2011 was a fun year at the movie theater, with a variety of engaging films filling up the Top 10. So let's get to it, with some quick house-cleaning to do first...
A Blast from the Past: My Top 10 Movies of 2010 - 2009
10 Potential Listbusters (some films I didn't see, but heard were good): Another Earth, Beginners, Jane Eyre, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Melancholia, A Separation, Shame, Submarine, Take Shelter, The Way Back
16 Honorable Mentions: Attack the Block, Bridesmaids, Captain America, Crazy Stupid Love, The Help, Horrible Bosses, Kung Fu Panda 2, Madea’s Big Happy Family, Moneyball, The Muppets, Rango, Stake Land, Super, Super 8, Warhorse, We Bought A Zoo
And now onto the feature presentation…
My Top 10 Movies of 2011:
10. X-Men: First Class
In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start World War III.
The first couple X-Men films are loved by critics, fan-boys, and average movie-goers alike, and paved the way for the superhero movie craze of the past decade. But the following sequel and prequel, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, were universally panned, putting a heavy burden on First Class to restore the franchise to its former glory. Thankfully, it more than succeeds, due largely to compelling performances from James McAvoy (Wanted) as Professor X and Michael Fassbender (Prometheus) as Magneto; friends destined to become enemies. Fassbender was especially effective in his role, exuding a seething rage that lay subtly below the surface. With pulse-pounding action accompanied by compelling story and character arches, First Class should get you excited for an inevitable sequel to this prequel.
Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up.
Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles of Narnia) gives a tour-de-force performance in this tense drama directed by Lynne Ramsay. Swinton’s character is a mother who cannot seem to connect with her son who, as he grows up, becomes more and more menacing and antagonistic, to the apparent ignorance of everyone else. Swinton gives a subtle performance, but one that reflects the emotional emptiness the character is slowly reduced to. Jasper Newell and Ezra Miller also give outstanding portrayals as the son -- as a boy and as a teenager, respectively -- each giving Kevin a dark, haunting presence. Swinton, for her part, should have received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress; she didn’t, but I’m convinced she would been a major contender to win if she had.
8. My Week with Marilyn (full review here)
Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier's, documents the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe during the production of The Prince and the Showgirl (1957).
Marilyn has made somewhat of a resurgence in pop culture recently (see NBC’s new hit show, Smash) and it’s no surprise, following the magnificent turn by Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) as one of the nation’s earliest and most popular sex-symbols. In My Week with Marilyn, we delve beyond public perception and discover her innocence and insecurity, developed perfectly by the vulnerability Williams brings to the role. I fully expect Williams to take home the golden statue for Best Actress, and deservedly so I’d say. Kenneth Branagh is also terrific in his role as Sir Lawrence Olivier, a fading actor of old-Hollywood, fighting for relevance by co-starring with the popular, but erratic Marilyn. For the performances alone, you’ll love this unique look at the original American icon.
7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
A substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives rise to a super-intelligent chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising.
Rise, as we’ll agree to abbreviate this film, is a stunning example of innovation in modern cinematic science. Along with 2009’s Avatar, Rise exemplifies the incredible ingenuity and technique that can be found in Hollywood magic, with motion-capture performances that are perfectly seamless. It blows my mind that those are not real apes that you see, but human actors giving real performances which are digitized later. And the key performance here is from Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), who breathes realistic life into the computer-generated ape, Caesar. In fact, I’d argue that he also deserved an Oscar nomination. Combining method-acting with motion-capture is something that simply no one else in the industry is doing right now. Furthermore, the action in Rise is pumped with adrenaline and the conclusion sets it up beautifully for a sequel I’m dying for them to make.
6. Ironclad
In 13th-century England, a small group of Knights Templar fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John.
Somewhere, somehow in early 2011, movie-makers quietly conducted a dangerous hybrid experiment, combining the film 300 with the movie Braveheart. The result was Ironclad, the craziest war movie I’ve ever seen. Bloody, bone-crunching battles make Ironclad one of the most exciting war movies around and, while. I know you’ve probably never heard of it, trust me that it is awesome! And not only is the fighting ridiculously intense, but Ironclad still boasts the talents of acting powerhouses like Paul Giamatti (Barney’s Version) and Brian Cox (The Good Heart), two of the most accomplished yet underrated actors of their generation. However, at the end of the day, you’ll love this movie for the climactic fights which get your get your blood pumping and keep you on the edge of your seat through every minute.
5. The Descendants (full review here)
A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.
Director Alexander Payne is known for his dramas (Sideways), but The Descendants may be his best film yet, due in large part to the performance he obtains out of his protagonist. I often criticize Clooney for too often playing his usual charismatic self in his movie roles, but in The Descendants his confidence is toned down for a more subdued and calm performance. His character is realistic and relatable; a well-crafted performance which is justly giving Clooney a decent amount of Academy Award buzz. The other characters are interesting as well, but this is an account of the voyage of one man trying to rediscover himself, his past, and his family. Clooney handles the weight of carrying so much of the film on his shoulders with ease in what is one of the year’s best films.
4. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (full review here)
The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.
Tom Cruise (The Last Samurai) is back and better than ever in the movie that was not only the best installment in the Mission Impossible franchise, but also the very best action movie of 2011. Like the best entries in the series, MI4 takes audiences on a whirlwind adventure filled with futuristic gadgetry and death-defying stunts, which are actually performed by Cruise and not a stunt double. The most exciting sequence has Cruise dangling off of the world’s highest building in Dubai and, especially in IMAX, it’s simply breathtaking. Jeremy Renner’s character is set up nicely to carry on the MI franchise for the next generation, but when a film is so thrilling (and financially successful) as MI4, it’s hard to imagine Cruise won’t want to return to the series which he initially brought to the big screen in 1996, and into which he has now breathed new life. Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), MI4 is one you will want to watch again and again.
3. The Artist (full review here)
A silent movie star meets a young dancer, but the arrival of talking pictures sends their careers in opposite directions.
There is no denying the mastery with which The Artist has been crafted. In the leading roles, Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are simply magnificent, speaking to audiences so profoundly in a film in which we never actually hear them utter a word. It will be no surprise if both win the Oscars for which they are nominated. Speaking of the Academy Awards, The Artist is rightfully the favorite to win Best Picture, while Michel Hazanavicius is favored to win Best Director (and stands a decent shot at winning for Best Original Screenplay as well). All in all, the film is actually nominated for 10 Oscars, and deservingly so. By capturing our hearts and imaginations, and reminding us that there are things which transcend language, The Artist is a cinematic triumph and an instant classic.
2. Midnight in Paris
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s everyday at midnight.
Woody Allen (Annie Hall) has triumphed once more with his latest film, Midnight in Paris. The movie stars Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers) in a rare dramatic role as a character who helplessly romanticizes the past, creating a unique commentary on what constitutes a perfect life and how to find happiness. Allen uses the obsession of Wilson’s character to both embrace and criticize the historical nostalgia which can so easily plague artists and dreamers. Corey Stoll (Salt), a relative newcomer to the big screen, is especially phenomenal with a breakthrough performance as Ernest Hemingway. Ultimately, Midnight in Paris teaches us an appreciation of both imagination and reality; a lesson worth learning.
1. Warrior
The son of an alcoholic returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged brother.
Perhaps the Rocky of our generation, Warrior is a film that didn’t generate much buzz at the box-office, but is easily my favorite film to be released in 2011. Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby) plays the brother who has attempted to overcome the past and now fights for his wife and daughter. Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) is the brother whose is driven by a rage linked to his inability to escape terrible circumstances. Hardy is almost scary in the octagon, an absolute animal, while Edgerton has to struggle for his wins. Yet while both brothers have obstacles and personal demons to overcome, no character has more of an inner-struggle than their father, played so convincingly by Nick Nolte (The Thin Red Line). I believe that Nolte more than deserves the Oscar for which he has been nominated. Overall, the fights are gripping, the performances top-notch, and the story unforgettable.
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