Best of the year ...so far

Taking a break from my series on fine performances (I have a female performance coming up), I shall bring some closure to the first half of the year by presenting my Best of the year so far list. The year hasn't totally depressed me. As is common these days, there aren't many good ones, but the good ones are really good--yeah I was an English major. With no further adieu, here's my little list.

5. X-Men: First Class

I certainly didn't expect much out of this one considering it is a prequel and anything with -quel gives me hives. Though the film's main draw is the titanic acting talent it enlists (Fassbender and McAvoy), it has a little more going for it than talent; it found a way to really return to the roots of the franchise: prejudice, fear, and paranoia. Matthew Vaughan molds a more than acceptable tale of two fundamental philosophies butting heads, which is the foundation of the franchise. Unfortunately, there probably will not be a sequel, but in the imagination of my mind, I think it sets the first X-men up wonderfully.This movie holds the spot as the only action/superhero film, which is symptomatic of a fairly depressing demonstration of quality in Hollywood recently. Nonetheless, the film really delivers on the action and intensity of what a superhero/summer movie should be.

4. Friends with Benefits
I don't want to spend too much time espousing the love I have for this movie. There is something very smartalecky about FWB that separates it from most of the films I've seen this year. It is certainly conscious of the genre it inhabits and does a great job of pointing out the issues inherent in the conception of love purported by these mischievous filmmakers. At one point, Mila Kunis's character exclaims her dislike for Katherine Heigl calling her a liar for perpetuating these hopeless stereotypes of the new age woman and love. Now, is it utterly original? Maybe not, but it does a wonderful job of being fresh and inviting. That might seem oxymoronic, but, personally, I believe that if you can do something a million times, you get points if you can do it a million different ways. It's a film with personality and in the words of Jules from Pulp Fiction, personality goes a long way.

3.Crazy Stupid Love

2 rom coms in a row? Who are you and what have you done with Quintin? Crazy, Stupid, Love goes a step further than FWB. Whereas FWB masquerades as something more than a proto-rom com, CSL really surprises the audience with its take on the innocence of love and the craziness it inspires. CSL embraces the kitsch of being in love, but understands that things don't always go as planned. Aside from a few missteps, it's really easy to root for every character on screen. There really is no villain in the film. Even the cheater wife, played by Julianne Moore, isn't the cliche bitch that you'd expect. She has an immense amount of pathos, and I could connect with her. CSL is also finely directed (check out that first scene), which is one of the best compliments I like to give to films. Please go check it out.

2.Midnight in Paris

A gorgeous love letter to Paris? A lovely exercise of nostalgia? A welcome reminder that Woody Allen is still just as enthusiastic and bushy tailed as any young filmmaker out here? All of the above. Allen's MP is his highest grossing film ever most likely do to the number of stars he has in it, but it's no surprise given his deft direction and just plain resonant storyline and themes. You can have a lot of fun with this film, and I don't think the film plays as a hallow exercise and just another excuse for Woody to imagine himself speaking with Fitzgerald and Hemingway.

1. The Tree of Life

What else is there to say about this beautifully challenging film? I missed out on writing on this film because I just couldn't really justify writing on it without seeing it twice. I have since decided that that little proclivity doesn't apply to Best of list. It's very comforting to think that movies like this can be released on such a large-scale. Terrance Malick created quite a gorgeous film with such a beautiful use of natural light. TTL's scenes glower with a mystique of purity and communicate a sense of wonderment and awe at the world we inhabit. I think the most exciting part about this film is the confidence and trust with audience that Malick gives. In a world where things are reduced artistically to be more palatable, Malick gives immense slack with the audience to interpret much of the film. TTL for Oscar '12.