2011 In Film

It seems like this year has been a good year for films. Then again, what with me being unemployed, I really havnt had the budget to take a chance on films that looked like they would suck anyway. The downside being that AMC no longer does 5.00 weekdays. The plusside is that cinnemark does 4.00 matinees. Evens out I suppose.


The High Ends

film of the year: Hugo


A stunningly beautiful film, Scorsese's best since The Aviator (which is one of my more personal favorites than a technical favorite, I admit). A great look at childhood, life, and life of films. A loveletter to Melies and silent films of the era.


The Way

A great film dealing with loss and growth set in scenic Spain, where a man deals with the death of his son by completing a walk from France to the atlantic coast of spain, and all the characters he meets.

Company Men

A great story about the emotional and relationship impacts that are faced when people lose their white-collar jobs, young and old, higher ups and drone workers. Not so much of a critique than a portrate of the current economic climate. What I loved best was the fact that it refrained too much from villify or condone white collar corporate types, nor did it glorify or belittle the blue collar class. And it did have a great happy ending in the midst of various tragedies.


Paul

not only is it a great comedy with all sorts of sci-fi homages included, but its also a statement of british humour and culture vs. american humor and culture, and how the two can either mix or not mix.

Thor

Visualy amazing, true to the source material, and exciting and epic enough for the big screen. Definitly a great lead-in to the Avengers movie

The Descendants

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol
Normaly, I dont think too highly for the action genre, and the only other Mission Impossible film Ive seen is the first one (and didnt think too highly of it)

The Help

One Day
Sad, tragic, and beautiful.

Drive Angry 3D
One of those cult films that is just halariously exploitative in every way possible, so much its a guilty pleasure and indulgence. Violence, sex, testosterone, and cheap 3D. So bad, its good.

Super 8
JJ Abrahams big loveletter to Steven Spielburg. Just about every Spielburg movie has an homage included to it in the film. And it all works, too.

Muppets
The best musical Ive Seen in a long long time. Jim Hinson would be proud.

Tree of Life
Abstract art house film, but not to the point where its indecipherable. Deep and enjoyable.

Jane Eyre

The Ides of March
The hustler, except instead of pool, its politics

X-Men First Class
One might think that they're running out of quality mutants to mine for the film, and there were too many anachronisims to really feel like we were in the 60s, but still an enjoyable film... better than X3 anyway

Horrible Bosses
As close to the always sunny in Philadelphia movie as one will get, Im thinking.

Rum Diary
Hunter S Thompson without the cartoon character

The Illusionist
A sad little french animated film, but wonderfuly done

30 Minutes or Free
Ive learned to loathe Danny Bride, but in this one the black comedy works perfectly.

Girl with the dragon tattoo
I think I may need to see this again, or the swedish version. Im still processing it. Its an intense, dark noir film.

Mid-level films
Young Adult
not bad, but didnt really hook me either

War Horse
Spielgburg channels Gone With the Wind and Black Beauty. A well made film, but I thought the irish farmboy in love with his ho-arse stereotype a little too thick for my liking.

50/50

Captain America: The First Avenger

Battle of LA

Cowboys and Aliens

Sucker Punch
Alot of people really either hate this film, or have no strong opinion. I myself say that it isnt nearly as bad as everyone says it is, but its certinaly not the greatest film ever. I just accept it for what it is- sexy eye candy, action porn, videogame movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2
Honestly, there's now so many Harry Potter films, its hard for me to tell them apart. But theyre still all enjoyable, if not exhausting

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
A vast improvement over the first film. While the slow motion is a bit overdone, I thought it was a well made film


The Adjustment Bureau
Great romantic in the face of fate type film, although Im sure it could have done without the religious tones.

Tower Heist
An adequet comedy heist, even if the ending was a bit too anticlimatic and closure-lacking for my tastes.

African Cats

The Source code
Odd thing being that I saw this film a week before I took a train trip to Chicago. Oh, and while its a great whodunit, the ending makes no logical sense whatsoever.

Anonymous
A great work of fiction. But arent all stories?

Green Lantern
A bland, generic super-hero formula flick. Which is a bit of a disappointment, given the rich history of the Green Lantern Corps. Then again, it will be hard to filter it all down into one or two movies. While Hal Jordan was a bit out of character, it was visualy impressive at least

Adventures of Tin Tin
I almost fell asleep during the movie. Then again, I didnt get alot of sleep last night, and 3D takes alot out of me. Always with the 3D.....

Transformers 3
Well... it didnt make me nauseous. And it wasnt as bad as #2. Then again, a film must really lower the bar and breakground to be worse than that watershed of crap.


And the worst films of the year

J Edgar
I dunno. Im sure it was well directed and acted, but it just didnt agree with me. Then again, Hoover is a very unlikable indivudual in real life anyway...

In Time
Forever 21? Robin Hood? A Shallow look at economic strife? Well, at least there was pleanty of eye candy...


and worst film of the year goes to...
Your Royal Highness
Somehow, seeing Zooey Draschnel and Natalie Portman in the cast, I was expecting something more, and instead got a typical fart/poop/stoner joke "comedy" with lowest common denominator humor, and little to no direction. Well, at least I didnt see the whatsitsname nick swardson movie about the fake porn star...


And films that I missed out on to put on netflix
(Everything Must Go)
(Win-Win)
(The Beaver)
(Bad Teacher)
(Rango)