The AOASSP Top 10 Films of 2011

This is the first year in the history of mankind that Adventures Of A Suburban Street Posse's everything correspondent Jack has decided to compile a list of his favourite films, largely because he has belatedly discovered torrents and all the wonderful things that they entail. It is assumed that Harvey supports each one of these choices...wait, wait! Just in, we have signed notes from our so-called founding members in which they express their backing of this list!

Dear Readers
Oh, woe is me! How shalt one craft the wondrous poetic masterpiece eagerly awaited by the world's population when such meager matters as approving a list of motion pictures stand between my mojo and I! I shall sue you with my law powers!
Owen Wilson is well sexy tho.
Yours sincerely,
Harvey Slade


As a sidenote, I am totally listening to Huey Lewis & the News now. LOL. I'm so indie even the irony with which I'm enjoying it is ironic.

Runners-up: These are films I saw that I didn't care for enough to put them in the top 10.

• Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince Part Two - I actually saw this at the cinema twice. It was better when I was stoned. I'm of the generation that adores the books, but aside from the excellent casting and cool special effects, the films leave me more or less cold. This isn't bad, but it has none of the, ahem, magic that makes the book series so enjoyable. The little things count, and if only Warner Bros could see that instead of spending these homely stories blowing shit up. Do the hook-nosed Goblin bankers remind anyone of Jewish stereotypes, as well? Not that that's Rowling's fault, she can't exactly change folklore wholesale. Although David Yates did an admirable job directing Book 5, he has been treading water ever since (example; the AWFUL 6th film), and as was initially rumoured, Terry Gilliam would have been a far better choice as director.
• A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas - I love stoner films, but I'd never call them great art. Despite a very good script, this film often feels like cynical cash-in on the 3D crazy (fuck you, James Cameron, fuck Avatar, fuck fucking Titanic, and fuck everything you've ever done, you fucking fuck), and seen in glorious 2D, the showcases of the third dimension merely become self-indulgent budget-wasters that detract from the overall good standard of jokes. Although this is a better Christmas film than pretty much anything in years, they would've done well to remember that, as a stoner film, maybe a little bit more actual pot-smoking would appease their audience.
• Super 8 - This was a near-miss actually, as I enjoyed JJ Abrams' latest very much. It's produced by Stephen Spielberg but, don't worry, it doesn't completely suck balls! In fact, as a homage to the man's All-American sci-fi pictures of the 70s/80s it's fantastic, and full of juicy Cold War humour and spectacular extra terrestrial nonsense. Further kudos to Abrams for casting such a talented set of child actors as well. The overall message I got from "Super 8": fuck the military.

Films I wouldn't mind seeing but haven't got round to for whatever reason:

• Hugo - I've never seen a bad Martin Scorsese film, and have no reason to believe that he'll start now, even if making a 3D (ugh...) animated film for children.
• The Tree Of Life - Well, it sounds beautiful and everything. Brad Pitt is one of the greatest modern actors. I just can't help but think it'll bore me shitless.
• Shame - My friend Tom loves this film, and though I'm inclined to trust his opinion, I have no wish to have Michael Fassbender's penis waved in my face for an hour and forty minutes.

So, without further ado, onto the actual list, complete with more horribly amateur film criticism.

10. Submarine

Written and Directed by Richard Ayoade

Although strictly speaking, this is a 2010 film, here in the UK it came out in March 2011, when I saw it theatrically in my awful local cinema (the place to go if you want to see the least interesting new films around..."Submarine" being a rare exception, of course). At the start of the film, I was literally the only person in the cinema. A few more joined as it went along. I can see why this doesn't have mass appeal - Richard Ayoade's directorial debut, it's a curiously niche comedy engulfed by grim Welsh surroundings. This is precisely why I liked it; as opposed to your run-of-the-mill teen flick, the humour is particularly deadpan and even the (vague spoiler) happy-to-an-extent ending doesn't try and ram home any sentimental message. Special shoutouts to Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor as Jill and Lloyd Taylor, and to Alex Turner for his pretty songs that soundtrack the film.

9. The Ides Of March

Written by George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willmon

Directed by George Clooney

George Clooney continues to prove he's not just a pretty face - something the best of us must do - as he is credited as director, writer, producer and actor in his latest artistic endeavor; this terse, cynical political thriller. In the lead is Ryan Gosling, again dispelling any doubts I had about his acting ability - the moment in which his cold, cool exterior gives way to emotional despair is truly striking. Clooney himself is fantastic as a governor whose politics are oh-so-agreeable, yet who himself is not so pleasant.

8. Horrible Bosses

Written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein

Directed by Seth Gordon

A gloriously trashy comedy film; "Horrible Bosses" is one of the few such pictures I have had the slightest interest in, as the genre of mainstream American (trashy) comedy is generally intent on missing out on the glory. The well-cast picture stars Jason Bateman (his horrible boss being a majestically nasty Kevin Spacey), Charlie Day (whose boss is a sexually aggressive Jennifer Aniston...yeah, I know, not my definition of "horrible" either) and Jason Sudeikis (whose boss is Colin Farrell as a complete fucking asshole with a comb-over.) These bosses are so horrible, that they all plot to kill them, because if they quit their jobs they'll be reduced to sucking dick for money like   their friend P.J. Byrne. Hi-jinks ensue. Of course, "Horrible Bosses" would be nothing without a good script, and as a matter of luck there are great lines throughout.

7. The Rum Diary

Written and Directed by Bruce Robinson

Johnny Depp's second appearance on this list is a film where he *does* do an impression; his best impression, for the record, which is that of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, the visionary Gonzo journalist whose book "Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas" is probably the greatest thing ever written. Bruce Robinson ("Withnail & I") came out of retirement to write and direct the film and, such was his commitment to capturing Thompson's decadent mood, started drinking alcohol again for the duration of the movie, after many years sober. As with the last film in which Depp portrayed Thompson, Terry Gilliam's 1998 cult-classic adaptation of "Fear & Loathing..." it has recieved mixed reviews, but those enthralled with Thompson's writing should find much to enjoy in "The Rum Diary".

6. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Written by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan

Directed by Tomas Alfredson

In "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", Gary 'Drexl Spivey' 'Lieutenant Jim Gordon' 'Sirius Black' 'Director of Nil By Mouth' 'Sid Vicious' Oldman is presented with an opportunity to do lots of brilliant acting, and as such, does lots of brilliant acting. I've never seen another Tomas Alfredson film, but he directs this one with great style - it's a gripping exercise in suspense, to use cliched language. This was a fantastic Cold War thriller, that didn't feel like a 2011 film, but one from a time when attention spans still existed.

5. Our Idiot Brother

Written by Evgenia Peretz & David Schisgall

Directed by Jesse Peretz

Paul Rudd plays Ned, a brainless but unquestionably nice and well-meaning hippy. I thought this was a great comedy film. Although the ending (without going into detail) was pretty corny, I laughed throughout, especially at the supporting roles of Kathryn Hann and Steve Coogan - the former as another brilliant hippy, and the latter as a pretentious asshole who makes documentaries yet doesn't want his kid to go on YouTube due to his aversion to "screens". Also of note in the supporting cast are Ned's sisters, who are hot, and one of whom is a lesbian Zooey Deschanel. 1,000,000 out of 10!

4. Drive

Written by Hossein Ameni

Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn

I'm never sure how I feel about Ryan Gosling as an actor - on the one hand he is certainly proficient and charismatic beyond question, but on the other, he seems strangely distant and unrelateable, rather emotionless. His performance in "Drive" works so well because he combines all of these points into the mesmerizing character of the Driver. An essential film for fans of gratuitous violence, it overall rides upon an insurmountable sense of tension and wonderfully effective slickness. Also of note is Carey Mulligan's heart-wrenching turn as Irene.

3. Blackthorn

Written by Miguel Barros

Directed by Mateo Gil

Sam Shepard portrays an elderly Butch Cassidy in "Blackthorn"; a stately, beautifully shot Western. Following the "Unforgiven" formula of a retired gunslinger partaking in one last adventure, Shepard completely inhabits the role of the man known in his Bolivian exile as 'James Blackthorn'. Around a quarter of the movie is in Spanish, which lead to me getting up repeatedly to adjust the subtitles settings (rather irritating, but my fault for pirating I guess) but the conviction in the acting and Mateo Gil's artful direction mean that even the foreign-language parts of "Blackthorn" are as suspenseful and powerful as the rest, whether you understand them or not. A great movie.

2. Rango

Written by John Logan

Directed by Gore Verbinski

The animation in "Rango" is incredible. With Johnny Depp at the helm of the cast (proving, as with the "Rum Diary" that as an actor he has not simply been reduced to a Keith Richards impersonator in fancy dress), this is a smart, hilarious kids' Western teeming with pop culture references. Many will, after the one-note "Pirates of the Caribbean" Series, see Gore Verbinski as a director of questionable talent - "Rango" proves that he is anything but. Although he continues to rely upon the superficial and fun, here he does it in an admirable way.

1. Midnight In Paris

Written and Directed by Woody Allen

I think, so sympathetic am I to the man's style, that I merely need to see the words "Written and Directed by Woody Allen" to lose any objectivity that might inform my opinions on a film. An example would be 2006's "Scoop"; terrible film, some said! Allen's worst self-parody since "Anything Else" (a film I like a lot)! He can't act anymore! His romantic view of Europe is nauseating! The script is wooden! "Scoop" is in my top 10 films of the last decade. Any film with that unmistakable touch of a master and lines such as "I was born into the Hebrew persuasion, but when I got older I converted to narcissism", "I see the glass as half full...but of poison" and "The man is a liar and a murderer, and I say that with all due respect!" is guaranteed to win my affection.

  Allen's biggest commercial success in years (ever?) is a picture that's wonderful in its romanticism. Amusing caricatures of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dali, Porter, Picasso etc, and an immensely likable performance by Owen Wilson as Woody Allen (countered by Ringo Starr lookalike Michael Sheen [not Martin as I initially wrote] - who I saw last year in a mediocre version of Hamlet that was set in a mental institution for no fucking reason - as an obnoxious pseudo-intellectual) are its central selling points, of course. It's perhaps not as funny as many of his previous films, but deliberately so, and the jokes that are there are good; I especially enjoyed the cheap jibes at the Republican Party because, seriously, fuck the Republican Party. The cinematography is joyously beautiful. I loved Midnight In Paris, and to conclude, I feel I can merely quote Roger Ebert's review of it;

"This is Woody Allen's 41st film. He writes his films himself, and directs them with wit and grace. I consider him a treasure of the cinema. Some people take him for granted, although "Midnight in Paris" reportedly charmed even the jaded veterans of the Cannes press screenings. There is nothing to dislike about it. Either you connect with it or not. I'm wearying of movies that are for "everybody" — which means, nobody in particular. "Midnight in Paris" is for me, in particular, and that's just fine with moi."