Top 5, Honorable Mentions and Must See Movies of 2011

I am serious movie buff. I found myself not going to the movies much this year, due to certain relative issues that I took have gotten control over. But, this is not about me, but about the movies that I loved this year. I have my top 5 movies(by genre), some honorable mentions and films that came out in 2011, that I have not seen yet, but will definitely be giving a look as soon as they either hit DVD or apple TV. LOL. So let us begin this decent into favorites. I also will be adding links to my rotten tomatoes reviews for the ones I wrote about.


Drama - The Help. - A absolutely important movie for everyone to watch. As a man of color, whether i am light skinned or not this film is essential in every one's life. This movie will hurt a lot of people's feelings. Black and White. While of course this movie was just a glimmer into the lives of black people back in a time where we had to rise up and stand for our equal rights, it did make its point come across very clear. This is a very tough subject matter for a lot of people. My mother came to my mind in particular; knowing she had to march on the streets to fight for the equal rights I would have been denied today had not people fought for this equality. To get onto the subject of this film I will say that I believe Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer deserve every award category they are nominated in and also too Jessica Chastain who had me at hello with her performance. My girl Emma Stone played her part very well and I enjoyed her strong nature and how she handled that role. Bryce Dallas Howard played a evil little miss prissy and had me mad at her very presence, which we can say very much did her role to the tea. I also like to add that Allison Janney and Sissy Spacek were quite perfect in their supporting roles. I was also happy to see Cicely Tyson, as usual, turn out a brilliant performance. I wont necessarily break down the movie to you; if you watch the trailer its self explanatory. I will say this film touched my heart and I admit to tears, as well as the anger I had for seeing certain situations in the movie play out. The ending left you in the right way. It didn't leave you with a visual of happiness but instead with a feeling of happiness for the growth of those who were important to you. 4.5 stars. This will be in movie library for sure.

Action - X-Men: First Class -  ONE OF THE BEST REBOOTS IN A LONG TIME!!!! There is a lot to cover in this review, but i promise to make it short. I went to see this midnight on opening night with the rest of the "Marvel" fans and i was far from disappointed. Not only was the film well written, but its action scenes were right on the money. It seemed like the introduction of some mutants wouldn't sit well with die hard fans or people in general who watched the last 3 installments in the "X-Men" franchise..but everyone played their part. But, it was Prof. X and Magento who ran the whole show. Mystique and Beast were my second favorites, especially how the constructed Mystique's character, it fit in perfectly with what they were going for. The direction of this film was amazing and I enjoyed the style of the film almost like watching a better James Bond film with the X-men as Bond lol...I personally cannot wait for the sequel.(Is it worth buying on DVD after seeing it in theatres?) Absolutely Yes! As a matter of fact I will be getting the Special Edition of this one. 4 1/2 stars---only because of some things that were not true to the comic, but still a good movie.

Sci-Fi. - Super 8 -  Well written script, excellent performances from the younger cast, and an excellent finale for a incredible movie. By far my favorite movie so far this summer. Not only was it a suspenseful film, but it had some good funny moments as well. But the best part for me was how touching the movie ended up being. Not overly preachy, but the message was clear and to the point. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good summer movie to watch without anything extra...just good story telling. (Is it worth buying on DVD after seeing it in the Theatres?)...Yes of course.

Horror - Insidious - I didn't write a review for this one. I will say it was quite scary, but the ending could have been better. Another thing, there was not many scary movies that came out this year, that would warrant as good scary movies. If you have seen the most recent Paranormal Activity, you know what I am talking about.

Comedy - Bridesmaids - Another one I didn't write a review too. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. I got to put this as one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Some might find that I am over exaggerating a little bit, but I say you just have a different sense of humor then me.

Foreign - 13 Assassins - A must see!! A period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war torn future.

Honorable Mentions -


Sucker Punch

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 - This is a honorable mention, only because I enjoyed the books better then the movies, but this was the best of the series.

Need to See -
Midnight in Paris
The Artist
Melancholia
The Iron Lady

Stay tuned peeps. More Rants, Raves and Reviews to come. -MR3