Quentin Tarantino’s Favourite Films of 2011

Quentin Tarantino continues the good tradition naming his favourite films of the previous year. He picked 12 films this time, which impressed him the most, including blockbusters and independent works. He must love watching fantasy, and I totally agree with him that "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" and "X-Men: First Class" were one of the best in this genre in 2011. But I never thought he might enjoy so much "Midnight In Paris" and "Young Adult", not because they are bad, but very sentimental for such a tough guy like him.

The biggest surprise is that he put "The Artist" and "Our Idiot Brother" on one level. The last one doesn't deserves it, but it looks like Tarantino watches everything and can enjoy very different films.

1. "Midnight In Paris"
2. "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes"
3. "Moneyball"
4. "The Skin I Live In"
5. "X-Men: First Class"
6. "Young Adult"
7. "Attack The Block"
8. "Red State"
9. "Warrior"
10. "The Artist" / "Our Idiot Brother" (tie)
11. "The Three Musketeers"

Source - The Quentin Tarantino archives

Do you agree with this list?

AFI Awards 2011

The American film institute announced the list of best films and TV series of this year.

Have you seen them all? I haven't. Some of them are very overrated (I wasn't impressed by Bennett Miller's "Moneyball" at all). But I hope that some are going to be great (Spielberg's "War Horse" and Fincher's "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo").

Top-10 films of 2011:

"BRIDESMAIDS" ("Девичник в Вегасе")
"THE DESCENDANTS" ("Потомки")
"THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO" ("Девушка с татуировкой дракона")
"THE HELP" ("Прислуга")
"HUGO" ("Хранитель времени")
"J. EDGAR" ("Дж. Эдгар")
"MIDNIGHT IN PARIS" ("Полночь в Париже")
"MONEYBALL" ("Человек, который изменил всё")
"THE TREE OF LIFE" ("Древо жизни")
"WAR HORSE" ("Боевой конь")

"THE ARTIST" and the entire "HARRY POTTER" film series (!) got special awards.

Now we can think about which of these films are going to get a golden statuette in a few months.

If you are curious about which TV programs are called the best, you can view the list here.

What are we waiting for? Fall 2011

Top-10 movies, which you should watch in the movie theaters this fall.

1. "CONTAGION"

Tagline - "Don't talk to anyone. Don't touch anyone."

There is a virus, but no zombies? That's something new. With good cast and Steven Soderbergh's talent it is a new drama that shows how people act in such critical worldwide situation. And it looks like there is going to be no second, third or forth part. I hope.

Release date - September 9, 2011

2."DRIVE"

Tagline - "Get in. Get out. Get away."

I bet you heard about it many times. But haven't you seen it? Even 'big and scary' critic from The Rolling Stone magazine, Peter Travers, loved it! It looks like the story about a stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night, who is played by handsome and talented Ryan Gosling, is worth of every bit of your attention.
Everything you need to know about it is here.

Release date - September 16, 2011

3."MONEYBALL"

Tagline - "What are you really worth?"

Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are teamed up to make a basketball dream team. Based on a true story it is going to be an interesting drama about how to achieve your dream despite financial problems.

Release date - September 23, 2011

4. "THE IDES OF MARCH"

Tagline - "Is this man our next president?"

Another drama with Ryan Gosling, this time not about drivers, but about politicians. Directed and co-stared by George Clooney, this movie got many positive reviews. With those two it couldn't be another way.

Release date - October 7, 2011

5. "THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN"

Tagline - "This year, discover how far adventure will take you."

Have you heard about Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson? Do you know that they're very talented men and they've filmed a bunch of great movies? Now they're going to present an animated story about a boy, treasures, lost ships etc.
You can watch trailer and read the whole synopsis here.

Release date - October 26, 2011 (UK)

6. "THE RUM DIARY"

Tagline - "One part outrage. One part justice. Three parts rum. Mix well."

Johnny Depp isn't playing a Captain Jack Sparrow, but he still drinks lots of rum. He is a journalist now and he goes to Puerto Rico, falls in love with married girl, drinks again, sometimes writes for a local newspaper and has to choose between money and truth.
Read everything about this upcoming drama here.

Release date - October 28, 2011

7. "PUSS IN BOOTS"

Tagline - "Nine lives. One destiny."

The voices of Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek will be heard in this new Dreamworks' animation. It is a deserved spin-off from "Shrek" story about a very self-confident and brave cat.
Trailer is here.

Release date - November 4, 2011

8. "MY WEEK WITH MARILYN"

Tagline - "An incredible true story, which happened with a legend of 20th century."

Michelle Williams is the Marilyn. Simon Curtis is the director and Kenneth Branagh is the Sir Laurence Olivier, who is rumored to have some tense relationship with miss Monroe. My bonus is Emma Watson in an episodic role of a wardrobe girl Lucy.

Release date - November 4, 2011

9. "HUGO"

Tagline - "One of the most legendary directors of our time takes you on an extraordinary adventure."

Young actor Asa Butterfield scares me a bit, but there is Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory and Sacha Baron Cohen to make me more comfortable to watch it. This is new Martin Scorsese's fantastic story, which tell us how living in a Paris train station looks like.

Release date - November 23, 2011

10. "A DANGEROUS METHOD"

Tagline - "Freud vs Jung."

Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and between them a patient played by Keira Knightley. Unusual and not surely romantic. With such cast it couldn't be bad, so I will definitely see it in the nearest future.

Release date - November 23, 2011

"Moneyball" (2011) - Trailer and synopsis

What are you really worth?

Based on a true story, "Moneyball" is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. Forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, Beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. The onetime jock teams with Ivy League grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. It's more than baseball, it's a revolution - one that challenges old school traditions and puts Beane in the crosshairs of those who say he's tearing out the heart and soul of the game. (iTunes movie trailers) Starring also Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Moneyball" is directed by Bennett Miller.

Official website - http://www.moneyball-movie.com/

Какова твоя настоящая цена?

Основанный на реальных событиях, "Человек, который изменил все" - это фильм для каждого, который когда-либо мечтал изменить систему. Брэд Питт играет Билли Бина, главного менеджера Оклендской бейсбольной команды, который вдруг прозревает: вся бейсбольная тактика никуда не годится. Вынужденному заново собрать команду, что бы она соответствовала более скромному бюджету, Бину придется перехитрить более обеспеченные клубы. Он объединяется с выпускником Лиги Плюща Питером Брэндом (Джона Хилл), что бы завербовать тех, кого другие посчитали непригодными, но кто все еще может вовремя добраться до базы, зарабатывать очки и выигрывать игры. Это больше, чем просто бейсбол, это революция – один человек бросает вызов традициям и оказывается под перекрестным огнем тех, кто считает, что Бин разрушает смысл игры. Также в фильме играет Филип Сеймур Хоффман, а режиссером выступил Беннетт Миллер.