2011: The Retrospect: Top 15 Best Movies of 2011

And now, the payoff!

Let us, before we go any further, have a quick toast to 2011 and all the cinematic things is gave us. To action. To romance. To drama. To comedy. To horror. To silence and loudness. To homages to the greats. To the creation of the world. To the end of the world. To romanticized pastimes. To gods and mortals. To aliens and humans. To superheroes and their villains. To the God of the Thunder. To the first avenger. To Optimus Prime and women with inked skin. To drivers. To You-Know-Who and The Boy Who Lived. To dysfunctional families. To loving families. To epidemics. To cures. To beating cancer. To apes who rise and dark lords who fall. To the first class. To time traveling parisians. To brides and their bridesmaids. To spys who run and gun. To spys who walk and talk. To addicts, and the people who help them. To wild nights and wilder mornings. To swords and chivalry. To seriousness and parody. To politicians, corrupt and on the level. To the laughter. To the tears. To the screams. To the thrills. To the sadness. To the happiness. To everything and more that the films and filmmakers gave us in 2011. All is welcome. None is forgotten.

2011: The Retrospect: Top 5 Best Lines

Let's start off with a fun one.

Line delivery is one of the oft overlooked pieces of performance. A script can be a big pile of nothing, but a talented actor can hide that with a well done line. So, with that in mind, here are the top 5 lines of 2011, as decided by me and my committee of one here at the black hole! These are the best of line delivery and script writing

5. "No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure." (Corey Stoll from Midnight In Paris)

Well, yeah. Not every line on this list needs to be a witty punch line or some verbally clever use of the english (or otherwise) language. This line makes the cut because it, quite simply, true. And the best ones are the ones that speak truth about an aspect of human life. Props to Woody Allen and Stoll's blunt, honest delivery. 

*This clip doesn't have that line, but that blunt, honest delivery? Yeah, that's still there. 

4. "I have a demon in me." (Ed Helms from The Hangover: Part II)

The Hangover: Part II will be making another appearance in this retrospective, though not in any praise worthy position. I can't however deny the dry wit and absurdity of these six words, dry wit and absurdity that the rest of the movie desperately needed. 

3. "No one likes putting a dick in their mouth." (Seth Rogen from 50/50)

Rogen is a master of line delivery, and even though 50/50 was a little lighter on the laughs than I think most people expected, the humor was still prevalent thanks to winners like this. 

2. "I drive." (Ryan Gosling in Drive)

So cool. So calculated. Everything about this line just oozes steely sociopathy. Wonderful. Just wonderful. 

1. "I need a horse." (Chris Hemsworth in Thor)

Well said!

Tune in tomorrow for the best posters of the year, and be sure to hit up 2011: The Retrospect for all your 2011 memory jogging. See y'all tomorrow!

Cancer Is Funny!

Except it's not, and if you think it is then you probably have some serious social skills that need to be addressed now! Films dealing with cancer are rarely ever seen as a comedy, because a topic such as cancer is so humorless. Films that deal with this subject go for the heartstrings with all guns blazing, hoping to pull at least one tear out of you. Many fall into ruin by being too sentimental and inspirational, and end up feeling like a Lifetime movie. Others over come the obstacles and become pointed looks at humanity, love, and some such. But these movies are never funny. There has never been a cancer comedy that treated cancer like a real, scary thing, that is until 50/50 rolled around. Touted as Terms of Endearment for the Apatow crowd, 50/50 looks like a traditional stoner comedy that just happens to deal with someone getting cancer. But it's not. It's not even close to that. 50/50 is one of the best portrayals of coping with cancer that I've ever seen, with a healthy amount of genuine humor and heart. This is one you shouldn't miss.

(Sear)iously good!