Best of 2011

So another year closes, prompting a look at the films that comprised 2011. Aside from the bevy of wonderful pictures that come during the winter months, I enjoy the added delight of crowning the achievements of the films that made up the preceding seasons. My top 10 of 2011, carved out of over 23 films seen theatrically, left a favorable impression of 2011. It was certainly not better than years past, but overall a fun year in cinema.

A few notes on my list first: no Pixar, no Spielberg, and no Clooney. All people or entities I usually rave about, but because of a sequel to a movie that nobody wanted, a film about a horse, and a barely passable directorial effort, my list remains devoid of these fellows/entities. You'll find a solid mix of film from action, reflexive, and even a couple rom-coms, a mix of intellectually challenging material and just some, plainly put, entertaining stuff. Just for kicks, I looked up the average of the box office grosses for the films and was thoroughly surprised that it was above 40 million collectively. Though some newer releases drag the average down, it's fairly telling of the aforementioned mix. So in the words of The Joker from The Dark Knight: "And here we go."

10. Friends with Benefits

A sense of irony girds the structure of this mid-Summer romcom, which is always a entertaining element to a film. Friends with Benefits understands its entry into the well entried lexicon of romantic comedies that choose to show how young, sexually attractive men and women can't be friends, but distracts the viewer long enough for the ride with the well-deserved digs at the films we all love. The result of which can either be infuriating or delightful depending on your sense of humor. A film so brazen in its derisiveness of the very films it resembles deserves a little credit for entertainment. Less interesting talent would make this film unbearable so thank the stars for Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis for their undeniable chemistry for making this film a cool little flick. By the end, it devolves into the kitschy yet sweet emotions it pokes fun at. I suppose the ending proves that we're all suckers for the Hollywood ending even though we will ridicule it anyway.

9. Crazy, Stupid, Love

Crazy, Stupid, Love, in some respects, is a perfec tbalance to Friend With Benefits: a movie so earnest and optimistic that it comes complete with the sage 13-year old's unwavering belief in the power of love and unrelenting allegiance to the idea of a soulmate. At the risk of oozing being saccharine and schmaultzy, CSL owns up to its willingness to believe in the idea of a soulmate, but argues the position with the real and vibrant characters needed to convince the audience. Take for instance Kevin Bacon's character as the mister of Julianne Moore's adulterous wife character. He's not a mustache-twirling idiot with no sense of remorse or heart; instead, he's a genuine guy looking for love like all the other characters in the film. A certain elegance with the characters is crucial to make a film like this play as realistically as it does which can only be attributed to the strength of the direction. One particular scene pushes the limits of suspension of belief, but that misstep aside, Crazy, Stupid, Love is considerably charming, filled with charming people with the naivete that love can do anything.

8. Moneyball

Moneyball is part biopic, part sports movie. The story of Billy Beane, a baseball general manager who concocted a revolutionary way of appraising talent in the old-minded early 2000 MLB league. Brad Pitt's performance is receiving quite a bit of love during the winter months for his confident, yet leery Billy Beane. As most film's tend to be, this performance may garner attention for the simple fact Pitt's on the bill, but his performance digs deep and delivers; his Beane reminds us of the sobering shortcomings that can eat away at you over time. Pitt brings the turmoil and heartache you'd expect, but hides it behind the charisma that made Billy Beane a man that could lead and make tough decisions. Jonah Hill is a delightful surprise, elevating material that could have easily been a one-note bit part. The dream team of Aaron Sorkin, Bennett Miller, and Brad Pitt do what's expected and a little bit more with this slightly depressing, but heartfelt biopic.

7. Young Adult

Reitman continues his obsession with characters who don't desire the change, but realizes the world kinda wants them to. In this film about a young adult writer who returns to her hometown, Theron gets a little trashy and a lot more c-wordy, if you catch my drift. I was lucky enough to see a Q&A with Reitman where he revealed his most common direction suggestions of differeing levels of c-wordiness. Jason Reitman's greatest talent is his ability to sell really dastardly characters as blood and life figures that you root for against your conscience. Theron brings the sense of entitlement often bequeathed to the popular kids and shows how much of a loser one can be for actually putting stock into it. The scenes are uneasy and discomforting, daring the audience to laugh, agree, or be genuinely offended by her actions. And the penultimate scene catapults this film into my countdown providing a steadfast reminder that deep down, no one wants to change.

6. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is one of those perfectly cinematic grand action flicks that glides along and doesn't get bogged down too much with certain things like backstory and exposition. While the truly great action films gives a nice mix of both, a film like Ghost Protocol pushes with such breakneck speed from set-piece to set-piece that you instantly just keep up. It's difficult to quantify entertainment value, but MP:GH has it. There's cool gadgets that defy logic, globetrotting from the Burj Khalifa to Mumbai, and villain's who are smart and ruthless enough to actually do what they plan to without grandstanding. Brad Bird was a perfect choice to continue the franchise, bringing the whimsy and the spy-like intrigue of The Incredibles with the live-action grandeur of a series like Mission Impossible. The world is cartoony and slick where anything is possible, but somehow he sells the blood and the sweat of the characters, showing them that the stakes are high enough. And let us all collectively thank Paula Patton for wearing the hell out of that dress.

5. Contagion

A film filled with so many heavy-weight stars tends to blind the audience, forteitting suspension of disbelief for the recognition of its talent. Contagion does an impressive job of shirking this commonality in a aberrant and defiant way. Directed by  Steven Soderbergh, Contagion is a what-if thriller about a deadly virus that spreads across the globe. Soderbergh's careful interlaying of the stories makes this thriller so engrossing that the audience forgets the stars up there aren't really people. Soderbergh achieves this in a variety of ways, not the least of which through the careful "uglying" up of everyone on the screen. Also, in an early scene (the defiant and aberrant one I spoke of earlier). Somebody famous dies; and they don't just die; they really die. Such is the world that Soderbergh realizes with cold, distant hues and slender focus: anybody can get "got." He turns a lens to our most disturbing human habits, and reveals some ugly observations.

4. Shame

Sex. No drugs or rock and roll. Just sex, treated like a drug. Shame isn't erotic, sexy, or titillating. It's grim, disturbing and pitiable, all qualities that Fassbender and McQueen evoke from the material in a starkly realize and saddening way. This character study about a sex addict whose sister comes to visit and throws his own secrecies about his life utterly out of whack, focuses a majority of the time on the lonesomeness of addiction. No one coddles you for your problem because you don't let them know. And letting them know would be admitting that you have one. Fassbender's Brandon has the composure and even-handedness needed to fool everyone around him into believing his facade of sexual normalcy. And McQueen's direction divorces sex from emotion, but doesn't stop there. His camera never judges. It only emotes the intensity of his addiction and the weight that it casts on him. Combined, they create a film that you feel a little dirty going into, but a really depressed coming out of.

3. Hugo

Scorsese's first forray into the realm of children's pictures approaches carries a reflexive approach to the art of film. The film, adapted from Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabaret, follows , at least in part, George Melies who was a revered filmmaker. He and is credited with bringing the imagination and dreamlike qualities to cinema that, until his involvement, weren't thought of. So Scorsese's use of 3-D appropriately fleshes the material, experimenting with the possibilities of film. The true mark of a director lies in his ability to make the personal universal; In Hugo, Scorsese lenses the innocence of youth, the wonder, and the adventure and fits them into a clunky, regimented train station. As any film admirer would imagine, Scorsese's use of 3-D never devolves into kitsch, but engenders a feeling of youth within the audience. In a masterful use of the camera, one scene shows an imposing Sasha Baron Cohen's surly security cop inching closer and closer to your face forcing you to sink further and further in your seat as if chastised by his positioning alone. Hugo stands as a labor of love and a first application to the as yet barely tapped potential of 3-D.

2. Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen gets a bad reputation for making the same story over and over again. I respectfully disagree, preferring that he features similar people with circumstances that change. I believe his oeuvre features characters he knows, especially himself, and simply tries to tinker with them in his playbox of life. Midnight in Paris examines an untapped realm of nostalgia and romanticism in his history and provides the best entry into his filmography since Match Point. To say nothing of the location, the film is gorgeous: cinematographer Darius Khondji captures beautiful hues of amber, showing the warmth of summer and giving an elegaig atmosphere for the characters. The visual style combines with Allen's romantic protagonist to capture a literary paradise that any one would want to bask in. But it's not enough for a beautiful portrait, the painting has to show something not easily noticed by simply looking at it. Allen's work offers a rumination on the foolishness of nostalgia and the humanity in our pursuits of fool's errands.

1. The Tree of Life

Films can't offer answers, but they should offer questions. Meditations on the enormous questions of our existence can never be explained at 2 hours a time, nor should it. But what Tree of life provides is a thoughtful engagement of the questions it poses, simultaneously spanning across millions of years and curtailing it self into minute moments. Why does God take our loved ones? A grieving brother remembers his early life and seeks the answers to one of life's confounding predicaments. How do you make sense of a world where the good endure hardship and the bad are rewarded? Malick's film probes deeply into these matters and engages the medium in a truly arresting work. Glorious steadicam shots and natural light combine with an elliptical editing style to craft a challenging and provoking film that sticks with you long after the first viewing. This penetrating work creates an uncommon experience within the theater, and is a unique drama of epic proportions.

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.

Happy Trail-ers

Remember the days before the internet when you could actually see a trailer for the first time in theaters? That magical moment where you get your first glimpse of a new movie and those butterflies that erupted in your tummy. These days, trailers are posted to the internet almost simultaneously or even weeks before they are attached to film, totally negating the experience of taking in a film's first unveiling on the sexy silver screen.

Admittedly, I watch most trailers for the first time online so I don't have that opportunity to take it in on a big screen. Now you may ask, "Well, why don't you just wait until you see the trailer in theatres?" to which I'd reply "That would require self-discipline, which my ample thighs can corroborate I have none." But in any case, I'm happy to say that we are in a golden age of trailers. You may have some clunkers here and there, but the Inception teaser is evidence alone of a trailer done right. Sure it’s easy to throw a deep voice across some killer shots and lace it with an epic soundtrack. Still, there is that precarious balance a trailer seeks between showing too much or showing too little. Like a woman's skirt, it should be short enough to arouse interest but long enough to cover the essentials. A good trailer captures the tone and gives you a taste of what to expect from the movie. So let me unveil 5 of what I think are the most enticing trailers in the last couple of years.

5. Cloverfield (2008)

In one of the most entertaining viral campaigns in ages, Cloverfield's trailer gave us what is truly a rarity these days, a surprise. Originally entitled 1-18-08, the trailer debuted in front of Transformers to a big "huh?" to everyone who saw it. J.J. Abrams and crew did an awesome job of keeping this trailer under wraps in a time where it is increasingly difficult to keep a movie secret with the 24-hour news cycle. This trailer kinda simmers for the first 30 seconds, establishing the hero at his going away party. Things are pretty ordinary; that is until the lights go out and the sky falls. For the element of surprise and seeing the Statue of Liberty's head torn off and thrown into a Manhattan neighborhood, you've got to give it up to Cloverfield for sparking some serious interest. 

4. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Featuring the song "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire, this trailer surely upped the amount of itunes downloads as soon as it debuted.  It's such a delight to see movies that find a song that really "gets" what they are talking about. And the trailer uses the song beautifully. In first couple seconds where Max rides the back of Carol, you're immediately transported into another world. And those graphic cuts at 1:29 just provide the short with a new life going so perfectly to the song. It has this sort of jaunty, upbeat feel that really calls up feelings of being a kid. The trailer certainly taps into the feelings of nostalgeia we all had in reading this book and the trailer takes advantage, not in a sleazy way though.

3. The Incredibles (2005)

Pixar does something pretty awesome with their trailers. They usually make footage expressly for their teaser and release it before the preceding movie; so you always have something to look forward to for next year. This teaser is a little one note, but expressly captures the themes the film deals with. Nostalgeia. Feeling over-the hill. Recapturing youth. They meld it all into this funny little short, where Mr. Incredible receives a call to defeat the evil-doers of the world. But first he has to get on his belt. Again, Pixar I tip my hat.

2. The Dark Knight (2008)

So The Dark Knight. Yep. Yes it is a modern classic. The trailer perfectly primes you for the main attraction of the film, Heath Ledger's Joker. By the time this trailer was released, people were fiending for a taste of his performance. And they were not disappointed. I can't tell you how many times I watched it in the 14 billion months it took for it to come out. Supported by his lip-smacking voice-over, the reveal at :33 is just an excellent to show The Joker in all his creepiness.

1. Up in the Air (2009)

I don't have much to say about this one. The silhouettes. The overhead shots of lonely cities. The cloudy long shots. And George Clooney's voice over provides an introspective introduction to the film's ideas about lonleiness and human contact. The song "Genova" just sets this mellow, yet gloomy rhythm. Again, it just kinda works. The movie is awesome too by the way.

Honorable mentions go out to The Social Network, Watchmen, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Happy Trails...

Sumthin, Sumthin, Sumthin Stack that cheese. Or Props to summer '09

Bored at work? Perfect time to publish some gems of celluloid delight. Summer '09 was pretty fantastic for a lot of reasons. For one, I went to LA trick (more on that later) where I was blessed to intern at Double Feature Films (Pulp Fiction, Garden State, Erin Brokovich)for a couple months. Also (for markedly less selfish one), it was the biggest summer at the box office since '07. Now, it's no surprise that accounting for inflation movies seem to get bigger and bigger w/ little increasing quality, but wow 4.17 billion? Mass amounts of bucks.

Another thing that causes pause for me is when i think about the quality of said films. '07's top money earners were Shrek 3, Pirates 3, and Spiderman 3. I saw them. Wasn't too impressed (maybe a bit for Pirates). Now let's compare. '08 had The Dark Knight (would it be the same w/o the Joker), Ironman (good plain fun and charisma), and Indiana Jones (don't care). '09 Transformers 2 (groan), Harry Potter 10 (I don't care), and Up (beast). I'll let you surmise what you will.

Me calling the kettle black

I’m not elitist. Random right? And so early in the blog. But still I was inspired to write on the subject of snooty nosed filmic critiques when last Friday my sister and I watched a segment of Movie Mob on Reelzchannel (they owe a check for that plug).If you don’t know Movie Mob is essentially a symptom of our faux-starmaking times. Instead of actual talent, producers put joe blows with an internet connection and a netcam on television to spaz out and deliver movie reviews (I promise I don’t mean to throw salt I’m just so sick of the miserly execs and their cheap reality shows, but that’s another blog entry). Anyway, the lowest vote getters get kicked off. Given the buzz around the toy flick, I don’t need to tell you it got ugly. They thrashed the film pretty handily. I watched desensitized to the flame throwing, but my sister stared, with a twisted expression of her face. Y’know the kind you give when someone cuts you off, or someone closes the door in an elevator when they obviously see you coming. Y’know the one you give to an asshole. Well, she shared with me a peeve of hers. My sister exclaimed how lame it is that people go after movie that hard. They seemed to exude this air of pretentiousness in their review. I was taken aback a bit. Have I became the chest thumping, mean-spirited film elitist my sister despised?

Since I changed my major to film studies, (and thereby crushing my parents dreams) I’ve understood films on a different level. Before I started following films seriously-somewhere in high school I suppose-I demanded little more than explosions, glossy special effects and maybe a breast or two. The more I grew as a film snob I started to desire more than pretty brauds and cool set pieces. Now, dare I say it, I refuse to relinquish my hard-earned money for nothing less than novelty and characterization. All of that is a long winded way of saying that I fear I may be among the dregs of suit wearing, snooty aired, film critics or tech-savvy, toxic movie message board whores who rip movies apart to shreds throwing adjectives like Middle East projectiles. Hiding behind their apt command of the human language and an open thesaurus, they shit on movies for simply being what they are. Summer movies are what they are for a reason. Broad, gross-out comedies are what they are. It’s unfair to judge a film harshly to standards it doesn’t seek to attain. Movies are like food. If you don’t have a palette for the broadness of a Tyler Perry film then maybe you’re in the wrong theater. I recognize the function of the critic as a modern wolf crier, championing the great films for us and steering us from the bad ones. Still, it has become a competition to viciously denigrate movies that have no intention of being Casablanca or The Graduate.



We have to just take a look at why we take a movie apart by the limbs. Why should we feel the need to beat on it to no reason when a simple “Do not Recommend” will suffice. I’ll give you that certain films out there are mindless as shit. Transformers I’m looking at you. Nonetheless, it’s never cool to bash someone’s art no matter how little of the art you think there is. Is it because we compare it to other films with markedly different intentions? I know no film exists in a vacuum, but it’s important we make a distinction. Because I tell you elitism is not fly. I don’t know, what do you think?

Recs in effect:
My recommendation for this week isn’t a movie, but a resource for good criticism that I cosign
Filmspotting- These guys have an incredible podcast that I listen to weekly. They take every film seriously and focus on how the film works together holistically. They keep it lively and encourage a full discussion with listeners about why a movie works or does not. Does it push the medium? Is it original? Does it provide a visceral reaction? Highly recommended.