Top 10 UK Releases of 2011
It should be noted, as avid a film fan as I am, it is literally impossible to see everything that is released. This list is subject to later additions, but I can only go by what I have seen. If you think I'm missing something, do let me know!
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- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRobin WrightJames McAvoyTom WilkinsonMary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life.A great history lesson, and a tremendously interesting, if rather distressing story, this is Robert Redford's presentation of the trial of Mary Surratt, charged with conspiracy to murder President Abraham Lincoln. Simply but wonderfully shot in a way that brought Eastwood to mind, it is engaging, perfectly paced and never boring; Redford overcomes the potential hurdle of the stuffiness of a period piece with great character arcs, and genuinely exciting, provocative storytelling. Speaking of it being a period piece, he does a great job of transporting us back to the Washington of the time; terrifc set design and cinematography. Wonderful lead performance from James McEvoy, and terric support from Kevin Klein, Tom Wilkinson and Evan Rachel Wood bring this film pretty close to perfect. Would have liked a little more solid backstory leading to the event itself, ala 'The Assassination Of Jesse James....', but this is a very small qualm with what was otherwise an exciting, emotive and educational drama! Definitely deserves more attention than it seems to have received. If not a winner, it certainly deserves to be Oscar nominated for acting, screenplay and direction.
Certainly a film to watch if you think you know the full story of Lincoln's assassination, because it proves you almost certainly don't. - DirectorMichel HazanaviciusStarsJean DujardinBérénice BejoJohn GoodmanWhen George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.That rare occurence, a film for which the hype is not unwarranted. A (almost) silent film that is not just a gimmick, but a genuine love-letter to cinema, adhering strictly to the conventions of early, silent film. In a time when CGI, explosions, aliens and robots are intended to hold our attention, it is unusual and refreshing to see somebody return to the roots literally, and tell a simple story in this way.
A film that wins over and rewards the viewer who puts cynicism aside and goes with it; a moving tale which, like 'Hugo', centres around the advent of sound, and which, again like 'Hugo', is made by somebody who adores the language of cinema, and ultimately gets to the heart of why we fell in love with the motion picture in the first place. Very hard to find a fault with this movie. - DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsNatalie PortmanMila KunisVincent CasselNina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.
- DirectorTom HooperStarsColin FirthGeoffrey RushHelena Bonham CarterThe 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.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsDaniel CraigRooney MaraChristopher PlummerJournalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years by young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.Whilst not as complex as Se7en, or well paced as Zodiac, Fincher's take on the Swedish phenomenon is dark, creepy and tense, and a technical tour de force. Not without flaws, but for a US remake, extremely loyal to the source and brilliantly executed, with a lead who actually embodies the part equally as well as her original counterpart. Brave and superb film
- DirectorGuillem MoralesStarsBelén RuedaLluís HomarPablo DerquiThe story of a woman who is slowly losing her sight whilst trying to investigate the mysterious death of her twin sister.Whilst it had a lukewarm reception from some, and there are certainly things wrong with it, I think this is still quite a stunning film that manages to straddle genres, and play with a lot of Hitchcock tropes very well along the way. Paced a little slow, but with a whole final third that kicks into a higher gear nicely, ithe film genuinely surprised me (I haven't seen an idea like this done this well for some time) and despite the holes one could pick in it, it surprised me where he took the idea in the final act, and how he turned the development on its head to keep me on the edge of my seat. Stylish and exciting, with a terrific, Oscar-worthy central performance from Belen Rueda, who you will know from 'The Orphanage'; it will be no surpise that Guillermo del Toro produced this as well.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsTom HardyNick NolteJoel EdgertonThe youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.A film that many, myself included, agree is an overwhelmingly powerful family drama, very well disguised as a typical, predictable sports movie about MMA wrestling. Superb performances, realistic violence, and hugely underrated. You WILL be moved.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingCarey MulliganBryan CranstonA mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.As well as being one of the best looking films of the year (how it isn't up for a Cinematography award is beyond me), dripping with sexy style and boasting an astounding soundtrack (with which there was some issue raised by certain Suits about changing, but Refn ultimately won and kept it as he intended), this film also features a superb central performance from Ryan Gosling. Quiet and intense, 'Drive' uses a look and gesture in place of lines of dialogue, holding of hands instead of an erotic sex scene, yet just as intimate, and wrings every ounce of tension from some surprising places. A romantic urban hero fairytale laced with flashes of explosive, tough violence, this had to be in my Top 10. It is just a shame it is not getting more Oscar nods than its sound editing.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKoji YakushoTakayuki YamadaYûsuke IseyaA group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.With basic plot and character development, Takashi Miike's reworking of this story is more of a technical tour-de-force; shot with a surprising grace, attention to detail, and feeling very unhurried for a man who makes so many films a year, it could be said this is the Samurai movie Kubrick might have made. There are some great moments in the first half, from those that are quite comedic to those that are pretty uncomfortable and suitably dark; it is not without the typical Miike stamp at points, and there are some interesting dialogue-driven parts, but the bottom line is that this film is all about its finale, which is essentially the second half of the movie and takes the form of a brilliantly orchestrated, neverending action sequence.
Not quite the masterpiece some may suggest, it is nevertheless a hugely enjoyable and surprisingly well-designed action film that falls in nicely behind Kurosawa's own classic. - DirectorPaddy ConsidineStarsPeter MullanArchie LalJag SangheraJoseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction, earns a chance of redemption that appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker.A stunning pair of lead performances in Paddy Consadine's utterly uncompromising, incredibly moving, but extremely tough film about compassion in the darkest of places. Where was Olivia Coleman's Oscar?????