Best Movie Soundtracks of 2011

This is a different kind of list. Instead of talking about the best or worst movies, I'm listing the best soundtracks and scores of movies! Of course you may recognize a few of these from my best movies of 2011 list since a great soundtrack helps toward making a great movie. I judge a soundtrack on it's uniqueness, how well it fits with the tone of the movie, and how likely I am to get it and listen to it multiple times.  So here's a list of my favorite scores and soundtracks of 2011!

12 Best Movies of 2011

It's the end of the year! Time to take a look back at all the great movies this year had to offer. So many in fact, that I had to up my count from ten to twelve! Why 12? Because eff you, this is my movie blog, that's why! Well...ahem...anyways, here are my picks for the 12 best movies of 2011!

The 6 worst movies of 2011

We're winding down for the year and approaching a full year here on Sketched Screenings come this January! So, to round out this year in movies, I thought I'd give my best and worst movies of the year. It was a good year for movies. It was a good year for great movies. It was a good year for...truly horrible movies. And so, without further ado, I give you my pick for the top 6 worst movies of 2011!

DOA: Dead or Alive

Get out your fighting moves and beach volleyballs! We're reviewing DOA: Dead or Alive!

Cutesy versions of Hayate, Tina, Lei Fang, and Christie.

For some reason, I was under the impression this was a Uwe Boll film, which would have been quite a dilemma since his movies are the very definition of terrible, and this one is pretty good. Thankfully, he had nothing to do with this production, which explains why it's surprisingly not that bad.

Super

Get out your tights and wrenches! We're reviewing Super!

That's right Crime, you heard him.

There's no other way of putting this. Super is a really effed up movie. It's Kick-Ass on crazy pills. Think about that for a second. This takes the "realistic and gritty" superhero story to it's extreme. It is easily the most realistic superhero film you will ever see.

The Muppets

Get out your chickens and bears and frogs and pigs because by golly we're reviewing The Muppets!

Let me preface this by saying that I've seen the movies and I used to watch the show from time to time, but I don't remember the Muppets as fondly as others, and it didn't exactly hit the right nostalgic button for me. That said, please, please, PLEASE bring your kids to see this instead of the new Chipmunks movie coming out this week. And hey, it's got more stars than all of New Year's Eve combined!

Hugo

Get out your clockworks and gears. We're reviewing Hugo!

Hugo is directed by the amazing Martin Scorsese, has an all-star cast, and has some of the most beautiful visuals of any movie this year. But is it a well-oiled machine, or is it just a jumbled mess of shiny parts?

My Week with Marilyn

Get out your...no! Put it back in! PUT IT BACK IN! We're reviewing My Week with Marilyn!

My Week with Marilyn is an interesting look into the life of one of the most famous starlets of all time.

50/50

Get out your...um...weed? Yes, we're just going to go with weed. We're reviewing 50/50!

I finally got a chance to check out 50/50. It's one of those rare films that can be difficult to watch, as it's both a comedy and a tragedy at the same time. The question on everyone's mind was if it would be a sincere look at the hardships of cancer or a crude comedy aimed at cheap laughs. Well, it's genuine, it's hilarious, and it's heartbreaking.

Immortals

Get out your funny hats and short skirts, we're reviewing Immortals!

"You guys, do I look ridiculous in this hat? No? Ok, just making sure."

It's hard not to compare this to 300 and Clash of the Titans. Why should you see this one when you've already seen both of those? Well, it has Titans and they clash, so there's that. And there are no undertones of homosexuality or overtones of all women being whores, so there's that. But is this new stylized take fun or just another letdown?

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas

Get out your drugs and 3D glasses! We're reviewing A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas!!!

I really like how Harold turned out.  It's been a crazy week and I'm currently sick, so I reserve the right to come back and color it later.

There's no getting around that this movie is stupid and ridiculous. If you've seen the trailer, you have an idea of what you're in for. But is it the good kind of stupid?

Also this is the first review with my new editor, Leilani Oliden!  Goodbye typos!

Sketched Discussion: Take Shelter

I really really want to talk about the ending to Take Shelter.  I reviewed the movie in the last article, and I shared how disappointed I was with the ending. Why it's disappointing has to do with what I was expecting in relation to other movies in a similar vein. But if you haven't seen it yet, don't read. Go out and see it and then come back and we can discuss. Ok you saw it? Good. MAJOR SPOILERS after the jump.

Take Shelter

Board the windows and get to the storm shelter, we're reviewing Take Shelter!

Take Shelter is a very uncomfortable and unsettling film, the kind that deals with the choice between sanity and faith. There's tension and storm clouds and uncomfortable pauses in the air. But is it a good kind of uncomfortable?

The smoking man

There's a reason people think smoking is cool. It is.

Spike Spiegel, the ultimate smoking badass.

DISCLAIMER: Smoking is bad for you. It WILL eventually kill you. HARD TRUTH: Smoking does make you look cooler. As I was watching Drive a few weeks ago, I noticed an odd hatred toward smoking.  It was one of those minor annoyances.  I'm not saying smoking is good, I just don't understand this strange new Hollywood trend where they don't have their badassier actors smoking.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Get your your chainsaws and let the cliches run rampant, we're reviewing Tucker and Dale vs. Evil!

This is greatly inspired by the amazing artwork of Mr. Dan Hipp.

When I saw this it was in the smallest theater I've ever been to. Each row had only 5 seats and I'm pretty sure there were only 50 seats max in the entire room. It was more like a large home entertainment center than a small screen.  It was dirty and cramped. I say all this because even after all that, I was still completely sucked into the movie. It's a shame it's not getting a wider release because it's just all kinds of funny and awesome. Minor spoilers ahead.

Real Steel

Get out your robots and boxing metaphors, we're reviewing Real Steel!

It's the feel good robot boxing movie of the year.  If this became the new Rocky franchise in which they churned out movie after movie of various robots smackin' each other around, I wouldn't mind that much.  Get some action figures, a comic, a semi-good cgi cartoon, heck, this is one of the movies I'm just flabbergasted isn't already a semi-good videogame(If you wanted that experience try picking up Rock 'em Sock 'em Arena for the PS. I mean, that's a dino robot there.) Anyways, about the movie...

Delicatessen

Get out your meat cleavers and gas masks, we're reviewing Delicatessen!

Delicatessen is older bloody brother of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who directed the wonderful Amelie, a movie I'm sure many of you have put in their favorites section. But is this older cousin worth checking out?

Terra Nova vs Falling Skies

I don't usually review TV shows here(this'll be the first) but I felt compelled to do so with this one. I was really skeptical with Terra Nova, but after watching the 2 hour season premiere, I'm bought, hook, line and sinker. I don't just want to do a review, I want to do a full-on head to head comparison with a show that ended it's first season a couple of months ago, Falling skies(More like failing skies, amirite?) It's strange how similar they are but how much better Terra Nova pulls it off.  Fair warning, I don't remember Falling Skies all that well(Let that say how good of a show it is).

Killer Elite

Shoot your cars and drive your guns, we're reviewing Killer Elite!

Looks like one of those guys is about to eat Clive Owen. Run Clive Run!

This has the feel-good killing duo of Clive Owen and Jason Stratham with a high-octane trailer that has the song 'Rock you like a hurricane.' but doe it live up to that actioniness?

Drive

Get out your driving gloves and get behind the wheel of your fancy car, we're reviewing Drive!

Man, I wanted to love this movie so much.  I went in and started watching, telling myself how great it is, but then, the rest of the movie started to set in.  I have a real love-hate relationship with this movie.  I wanted it to be the noir of the year but its best asset is also it's downfall.

Contagion

Put on your face masks and lock your doors, we're reviewing Contagion!

I'm hoping this reads more 'creepy' than 'trippy'.

Contagion releases a deadly virus upon the populous and then shows us how we as a people would handle it. But is it as dramatic and panic-filled as their trailers would lead us to believe? SPOILERS AHEAD.

Our Idiot Brother

Start smilling and be happy, we're reviewing Our Idiot Brother!

I'm really really happy with how this came out.

Our Idiot Brother is a nice little family comedy.  Like Ned and his family, Paul Rudd as Ned is the glue that holds this silly romp together.  But is it funny enough?

The Debt

Get out your secret cameras and spy guns, we're reviewing The Debt!

The Debt is unexpectedly great. Not that I had any reason to think it was bad, I just didn't really think it looked all that interesting. Boy was I wrong!  It's a tense action-filled spy thriller with a tight, twisty turny plot.

My Top 5 Favorite Noirs

This is my first montagy sort of sketch. I think it came out rather well, especially Robert Ryan.

I love noir. It's my favorite genre ever. For those of you who don't know what it is, Noir is a genre of movies from the early 1940's to the late 1950's that were prevalently dark, gritty, and cynical.  The shadows were big, the good guys weren't always good, the bad guys weren't always bad and you never got a happy ending. Everything just had this moral grey era.

It was a genre that popped up right after WWII in a time when people didn't trust the world they lived in anymore. Noir created the hard-boiled detective, the femme fatale, the crook with a heart of gold, and many more staples you see in movies, games and TV today.  And even though the genre is sometimes associated with that played-out detective formula, it was also a time when film makers were experimenting with story and technique.

So here are my top 5 all-time favorite Noir movies, and a great place to start if you're looking to get into the genre after the jump!

30 Minutes or Less

Get out your fake guns and ski masks because we're reviewing 30 minutes or less!

"How will lil' Aziz and Eisenberg try to get that bomb off this week?" You're welcome Hollywood, for making something even more ridiculous based off the true events.

This is a tough movie to review. This isn't a straight good or bad decision, there are aspects I like and aspects I don't.

Fright Night

Get out your stakes and crosses, we're reviewing Fright Night!

Anton Yelchin: Vampire Hunter.

Fright Night is a pretty fun movie with some great uses of 3D, but is it better than the original?

Conan the Barbarian

Take out your swords and...you know what, fuck it. Let's just get this piece of shit over with.

THE SWORD IS HIS PENIS. GET IT?!

This is a terrible movie. There I saved you 11$. Strictly reserved for Netflix/redbox/cable where you can make fun of it while playing a drinking game(the drinking game being of course drink every time this movie is goddamn awful). You don't even need to read the rest of this review. It's just going to be me bitching about how bad this movie is. Spoiler Alert, y'know, if you want to be surprised at how awful it is or something.

Attack the Block

Put on your masks and take out the fireworks, we're reviewing Attack the Block!

I'm semi-interested in doing a minimalist poster for this.

Believe all the hype. Attack the Block takes an original idea and provides a fun and fulfilling narrative.  It's this year's Scott Pilgrim, in that barely anyone will see it but everyone will be talking about it.  If Cowboys and Aliens left you high and dry in the originality department, this will be your sparkling oasis.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes of the Movie

Get out your nets and spears, we're reviewing Rise of the Planet of the Apes!

I don't think I got Caesar's sinister look quite right. 

Rise is a great Monkey movie that delivers. It tells an interesting story, and satisfies your ape action lust

Summer Wars

Turn off your cellphones and prepare your virtual avatars for battle, we're reviewing Summer Wars!

Summer Wars is a crazy new anime movie that feels like an amalgamation of at least twenty other movies. It's laughingly predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Cowboys and Aliens

Get out your cattle prods and anal probes, we're reviewing Cowboys and Aliens!

Didn't quite capture Daniel Craig's likeness but I'll make a better sketch when they make a better movie. BAM!

I really wanted to like this movie. Even after everyone said it was meh, I still wanted to see it.  Some movies don't have the right audience or aren't exactly what people thought they were getting, and I was really hoping it was that, but it wasn't. Everyone was right. It's meh.

Sketched Discussion: Captain America is the protagonist

One of the things I love about the new Captain America movie is how the character of Captain America evolved from idea to legend. And it led me to a startling revelation: Captain America, not Steve Rogers is the main protagonist of the movie. I'm sure you're  going, "Ah wha?" but in most superhero action movies, the film revolves around the secret identity with only the superhero part acting as a tool to flesh out his character. Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, and Hal Jordan get the story arcs, while Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern are just parts of their character. Captain America flips that on its head. Spoilers and discussion after the jump.

My Red Skull/Hydra promotional poster that goes with yesterday's Captain America poster. Collect them all!

Captain America: The First Avenger

Bust out your shields and strap on your nazi stompin' boots, we're reviewing Captain America: The First Avenger!

The X-Men Poster design went over pretty well, so I tried making some patriotic propaganda! AND I'll be having a Red Skull one for another Captain America article!

Captain America isn't just a great comic book movie(and oh, what a fantastic comic book movie it is), but a great war movie summer blockbuster. 

Sketched List: 7 favorite gory horror scenes

After just watching Dead Snow(surprise it's on this list!) I wanted to make a list of my 7 favorite gory kill scenes in Horror movies.  Fair warning for those squemish: Loooota blood. Also disclaimer, these aren't necessarily the best gory scenes(add your own in the comics if you think I missed something!), these are just my favorite, and just ones I can remember, and just ones specifically from horror movies. On to the gore!

Tried something new this time, quick photoshop zombie kill. What do you guys think?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

Whip out your wands and jump on your broomsticks, we're reviewing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2!

That's right, team Neville all the way. And yes, I know where that sword is protruding from. You're welcome, ladies.

The last installment in the Potter serious is appropriately epic and a grand finale to end the decade long series.

Horrible Bosses

Puke in a bucket and leave work early, we're reviewing Horrible Bosses!

I'm sorry, we're you expecting me to draw 3 guys instead of a sexy dentist Jennifer Aniston? Oh you poor schmuck. 

From the previews and all the glowing reviews, the movie looks hilarious. But does it live up to its expectations?

Sketched Fiction: Transformers Dark of the Moon

Have written enough about Transformers already? Probably. Is this going to make Transformers any better of a film? Definitely not.  Am I still going to complain about it on the internet some more? Decidedly so. I wanted to try something new today, since I'm a writer and I love fiction, I'd thought I'd be a little pompous and write how I think the third installment should have gone. Spoilers, ranting, and crazy bayformer fan fiction ahead!

Bad Teacher

Get out your rulers and textbooks, we're reviewing Bad Teacher!

I really like this cartoonized form of Diaz, though I may have overdone it with the markers. Thoughts?

This is a pretty funny movie and Diaz does a great job at being a character you simultaneously love and hate.  She's a strange protagonist to root for, but it's a fun and enjoyable ride nonetheless.

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon review

Cue the Explosions, we're reviewing Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon!

Did this in flash, not sure how successful it is.

I think everyone already knows whether or not they're going to see it. I've heard reviews saying it's the best one yet, and others saying it's just playing terrible.  My humble opinion, it's got amazing 3D action, but I literally went, "Wait, what?" every 15 minutes.

Dark of the Moon Predictions Revisited!

So I recently viewed Transformers 3:Dark of the Moon, and you can read my review of it soon. But before I saw the movie, I made some predictions about the plot. How well did I turn out? Find out and see! Spoilers abound!

Fun Fact: I erased the pencil only to realize it looked too clean and then proceeded to add more pencil!

Sketched Discussion: Predictions for Dark of the Moon

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon comes out next week.  Early reviews say it's pretty good, but everyone else is skeptical.  I just wanted to make a few predictions(based on the trailers and what we know about the psyche of Michael Bay) of what I think will happen in the movie and see how many I get right. So, spoilers ahead? Possibly?

Can you tell I don't draw transformers often? I was hesitant about drawing Bayformer style Megatron, until I realized he's just a bunch of scribbles.

Sketched Discussion: Fast Five is a great videogame movie

Fast Five, the somehow fifth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, is exactly like a videogame. I'm generally surprised there's not a Fast Five videogame Tie-in coming out. Watchign this made me want to go home and play burnout, and I usually hate driving games! How is this possible? I'm going to point out the various videogame tropes and how they parallel parts from the movie, not including all the generic story bits that videogames took from generic action movies.  Spoilers ensue.

Sketched Review: Green Lantern

Power up your energy rings, we're reviewing Green Lantern!

I tried something new in illustrator and photoshop again. not sure if it's successful, but I like it. 

This has just been destroyed in the reviews as if it's one of the four horsemen of the superhero movie apocalypse. I wouldn't say it's that bad, but I can't say it's that good either.  The cgi creations are nice but the story is by the books at best and nonsensical at worst and Ryan Reynolds just doesn't fill the green boots well.

Also, don't bother with the 3D. I put them on in the beginning of the movie, and then...well when the bright shiny ending titles shot past, I literally went, "Oh yeah! I'm watching a 3D movie!"

6 Things that didn't suck about Phantom Menace

I did a post awhile back about movies that had great trailers, that really ramped up the anticipation, but just couldn't deliver when the movie came out.  One of those movies(number 1 actually) was Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, and for good many, many reasons(lookin' at you Jar Jar). But I wanted to make a post about the six utterly awesome things that came out of that disaster.  Read on for more!

Review: Super 8

Get out your videotape camera recorders, we're reviewing Super 8!

SEE WHAT I DID THERE.

Super 8 is a super mega nostalgic sci-fi thriller. The acting and characters are great, but are the monster effects worth it? Also, if anyone is wondering what the monster is, here it is.

Midnight in Paris

Get your Baguettes and sketchbooks, we're reviewing Midnight in Paris!

Trying something different, a sketch of a Paris street!

This is a really enchanting and lovely film, if a bit artsy.  I wouldn't call it a chick flick as others may have called it, but it is a Woody Allan film, so take that as you will.

Sketched Disccusion: X Men: First Class

I wanted to discuss a scene from X-Men: First Class that really bothered me.  I included this in my review, but now that I've figured out Blogger has page jumps, I've made the discussion it's own post so the review is completly spoiler free!  If you haven't seen the movie yet, go see it and come back.  If you have, by all means read on! Thought provoking discussion after the jump!

X-Men: First Class

Put on your Blue and Yellow Spandex, we're reviewing X-Men: First Class!

Just a quick Fassbender sketch.  I have something else planned which I'll post here later!

UPDATE: Finished! 60's posters are all the rage these days, so I tried a simple one in Illustrator!

This is a great movie. Not just a great prequel, sequel, reboot, or superhero blockbuster, but a great movie.  But does it live up to the standards of The Dark Knight and Watchmen as people keep saying it is?

Kung Fu Panda 2

Get out your 3D glasses and harness your mad kung-fu skills, we're reviewing Kung Fu Panda 2! IN 3D!!!

Put on your 3D glasses now.

I have to say I really enjoyed Kung-Fu Panda 2. I was excited for it coming out, then I was worried that I was excited for it, and then I was excited again when I experienced it. And it was in 3D in a theatre full of screaming kids, so I really experienced the crap out of it.

The Hangover Part 2

Roofie yourself and grab your smoking monkey, we're reviewing The Hangover Part 2!

It's pretty funny, but it's exactly like the first one. I mean, EXACTLY. It's as if someone took the script from the first movie, took out certain words, then put in other words like the most boring mad lib. And also every word is penis. I'm not even going to bother with a summary of the plot. Just take your Hangover mad libs sheet, scratch out "Las Vegas" and put in penis Bangkok.

Guest Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Hey movie goers! I haven't seen Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides yet(and from the reviews have no real desire to do so), but my friend Noelle has seen it and wanted to do a guest sketch and review! She did an awesome colored sketch and a pretty funny and enlightening review. Thanks Noelle!

Enjoy the following from Noelle Loughran:

Here there be pirates. Again.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of the Pirates franchise. I’ve got a Jack Sparrow blanket to prove it. But Disney, like many other movie giants, has a hard time laying a franchise to rest at the optimal time. They’re much more fond of the ‘beating the dead horse’ method.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Sketched List: 15 Awesome Trailers, Bad Movies

Ugh. This image is a mess. Much like these movies! Zing!

Hey there fellow movie lovers! In this downturn of recent movies to review, I've been thinking over movies that had awesome trailers that really got you pumped, but couldn't follow through with a solid movie. This isn't a comprehensive list as I'm sure it would be much longer. These are just the ones that A) I remember the trailers and B) I really felt let down by them.

Thor

Get out your Hammers and winged helmets, we're taking the rainbow bridge to Thor!

I went with the more traditional version. Your welcome ladies.

Looks like I haven't done a post in a couple of weeks. Well first I haven't seen many movies, I've actually been catching up on TV like Adventure Time and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Plus I've been busy with comics and a certain boardgame. But anyways, onto Thor!

Thor is a really fun movie that's great for all ages, even though it has a PG-13 rating. It has a bunch of cool fight scenes and the visuals are stunning and original.