The 10 Best B-Movies of 2011


 

Now that we're at the end of the year, every Site seems to be doing a 'Top 10 Movies of 2011' list and it made me want to do my own - but not some generic list that you can find on any site, that would include mostly all the same films as each other - no, I wanted to do one such list that fits my personal tastes - a list of the 10 Best B-Movies of 2011! Now to be honest, this entire list is pretty much being done on the spot, with no research behind it other then my own memory of what I've seen so far this year and which ones still stick out as having been really good in my memory after all this time, so forgive me if I ended up forgetting some by accident. Also, there is still plenty of movies from this year that I haven't yet seen, so it's possible I've potentially skipped over a few diamonds in the rough due to that as well, since this list is based off what I've actually watched myself.

The following list won't be in any specific order, as I clearly love all of them for them to even be on the list, so putting them in any kind of ranking order is a bit moot.


- Asylum puts out one or two movies about every single month, at least. Some are honestly not that good, at all, but most are a blast of low budget cheesy fun, and out of those ones this mockbuster of the more well-known Battle: Los Angeles has got to be one of my all-time favorites. You can read my full, previously-released, review of Battle of Los Angeles here.






- With the amount of movies Asylum releases, it's no surprise that more then one would make their way onto this list. This is the movie that Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus promised to be, but stumbled to deliver. Mega Python vs Gatoroid is filled with non-stop cheese and laughs from beginning to end, with 80's pop sensations Tiffany and Debbie Gibson stealing the show from the title creatures on more then one occasion. This is how you make a fun low budget monster movie.




- This one originally aired on TV in 2010, but was released on DVD and BluRay this year, so I'm counting it as a 2011 movie. Roger Corman is famous for a ton of well-known B movies from the 60's onwards and he returns this decade with Sharktopus - a movie that you can pretty much accurately guess what you'll be in store for based off just the title and cover art. Pure cheesy goodness all the way through with never a dull moment. This is one that one day I hope to see a sequel to.




- Hostel: Part III may not be as good as the first, but way better then the horrid second movie, and quite faithful to the tone of the series despite that it's not made by Eli Roth. Some really nice kills and unexpected twists throughout. Should have ended 5 minutes earlier then it did though, as the actual ending wasn't nearly as good or leave as much of an impact as the 'first ending'.






- Honestly, there's not really any plot to speak of with this movie, just seemingly random scene after random scene. But it's entertaining random scene after entertaining random scene, filled with really inventive and gory zombie kills by way of a whole slew of unique weapons, within some great post-apocalyptic set pieces, making it really feel like a fast-paced FPS video game adaptation. Plus it has Zombie Tigers.




- I'm never one to turn down a made-for-TV creature feature, but it's always an added bonus when it actually turns out good. Swamp Shark stars the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer as she battles a really old, really vicious shark that has made it's way into the swamp lands of her small town. Both the CGI shots, and the quick practical shots of the shark were surprisingly detailed and well-done, and the movie itself had a better-then-average plot, filled with better-then-average actors for this kind of flick. This one was a blast and a half.




- I love the Spanish horror flick [Rec]. I'm also one of the few that love the American remake of it, Quarantine. And as much as I enjoyed [Rec] 2, I'm glad this direct-to-video sequel decided to go its own path, because to my surprise, I ended up liking Quarantine 2: Terminal even more then I did the first Quarantine. Well-worth checking out for fans of the first, because this one is not only better, but also builds upon it in ways I never expected. It's more then one of my favorite B-Movies of the year - it's also one of my favorite horror movies of the year.




- While this is a sequel-in-name-only, when it comes to going direct-to-video that's almost a better route to take sometimes. This however felt like it could have easily gone to theaters. It was highly entertaining with a competently-written script, filled with very well-acted characters, excellent use of genuine tension, some really fun and explosive action scenes, and a creepy villain that you just love to hate. What more can you ask for in an Action B-Movie?




- Asylum's modern-day mockbuster of this classic story is pure adrenaline-fueled entertainment from beginning to end, with fun quirky characters that I never got tired of following, and well choreographed action scenes. Even has a couple of sword fights thrown in for good measure, which is quickly becoming a staple of Asylum action flicks. I wouldn't mind at all seeing further adventures of this group of Mission: Impossible wannabes.




- Sure, the actors may not be the greatest, the dialog is atrocious, and parts of the script are incredibly messy - but it's still the best of the Howling sequels, and overall a pretty damn fun little popcorn werewolf movie, with a gothic castle-like school as it's main setting. They also stick to mostly old-school practical man-in-suit effects for the werewolves which I can very much appreciate, keeping the design pretty close to the design of the werewolves from the original movie (which is something none of the other sequels ever bothered to do). As a werewolf fan, despite it's shortcomings, I can't help but see the genuine effort that went into this one and enjoy it based on that alone. The gory kills and fun werewolf-on-werewolf fights help as well though.




Honorable Mention


- I have a few too many issues with this one to count it as among 'The Best' of the year, but despite those issues it's still a really entertaining movie if you're a fan of the series thus far, and it's extremely short runtime (about an hour if you don't count the opening and closing credits) helps you to overlook a lot of it's problems because the movie moves at such a fast pace that it's over before you have much time to think. If you're not a fan of the previous two movies though, then there's no need for you to attempt this one because nothing in this will make you like it above the others.

Comments

  1. I also really enjoyed 'Sindbad and the Minotaur'. Fun movie with some nice eye candy.

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  2. Nice. I'll have to see if I can find that one online and check it out, cause it wouldn't be on DVD yet, would it?

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  3. It's already out in region 2. The region 1 release is scheduled for August 30th.

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  4. Well, Id never think you were still into movies.. lol you never change :)
    Seen u on a friends facebook and somehow linked to think, interesting!!

    An old friend from junior high
    DOWN WITH MQP! haha

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  5. Hahaha, yeah, I'm still pretty much the exact same person, just a bit older, lol. Who is this? Justin? Roberta? Weasel? lol. I know not Ryan, cause I've already got him on Facebook and chat with him once in awhile.

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  6. Hm... Who am I? Thats a good question :)

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  7. So what you up to now? Still in the Newfie land?

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  8. I am right now, yeah. But I lived in Alberta for a few years after Junior High, for high school, then came back here for half a year, then I went up to B.C. for a few years, and now I'm back here again.

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  9. Oh right on!! You in school again now? Or working at a call center.. everyone I talks to is in school or in a call center :)

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  10. lol, neither. I'm working at a hotel right now. I did go to school for Media Communications a few years back but dropped out cause it wasn't really what I wanted to do, and just never went back yet. I was wanting to go back this year for Social Work, to get into Addiction Counseling, but it was just too expensive for what I could afford this year, and I still had my previous student loan to pay off at the time so they wouldn't give me another, but that's all paid off now so I'm hoping to get on that for next year.

    So like seriously, who are you? lol

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  11. :) Meh not importanteeee haha Shocking you dont already know hahahahaha

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  12. It's a bit creepy cause as soon as I read that, my phone rang and I was like 'No friggin' way...' but it was just some telemarketer, lol

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  13. HAHAHAHAHA Im a stalker sent from the depths of hell!!! Muahahhaha Maybe I stalked you in the corner of the halls of Macdonald drive!! ... Who knows ... all I knows is this is hilarious! MUAHAHAHHAHAAH You know more people than those above... Surprised I havent ran into you here is newfoundland, maybe we have and didnt recognise each other hm... I will follow your blog lol cause I too love horror flicks lol!!!

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  14. I don't update it often, just whenever I feel like it - could have 3 posts in a week or go 2 months without one, lol.

    Stephen? Darrell? Jolene? Am I forgetting someone I should be remembering? lol

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  15. Im sorry is this bothering you? Hm.. Seems like payback for me? Hm... I def am enjoying this hehe

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  16. Ok, you gotta give me at least a hint - male or female? And how close were we as friends?

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  17. Hm... a hint? Hm... I dont know... lets see?
    Something ... were we close?
    You remember those cinnimin hearts in the guidance office?

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  18. I don't even remember ever being in the guidance office of that school, lol. I remember being in Mr. Tilly's office a few times for forgetting my French books in my locker and Mr. Gosse would send me there. I remember being in the Nurse's office a few times due to injuries sustained either at the Gazebo or the one time I accidently got my head squished between those metal doors, lol.

    Diffinitly don't remember no Cinnamon hearts.

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  19. Hm. Oke then... How is your appendix?

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  20. Hasn't given me any problems since that one big scare in Junior High.

    Roberta's younger brother Joey? Danica? Adam? Andrew? Seriously, I think that's about the last of the people I knew back then, lol

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  21. This is way too fun lol.
    HM. This may jog your memory...

    Blog. Rap. Horrible situation.

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  22. Not a one. Blog means nothing to me unless you mean this one, in which case it has no ties to Junior High. Hell, the Internet wasn't even around back then really - just starting out, lol.

    Rap? The only ties to rap I can think of is my now-embarrassing white rapper phase when I was in college, and that was long after Junior High and no ties to there.

    Horrible situation doesn't really narrow things down, lol.

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  23. Kinda bugs me you dont remember.. hm Well I guess I cant leave any more hints.

    Your mudder probabley still hates me too.

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  24. Seriously? If this is Roberta, I already guessed you, so this is totally not fair, lol. That's pretty much the only person I was thinking this was through most of this but since I already guessed that and you kept going on I was like 'Well it can't be her, but that's the only person that matches up with all this'

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  25. Youve known me this long.. and you didnt think I would keep you guessing haha you really dont remember me then! HAHA

    What r ya at anyways?

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  26. So just so were on the same page - this is seriously Roberta? lol

    What am I at? Not much right now other then just wasting the last hour or so on something I think I guessed right off the bat, lol. Other then that, not up to much at all. My brother and his family are down visiting from B.C. so I've been spending most of my time with them over the last few days. Other then that, not much other then working.

    How about you? How've you been? What have you been up to?

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  27. Hm yes this is Roberta hahaha I was bored and seen your name and was like hm... interesting.
    I am now an official acupuncturist in newfoundland :) Went to school for over 3 years to do it. I have a 3 year old, engaged and got a house... 2 cats and 2 Dogs... a Chinchilla fish lol So yeah worked my butt off and finally all that hard work paid off!! YAY!!!!

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  28. Oh wow, that's really good. I'm really happy for you :) Yeah, I just haven't put in the hard work yet, lol. But now that I just got my previous student loan finally all paid off, I'm gonna save up over this next year and hopefully get back in school for September in 2012. If I can manage to stay here long enough this time, lol. I've realized that I get antsy when I stay in one place for too long - I chalk it up to growing up in a military family and always moving, lol

    What friend on Facebook do we have in common? The only person I can think of is maybe Ryan? Anyway, feel free to add me to the ol' FB if you want.

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  29. That would be awesome, kinda makes ya feel good when you got it all over with, its like pulling teeth when your in school though HAHA! lol I dont have any friends in common I creeped ya on facebook, was like hm who have I not checked up on in years, BINGO lol . yeah its weird I know.. but I tell ya you get bored when your kid is watching Treehouse constantly... SO I rather be a facebook drone than watch that crap ahhaha

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  30. lol, yeah, I can understand that. That's why you need to buy old kid shows on DVD from when we were kids, and get him hooked on those instead of the shit they have on TV now, lol

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  31. Yes.. but have you watched the shows from when we were kids? lol! They are demented lol The new ones suck too though... I miss dark wing duck, and lol uh all the other ones! HAHA he loves donald duck.. but he has a bad case of temper problems and violence!! HAHA new perspective when your a parent trust me! So what hotel ya working in? And why are you working in a hotel? I thought you wanted to be a detective?!

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  32. Hahaha, I was on youtube just a couple nights ago searching for techno remixes of the Darkwing Duck theme, lol. Get him hooked on Gargoyles - now that was an awesome show. Or Power Rangers! Then again, that had quite a lot of violence in it, lol.

    I'm working at Hillview Terrace Inns and Suites, right there across the road from that shitty strip mall we used to hang out at on lunch, where the IGA and Jumbo Video used to be (they're both not there now though) - the hotel is directly across the street from there. And I live in one of the apartment buildings in that area too, so it's like a 2 minute walk to work which is nice.

    Originally I did want to be a detective, and part of me still does, but after everything with my dad over the last several years, I want to get into Addiction Counseling and be able to help people in the same boat and help the families that have to deal with all that, and for that I need to get into Social Work, so I pretty much have my mind made up on that now, just a matter of being able to afford it, so that's why I'm at the hotel.

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  33. How the heck do you work there.. I thought u lived there a few years back.. doesnt sound like a good time at all! Hm, dont wanna get into all that here.. But I have no idea what your talking about when it comes to your dad.. Well we all start somewhere! I myself was call center to call center.. I now work at dogs divine on cashin.. and lol am an acupuncturist! Eventually we all get what we dream. My dream was to meet a great guy, have a beautiful kid and a nice house with pets. BING I got it.. lol wasnt easy.. Pregnancy sucks but.. I am there! HAHA hopefully you never know what its like to be prego... not fun hahaha

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  34. Haha, I did live here a few years back, but then the company that owns all these buildings took bldgs 3-7 in this area and turned them into a hotel, so I'm living in bldg 9 now and working in those other ones, lol.

    Yeah, bad stuff with my dad. He's always had a bit of a problem but it got way out of control the last 5 years or so and yeah, it got real bad, and things are a bit better now with him but they'll never be the same.

    Yeah, that's really awesome you finally got everything you wanted - you worked hard for it and deserve it :) And yeah, I have a feeling I'll never know what it's like to be prego...just a feeling... lol

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  35. Too bad you have one glaring omission where is Shark Night 3D

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  36. I would agree that I enjoyed Shark Night far more then most people did it seems, but I don't include theatrical movies here. I cover mostly just low budget Direct-to-Video and Made-for-TV stuff.

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