Best of 2011 (8-7)

Continuing on with my countdown of my top 10 films of 2011, I give you 8 and 7.

8. Drive

Drive was probably the most pleasant surprise on my list. Before I read anything about the movie, I had seen the billboard with just an image of an actor and the word "Drive" in script font and thought to myself, "What a strange way to promote a movie." Shortly after, the buzz started and after hearing some of the songs from the killer soundtrack, I made it a priority to see this film. And it did not disappoint. Beauty oozes out of every frame and the jarring, visceral action provides a stark contrast to the elongated moments of real life silence not often addressed in film. I can view this movie with the audio off and see how cool it is. But I'd recommend turning the volume up and submerse yourself in the aforementioned "driving" soundtrack. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)



7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

It's been a decade long journey with Harry and his friends and we were given a fantastic farewell. While I did like the first half of this two part chapter a tad better, this finale delivers on an epic scale. We've experienced a lot with Harry ever since the first time we heard the chime and flew through the Warner Bros. logo. We've seen loved ones come and go. We've seen Harry suffer pain both physically and emotionally. We've seen Harry learn just how important and absolutely essential it is to have people to trust, to hope for the future and to love in the moment. All of this set to a magical background gave us whimsical story to delightfully process. This film, more than any other in the series, pushed the visual effects and really gave us stunning visuals. The journey ends with the face off we've all been waiting for and what a journey it's been.


Come back tomorrow for 6-5!

Aside note: I just watched Ip Man and Ip Man 2 and if you haven't seen them yet, do yourself a favor and make some time. Now excuse me as I go learn kung fu!