2011 in Film: Best, Worst, and in Between

By Thom Stark

Top 20 Worst Films of 2011
20. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
19. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
18. X-Men: First Class
17. Thor
16. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
15. Transformers: Dark of the moon
14. Conan the Barbarian
13. The Mechanic
12. Killer Elite
11. Season of the Witch
10. Drive Angry
09. The Hangover Part 2
08. The Sitter
07. Our Idiot Brother
06. The Change-Up
05. Your Highness
04. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1
03. The Adjustment Bureau
02. Jack and Jill
01. Sucker Punch

Top Ten Most Disappointing Films of 2011 ¹
10. Straw Dogs
09. Larry Crowne
08. Super 8
07. The Conspirator
06. Contagion
05. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
04. The Thing
03. The Ides of March
02. The Debt
01. Cowboys & Aliens

Top Ten Surprises of 2011²
10. Friends with Benefits
09. The Lincoln Lawyer
08. 13 Assassins
07. Fright Night
06. In Time
05. Limitless
04. Win Win
03. Kill the Irishman
02. Moneyball
01. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Top 25 Best Films of 2011
25. Hanna
24. The Beaver
23. Carnage
22. The Guard
21. Super
20. Paul
19. Beginners
18. The Descendants
17. Of Gods and Men
16. J. Edgar
15. Red State
14. The Skin I Live In
13. The Rum Diary
12. Warrior
11. Somewhere
10. Shame
09. The Artist
08. Another Earth
07. The Way Back
06. A Dangerous Method
05. Barney’s Version
04. Midnight in Paris
03. Drive
02. The Tree of Life
01. Melancholia

These flicks weren’t bad, but were seriously disappointing. [BACK]
These are honorable mentions or movies that impressed me against expectations. [BACK]

This post was written by

Thom Stark – who has written 100 posts on Religion at the Margins.

Thom Stark is a multi-award-winning filmmaker whose filmography includes Dear Whiskey, and the award-winning films Who Art in Heaven, Revolution, and Note to Self. He is the author of The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (and Why Inerrancy Tries To Hide It). Thom was a Fig Tree and Ledbetter scholar at Emmanuel School of Religion, A Graduate Seminary. Thom has lectured on Second Temple Jewish apocalypticism, Christian origins, the Parables of Jesus, and early Christological controversies. He has also been the recipient of numerous lectures on tact.

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This entry was posted on January 16, 2012 at 5:22 PM and is filed under Culture.

http://charismanglican.com/ Charismanglican

I really enjoyed Planet of the Apes, X-Men, and Our Idiot Brother. And I was underwhelmed by Tree of Life. But Limitless would have been on my disappointment list.
http://religionatthemargins.com Thom Stark

Well, you’re obviously wrong. See above.
Mark

I thought Planet of the Apes and X-Men were quite good as well. I didn’t like the movie version of The Lincoln Lawyer (the book is good). So that was a bad surprise for me. And I liked Super 8. Otherwise, pretty good list
http://religionatthemargins.com Thom Stark

X-Men was full of plot holes, contrivances and cliches. Planet of the Apes was all right I guess. I was probably just reacting to Tarantino’s list in which he praised it as one of the best. I haven’t read the Lincoln Lawyer book; usually the book is better than the movie in any case. The movie worked, and beat my expectations.
Mark

Fair enough. As for X-men, I think the real reason why I liked it was because I liked the two main actors.
Clubbers

I love von Trier, but it’s often hard to recommend his films. The American “trilogy” is devastating.

Midnight in Paris was wonderful.

Didn’t like “The Adjustment Bureau,” eh? Is it possible you’re more cynical than I am?
http://religionatthemargins.com Thom Stark

Yeah, I like McAvoy and Fassbender too.
http://religionatthemargins.com Thom Stark

Von Trier’s “E” trilogy is everything there is in the universe.
Anonymous

Your Highness was so bad.
Richard Goulette

Hanna was amazing! I first saw it on my way back from Dublin, and then shared it with my wife and eldest son. Brilliant montages of cinematography with Euroflash music. Quiet/Serene vs. Cacophonous scenes to keep you on edge.

Who needs caffeine?