MY TOP 5 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2011!
It's that time of year again, when critics announce their ten favorite films of the year! I'm unfortunately at a disadvantage, for the year of 2011 I only saw about 20 movies in the theaters, where pro-critics see about 80-90 movies. 2011 was a GREAT year for cinema, truly marking some of the best movies I've seen a while. You got movies about Marilyn Monroe, a man trying to find his coma-stricken wife's lover and a whole lot of movies about Paris. Go figure. Here are my top five films of the year, some others that didn't quite make the cut, and some movies I wished I just hadn't seen. I plan on seeing other 2011 films before Oscar season, like "The Artist," "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" and "The Iron Lady," but since I'll be seeing them in 2012 they won't necessarily count for this list.
5. MONEYBALL
Just like with last year's "The Social Network" Aaron Sorkin writes another incredible script about things we don't know about: baseball statistics. Who cares? We do! Last year it was about programming Facebook. But was it really? No! Sorkin writes about these topics in extraordinary detail, but they're only in the background of the film. The heart of the film lies in the relationships between the characters, with terrific chemistry from a superb Brad Pitt as a divorcee trying to keep his baseball team from falling down into nothingness and possible Oscar-nominee Jonah Hill, who plays a subtle newbie to Pitt's expert manager. "Moneyball" was a treat to watch.
4. THE HELP
While not hitting home with all critics, "The Help" was a real audience pleaser, and a tear-jerker. Racism is confronted head-on as maids are tested to their limits. It raises a good question too...why should they take all of their time and devotion raising these little white southern babies when they'll grow up just to treat the maids the same whey their parents treated them: crappy. I'd love to see Viola Davis win her first (and well-deserved) Oscar for playing a tired, but strong housemaid, but I think the Oscar gold is either going to fellow maid Minnie (a spectacular Octavia Spencer) or Jessica Chastain (the sad, but beautiful socialite wannabe).
3. HUGO
Certainly the most visually appealing film of the year, Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" first came to me in form of a lame-looking trailer. There was no way I was going to see it...it looked like a little kid's movie that was lacking the magic Scorsese usually brought to his movies. The 3-D is the best I've seen since "Avatar" and the performances were all just wonderful. How creative it was to recall the early days of short, silent cinema and combine it with gorgeous 3-D. "Hugo" will win a bunch of technical Oscars for sure, but secretly I wouldn't mind if it took home Best Picture.
2. THE DESCENDANTS
In any other year the #1 movie wasn't released, this would easily be my favorite movie of the year. It raised so many questions...you just wanted more after the lights in the theater came on. How hard must it be for a man with a huge land deal on his mind with a coma-ridden wife who cheated on him, two kids who seem to one-up each other on bothering him and in the whole mean time trying to keep his sanity and be a good dad be? That very long question is answered in Alexander Payne's masterpiece, a finely crafted human drama. Clooney and supporting actress Woodley deserve 2 Oscars a piece for their roles.
1. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2
If I were a girl the #1 spot might be filled with a vampire and werewolf-themed sequel that also came out this year. Fortunately I'm not, and it's safe to say any guy teenage nerd (or chick, no discrimination) who went to the movies this year agrees the 8th and final Harry Potter film was the 2011's best. People were applauding in the theater when a certain supporting female villain was killed! The last battle between the Boy Who Lived and the godforsaken ugly Voldemort is easily one of the best fighting scenes ever filmed, or certainly the most hyped about. This movie delivered on every level you could think. It was the best possible ending to one of the world's most beloved franchises. We'll miss you Harry!
On that sentimental note here were some other films that tickled my fancy this year
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
-Warrior: Avoiding the cliches that most sports movies nowadays are ridden with, "Warrior" proved to be an emotional tour de force and established Tom Hardy as an outstanding actor and not just "the British dude from 'Inception.'" It is Nick Nolte however who will be getting an Oscar nomination for his bitter, sad performance as Hardy's once-alcoholic father.
-Midnight in Paris: Showing the world he still has it in him, Woody Allen delivers another classic with this time-traveling comedy with a (finally) good performance out of Owen Wilson. The Paris background isn't too bad either, with an amazing supporting cast and a naturally smart script from the comedy legend.
-My Week with Marilyn: I recently saw this lovable British film over the winter break, and came out having such an interest in Monroe's life. Michelle Williams gives literally the performance of a lifetime, portraying an icon we always thought brave and luxurious. As it turns out, on the inside, she was more frightened than any of us.
DISHONORABLE MENTIONS (the movies that just didn't do it for me in 2011:)
-In Time: With such a good premise you would think a lot of people would go and see this sci-fi flick, but from bad word of mouth people stayed away. I wish I had listened. So much potential is wasted in this wooden script and just bad all-around performances by Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.
-Water for Elephants: One of my favorite novels of all time got a "meh" screen transformation. "Twilight" alum Robert Pattinson wasn't even why I disliked it...the movie just didn't put forth hardly any effort.
- Cars 2: The words "Pixar" and "disappointment" should never go together, but in 2011, they made their first dud. With an impossible script and just WAY TOO MUCH FREAKIN' MATER the legendary animation studio had their first (and hopefully only!) failure. If you're going to do a sequel, we would love to revisit the Incredibles, or see how WALL-E was holding up! We'd even wait another decade to see "Toy Story 4!" But making a sequel to "Cars" was just plain unnecessary, and it's a blemish on their perfect record.
My best hopes for the films to come in 2012, with a ton of superheroes ("Spider-Man," "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Avengers") coming in, and a chance for Pixar to redeem itself (the trailer for "Brave" looks very good.) Here's to the new year!
5. MONEYBALL
4. THE HELP
While not hitting home with all critics, "The Help" was a real audience pleaser, and a tear-jerker. Racism is confronted head-on as maids are tested to their limits. It raises a good question too...why should they take all of their time and devotion raising these little white southern babies when they'll grow up just to treat the maids the same whey their parents treated them: crappy. I'd love to see Viola Davis win her first (and well-deserved) Oscar for playing a tired, but strong housemaid, but I think the Oscar gold is either going to fellow maid Minnie (a spectacular Octavia Spencer) or Jessica Chastain (the sad, but beautiful socialite wannabe).
3. HUGO
Certainly the most visually appealing film of the year, Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" first came to me in form of a lame-looking trailer. There was no way I was going to see it...it looked like a little kid's movie that was lacking the magic Scorsese usually brought to his movies. The 3-D is the best I've seen since "Avatar" and the performances were all just wonderful. How creative it was to recall the early days of short, silent cinema and combine it with gorgeous 3-D. "Hugo" will win a bunch of technical Oscars for sure, but secretly I wouldn't mind if it took home Best Picture.2. THE DESCENDANTS
In any other year the #1 movie wasn't released, this would easily be my favorite movie of the year. It raised so many questions...you just wanted more after the lights in the theater came on. How hard must it be for a man with a huge land deal on his mind with a coma-ridden wife who cheated on him, two kids who seem to one-up each other on bothering him and in the whole mean time trying to keep his sanity and be a good dad be? That very long question is answered in Alexander Payne's masterpiece, a finely crafted human drama. Clooney and supporting actress Woodley deserve 2 Oscars a piece for their roles.
1. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2
On that sentimental note here were some other films that tickled my fancy this year
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
-Warrior: Avoiding the cliches that most sports movies nowadays are ridden with, "Warrior" proved to be an emotional tour de force and established Tom Hardy as an outstanding actor and not just "the British dude from 'Inception.'" It is Nick Nolte however who will be getting an Oscar nomination for his bitter, sad performance as Hardy's once-alcoholic father.
 |
| Midnight in Paris |
-My Week with Marilyn: I recently saw this lovable British film over the winter break, and came out having such an interest in Monroe's life. Michelle Williams gives literally the performance of a lifetime, portraying an icon we always thought brave and luxurious. As it turns out, on the inside, she was more frightened than any of us.
DISHONORABLE MENTIONS (the movies that just didn't do it for me in 2011:)
-In Time: With such a good premise you would think a lot of people would go and see this sci-fi flick, but from bad word of mouth people stayed away. I wish I had listened. So much potential is wasted in this wooden script and just bad all-around performances by Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.
-Water for Elephants: One of my favorite novels of all time got a "meh" screen transformation. "Twilight" alum Robert Pattinson wasn't even why I disliked it...the movie just didn't put forth hardly any effort.
- Cars 2: The words "Pixar" and "disappointment" should never go together, but in 2011, they made their first dud. With an impossible script and just WAY TOO MUCH FREAKIN' MATER the legendary animation studio had their first (and hopefully only!) failure. If you're going to do a sequel, we would love to revisit the Incredibles, or see how WALL-E was holding up! We'd even wait another decade to see "Toy Story 4!" But making a sequel to "Cars" was just plain unnecessary, and it's a blemish on their perfect record.My best hopes for the films to come in 2012, with a ton of superheroes ("Spider-Man," "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Avengers") coming in, and a chance for Pixar to redeem itself (the trailer for "Brave" looks very good.) Here's to the new year!
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