(fiction) Films of 2011 (best to worst)
based on the CANADIAN release date. well actually i saw a ton of films at VIFF that are on this list but released later. ordered from least hated to most hated, these are 2011 films i have seen.
the line between fiction and non-fiction (documentary) is constantly blurring and i myself don't see a huge difference, but "fiction" is in the title because i have excluded documentaries from these lists.
some documentaries i liked this year were: "Happy People: A Year in the Taiga", "Tabloid", "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"; mostly herzog stuff like always. also saw a couple good ones at VIFF.
*kinda forgetting to update this, im not sure what's missing. nothing notable i guess
the line between fiction and non-fiction (documentary) is constantly blurring and i myself don't see a huge difference, but "fiction" is in the title because i have excluded documentaries from these lists.
some documentaries i liked this year were: "Happy People: A Year in the Taiga", "Tabloid", "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"; mostly herzog stuff like always. also saw a couple good ones at VIFF.
*kinda forgetting to update this, im not sure what's missing. nothing notable i guess
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- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsBrad PittSean PennJessica ChastainThe story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.masterpiece - 10/10
- DirectorJeff NicholsStarsMichael ShannonJessica ChastainShea WhighamPlagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.9.5/10
- DirectorClay JeterStarsSarah HaganAustin VickersHaley StrodeA series of vignettes involving memories of companionship and sexual awakening shared by two second cousins.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingCarey MulliganBryan CranstonA mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsAsa ButterfieldChloë Grace MoretzChristopher LeeIn 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
- DirectorJonathan LevineStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittSeth RogenAnna KendrickInspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsMichael FassbenderCarey MulliganJames Badge DaleA sex addict's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsNeil MaskellMyAnna BuringHarry SimpsonNearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.
- DirectorBéla TarrÁgnes HranitzkyStarsJános DerzsiErika BókMihály KormosA rural farmer is forced to confront the mortality of his faithful horse.9/10
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsPayman MaadiLeila HatamiSareh BayatA married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.
- DirectorHun JangStarsShin Ha-kyunGo SooRyu Seung-suA drama centered on the Korean War's final battle that will determine the border between north and south.
- DirectorAlexander PayneStarsGeorge ClooneyShailene WoodleyAmara MillerA land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsKirsten DunstCharlotte GainsbourgKiefer SutherlandTwo sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.
- DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsNadezhda MarkinaAndrey SmirnovAleksey RozinWhen a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten dutiful housewife Elena's potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan ...
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsOwen WilsonRachel McAdamsKathy BatesWhile on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.
- DirectorJustin KurzelStarsLucas PittawayDaniel HenshallLouise HarrisBased on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsDaniel CraigRooney MaraChristopher PlummerJournalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years by young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.8.5/10
- DirectorRupert WyattStarsJames FrancoAndy SerkisFreida PintoA substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising.
- DirectorAgnieszka HollandStarsRobert WieckiewiczBenno FürmannAgnieszka GrochowskaA dramatization of one man's rescue of Jewish refugees in the German-occupied Polish city of Lvov.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsTom HardyNick NolteJoel EdgertonThe youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.
- DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsMia WasikowskaMichael FassbenderJamie BellA mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.
- DirectorMichaël R. RoskamStarsMatthias SchoenaertsJeroen PercevalJeanne DandoySint-Truiden, Belgium. Jacky, a young cattle farmer who is constantly pumped on steroids and hormones, is approached by a veterinarian to make a deal with a notorious beef trader.
- DirectorDuncan JonesStarsJake GyllenhaalMichelle MonaghanVera FarmigaA soldier wakes up in someone else's body and discovers he's part of an experimental government program to find the bomber of a commuter train within 8 minutes.
- DirectorBertrand BonelloStarsNoémie LvovskyHafsia HerziCéline SalletteAt an elegant Parisian bordello at the dawn of the 20th century exists a cloistered world of pleasure, pain, hope, rivalries--and, most of all, slavery.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsCharlize TheronPatrick WilsonPatton OswaltSoon after her divorce, a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter.8/10
- DirectorBennett MillerStarsBrad PittRobin WrightJonah HillOakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
- DirectorBrad BirdStarsTom CruiseJeremy RennerSimon PeggThe IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.
- DirectorJesse PeretzStarsPaul RuddElizabeth BanksZooey DeschanelA comedy centered on an idealist who barges into the lives of his three sisters.
- DirectorAzazel JacobsStarsJohn C. ReillyJacob WysockiBridger ZadinaIn a small town, a morbidly-obese, 15yo's bullied, as he struggles to adjust to his difficult life.
- DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneStarsThomas DoretCécile de FranceJérémie RenierAbandoned by his father, a young boy is left in a state-run youth farm. In a random act of kindness, the town hairdresser agrees to foster him on weekends.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsMatt DamonKate WinsletJude LawHealthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a pandemic as the CDC works to find a cure.
- DirectorJoseph CedarStarsShlomo Bar-AbaLior AshkenaziAliza RosenEliezer and Uriel Shkolnik are father and son as well as rival professors in Talmudic Studies. When both men learn that Eliezer will be lauded for his work, their complicated relationship reaches a new peak.
- DirectorJ.J. AbramsStarsElle FanningAJ MichalkaKyle ChandlerDuring the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.
- DirectorJames WanStarsPatrick WilsonRose ByrneTy SimpkinsA family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.
- DirectorPeter LuisiStarsFabian KrügerIrene BrüggerBeat SchlatterOne fine morning, Benno finds sand in his bed. While he tries to ignore this at first, he soon must realize that he himself is loosing the sand. Day after day the sand increases and soon his time literally starts running short. Finally he is left no choice but to ask Sandra for help, who runs a small coffee shop under his apartment. Although Benno hates her with a passion, he started having dreams of her every night. What could Sandra and the dreams have to do with the sand?
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJodie FosterKate WinsletChristoph WaltzTwo pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the discussion into chaos.
- DirectorMatthew Taylor BlaisJustin MacGregorStarsAnthony RossDaniel Medland-MarchenStace WilliamsonAnthony, a mute, starts experiencing the supernatural. Trapped in his own silent world, he is helplessly toyed with and haunted by unexplainable entities.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsDavid DewaeleAlexandra LemâtreChristophe BonIn a village on the French Opal Coast, a drifter engages in a perplexing relationship with a young woman who has suffered abuse.7.5/10
- DirectorMatthew VaughnStarsJames McAvoyMichael FassbenderJennifer LawrenceIn the 1960s, superpowered humans Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr work together to find others like them, but Erik's vengeful pursuit of an ambitious mutant who ruined his life causes a schism to divide them.
- DirectorTerence DaviesStarsRachel WeiszTom HiddlestonAnn MitchellThe wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.
- DirectorSean DurkinStarsElizabeth OlsenSarah PaulsonJohn HawkesHaunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.
- DirectorMaryam KeshavarzStarsSarah KazemyNikohl BoosheriReza Sixo SafaiA wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession.
- DirectorJan SverákStarsZdenek SverákOndrej SverákJirí MachácekA six-year-old boy's favorite toy is a bear named Cookie. But the child has asthma, and Cookie's old dusty skin is harmful to him, so mom throws the toy in the trash.
- DirectorJohn AkomfrahPart documentary, part personal essay, this experimental film combines archive imagery with the striking wintry landscapes of Alaska to tell the story of immigrant experience coming into the UK from 1960 onwards.essay film. one of the most specific and rare genres. if you saw this and liked it even a little bit, check out "Sans Soleil".
- DirectorNuri Bilge CeylanStarsMuhammet UzunerYilmaz ErdoganTaner BirselA group of men set out in search of a dead body in the Anatolian steppes.
- DirectorGlenn FicarraJohn RequaStarsSteve CarellRyan GoslingJulianne MooreA middle-aged husband's life changes dramatically when his wife asks him for a divorce. He seeks to rediscover his manhood with the help of a newfound friend, Jacob, learning to pick up girls at bars.
- DirectorPaddy ConsidineStarsPeter MullanArchie LalJag SangheraJoseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction, earns a chance of redemption that appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker.
- DirectorAleksandr ZeldovichStarsMaksim SukhanovJustine WaddellVitaliy KishchenkoIn 2020, a group of wealthy Muscovites traveling to a complex of abandoned astrophysics, where rumors say they have enough power to stop the aging process.
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsNatalie PortmanAshton KutcherKevin KlineA guy and girl try to keep their relationship strictly physical, but it's not long before they learn that they want something more.
- DirectorNeil BurgerStarsBradley CooperAnna FrielAbbie CornishA mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100% of his brain's abilities transforms a struggling writer into a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with many dangers.7/10
- DirectorJie HanStarsBaoqiang WangZhuo TanJingyi LiA satirical tale about a village idiot who might just be a prophet.
- DirectorMichael TullyStarsMichael TullyRobert LongstreetOnur TukelA reclusive sports hustler returns home to his family farm after years of absence to reunite with his two eccentric, unhinged and emotionally damaged brothers.
- DirectorDrake DoremusStarsFelicity JonesAnton YelchinJennifer LawrenceA British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsChris EvansHugo WeavingSamuel L. JacksonSteve Rogers, a rejected military soldier, transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a "Super-Soldier serum". But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a warmonger and a terrorist organization.6.5/10
- DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsLiam NeesonDiane KrugerJanuary JonesWhen a man awakens from a coma only to discover that someone has taken on his identity, he teams up with a young woman to prove who he is.
- DirectorRuben FleischerStarsJesse EisenbergDanny McBrideNick SwardsonTwo fledgling criminals kidnap a pizza delivery guy, strap a bomb to his chest, and inform him that he has mere hours to rob a bank or else...
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsMichael ParksMelissa LeoJohn GoodmanSet in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsSaoirse RonanCate BlanchettEric BanaA sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.
- DirectorMichel HazanaviciusStarsJean DujardinBérénice BejoJohn GoodmanWhen George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.
- DirectorGianni Di GregorioStarsGianni Di GregorioValeria De FranciscisAlfonso SantagataGianni is a retiree who has become invisible to most everyone around him. In response, he tries his best to generate some kind of extracurricular love life.
- DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsJustin TimberlakeAmanda SeyfriedCillian MurphyIn a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Will Salas is accused of murder and on the run with a hostage.
- DirectorRaj Kumar GuptaStarsRani MukerjiVidya BalanMyra KarnA journalist, who is more of an activist teams up with the sister of a murdered model, as she gets interested in the case and wants to bring justice to her case.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsLeonardo DiCaprioArmie HammerNaomi WattsJ. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life.6/10
- DirectorSean McNamaraStarsAnnaSophia RobbDennis QuaidHelen HuntBethany Hamilton, a professional surfer, loses her left arm in a shark attack. Unwilling to pay attention to the gravity of her situation, Bethany decides to get back into the ocean and surf again.
- DirectorHenry JoostAriel SchulmanStarsChloe CsengeryJessica Tyler BrownChristopher Nicholas SmithIn 1988, young sisters Katie and Kristi befriend an invisible entity called Toby, who resides in their home.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsBradley CooperZach GalifianakisEd HelmsTwo years after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu's plan for a subdued pre-wedding brunch, however, goes seriously awry.
- DirectorDennis DuganStarsAdam SandlerJennifer AnistonBrooklyn DeckerOn a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon convinces his loyal assistant to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend.
- DirectorJan HrebejkStarsAnna GeislerováOndrej VetchýHynek CermákThe descent from the top of the ladder to the bottom of the barrel can be swift. Sometimes just one sentence suffices to destroy everything you've built up like a house of cards. A respected doctor, beloved father, and husband (Ondrej Vetchý) faces very serious criminal charges. Overnight he exchanges his high-class address for a custodial-prison cell, a place from which proving his innocence proves difficult, especially when the opposition is being aided by a man who could be motivated by personal revenge. It's said that the truth always prevails over lies and hatred in the end, but that doesn't necessary guarantee victory.
- DirectorDominic SenaStarsNicolas CageRon PerlmanClaire Foy14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce that her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.5.5/10
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsNicolas CageNicole KidmanCam GigandetAs they're held for ransom, a husband and wife's predicament grows more dire amid the discovery of betrayal and deception.
- DirectorCraig BrewerStarsKenny WormaldJulianne HoughDennis QuaidCity teenager Ren MacCormack moves to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.
- DirectorDaisuke TenganStarsRuriko AsaokaMitsuko BaishôYôko YamamotoFifty elderly women are abandoned to die on a snow covered mountain, but instead work together to build their own village named "Dendera."
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.5/10
- DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsRhys IfansVanessa RedgraveDavid ThewlisThe theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays. Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I and the Essex rebellion against her.
- DirectorGavin WiesenStarsFreddie HighmoreEmma RobertsMichael AngaranoGeorge, a lonely and fatalistic teen who has made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
- DirectorTe-Sheng WeiStarsMasanobu AndôJun'ichi HarutaSabu KawaharaAn indigenous clan-based people living in harmony with nature find their way of life threatened when violent interlopers from another culture arrive, intent on seizing their natural resources and enslaving them.
- DirectorBruce RobinsonStarsJohnny DeppGiovanni RibisiAaron EckhartAmerican journalist Paul Kemp takes on a freelance job in Puerto Rico for a local newspaper during the 1960s and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there.
- DirectorCarl BessaiStarsCory MonteithGabrielle MillerAmanda CrewAn ensemble comedy about the love and dysfunction shared among four sets of siblings.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsJason BatemanCharlie DayJason SudeikisThree friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.
- DirectorZou PengStarsChunchun PanLei TingXiaomin YangIn Guangdong, the forefront of China's reform and opening-up, the business of a sauna is fairly flat. The boss, Wu, together with his team, pursuits his dream and constructs a entertainment kingdom persistently with their wisdom, effort and positive spirit. Eventually, after a special fashion show, Wu tears for his uneasy success. During the period, some of his employees leave hopelessly, some are imprisoned, some are still longing for a better tomorrow by his side.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsSeth RogenJay ChouChristoph WaltzFollowing the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father's large company, teams up with his late dad's assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team.4/10
- DirectorTroy NixeyStarsKatie HolmesGuy PearceBailee MadisonA young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend believes that she has released creatures from a sealed ash pit in the basement of her new home.
- DirectorGeorge NolfiStarsMatt DamonEmily BluntLisa ThoresonThe affair between a politician and a contemporary dancer is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.3/10