My friend and reader Ed Erdelac contributes his top ten list next in our continuing reader poll. He writes:
"1. Prometheus - As decisive as it
is, I think it’s the Blade Runner of our time, easily
dismissed as flawed in its characterizations, but undeniably provocative in its
craft and the depths of its hidden themes.
2. Moon
– Fantastic one man performance by Rockwell, engrossing in its ethical
concerns.
3. Real
Steel – A criminally overlooked fusion of science fiction and sports
drama inspired by Richard Matheson’s short, STEEL, where both of the major
spectacle draws take a backseat to a pair of great characters. At its heart, a
tried and true father and son story that had the theater literally cheering
when I saw it, even with a surprisingly less than happy ending.
4. Wall-E
– Heartwarming romance and comedy groundbreaking in its nonspeaking principals
and bitingly satirical in the scope of its environmental message.
5. Attack
The Block - An utterly original and unique perspective on the old alien
invasion story, with inner city London youth culture as the protagonists,
bolstered by a strike of lightning cast. My favorite movie of 2011.
6. Cloverfield
– One of the few found footage movies that consistently makes sense, a
harrowing on the spot depiction of a giant monster attack that lives up to its
Godzilla inspirations, and what will no doubt be seen as a time capsule of post
9/11 paranoia.
7. Cloud
Atlas – A masterfully interwoven look at the recycling of souls
throughout time.
8. Iron
Man – One of the finest comic book movies ever made, not just the story
of a guy in a powered suit, but a supremely idealistic, metaphorical tale about
an industrialist who has a literal change of heart and becomes a hero.
9. Europa
Report – A harrowingly realistic look at deep space travel, the lengths
to which the pioneers of humanity will go for knowledge, and with a dash of
Lovecraft.
10.
Rise
Of The Planet Of The Apes – Surprisingly great reboot of the classic
series, with a compelling environmental message.
Honorable
Mentions:
Pacific
Rim
Godzilla:
Giant Monsters All Out Attack
The
Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
Star
Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith
X-Men
John
Carter
District
9."
Ed: I enjoyed reading this list tremendously, and was glad to see you agree with my assessment and also high ranking of Prometheus. I'm also gratified to see the high-placement of Cloud Atlas, a film also on my list, and which I will talk about more next week. I have not seen Real Steel, but should...
Europa Report and Real Steel are both novel, inspired picks. Real Steel was a lot better than perhaps deserved to be. I didn't even stop to consider for my list but, now, I do think its a rare, well-made, family-oriented science fiction film.
ReplyDeleteI had the fortune of seeing Europa Report this past summer theatrically. It, too, was better than the tired, found footage premise would lead one to believe.
I just put Real Steel and Europa Report in my Netflix queue.
DeleteThanks, John! Both great movies, and Real Steel is one of the most positive audience reactions I've seen in years, particularly from a movie with no pre-established fanbase. I think a lot of people were turned off by the kid-oriented trailers. It's a lot like the Stallone movie Over The Top, but with the father and kid motivations reversed a bit (in this, the father wants nothing to do with his son). What did you think of Attack The Block? I'm surprised by all the negative reviews it gets on imdb. I thought it was extremely entertaining and original.
ReplyDelete