2011 - The Year in Movies
by cw1312 | created - 02 Jan 2011 | updated - 31 Dec 2011 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Kids Are All Right (2010)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two children conceived by artificial insemination bring their biological father into their non-traditional family life.
Director: Lisa Cholodenko | Stars: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska
Votes: 134,423 | Gross: $20.81M
2. Open Hearts (2002)
R | 113 min | Drama, Romance
A Dogme film about an engaged couple that is torn apart after the man is paralyzed in an accident, and the woman falls in love with the husband of the woman who caused the accident.
Director: Susanne Bier | Stars: Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Mads Mikkelsen, Paprika Steen
Votes: 10,943 | Gross: $0.12M
Seen as part of Mads Mikkelsen retrospective – From Denmark with Love
3. Of Gods and Men (2010)
PG-13 | 122 min | Drama, History
Under threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay.
Director: Xavier Beauvois | Stars: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin, Philippe Laudenbach
Votes: 16,092 | Gross: $3.95M
4. Love & Other Drugs (2010)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1990s Pittsburgh, a medicine peddler starts a relationship with a young woman suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Judy Greer, Oliver Platt
Votes: 224,042 | Gross: $32.37M
5. Secrets & Lies (1996)
R | 136 min | Comedy, Drama
Following the death of her adoptive parents, a successful young black optometrist establishes contact with her biological mother -- a lonely white factory worker living in poverty in East London.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Timothy Spall, Brenda Blethyn, Phyllis Logan, Claire Rushbrook
Votes: 47,167 | Gross: $13.42M
6. Hereafter (2010)
PG-13 | 129 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
An American construction worker, a French journalist and a London school boy set out on a spiritual journey after death touches their lives in different ways.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Matt Damon, Cécile de France, Bryce Dallas Howard, Thierry Neuvic
Votes: 95,467 | Gross: $32.75M
7. 127 Hours (2010)
R | 94 min | Biography, Drama
A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Sean Bott
Votes: 401,236 | Gross: $18.34M
8. Another Year (2010)
PG-13 | 129 min | Comedy, Drama
A look at four seasons in the lives of a happily married couple and their relationships with their family and friends.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Manville, Oliver Maltman
Votes: 30,870 | Gross: $3.21M
9. True Grit (2010)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Western
A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin
Votes: 357,407 | Gross: $171.24M
10. Made in Dagenham (2010)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, History
A dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination.
Director: Nigel Cole | Stars: Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone
Votes: 16,066 | Gross: $1.09M
11. No Strings Attached (I) (2011)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Romance
A guy and girl try to keep their relationship strictly physical, but it's not long before they learn that they want something more.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Cary Elwes
Votes: 243,970 | Gross: $70.66M
12. The Adjustment Bureau (2011)
PG-13 | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The affair between a politician and a contemporary dancer is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.
Director: George Nolfi | Stars: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Lisa Thoreson, Florence Kastriner
Votes: 270,089 | Gross: $62.50M
13. Inside Job (2010)
PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir
Votes: 78,946 | Gross: $4.31M
14. The King's Speech (2010)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi
Votes: 707,773 | Gross: $138.80M
15. In a Better World (2010)
R | 118 min | Drama, Romance
The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait.
Director: Susanne Bier | Stars: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Markus Rygaard, Wil Johnson
Votes: 41,672 | Gross: $1.01M
Didn't breathe for two hours. On the other hand I appreciate Susanne Bier's portraits of real people with real problems
16. Source Code (2011)
PG-13 | 93 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
A soldier wakes up in someone else's body and discovers he's part of an experimental government program to find the bomber of a commuter train within 8 minutes.
Director: Duncan Jones | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 549,556 | Gross: $54.71M
"Everything's going to be okay." Who am I to argue with Jake Gyllenhaal. Plus one has to admire the aerial shots of Chicago and the efficient filmmaking. A eight min story cleverly stretched into a feature length film.
17. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
PG-13 | 130 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.
Director: David Yates | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon
Votes: 947,969 | Gross: $381.01M
18. The Solitude of Prime Numbers (2010)
118 min | Drama
Non-linearly follows two kids, rejected by their peers, who become friends. They separate later in life and dedicate to their careers. Still, they feel as if something is missing.
Director: Saverio Costanzo | Stars: Alba Rohrwacher, Luca Marinelli, Arianna Nastro, Vittorio Lomartire
Votes: 3,772
Childhood traumas played out over 20 years. Borderline weird but gripping. Courageous edit with sparse but effect use of sound and music.
19. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime.
Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy
Votes: 253,666 | Gross: $58.01M
mainly worth watching 1) for the well structured line that marks the midst of the film (and serves as a cliffhanger for the inevitable Swiss intermission): "You got one client in jail for what the other client did. What you're going to do, Mick? What are you going to do?" 2) to see that even Matthew "Mahogany" can't defy age
20. Chico & Rita (2010)
Not Rated | 94 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey - in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment.
Directors: Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba | Stars: Eman Xor Oña, Limara Meneses, Mario Guerra, Jon Adams
Votes: 9,687 | Gross: $0.35M
Yet another proof that animation (no matter how beautiful and how brilliant the music) is not for me.
21. Midnight in Paris (2011)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Kurt Fuller
Votes: 449,757 | Gross: $56.82M
Tapestry of little nuggets cleverly woven together.
22. The Guard (2011)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
An unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is partnered with an uptight F.B.I. agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring.
Director: John Michael McDonagh | Stars: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Mark Strong, Ronan Collins
Votes: 95,588 | Gross: $5.36M
23. Margin Call (2011)
R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
Follows the key people at an investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis.
Director: J.C. Chandor | Stars: Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany
Votes: 144,191 | Gross: $5.35M
Casting Demi Moore as Chief Risk Officer (!!!) doesn't hide the fact that it's a very flat script - or simply a montage of Kevin Spacey in front of the NY skyline at night. Paul Bettany on a rooftop ledge gives a glimpse into a dark, twisted character and a storyline that - if followed - would have made for a more engaging movie. Opportunity missed and talent wasted. Shame!
24. Short Cuts (1993)
R | 188 min | Comedy, Drama
The day-to-day lives of several suburban Los Angeles residents.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Tim Robbins, Bruce Davison
Votes: 47,374 | Gross: $6.11M
25. Blood Simple (1984)
R | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies, and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen | Stars: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh
Votes: 105,182 | Gross: $2.15M
26. Jane Eyre (2011)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga | Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Su Elliot
Votes: 92,997 | Gross: $11.24M
27. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
PG-13 | 117 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
The Quileutes close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses a threat to the Wolf Pack and the towns people of Forks.
Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Gil Birmingham
Votes: 254,242 | Gross: $281.29M
28. Le Havre (2011)
Not Rated | 93 min | Comedy, Drama
When an African boy arrives by cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home.
Director: Aki Kaurismäki | Stars: André Wilms, Blondin Miguel, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Kati Outinen
Votes: 23,554 | Gross: $0.61M
An egg in every frame. Quirky production design that is uniquely Kaurismäki.
29. The Help (2011)
PG-13 | 146 min | Drama
An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.
Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard
Votes: 492,608 | Gross: $169.71M
Wonderful performances in a surprisingly debate-free story about toilets. Absolutely no need to bring your thinking cap.
30. Toast (2010 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 96 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
The ultimate nostalgia trip through everything edible in 1960s Britain.
Director: S.J. Clarkson | Stars: Oscar Kennedy, Victoria Hamilton, Colin Prockter, Ken Stott
Votes: 10,458
Actors I admire in roles that are in a disengaging way slightly over the top.
31. And Your Mother Too (2001)
R | 106 min | Drama
In Mexico, two teenage boys and an older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life and each other.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Ana López Mercado
Votes: 128,859 | Gross: $13.62M
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