In 2010 we reviewed 108 films for you, but we thought that was weak sauce so we upped it nearly in half. We have 149 movie reviews for you to peruse from 2011 along with the scores of every Player Affinity writer who saw it. You’ll find nothing this comprehensive anywhere except on Player Affinity.
Wanting to honor the beloved source material, Sony placed this American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in the hands of serial killer mystery expert David Fincher and Oscar-winning writer Steve Zaillian. The move pays off, because “Dragon Tattoo” is about as good as it possibly could be given the challenges of the adaptation.
Next to chocolate and waffles, Tintin is one of Belgium’s greatest exports, a character beloved by millions all over the world. Now, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have taken on the challenge of bringing the young reporter to motion-captured life.
Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol is hopefully the beginning of a beautiful friendship. It’s hard to say whether Brad Bird needed Ethan Hunt more, or if it was the other way around, but regardless, their first collaboration is one hell of an action movie.
Bird is the director of such animated hits as The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille, and he was looking for a way into live-action filmmaking. Hunt, of course, is Tom Cruise’s screen persona in the successful but fizzling franchise that was in dire need of some fresh, new energy. It seems both got what they wanted, and us viewers are the lucky recipients, for you won’t find a more exciting and pure action flick than “Ghost Protocol”.
When Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody struck gold with Juno in 2007, they did so with a rare combination of contemporary wit, quirkiness and heart. Their four-year reunion in Young Adult won’t be nearly as heralded, but it might arguably be a better film.
Steve McQueen made a real impact in the film world with his powerful debut Hunger. But like with musicians, there is always the risk that a director’s second movie will not live up to the high expectations the first effort sets. Yet McQueen has a good go with his dark exploration of human character in Shame.
Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is a film for cinema lovers (and as such the child in all of us) and an ode to movies of old, as much as it is a warm, Christmastime endeavor that demands a smile and a softened heart.
The wayward trajectory of the Muppets in the 21st Century definitely fueled the fire for Disney’s “reboot.” Art imitates life here asThe Muppets focuses on bringing the gang back together and ultimately defying those who believe there’s no longer a place for the kind of entertainment and energy they bring.
Taking place in Hawaii gives The Descendants a unique presence, not that Alexander Payne’s outstanding film requires a tactical advantage. The venerated filmmaker simply understands how this setting, in all its tropical beauty and paradisiacal allure, has something important to say about this story of life’s many blemishes.
There’s little rhyme or reason to anything in the “Happy Feet” universe. If it sings, dances, looks cute and enhances ethnic diversity, it flies. Except penguins of course — penguins can’t fly, everyone knows that. But that doesn’t mean they can’t creatively problem solve through self-determination, tap-dancing and passionate arias.
