The Official Box Office Theory's Favorite Movies of 2011 List!

[Gopher]

8. Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol (115 points, 14 lists)

Artsy, cerebral movies that combine intelligence with entertainment are always nice. But the franchise pic Mission Impossible 4 does combine intelligence with entertainment. Brad Bird expertly crafts every action scene in this film with skill, making every setpiece feel fresh. It helps that the script gives the always-game Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg a whole lot to do together.

[Gopher]

7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (128 points, 14 lists)

If the worst crime David Fincher committed with his Dragon Tattoo adaptation is staying too close to the ultimately so-so material, then that's pretty solid. This is a movie that looks and sounds great, features some genuinely captivating scenes, and Rooney Mara delivers a truly breakout performance. This is better than the Swedish movie. If you haven't seen either film, just see this one. You'll appreciate it more.

[4815162342]

My top 3 didn't even get past the Honorable Mentions. Bah humbug.

[Gopher]

6. X-Men: First Class (128 points, 16 lists)

Sure, this quasi-reboot/prequel isn't perfect, because nothing with January Jones's acting is (and yes, that includes Mad Men). But I never expected anything from X-Men: First Class, the movie was fast tracked by Fox and the franchise's record isn't exactly glowing. What I got was a summer blast, with great action scenes from Kick Ass's Matthew Vaughn, and some really fun performances- Michael Fassbender is a treasure, whether he's Magneto, Edward Rochester, or a sex addict.

[Gopher]

5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (137 points, 15 lists)

Apes was in a similar situation as X-Men; in fact, a year ago, a few people here thought this reboot would be the bomb of 2011. Instead, Apes succeeded because it was a bold, daring entry for a franchise film, featuring one of the best performances of the year in Andy Serkis.

[Gopher]

4. Hugo (147 points, 13 lists)

One of Scorsese's most personal films turned out to be incredibly different from anything in his filmography. Hugo is a masterful, magical film, a love story to cinema at its finest, featuring the absolute best 3D I have ever seen. It's a marvel that will be valued for decades to come.

[Fanboy]

My top 3 is BOT's top 3.

[Gopher]

3. 50/50 (153 points, 14 lists)

Recently, I saw this Jonathan Levine film for the first time since early July. It was just as funny- Seth Rogen's "I nailed that ----!" scene is just as funny as it is rewarding for the viewer to watch- but I found the dramatic elements more endearing and Will Reiser's blend of comedy and tragedy seamless. 50/50 has performances from JGL, Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anjelica Huston that are all at the top of their game, and proves itself to be the funniest, most heartwarming movie of the year. And seriously, f**k cancer.

[Noctis]

If only Heretic, Cozmees, Ueka, and Cedar posted lists, DH2 would be at 1.

[lab276]

DH2 doesn't deserve to be at number one.

[Noctis]

DH2 doesn't deserve to be at number one.

I think it does. It's annoying that Drive even made it to the top ten.

[acsc1312]

Glad to see Warrior in the top ten, but Apes and xmen top 6? hmmmm....

[Gopher]

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (161 points, 16 lists)

I could try, but I'm not going to bother. I'll just hand this over to Noctis-

"One of my favorite films ever. I'm a Harry Potter nut until the end, but that doesn't mean I love all the movies in the series. I don't. DH1/DH2 are easily my favorite in the series without a single doubt in my mind. Although DH1 was slightly less flawed, DH2 is a bit better for me - if only for its exhilarating action sequences and the forest scene with Harry and the ghost of his loved ones. Score was utterly incredible. For me, this film got better on repeat viewings. I could notice a lot more little details. Cinematography is spectacular! Every single second of the boathouse was stunning to look at. I do have qualms with the film, though. I wish they had included a couple of scenes of Snape/Lily as teenagers, but that's minor. The very last scene before the epilogue was, in my opinion, a beautiful way to close the film. Just the three of them on the bridge was so poignant."

[Noctis]

[Gopher]

1. DRIVE (167 points, 13 lists)

There's something inside Drive. It's hard to explain. Perhaps it's because this is a film filled with archetypes- Ryan Gosling's Driver hero doesn't even have a name, Albert Brooks is the classic villain-thug, Christina Hendricks is so much of a mole that she might as well have been called The Moll, Carey Mulligan the girl he's supposed to save. It doesn't try to reinvent the genre, so you can't look and point at what's so incredible. But damn it, when a genre film is pulled off this well, it becomes seductive- every shot and line of dialogue in Drive has a purpose, a purpose used to its full effect. It's shot and scored to a dazzling and efficient pulse, and Refin's style of not trying too hard (while making a greater impact) allows for the cast, who give their stereotypes flesh and bones, to take away the audience. Drive is, in fact, nothing short of incredible. It's my favorite movie of the year, and it's BOT's favorite movie of the year.

And really, has Gosling ever been dreamier?

[Gopher]

And that's it, folks! Here are my personal grades for BOT's top 15 films:

1. Drive A

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 B-

3. 50/50 A

4. Hugo A

5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes B+

6. X-Men: First Class B+

7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo B+

8. Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol A-/B+

9. Warrior B/B-

10. The Descendants A-

11. Rango A-

12. Super 8 B-

13. Moneyball A-

14. The Muppets A-

15. The Artist B+

Pretty solid list, I must say.

[acsc1312]

Thanks fo doing this, Goph. Nice analysis. And to answer your question, no, Gosling has never been dreamier.

[Ezen Baklattan]

A bit surprised that the two Fox films ended up as high as they did, but the top 4 seemed pretty expected.Pretty solid list, overall

[Noctis]

fudge Edited January 28, 2012 by Noctis

[BK007]

Have yet to see many of the films.Though I did find DH2 and MI4 overrated. XMFC is more than overrated. Rango is slightly overrated after watching it a second time.Loved Super 8. Apes is great. Intend to see the rest except the Muppets which is not to my liking at all and maybe Descendants because Clooney gives the same performance over and over again and it's not something I really need to see.My current top 15:1. Super 82. Arthur Christmas3. Rango4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes5. Lincoln Lawyer6. Fast Five7. Adventures of Tintin8. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy9. Limitless10. Deathly Hallows 211. On Stranger Tides12. Source Code13. Contagion14. Horrible Bosses15. Ides of March17. MI424. XMFC

Edited January 28, 2012 by BK007