Drive 2011: Coolest film of 2011, the full movie review. When movie stunt-man Ryan Gosling has a Platonic neighborly encounter with Irene, the wife of a convict, Gosling gets caught up in a world where the fantasy of family life with her starts to become a reality. However, when Irene’s husband, Standard is released from prison, he is forced to do one last job to repay a debt. Unable to walk away from Irene and her son whose lives are now in danger, Gosling helps Standard out on the job. Standard is double crossed and murdered leaving Gosling to escape with the money. With the local mafia closing in and keen to recover the loot, Gosling is forced to hand over the money which will ensure the safety of Irene and her young son.
Animal Kingdom Best Movie of 2011, Pick 2
Animal Kingdom Best Movie of 2011, pick 2 the full review. After his mother overdoses on heroin, 17 year old Jay goes to live with his grandmother who heads a Jesse James-esque family-run criminal posse with her sons begins the premise of Animal Kingdom, Pinstripe Magazine‘s best movies of 2011 pick 2. However, when Jay is directly implicated in the murder of two police men, his uncle’s paranoid fantasy that Jay is an informant spirals out of control and leads him to murder jay’s girlfriend leaving Jay to testify and unleash his own justice.
The Inbetweeners, Best movies of 2011, Pick 3
The Inbetweeners: Best movies of 2011, pick 3, the full review. Schools out, they’ve inherited some money, time for a lad’s jolly abroad! And so we follow our virginal heroes on their feature length TV spin-off as they arrive at a hotel which could easily be a production set from “Holidays From Hell”, complete with a 50 euro fixed penalty, should they be unable to control their bowel movements. Does this minor setback dampen our hero’s spirit? No – it only strengthens their resolve to loose their virginity to St Tropez fake-tanned waif goddesses.
X-Men First Class, The Movie, Best movies of 2011, pick 4
X-Men First Class, The Movie, Best movies of 2011, pick 4, the full review. Matthew Vaughn’s directorial contribution to the X-Men franchise is a prequel, narrating Magneto and Xavier’s whole raison d’être. X-Men First Class makes Pinstripe Magazine‘s list at number 4 of our Best movies of 2011 reviews. What starts in a Polish ghetto as an anti Semitic thread weaves through the narrative into full blown action sequence climaxing with the Cuban missile crisis of the 1960′s, engineered by Shaw whose aim it is to provoke a full scale nuclear war amongst the humans.
Hugo 2011, Best movies of 2011, pick 5
Hugo: Best movies of 2011, pick 5, the full review. After the death of his father, eight-year-old Hugo spends his days living in a Parisian clock tower and attempting to restore an automaton, his father’s last project. When Hugo develops a close friendship with Emily, they both plan to finish restoring the automaton and celebrate Emily’s uncle’s lifetime work who is revealed to be a masterful film-maker of his time. Hugo makes Pinstripe Magazine‘s best movies of 2011 at number 5.
We need to Talk about Kevin, Best movies of 2011, pick 6
We Need to Talk About Kevin: Best movies of 2011, pick 6, the full review. The subject of high-school killings has been covered by several filmmakers such as Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine) and Gus Van Sant (Elephant). It’s a very difficult subject and not easy viewing. We Need to Talk About Kevin is, however, essential viewing. Directed by Lynn Ramsay and adapted from the novel by Lionel Shriver, We need to talk about Kevin is a harrowing visual memoir which culminates with Kevin’s incarceration after he massacres several of his high school peers.
Kill List, Best Movies of 2011, Pick 7
Kill List: Best movies of 2011, pick 7 the full review. Following a failed job in Kiev, Jay and Gal take on a contract killing as supplied by The Client. Venturing deeper into unexplored occult realms, the duo realizes they are facing a cryptic adversary that has marked them both. Sitting somewhere between Leon, Angel Heart and The Wicker Man, Kill List owes its success to a combining a hybrid of sub-genres. The result is a Post-modern thriller which forgoes predictable formulas to cue a gripping narrative as we follow our protagonists as they tick off victims as supplied by their mysterious client.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Best movies of 2011, Pick 8
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Best movies of 2011, pick 8, the full review. David Fincher’s update of the best selling Larsson book is essentially two movies for the price of one. The first is a breathtaking credit sequence where snippets of Nordic mythological dragons morph with Terminator styled liquid shape-shifters. Punctuated by a Trent Reznor’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s, Immigrant Song, Fincher might well consider entry into the short film category as the ticket price justifies this monochrome sequence alone. Like the Joy Division cover resonating in the helicopter sequence in Michael Mann’s Heat, this sequence will become a Youtube favorite.
A Separation, by Asghar Farhadi, Best movies of 2011, Pick 9
A Separation, by Asghar Farhadi, Best movies of 2011, pick 9 the full review. With his latest feature, A Separation, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi joins the pantheon of great directors reserved for the likes of Bresson and Kurosawa. Told in a dramatic unfolding narrative, this World Cinema classic makes Pinstripe Magazine‘s best movies of 2011, pick 9. Introduced as a Kramer versus Kramer styled drama, the story centers around the imminent divorce between Nader and his red-haired wife, Simin who wants to leave Iran. However, in line with Iranian law, Nader refuses to grant this and the judge dismisses the case on grounds of their daughter.
Bridesmaids, Best Movies of 2011, Pick 10
Bridesmaids: Best movies of 2011, pick 10, the full review. If loosing her catering business to the recession isn’t bad enough, Annie is hit by a double-whammy when her boyfriend dumps her. Straining to maintain her sanity in a soul destroying menial sales job, she is asked by her best friend, Lillian to be her bridesmaid and organize the hen night. However, competition for Lillian’s affection comes in the guise of Helen, a pretentious, affluent but generous woman who Annie despises. Setting to outdo Helen, Annie manages to alienate everyone in her social circle including an Irish traffic cop, Nathan, who proves to be part of her salvation.
