Jay Thomas VS. The Box Office of 2011

I saw a lot of movies this year and most of them were just OK.  There were a few exceptions but over all the movies this year were middle of the road.  Here is a list of my top 10 movies of the 2011, I'm sure it is going to be very much open to debate.

First up my honorable mentions: PAUL, SUPER, RUBBER, FAST FIVE, THOR, SUPER 8, HARRY POTTER 7.5, SOURCE CODE, ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, SUPER 8 


10.  Everything Must Go:
Everything Must Go is a drama/comedy starring Will Ferrell.  Like Stranger Than Fiction, Will Farrell gets a bit serious at times and you know what...he is really good at it.  I like him in movies like this more than say, Ricky Bobby.  "Everything" has some really great little moments that made me laugh pretty hard.  The humor tends to be subtle and the drama can be a little thick but it was a very good movie.


9. Attack the Block
Attack the Block is a horror comedy from across the pond.  The only really noticeable actor in it is Nick Frost from Shaun of the Dead.  "Attack" is about a group of kids in the inner-city.  They are rough and dangerous.  One night their hood is attacked by a group of interesting looking aliens and they decide to fight back!  I say interesting because there have been a lot of alien movies out lately and the aliens really aren't that interesting looking at all or all that unique but in this, they are very original and very cool.  The kids are fantastic and a ball to watch.  I prefer this to SUPER 8 for the best alien movie featuring a group of kids that came out last summer.  Check this movie out, it's a lot of fun!


8.  The Debt:
The Debt is a spy thriller starring Helen Mirren, who plays an ex spy whose life comes back to haunt her.  The Debt is a extremely effective thriller that has a ton of suspense and action that had me at the edge of my seat a couple of times.  Sam Worthington co-stars along with Jessica Chastain as the younger Helen Mirren.  This was a very small movie that I hadn't heard of until recently but I'm glad I had because I really liked this movie a lot.


7. X-Men: First Class:
I talked about X-Men: First Class in a previous blog so I won't get into too much detail but this movie is great.  It really had a lot against it because the last two X-Men movies just plain SUCKED.  They were Superman III and Batman and Robin combined.  So when Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class came out and it was really super fantastic, I was hesitant to say the least.  Then I saw it and loved the style and the cast.  Although, I'll say this, I really didn't care for the supporting "mutants".  They were all pretty lame and familiar in a generic way but Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy more than made up for it.


6.  Bridesmaids:
Another one I've already talked about, Bridesmaids was the surprise hit of the summer starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Melissa McCarthy.  Extremely raunchy comedy that had me laughing the entire way through it and the best part is that it is still funny during the second viewing.  The length was a little harder to get through the second time though.  Nothing like a good Apatow movie that seems to go on a bit too long but never the less, it's fantastic.


5. Fright Night:
The remake that I really had very little urge to see but am so glad I did.  This is a remake that seems to get it "right".  The story is familiar but it's not a shot to shot remake, it truly is a re-imagining of the original.  I've never been a HUGE fan of the original.  I mean, I like it, but unlike a lot of people I know, I'm not in love with it.  The thing I think I love the most in this is that Colin Farrell seems to be having a blast playing the evil neighbor/vampire, Jerry.  I've watched this twice since it came out on Blu-Ray and I seem to like it more and more every time I watch it.


4.  Captain America: The First Avenger
I really love just about every second of this movie.  It is a blast from beginning to end.  Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers aka Captain America.  Steve always wanted to be in the army but was too small and weak.  This never stops him from trying.  This catches the eye of a scientist who injects our hero with a little SUPER SOLDIER SERUM and BOOM!  CAPTAIN AMERICA IS BORN!  This movie reminds me of Indiana Jones and The Rocketeer with a hint of Superman thrown in.  Or as I call it and SUPER SUPERHERO MOVIE SERUM!  The only thing that I think could hurt this movie is if The Avengers sucks.  If it tanks and is horrible, it could really hurt Cap, Thor, and Iron Man.  Captain America is a great fun, check it out!


3.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes:
I've always loved the Planet of the Apes series but was a little hesitant to see this latest incarnation.  I mean Tim Burton's remake didn't do the series any favors and James Franco as a scientist is harder to believe than talking monkeys...excuse me, Apes.  The special effects in this movie are really just mind blowing and seamless.  Andy Serkis as Caesar the ape is a truly great performance.  Rise is kind of a remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, which is my favorite of the ape movies and it does a really great job of updating it.  This should probably get a few Oscars come award time for effects at least.

2. Warrior: 
I really wanted to see this movie in the theaters but unfortunately it wasn't in theaters long enough.  For some reason this movie kind of tanked at the box office and I have no idea why.  This movie is great!  Every performance is perfect.  From Nick Nolte to Tom Hardy to Joel Edgerton.  Warrior is inspirational, emotional, brutal and really compelling to watch.  It's about a family that is very broken, more specifically, about two brothers who haven't seen each other in years.  They are both MMA fighters that enter a tournament.  They both need money for different reasons and have to claw their way to the top.  A lot of times it reminded me of Rocky but times two.  Nick Nolte plays their recovering alcoholic father who is trying very hard to stay sober and reconnect with his family he has pretty much destroyed.  I loved every moment of this movie.


1. Drive:
If there was ever a movie I didn't expect to completely fall in love with it was Drive.  Drive is not for everyone but it should be.  It's another one of those movies that really flew under the radar but if you were lucky enough to see it you either fell into the LOVE IT category or the HATE IT category.  Ryan Gosling stars in this...action movie?  Drama?  Romance? Thriller?  It's all of these and it takes it's time to be all of these and does it in a very unique way.  Ryan Gosling plays...wait for it...Driver.  Actually I don't think he has a name, it's never said anyway.  "Driver" doesn't say much but he doesn't have too, every look he makes it's like he is talking.  It's really weird how he does it but however he did it, it worked.  He falls for his neighbor and her son.  He looks after them until her husband gets out of jail.  Gosling's character doesn't try to steal her away either, he just stays around to make sure Carey Mulligan's character and son are ok.  Of course all hell breaks loose and Driver gets thrown into the middle of things.  He tends to react in EXTREMELY violent ways, which is a switch from the early parts of the movie where he is quiet and the only action you see is him driving getaway cars.  DRIVE has this really interesting style that almost makes it feel like it was made in the 80's.  Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks both have amazing co-starring roles that are both memorable.  Brooks is just terrifying in it.  The second the credits rolled, I wanted to watch this again and again.  I've still only seen it once but can't wait until January 30th when I can own it and watch it over and over again!

Worst Movies of the Year: GREEN HORNET, JUST GO WITH IT, DRIVE ANGRY, HANNA, THE WARD, BAD TEACHER, TRANSFORMERS 3, COWBOYS AND ALIENS, DYLAN DOG