As I always going to the movies is my most enjoyable form of entertainment. Even my love for bowling comes second. That being said my favorite dating activity is going to the movies. My wife and son go to the movie at least twice a month and in good months when there are a lot of good movies coming out we go every week. In addition to being a dating coach I am an award winning filmmaker. It is these characteristics that makes me feel qualified to share with you my list of top moves of 2011.
My list of the best movies of 2011.

1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I give this move the props of an original story an not that of a remake. Before I saw this movie I prepared myself by watching the original Planet of the Ape series. I loved the original Planet of the Apes movies “It’s a mad house” sorry I digress. But the movie that this was based on was the worst of the original series. Now they turned this story around and made it damn near better than all of the other movies. They made the story a animal rights story and not an analogy for racism like the first. It was entertaining and had a message in the same way as James Camron’s Avatar.

2. Sucker Punch. Now please let me first say before all my female readers attack me. The next four movies I liked almost equally. Sucker Punch was different. It was imaginative and the story didn’t drag. It wasn’t crazy entertaining like some of the other movies from 2010. It was just that the movies of 2011 weren’t as good as 2010 or even 2009.

3. Real Steal. This movie was fun and emotional. I was rooting for the robot to win. I wished the robot fights scenes were longer. Some people want movies to have unpredictable endings. This movie was very predictable but it was fun. After the Departed I realized I don’t like movies that have confusing endings. Matter of fact my life requires so much thought I don’t want to have to much calculation in the movies.

4. Captain America. This movie could have easily been my number one movie. I really enjoyed myself in the theater when I saw this picture. For them to take a super hero I didn’t care much for and make a movie I would like I have to give them props. I still didn’t make me pick up a Captain America comic book. After Wolverine Origins I thought super hero movies were a wrap but Captain America made believe again.

5. Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed the first movie so much I am still watching it on cable. I wasn’t scared the sequel to this movie was going to be good. The only thing I was scared of was that there wouldn’t be a sequel. I am still waiting for the sequel to Cloverfield. In this economy sequels are not guaranteed and when they do make a sequel it may not have the first one’s budget, like Quarantine, Aliens vs Predators and Starship Troopers.

6. Fast Five. This was a high energy over the top movie just the way I like it. Why can’t there be a movie like this every week? Some movies this year came so close but messed it up with some corny scene or a story that doesn’t make sense.

7. X Men First Class. This was a very good prequel and the product of good character development and back story. This movie renewed my love of the franchise. They even gave the black characters good lines.

8. Priest. I should have seen this movie in 3D. This was one of the movies I was really looking forward to seeing from the trailer. This movie could have been my number two movie but the story got wack at the end. Such a good movie that went downhill.

9. The girl with the Dragon Tattoo. What I was surprised about with this movie was the subject matter. That fact that so many people are reading the books and no one talking about the abuse of women is crazy. Even with the movie being out people rather talk about the acting rather than rape and rape victims. Maybe we really need a girl with a dragon tattoo if we want someone to stop these sick people. In comparison to Lisbeth I still think Precious (of the movie Precious) handled her abuse better. But hold off on a full opinion until I watch the third movie of the trilogy.

10. Thor. This was another movie that made me like a super hero that I didn’t like before. I would actually like to see another Thor movie. I hope the Avengers movie is good. Thor is so cocky he made the movie on his lines alone. I would love to see Thor fight better villains maybe one with a mouth like his. If Superman had a mouth on him I would like him better.

I started writing this list before I saw the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I had already put ten movies together . So, when the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo made my top ten it pushed Contagion out but I still wanted to share my thoughts.
11. Contagion. This was one of the best virus global threat scenarios I’ve seen in a movie. It reminded me of the book World War Z. I hope the writers for the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes watched this movie.

That was my top ten and here are the rest of the movies I liked from 2011. Not in any particular order.
Drive
Season of the witch
Pirates of the Caribbean.
Battle LA
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Cowboys and Aliens
Hanna
Columbiana
Killer Elite
Transformers.

I apologize to Tyler Perry, Brandon T Jackson and Eddie Murphy for not seeing their movies this year. I just couldn’t get to see them. I think they may have come out the same week as another movie I really wanted to see. I know that was the case with Bank Heist. However I saw some corny movies this year but what was worse was there were stretches where there weren’t any good movies out. Even more frustrating is that I have Fandango on my phone and I get to see ever movie coming out each week and I have to deal with the fact that some movies aren’t released in my city. Two of the movies I would have loved to see that I am going to see on DVD are Shaolin and Attack the Block.

As I always do in preparation to writing this blog I review my selection with my wife and son. This year they wanted to share their top movies.
First up my son’s top ten is.
Kung Fu Panda
Cars 2
Battle LA
Real Steal
Priest
Immortals
Transformers
Pirate of Caribbean
Captain America
Planet of the Apes

My wife’s top movies were.
Planet of the Apes
Captain America
Fast Five
X Men First Class
Real Steal
Drive


Here are our list I loved to hear yours. coachyojeff@gmail.com Yo Jeff