I normally hate to post any of my best of lists this deep into the new year but I'm doing it anyway. Figured I might as well get this posted a few hours before the Academy Awards are announced.
2011 was a very bad strange year for movies. I went to the movie theater almost 50 times last year and only a few times walked out disappointed (Captain America: The First Avenger, Cowboys & Aliens, and In Time) but the films from this year didn't blow me away. That being said there were more than 20 films that I thoroughly enjoyed.
These are the five which I really, really liked that just missed the cut:
Attack The Block
Contagion
The Descendants
Red State
Young Adult
Here are my top ten films of 2011:
10) Cedar Rapids
A small quirky comedy that by all accounts delivered far more laughs than the other Ed Helms comedy (The Hangover Part II). Ed Helms proves he can carry a movie but it's the supporting cast of Isiah Whitlock Jr. and John C. Reilly who provide the biggest laughs.
9) The Artist
There will be those who dismiss The Artist and think of it as gimmicky but to successfully film a silent black & white film in 2011 is quite a feat. The acting from the two leads Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo is fantastic and score is excellent at conveying the mood that is missing from the dialogue. These elements combined with the fact that Hollywood loves to recognize films made about the golden age of cinema make The Artist a near lock to win Best Picture.
8) Drive
Many people immediately began comparing Drive to some of the early work of Michael Mann. However, I was shocked no one pointed out there are many elements of Taxi Driver in this film from the bloody violence, the quiet disturbed lead character and even Albert Brooks. It's a neo-noir fever dream wonderfully photographed by Newton Thomas Seigel and accompanied by a great soundtrack of retro pop songs.
7)Rango
During an era in which animated films has been dominated by Pixar, Rango was far and away the best animated film of 2011. It's an animated film in which every frame is beautifully hand crafted and when I learned that cinematographer extraordinaire Roger Deakins was hired as a visual consultant it made perfect sense. Rango is a great film that is very funny and suitable for audiences of all ages.
6) Win Win
I don't like to use another film to make a comparison but it's hard to not think of The Blind Side when you hear the story of Win Win. Eliminate all of the terrible dialogue, overwrought sentimentality and over-the-top acting from The Blind Side and you've got Win Win. Writer-director Tom McCarthy brilliantly manages to provide some big laughs while developing complex characters that you can relate with.
5) Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen's best comedy in many years. It's clear watching most Woody Allen films that he has written the lead character from his own perspective. That has never been more obvious than in Midnight in Paris which is essentially Allen's love letter to the city and an era for which he longs to have lived in. It's best to see Midnight in Paris without knowing the entire plot so I won't spoil it.
4) Beginners
I watched Beginners knowing very little about the movie but I instantly knew the director had also written the movie because of how deftly he handled the material. Christopher Plummer is winning virtually every award available for his performance but Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent also turn in great performances. Writer-director Mike Mills illustrates how difficult it can be to maintain a relationship regardless of age or orientation.
3) 50/50
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quietly putting together a very impressive resume. In 50/50, he is cast in the lead role loosely based on the life of the film's writer Will Reiser who was diagnosed with cancer at 25. Gordon-Levitt and co-star Seth Rogen are able to balance the bleak subject matter with some much needed comedic relief.
2) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
When my biggest complaint about the English language version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was that there was too much English, it's safe to assume that director David Fincher has done his job. Fincher has take the source material from Stieg Larsson's incredibly popular book trilogy and kept the gritty dark elements while engaging the audience. Fincher knows that the key to a great thriller doesn't lie in what is uncovered but how to get there.
1) Super 8
Super 8 may not be the best film of the year but I saw it three times in the theater and there was nothing else that I enjoyed as much. Some have criticized J.J. Abrams from taking elements from his influences Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner but I believe he's crafted a film that's more enjoyable than the films he allegedly stole from (E.T., Stand by Me and Goonies).
These are 10 more films that are definitely worth a watch:
Bellflower
Hanna
Hugo
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Moneyball
The Muppets
Our Idiot Brother
Shame
Warrior
X-Men: First Class
