From political drama thrillers to biographies to action films, 2011 offered memorable and fascinating entries in numerous movie genres. In Shockya’s new mini-series, your favorite writers will countdown their Top 10 favorite films of the past year. With award season quickly approaching and the nominees for several ceremonies already announced, including the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards and the 18th Annual SAG Awards, listed below are some of the best movies of 2011. Whether the films feature believable acting, realistic storytelling, perfectly guided direction or a combination of all three, the following ten movies will definitely stand out as the best of the best in the years to come. 1….

Too many romantic comedies witlessly hone in on the differences between men and women to create a heightened-stakes backdrop in which every interaction with the opposite sex is imbued with some sort of grand, gender-statement significance, which is of course then supposed to be neatly resolved and tidily put away by the time a paired-off happy ending rolls around. Co-written by Annie Mumolo and “Saturday Night Live”‘s Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids” instead focuses a considerable amount of its energy on female friendships, yes, but also the things women want in relationships — love, security, availability — that are the same as men. The result is the best female-fronted Hollywood comedy in years, and a…

Continuing with Shockya’s new mini-series The Best and Worst Films of 2011…So Far, this installment ironically includes historical dramas and car action movies on both the greatest and poorest lists. Some of these films successfully integrated historical facts with a captivating storyline and big-budget stunts with a natural bond between the cast, respectfully; unfortunately, the other movies disappointingly failed to incorporate accurate backstories or exciting chase scenes. The Best and Worst Films of 2011…So Far also features some of the most anticipated movies of the second half of the year. The summer seems to want to step away from the historical dramas and action films to instead focus on the…

Robert Redford’s ‘The Horse Whisperer’ may be the stuff of pat Hollywood drama, but Buck Brannaman, the quietly charismatic horseman who helped inspire both the 1998 film and the novel upon which it was based, is actually quite real. Cindy Meehl’s stirring ‘Buck’, then, is a soulful and delicately illuminating documentary portrait of the soft-spoken man — and a movie that also makes a persuasive and heartrending case for the ability of human healing. The Audience Award winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the film is a must-see for horse aficionados, of course, but just as accessible and interesting for those who’ve never sat astride one of the creatures….

Title: The Conspirator Director: Robert Redford Actors: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson, Alexis Bledel, Justin Long Many historical dramas are fueled by their filmmakers’ conspiracies and theories on what happened during the event they’re depicting. But Robert Redford proved what an experienced, fantastic filmmaker he is with his latest directorial effort, ‘The Conspirator,’ which is being released to mark the 146th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s death. Instead of trying to push his own personal ideals onto his audience, Redford instead rightfully focuses on several different angles of President Lincoln’s assassination without taking away the American leader’s dignity. ‘The Conspirator’ follows the wake of President Lincoln’s assassination in Washington,…

According to CinemaBlend, Robert Redford is set to play Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers executive over the team during baseball player Jackie Robinson’s career, in the biopic about Robinson’s life. According to the article, Redford has said to the Los Angeles Times, that the contributions Rickey made to baseball, namely being implementing the decision to integrate the Dodgers in order to hire Robinson, goes under-reported. “No one knows the Rickey part,” he said, “the political maneuvers and the partnership they had to share. It’s the story underneath the story you thought you knew.” While the part of Branch Rickey has been assigned, there has yet to be a decision made…

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Stephen Root (“Office Space”, “The Men Who Stare At Goats”) has joined the cast of “The Conspirator,” about the aftermath of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Robert Redford is directing the film. Root will play a key witness in the trial against the cabal of conspirators that were tried as sympathizers in the assassination of Lincoln and in aiding John Wilkes Booth carry out his deed and later escape. “The Conspirator” focuses on the story of Mary Surratt, the lone female conspirator and the first woman in US history to be executed for treason. Robin Wright Penn will be playing Surratt. Filming for…

Justin Long is joining James McAvoy and Robin Wright Penn in Robert Redford’s historical drama “The Conspirator,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The Conspirator” tell the story of Mary Surratt (Wright Penn) a Civil War Confederate sympathizer who was tried as a conspirator in the Lincoln assassination. McAvoy plays Col. Frederick Aiken, who reluctantly agreed to defend her before a military tribunal. Long will play McAvoy’s best friend and conscious, a soldier who lost a limb in the Civil War. The movie begins shooting in Georgia this month. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for more on “The Conspirator”. By Costa Koutsoutis (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

Variety is reporting that James McAvoy and Robin Wright Penn have been announced as starring in “The Conspirator”, the Robert Redford directed period drama based on true events surrounding the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Penn will play Mary Surratt, the only woman among the group of conspirators charged with killing the president, and McAvoy will play the idealistic war hero Frederick Aiken who comes to defend Suratt. “The Conspirator” is slated to start filming this October, which Redford is producing alongside Wildwood Enterprises’ Greg Shapiro and Bill Holderman, as well as Robert Stone, Webster Stone and Brian Falk of American Film Co. James Solomon penned the script. Redford last…

Robert Redford, according to the Risky Biz Blog, is reportedly directing the historical drama “The Conspirator”, the story of Mary Surratt, an alleged conspirator of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of president Abraham Lincoln. Surratt was also the mother of one of Booth’s alleged conspirators in the 1865 assassination of Lincoln by Booth at Ford’s Theater. Surratt was the first woman executed in the United States of America. James McAvoy is said to be at the top of the producers’ list for one of the lead roles. Shooting on “The Conspirator” is scheduled to start this fall, with a script written by James Solomon. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for more…