Saturday 31 December 2011

Don't Look Back in Anger (although it's hard not to): 2011

I watched A LOT of movies this past year, and, sadly most of them were crap.  Okay, yes, sometimes crap is thoroughly enjoyable, but there's no fun to be had in Resurrection County or Gacy House.  This year's list of best and worst films seen in the past 12 months is by no means exhaustive, but I did my best to single out the movies I really enjoyed and to pair them with the really bad/disappointing/infuriating ones I had the misfortune of watching.

Christopher Smith strikes again!: Black Death
Sean Bean journeys to a plague-free village in search of witches and finds what he's looking for. With a vengeance.
Hollywood strikes again!: Season of the Witch
Nicholas Cage journeys to blah blah blah witches.

Delightfully violent: Batman Year One
Despite its lack of Kevin Conroy, this Batman animated feature still delivers.
Straight-up terrible: Carver
Some friends get killed by a fat guy.  That's it.  Also there's a lot of shit.  Literally.

Will keep you up late: The Quatermass Experiment (1953), Quatermass and the Pit (1967), The Quatermass Conclusion (1979)
These three Quatermass movies are all very different and all very good. Recommended viewing for everyone.
Will put you to sleep: Gacy
The story of John Wayne Gacy, as told by someone who dislikes serial killer movies. I did, quite literally, fall asleep while watching this.

Look out! It's right behind you!: The Host
South Korean monster movie that will knock you on your ass.
Look out! It's right in front of you!: Creature
American monster movie that will leave you wondering how this got a theatrical release and Tucker and Dale didn't. Made record lows at the box office.

Should have been in theatresTucker and Dale vs Evil
Hillbillies Tucker and Dale square off against a murderous yuppie in this brilliant killbilly satire.
Should have been destroyedRun! Bitch Run!
Would-be exploitation reaches a new low in this woman-hating film.

Here there be monsters: The Trollhunter
Brilliant mocumentary about Norway's trolls.
Here there be monsters: Hatchet 2
Pointless sequel to a mediocre film.

Oh Canada!: Hobo With a Shotgun
Over-the-top exploitation feature about a gun-toting bum.
Oh: Dead Genesis
Unbelievably bad movie about a group of zombie hunters, in which the film itself is unsure about the story it's trying to tell.

Don't wait any longer to see itDaywatch
The follow-up and conclusion to Nightwatch, this Russian extravaganza pulls out all the stops and is loads of fun to watch.
Just...don'tIn Search of Lovecraft
Quite possibly one of the worst movies I saw this year. Something about trying to prevent the world from ending...  I don't know.

Cup 'o tea: Attack the Block
Teenaged hoodlums must protect their home against monstrous aliens.  Amazing creature design and great balance of horror and humour.
Cup 'o shit: Chain Letter
Teens are chain-killed by a chain-themed chain-killer. Chain.

Honourable Mention: The Edison Death Machine
I would file this under "bad" because it really is terrible, but the filmmakers just went whole hog with this one, it's hard not to kind of like it.

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