And now, my top ten of 2011:
10. Super 8. As almost everyone has noted, this is an excellent throwback to the 80s filmmaking of Steven Spielberg. And as alsost everyone has noted, Elle Fanning proves here she is an absolute movie star. And almost everyone was right.
9. The Muppets. As a lifelong Muppet fan, I have been dismayed as The Muppets couldn't seem to find their way over the past decade or so. This film is on my list simply becasue it got the tone right, and was the first time I really felt that about the Muppets than about circa Muppets Christmas Carol.
8. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. The funniest movie of the year. If you haven't heard of it, it takes the tired horror movie trope of threatening hillbillies, tells the story from the point of view of the hillbillies, and milks every last cliche for all the humor it can.
7. Incendies. A devestating drama about the pain Middle Eastern fighting over religion causes and the power of forgiveness.
6. Hugo. Of course Martin Scorsese's first family film is also a call for film preservation. Of course it is also stunningly beautiful and the best use of 3D since Avatar.
5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Since the original was on my list last year, how does an English language remake show up this year? Because of Rooney Mara's performance. Noomi Rapace played the lead in orginal as damaged, but Mara throws in an emotional disconnect (clearly a suggestion of Asperger's) that puts a frsh spin on it.
4. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. What a rush. The best action movie in years, with one set piece that will make you scared of heights, but pedal to the floor pacing throughout.
3. The Descendants. It's nice to see Alexander Payne writing and directing again. If George Clooney is not the most consistantly interesting actor working today, then I don't know who tops him.
2. Blue Valentine. I really need to write a full column on this film. It captures the frustration of working class males, and how those frustrations go on to destroy relationships, in a way I have never seen before.
1. The Tree of Life. Well it's my list, so I don't care if you disagree. The film may have polarized audiences, but it spoke to me like no other. This was the one film I saw this year that was inventing new film language.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Top Ten of 2011: Runners-Up
As I unveil my list of the movies that most impressed, effected, and entertained me of 2012, I open with the same caveat as always: my year is based on what opened near me. If a movie did not open in Columbus or Dayton in the year of 2011, it is not eligible. Sorry, The Artist. You will be on my 2012 list. Meanwhile, one 2010 Oscar nominee is in my top five for 2011.
Before unveiling my top ten, these are my ten runners-up, in alphabetical order:
Beginners. If Chritopher Plummer's supporting performance wasn't the most entertaining performance of 2011, then I didn't see what topped it. But the sweet romance at the heart of this film is what truly won me over.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Werner Herzog always has a unique take on life. His decision to shoot these cabe drawings in 3D is one of the best cinematic decisions he ever made.
Crazy Stupid Love. Not quite the laugh riot I expected, but a film with more emotional truth than I expected, and a plot with some great twists and turns.
Drive. Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. And a couple of harch reminders of how shocking violence is when played for real.
Friends with Benefits. Yeah, just a romantic comedy with dirty words, but with appealing leads in Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, and dialogue that still makes me laugh on repeat viewings, a lot less has been celebrated.
Hanna. Brutal, but exciting, with a ferocious lead performance by Saorise Ronan and tehno score to match by The Chemical Brothers.
Horrible Bosses. Flat out the major studio film that made me laugh the hardest. (There is an independent film in my top ten that had me laughing harder.)
Martha Marcy May Marlene. It's not just for Elizabeth Olsen, though she gave one of my favorite performances of the year. Its for the way the film, with its jump back and forth structure, had me feeling her paranoia.
Midnight in Paris. Just made me smile the whole time. No one does that better than Woody Allen at the top of his game.
Win WIn. Director Tom McCarthy is a master of the telling detail, which makes his films so rewarding. Plus in this one he has Paul Giamati in the lead.
Before unveiling my top ten, these are my ten runners-up, in alphabetical order:
Beginners. If Chritopher Plummer's supporting performance wasn't the most entertaining performance of 2011, then I didn't see what topped it. But the sweet romance at the heart of this film is what truly won me over.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Werner Herzog always has a unique take on life. His decision to shoot these cabe drawings in 3D is one of the best cinematic decisions he ever made.
Crazy Stupid Love. Not quite the laugh riot I expected, but a film with more emotional truth than I expected, and a plot with some great twists and turns.
Drive. Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere. And a couple of harch reminders of how shocking violence is when played for real.
Friends with Benefits. Yeah, just a romantic comedy with dirty words, but with appealing leads in Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake, and dialogue that still makes me laugh on repeat viewings, a lot less has been celebrated.
Hanna. Brutal, but exciting, with a ferocious lead performance by Saorise Ronan and tehno score to match by The Chemical Brothers.
Horrible Bosses. Flat out the major studio film that made me laugh the hardest. (There is an independent film in my top ten that had me laughing harder.)
Martha Marcy May Marlene. It's not just for Elizabeth Olsen, though she gave one of my favorite performances of the year. Its for the way the film, with its jump back and forth structure, had me feeling her paranoia.
Midnight in Paris. Just made me smile the whole time. No one does that better than Woody Allen at the top of his game.
Win WIn. Director Tom McCarthy is a master of the telling detail, which makes his films so rewarding. Plus in this one he has Paul Giamati in the lead.
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