It’s that time of year again…time for Kevin’s Top 10 Movies of 2011!!

I obviously have not seen EVERY movie that came out this year so as time passes the list may have some minor adjustments. So far I have seen 35 (up from 21 last year) movies that came out in 2011. They are ranked as follows…

#1: The following movies were not eligible to make my list due to the fact that I have NOT seen them yet :( I will be trying to watch these movies one by one through [Netflix] so each one will have a chance to break into my Top 10 as time passes.Source Code, Conspirator, Anonymous, Pirates of the Caribbean, Colombiana, Our Idiot Brother, Debt, Tinker-Tailor-Soldier-Spy, Mission Impossible, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Coriolanus, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and obviously many others

#2: The following movies I DID see but I do not recommend that anyone else makes the same mistake :(

Hall Pass, Straw Dogs, Limitless, Just Go With It, Take Me Home Tonight, The Dilemma, The Roommate

#3: The following movies I DID and they were OK but really nothing special.

Bridesmaids, Killer Elite, Horrible Bosses, Transformers: DOTM, J. Edgar, Unknown, Bad Teacher, Three Musketeers

#4: The following movies I DID see and really enjoyed but they just missed out on making it into my top ten.

Contagion, Moneyball, Cowboys and Aliens, Hangover Part II, Thor, X-Men: First Class, Real Steel, Lincoln Lawyer, The Eagle

And Now for the List…

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The Top 10 Movies of 2011

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#10: Crazy, Stupid, Love

Definitely the best romantic comedy of the year. Steve Carrell delivered yet again just as he did last year. Crazy, Stupid, Love is one of those romantic comedies that even the guys aren’t afraid to admit they enjoyed. A little something for everyone in this one.

#9: Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

The second in the Sherlock Holmes series was definitely on par with the first. I really can’t decide which one I like better but at this point I am giving a slight edge to the first. However, this one definitely had some new tricks up its sleeve. We got a couple new fight scenes that were just as creatively done as they were in the original plus we had an epic gun fight scene that was very cool to see. The dialogue as always separates this film from the pack and Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law definitely don’t hurt.

#8: The Muppets

A lot of people were nervous now that Disney has ‘control’ of the Muppets franchise but this movie did not disappoint. They did a great job delivering unique previews for the movie. They did an even better job staying true to the things that make the Muppets the Muppets. So, many homages throughout, new songs, classic songs, the traditional cameos, humor and as always a few sentimental Muppet Moments. Best kids film of the year bar none!

#7: Immortals/I Am Number Four

I couldn’t decide which of these films I liked better and so admittedly I have cheated once again and allowed a tie in the countdown. Immortals was a great follow up from the guys that did ‘300’! It was easily the most bloody movie (outside of horror/thrasher films) I saw this year crammed full of crazy death scenes. I am a sucker for these types of epic films but I truly believe this one deserves a spot here. I am Number Four was easily one of the most unique and creative films of the year and that is saying something since this year seemed to have more unique film ideas then we have seen in a long time. Definitely looking forward to a possible sequel with this one!

#6: Captain America: The First Avenger

This year had its share of ‘superhero’ movies including X-Men, Thor, Green Lantern and a few others. Captain America stood out though amongst the crowd. This would probably be the best superhero movie in the last decade if it wasn’t for the Dark Knight films. Every aspect of the movie was nailed here and the historic component was great!

#5: The Adjustment Bureau

Another of the unique 2011 films, Matt Damon shined in the Adjustment Bureau. It may be the classic story of the little guy battling the giant entity but the way it was done here made it anything but your typical film.

#4: In Time

I know I sound like a broken record but for all of those cynics out there that are always claiming that Hollywood never has original ideas and that it instead is only full of remakes and sequels 2011 should have been a dream year for you. In Time was such a great idea for a movie and somehow Justin Timberlake continues to be good at basically everything he does. This movie so many little things to watch for and think about that it reminded me of the Back to the Future films.

#3: Super 8

For over half the year I was sure that Super 8 was going to be my film of the year. The combination of E.T. and the Goonies gave us yet another unique and very special film here in 2011. The youthful cast did fantastic and the combination of J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg was very evident in this masterpiece.

#2: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I never thought any movie would be able to compete with the classic Planet of the Apes films, ESPECIALLY after that disastrous film Mark Wahlberg was in. Thankfully, I was wrong!! This movie not only competed with those classics….it BLEW THEM OUT OF THE WATER. The effects on this film are insane. I would even stretch it to say that the visual work done in this film is the best stuff I have seen since Avatar. The apes looked and moved incredibly. The movie was full of great moments and we can only hope that this was the beginning of a great series of movies. I can easily see this being to the Planet of the Apes franchise what the Dark Knight films have been to the Batman franchise!

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And the Best Movie of 2011 goes to…

#1: 50/50

50/50 was definitely the sleeping giant of the year for me. I NEVER expected this film to be my Number 1 film of the year. I was confident that it was going to be between Planet of the Apes and Super 8. Then I saw this film as just a random trip to the theater and I was blown away. In our day and time with so many people like myself who have had personal experience with this disease, this movie was very much needed and appreciated. It blended just the right amount of humor into a very serious subject matter but not so much that it took away how seriously traumatic these experiences can be. It doesn’t hurt that it was all based on the real life experiences of Seth Rogan either. A bittersweet movie for many and maybe hard to watch for some but in the end definitely worth it. I am sure it will not get the credit that it deserves and that is truly unfortunate.