the sort that moved me personally. I have no objections to others liking/admiring it more than I did. It was actually pretty interesting. Probably bears mentioning to this particular demographic that there is a lot of nudity so if that sort of thing bothers you--it doesn't me--take recommendations with caution.)

Edited by kenmorefield, 29 August 2012 - 11:02 AM.

[Darren H]

Ken, a friend has a similar story about House of Pleasures. He was sitting beside a couple who talked throughout the film, culminating with a line that still makes me laugh: "I think the dog is gonna eat him!"

And, yes, Ken's right. A movie called House of Pleasures that is set in a turn-of-the-century Paris brothel contains nudity and sexual content. In case you needed that warning.

[kenmorefield]

Darren H, on 29 August 2012 - 11:24 AM, said:

And, yes, Ken's right. A movie called House of Pleasures that is set in a turn-of-the-century Paris brothel contains nudity and sexual content. In case you needed that warning.

If I've learned anything in a decade plus of teaching (and some writing for evangelical circles) it is that anything I think goes without saying will result in at least one person complaining that "hey, you didn't say...!"

Edited by kenmorefield, 29 August 2012 - 11:29 AM.