The 2011 Raymo Awards

It's that time again and in 2011 I saw a total of 40 films at the movies, and I have to say that the overall quality was very good.

We had three 9/10s, one 8.5 and 11 8/10s so that's pretty good. There were also a few very low scores with eight scored of 6.5 or lower (down to a 2/10).

A bit like in 2010, the real highlights came in some stunning performances, particularly from Ryan Gosling who as far as I'm concerned put in two five-star efforts in two very different films. Anyway, here is my 2011 in review....

1. 127 Hours
This is the true story of adventurer Aron Ralston who was forced to sever his arm to free himself from being trapped in a cave. It's in some ways a gruesome tale but a brilliant performance by James Franco as Ralston keeps you fixated on the story. It was a believable portrayal of a story that is both shocking and inspiring. A narrow, but deserved, winner.
2. The King's Speech
This was actually the first film I saw in 2011. The story of King George VI (father of Queen Elizabeth) and his struggle with public speaking due to a rather embarrassing stutter and the man who helps him overcome it. Again, a great cast with Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter and also Guy Pearce. At the start of last year I raved about this as the likely film of the year but it has been topped, just, by Franco's star turn.
3. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Another one with James Franco as the star. He plays a scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer's, in order to cure his father (John Lithgow) of the disease. His treatment, when tested on apes, has surprising results but also grave ramifications for the population. This prequel to Planet Of The Apes was one of the surprises of the year for me, having been underwhelmed by the remake of the original a few years back. Franco is again excellent and Lithgow, as usual, is a scene stealer. Loved it and clearly one of the best of the year.
4. Unstoppable
When I looked back through my ratings I was surprised that this one made the top five but it is better than the average of its type of film. With Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, this one carried a pretty simple premise - runaway train heading for disaster - but was so well executed it was riveting and the two stars were magnetic. With a soundtrack that kept up the tension it was one of the more enjoyable movie experiences.
5. The Ides Of March
Ryan Gosling is headed for an Oscar, surely, this year. In this political drama, Gosling plays a strategist on the campaign for president by George Clooney's Governor who is both the player and the played in an under rated film. Not high on tension, its strength is in the performances of the outstanding cast with Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman (two personal faves) fantastic as always. Gosling puts in a five star performance, as he did in the movie Drive which just missed out on the top five.

Honourable mentions: Drive (deceptively understated), Captain America, The Smurfs, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2, Tintin and Scream 4.
Surprise Of The Year: Burlesque - I expected a 'bad but good' musical and instead found it to be one of the better musicals in recent years. Have to mention The Inbetweeners Movie - outrageous but very, very funny and I really expected it to be crap (though wouldn't have if I had seen the TV show first).
Flop Of The Year: Jack & Jill - Dear Adam Sandler, please realise we are no longer in the 1990s and you can't get away with the same old jokes any more.
I was also disappointed with Cars 2 while Immortals is the new record holder for lowest score getting a huge 2 out of 10.

This year promises to be very interesting. What I'm looking forward to the move are the finale to the Twilight series, the next Batman film and The Avengers. Hopefully there will be a few surprises in store and some more unforgettable acting. See you at the movies....