2011 - The Darkmatters Films of the Year
by Matt Adcock
It's that time of year - to reflect on the movies that have been the highlights...
So without further ado - here are the ones that delivered over and above the rest - for sheer entertainment, thrills, spills and cinematic excellence!?
10. Attack The Block
Hard edged sci-fi action mixed with street level laughs delivers a quality British feel good time. Credible, scary and fun...
Review
9. NEDS
Meet young John McGill a really smart, lovely, ambitious kid. Journey with him as he falls into the underworld of becoming a NED (Non-Educated Deliquente) it's tragic and heartbreaking but also shot through with great humour and grim violence.
Review
8. Limitless
The average movie goer only uses 20% of their brain when experiencing a film.
‘Limitless’ however brings experimental drug NZT to the table - a drug that allows people to use the full 100 percent of their mind for films or absolutely anything. Recorded side effects however include scorching of the pleasure receptors as a result of witnessing such a delirious action thriller head-trip.
Review
7. HUGO
Chloë Grace Moretz dazzles in this homage to every early film and the whole art of film making. The year's best 3D too (well up there with Drive Angry?!).
Review
6. Warrior
Warrior is a crunching plot punch to the forehead, followed up with a emotional knee to the abs and finally a satisfying slam take-down. Tom Hardy FTW!
Review
5. Black Swan
A phantasmagorical case study of someone breaking down but it is utterly watchable thanks to having a director with such artistic verve, empowered by an incredible cast.
Review
4. Super 8
Think Goonies mixed with Close Encounters of the Third Kind and, throw in some great references to films from across the genres and you’ve got the winning recipe for a new breed of classic.
Review
3. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Evil will with evil be expelled. Fincher’s remake is a turbo charged black hearted beast powered by Mara’s transformative performance.
Review
2. The Tree of Life
“Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? ...while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38)
Challenge yourself - see The TREE of LIFE and reflect on life, the universe and everything!
Review
1. Drive
I'd like you to meet ‘Driver’ (Ryan ‘Half Nelson’ Gosling) a man with no name but an uncanny way with cars. Drive is a uber powerful, heartbreaking romance shot through with heavy-duty violence and awesome crime-drama-action.
Review
Also highy recommended and in need of mention for various merit:
Sucker Punch - visually exquisite babetastic kick ass action (Review)
Drive Angry - devilish overload of OTT sexually charged violence (Review)
True Grit - updated western classic that rocks on many levels (Review)
Never Let Me Go - heartbreaking cloning / life drama (Review)
The Fighter - crunching gurning masterclass of hope (Review)
Take Shelter - mind twisting gut punch of apocalyptic doom (Review)
(quad poster not available - Katrina Bowden who stars pictured instead)
Tucker and Dale vs Evil - wonderful woods based red neck horror comedy (Review)
The Kings Speech - lovely royal-em-up life affirming tale (Review)
Source Code - excellent time jumping thrill ride (Review)
Kill List - brutal heart of darkness writ large on the screen in style (Review)
Super - The 'wrongest' super hero film ever, but so right if you can dig it!? (Review)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Classy spy slow burn steeped in quality (Review)
2 comments:
Nice list Matt! I liked Limitless although I thought it was a bit too unimaginative given the premise of the story. We have a very similar list overall outside of the movies that came out in 2010 in the US.
Great list. Although it makes 'just' number 5 on my list, I love that Drive is at the top of yours. Great to see it get such love.
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