January 3
All movies are 2011 releases unless otherwise noted. Availability: DVD |
Blu-ray |
Both Blu-ray and DVD

Contagion 70 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Steven Soderbergh's first dramatic film in two years (which kicks off an especially prolific period for the director, who has two more movies arriving in the next six months) was this fall's well-reviewed thriller about a deadly global pandemic. The ensemble cast is packed with stars even in many of the minor roles: think Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bryan Cranston, and Jude Law.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark 56 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Produced and co-written by Guillermo del Toro, this haunted house chiller is a remake of the 1973 made-for-TV movie of the same name about a young girl who discovers that she, her dad, and his girlfriend are not the only things residing in their home. Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes star, while comic book artist Troy Nixey makes his feature directorial debut. Many critics found it derivative, though passable.

The Guard 78 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
This Irish fish-out-of-water action-comedy finds an American FBI agent (Don Cheadle) pairing up with an unorthodox Irish cop (Brendan Gleeson) on the Emerald Isle to stop an international drug smuggling ring. The film was a huge hit in Ireland, and had no problem entertaining American critics as well thanks to its snappy (and profane) comedic dialogue.

I Don't Know How She Does It 38 + Netflix Queue Trailer
Sarah Jessica Parker stars as a working mother trying to keep her husband, kids, and bosses happy in this comedy based on the novel by Allison Pearson. Douglas McGrath (Infamous 68) directs a cast that also includes Greg Kinnear as Parker’s husband, Pierce Brosnan as an intriguing new client, and Seth Meyers, Kelsey Grammer, Olivia Munn, Jessica Szohr, Sarah Shahi, and Jane Curtin in supporting roles. Critics mainly found it unfunny and out of touch with reality.

Justified: Season 2 91
In its second season on the air, FX's crime drama about a U.S. Marshal with a checkered past (Timothy Olyphant) went from good to flat-out great, and was heralded by many critics as one of the best shows of 2011. The season-long story arc finds Olyphant's Raylan Givens confronting a local drug-dealing family led by Margo Martindale (who won an Emmy for her performance) and trying to manage his longtime nemesis Boyd Crowder (played by the Emmy-nominated Walton Goggins).
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January 10

Higher Ground 74 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Actress Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) makes her directorial debut and stars in this character study about a teen girl who, married and pregnant, immerses herself deeply in religion, only to start questioning her faith later as an adult when her marriage begins to unravel. The generally well-reviewed drama is based on the Carolyn Briggs memoir This Dark World.

Killer Elite 44 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Jason Statham, Robert De Niro, and Clive Owen star in this action film based on Ranulph Fiennes’ book The Feather Men, which itself claims to be based on actual events involving a hit squad named “The Clinic” that targeted members of the British Special Air Service. (It's not related to Sam Peckinpah's similarly titled 1975 film The Killer Elite.) Director Gary McKendry's feature film debut generally left critics unimpressed despite the strong cast, though action fans could find enough to like here to merit a rental.

Moneyball 87 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
You don't have to be a sabermetrician to enjoy this crowd-pleasing adaptation of Michael Lewis' 2003 nonfiction book about Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane and his statistics-oriented approach to assembling a baseball team. One of the best-reviewed films of 2011—and a likely multiple Oscar nominee—Moneyball stars Brad Pitt (who plays Beane), Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Bennett Miller (Capote 88) directs from a sparkling script by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian.

What's Your Number? 35 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Thirty-five, as it turns out. Actually, this rom-com's titular question doesn't concern the film's low Metascore, but rather the number of past mates for a woman (Anna Faris) who decides to revisit her sexual past in an attempt to find Mr. Right. It's based on the book by Karyn Bosnak; think of it as High Fidelity without the good music (or, apparently, good anything).
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January 17

Abduction 25 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Taylor Lautner's attempt to break out of the Twilight box was a flop with critics and moviegoers. This thriller centers on a young man (Lautner) who must unravel the mystery of his life after noticing his photo on a missing persons website. John Singleton returns to directing for the first time since 2005’s Four Brothers 49, and the strong supporting cast includes Lilly Collins as Lautner’s love interest, Jason Isaacs and Maria Bello as his parents (or are they?), as well as Alfred Molina, Sigourney Weaver, and Michael Nyqvist.

The Ides of March 67 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
George Clooney's latest directorial effort was certainly better than his previous one (Leatherheads 56), though it was overshadowed by its stars' (Clooney and Ryan Gosling) other fall films. Based on the Beau Willimon play Farragut North, the political thriller follows the back-room dealings of a modern day presidential campaign; Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood round out the cast.

Mysteries of Lisbon 82 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
A European television miniseries that gets released theatrically in the United States to tremendous critical acclaim? In 2010, that film was Carlos; in 2011, it is Portugal's Mysteries of Lisbon. The four-and-a-half-hour drama tells a complex and twisty story that spans three decades; think of it as a highbrow soap opera.
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January 24

50/50 72 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Based on screenwriter Will Reiser's own cancer survival story, this mostly praised dramedy (yes, it goes for laughs throughout) finds Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing a character based on Reiser, while Reiser's real-world friend Seth Rogen takes that same role in the film. The supporting cast includes Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Huston, Matt Frewer, and Philip Baker Hall.

Paranormal Activity 3 59 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
A slight improvement over the second film in the rapidly growing horror series, Paranormal Activity 3 moves the action back in time to the 1980s and brings in yet another new director—or, rather, directors—in Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who helmed the controversial "documentary" Catfish 65.

Real Steel 56 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum 48) departs from his usual comedy template to direct this drama about boxing robots and family bonds starring Hugh Jackman as a washed-up fighter trying to survive by building low-end robots for underground boxing events. After bottoming out, he teams up with his estranged son (played by Dakota Goya) and a robot named Atom to try for one last comeback. The film also stars Anthony Mackie, Hope Davis, and Lost’s Evangeline Lilly and Kevin Durand. Despite only so-so reviews, the film performed well enough that a sequel is in the works.
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January 31

Drive 79 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Filled with moments of surprising violence and enough style for three films, the minimalist action-drama Drive isn't for everyone, but count us among those who feel it was one of the best films of the past year. Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson 71, Valhalla Rising 61) was named best director at Cannes for this adaptation of James Sallis’s novel about a stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Ryan Gosling won raves for his lead performance—as did Albert Brooks in an against-type supporting role—while Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, and Christina Hendricks also star.

In Time 53 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca 64) offers another bleak vision of the future in his latest (and less successful) film, which takes place in a world where people stop aging at 25, the currency is time, and the rich can live forever while the poor must work to extend their lives. Justin Timberlake plays Will Salas, a regular guy who wakes up mysteriously owning more than a century of time, which makes him a wanted man. The cast includes Olivia Wilde as Timberlake’s mom, Amanda Seyfried as his love interest, Cillian Murphy as a member of the police force known as “timekeepers,” with support from Vincent Kartheiser, Matt Bomer, and Alex Pettyfer.

The Thing 49 Add to Netflix Queue Watch Trailer
Despite that title, 2011's The Thing is not a remake of John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi monster movie classic of the same name (itself a remake of a 1951 film), but instead a prequel to that film. Relatively unknown filmmaker Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. used Carpenter's film as a template, striving to get every last detail right so that the two films would match up, but the result was a middling box office flop. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) heads an otherwise mostly Norwegian cast.
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