I’m not gonna lie, guys, this was a disappointing year for movies. I honestly didn’t get around to seeing nearly as many as I would have liked, and I know there are some that I probably should have seen/wanted to see before making a list (The Artist, The Tree of Life, The Descendants, Hugo, The Adventures of Tintin, I’m sure there are others that I can’t think of.) As such, I couldn’t make a proper list, as it probably would have been about seven entries long, so I’m going to do something different this year. Categories!
JAY’S 15 BEST FILMS OF 2011 CATEGORIZED COMMENTARY OF CRAZY… CELLULOID… CREATIONS
BEST SUPPORTING BACON
- Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class
Honestly, I wasn’t as impressed with this movie as most people were. It had some great ideas, good performances and a few memorable scenes, but it’s still a pretty big mess. However, while Michael Fassbender definitely stole the show as a young Magneto, the true star was Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, a character I never thought I’d see in a movie. I mean, look at him:
Dapper.
Runner-up: Kevin Bacon, Crazy, Stupid, Love. Ryan Gosling punching him in the face? Classic.
BEST MOVIE WITH “ZOO” IN THE TITLE
Cameron Crowe’s first movie in six years, and probably his best one since Almost Famous, is a tender, heartwarming tale. Is it a bit overly sweet and cute? Sure, but in this day and age of rampant cynicism and violence it’s nice to see a movie that isn’t afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. Despite all that, it’s still a well-written movie with some good performances, especially from scene-stealer Maggie Elizabeth Jones as bar-none the cutest kid to ever be in a movie. Ever.
WORST MOVIE WITH “ZOO” IN THE TITLE
Once again, I saw this on a field trip at work. Once again, I got paid to see a movie. Once again, I still felt ripped off. Absolutely terrible.
Moving along then.
BEST OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
First, watch it here. And I apologize if there are any ads.
I’ve read all of the books in the Millennium trilogy and, while they’re entertaining, they aren’t exactly the best written pieces of prose. The movies fix some of the problems, especially the American version, but they’re still imperfect stories. However, with David Fincher as a director, a great opening title sequence is almost a given, and the movie doesn’t disappoint. The imagery has a sinister quality that the rest of the movie struggles to keep up, literally dripping with dread, and the choice of song (Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” as sung by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ frontwoman Karen O) fits perfectly. Even if it’s about Icelandic vikings.
MOST DISAPPOINTING FEATURE
I really wanted to like this movie, and to an extent I did. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were pretty good in their roles, and the western aspects were actually handled pretty well. The movie itself, however, was underwritten and, frankly, boring. It honestly didn’t go far enough with its concept, instead opting to be a western that just happens to have aliens, not a creative western/science-fiction hybrid.
Runner-up: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
BEST STUNT
- Climbing the Burj Dubai, Mission:Impossible-Ghost Protocol
Listen, I don’t have a real problem with heights, but this scene… wow.
The highlight of an incredibly solid movie, Brad Bird really gets the vertiginous feeling of being high up the world’s tallest building to translate to the screen. You know he’s going to make it, but the stunt (which, to my understanding, used more practical effects than you’d think) is so intense and well done that you can’t help but grip the edge of your seat. Well done.
Plus you get to see Tom Cruise whack himself in the face.
“WELCOME BACK” AWARD
- The Muppets and Winnie the Pooh
Was it all nostalgia? Maybe, but when not one but two beloved properties make a comeback in the same year, it’s hard to feel anything but the unadulterated joy that comes from watching such beloved characters. It’s a shame that Winnie the Pooh didn’t do better at the box office, because it was delightful, respectful to the property, and we need more traditionally animated films these days. Even with that property’s future in doubt, at least we’re bound to get more Muppet movies sooner rather than later.
BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
- Captain America: The First Avenger
So many things could have gone wrong with this movie, and thankfully none of them did. I was skeptical from day one for multiple reasons: Chris Evans seemed too young for the part, Cap doesn’t exactly have a good history in film, and it was going to have to tell its story while tying in with The Avengers, meaning it would have a hard time standing on its own. When I left the theater, I am not afraid to admit that I was eating my words. The period film aspect worked brilliantly, making it seem more like a war movie and less like a run of the mill comic book movie, and the cast was perfect: Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci were great as always, Hayley Atwell provided the strongest female performance in a comic book film in a long time, Hugo Weaving and Toby Jones were terrific as Red Skull and Arnim Zola (another character I never thought I’d see in a movie), and, above all, Chris Evans was perfect as Steve Rogers. He embodied the heart and soul of the character, making his transformation from heroic everyman to true hero believable. On top of all that, though, the movie was just fun.
Runner-up: Thor
WORST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
See here: http://jayaws.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/green-lantern-review/
WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR
I can say two good things about this movie: it was the first movie Kari and I saw in theaters as a married couple, and it was hilarious.
BEST ACTOR
He was absolutely terrifying, which I never though I’d say. In a movie full of great performances, Brooks gave one that went completely against type and made the movie. The film itself is dark, moody, and incredibly stylish, but Brooks brought a human element to the proceedings, no matter how despicable his character was. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it was the best gangster performances since Joe Pesci in GoodFellas, and he was truly robbed by not getting an Oscar Nomination.
Runner-up: Tom Hardy, Warrior
BEST ACTRESS
- Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I respected this film more than I actually enjoyed it, but Mara was truly brilliant as Lisbeth Salander, the titular girl. She perfectly captured the nature of Lisbeth’s personality, both the anti-social hacker and the brutal, ultra-feminist warrior when needed. There was one scene that I thought was completely out of character for her, but I blame that more on the writing than on her acting. She carried the film incredibly well with the equally as good Daniel Craig, and they displayed the perfect chemistry that the characters needed. Along with him, she was harsh, she was hard, and she was incredible.
Runner-up: Jessica Chastain, The Help
BEST FILM OF THE YEAR
Tell me if this sounds like a movie that I’d want to see: two MMA fighters, who also happen to be brothers, face off in a UFC tournament and also learn a little something about family. Despite that admittedly cliche description, however, Warrior is a fantastic film. With three fantastic performances from Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte, it’s less a story about a fighting tournament than it is about family, forgiveness and redemption.
Hardy, in one of the most intense performances I’ve ever seen, plays Tommy Conlon, a disgraced Marine who seeks out his estranged father (Nolte) to help him train for the Sparta fighting tournament. Edgerton plays Brendan, a high school chemistry teacher who is deep in debt, facing foreclosure and mounting hospital bills due to his daughter’s heart condition. At night, he participates in shady fights at bars, reliving his days as a fighter and making a few extra bucks on the side.
It’s no surprise, thanks to both common sense and the terrible trailers, that Tommy and Brendan end up facing each other in the final round of the tournament. Like I said, though, the fighting is really just a backdrop for these characters and their history: each brother is mad at the other for their parents’ break-up years before, and their father is trying to keep his life together while mending the broken relationships with his sons. There are no easy answers to any of their problems, and even though the film ends on a some what ambiguous note, the final scene showcases that even the angriest, most hardened people just desire love and forgiveness. And while it is cool to see Tom Hardy straight up wreck some dudes before seeing him really unleashed as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, the movie is a serious reminder that redemption, even unsought, is what we all need.
Runners-up: We Bought a Zoo, Source Code, Rango, Cars 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Muppets, Drive, The Help, Winnie the Pooh, Mission:Impossible-Ghost Protocol, Pearl Jam 20, Crazy, Stupid, Love., Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Super 8, The Beaver
There you have it. Like I said, there are still many, many movies from last year that I want to see, so don’t take this as a completely comprehensive post. It’s just getting late in the month and I think it’s silly to post a list about last year in the second month of the year. At least, even more silly than thinking this much about movies already is.
But hey, I have a wife now, so huzzah!
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~ by jayaws on January 29, 2012.
Posted in Analysis, Commentary
The Year in Film: 2011 Edition
I’m not gonna lie, guys, this was a disappointing year for movies. I honestly didn’t get around to seeing nearly as many as I would have liked, and I know there are some that I probably should have seen/wanted to see before making a list (The Artist, The Tree of Life, The Descendants, Hugo, The Adventures of Tintin, I’m sure there are others that I can’t think of.) As such, I couldn’t make a proper list, as it probably would have been about seven entries long, so I’m going to do something different this year. Categories!
JAY’S
15 BEST FILMS OF 2011CATEGORIZED COMMENTARY OF CRAZY… CELLULOID… CREATIONSBEST SUPPORTING BACON
Honestly, I wasn’t as impressed with this movie as most people were. It had some great ideas, good performances and a few memorable scenes, but it’s still a pretty big mess. However, while Michael Fassbender definitely stole the show as a young Magneto, the true star was Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, a character I never thought I’d see in a movie. I mean, look at him:
Dapper.
Runner-up: Kevin Bacon, Crazy, Stupid, Love. Ryan Gosling punching him in the face? Classic.
BEST MOVIE WITH “ZOO” IN THE TITLE
Cameron Crowe’s first movie in six years, and probably his best one since Almost Famous, is a tender, heartwarming tale. Is it a bit overly sweet and cute? Sure, but in this day and age of rampant cynicism and violence it’s nice to see a movie that isn’t afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. Despite all that, it’s still a well-written movie with some good performances, especially from scene-stealer Maggie Elizabeth Jones as bar-none the cutest kid to ever be in a movie. Ever.
WORST MOVIE WITH “ZOO” IN THE TITLE
Once again, I saw this on a field trip at work. Once again, I got paid to see a movie. Once again, I still felt ripped off. Absolutely terrible.
Moving along then.
BEST OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE
First, watch it here. And I apologize if there are any ads.
I’ve read all of the books in the Millennium trilogy and, while they’re entertaining, they aren’t exactly the best written pieces of prose. The movies fix some of the problems, especially the American version, but they’re still imperfect stories. However, with David Fincher as a director, a great opening title sequence is almost a given, and the movie doesn’t disappoint. The imagery has a sinister quality that the rest of the movie struggles to keep up, literally dripping with dread, and the choice of song (Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” as sung by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ frontwoman Karen O) fits perfectly. Even if it’s about Icelandic vikings.
MOST DISAPPOINTING FEATURE
I really wanted to like this movie, and to an extent I did. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were pretty good in their roles, and the western aspects were actually handled pretty well. The movie itself, however, was underwritten and, frankly, boring. It honestly didn’t go far enough with its concept, instead opting to be a western that just happens to have aliens, not a creative western/science-fiction hybrid.
Runner-up: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
BEST STUNT
Listen, I don’t have a real problem with heights, but this scene… wow.
The highlight of an incredibly solid movie, Brad Bird really gets the vertiginous feeling of being high up the world’s tallest building to translate to the screen. You know he’s going to make it, but the stunt (which, to my understanding, used more practical effects than you’d think) is so intense and well done that you can’t help but grip the edge of your seat. Well done.
Plus you get to see Tom Cruise whack himself in the face.
“WELCOME BACK” AWARD
Was it all nostalgia? Maybe, but when not one but two beloved properties make a comeback in the same year, it’s hard to feel anything but the unadulterated joy that comes from watching such beloved characters. It’s a shame that Winnie the Pooh didn’t do better at the box office, because it was delightful, respectful to the property, and we need more traditionally animated films these days. Even with that property’s future in doubt, at least we’re bound to get more Muppet movies sooner rather than later.
BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
So many things could have gone wrong with this movie, and thankfully none of them did. I was skeptical from day one for multiple reasons: Chris Evans seemed too young for the part, Cap doesn’t exactly have a good history in film, and it was going to have to tell its story while tying in with The Avengers, meaning it would have a hard time standing on its own. When I left the theater, I am not afraid to admit that I was eating my words. The period film aspect worked brilliantly, making it seem more like a war movie and less like a run of the mill comic book movie, and the cast was perfect: Tommy Lee Jones and Stanley Tucci were great as always, Hayley Atwell provided the strongest female performance in a comic book film in a long time, Hugo Weaving and Toby Jones were terrific as Red Skull and Arnim Zola (another character I never thought I’d see in a movie), and, above all, Chris Evans was perfect as Steve Rogers. He embodied the heart and soul of the character, making his transformation from heroic everyman to true hero believable. On top of all that, though, the movie was just fun.
Runner-up: Thor
WORST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
See here: http://jayaws.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/green-lantern-review/
WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR
BEST ACTOR
He was absolutely terrifying, which I never though I’d say. In a movie full of great performances, Brooks gave one that went completely against type and made the movie. The film itself is dark, moody, and incredibly stylish, but Brooks brought a human element to the proceedings, no matter how despicable his character was. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it was the best gangster performances since Joe Pesci in GoodFellas, and he was truly robbed by not getting an Oscar Nomination.
Runner-up: Tom Hardy, Warrior
BEST ACTRESS
I respected this film more than I actually enjoyed it, but Mara was truly brilliant as Lisbeth Salander, the titular girl. She perfectly captured the nature of Lisbeth’s personality, both the anti-social hacker and the brutal, ultra-feminist warrior when needed. There was one scene that I thought was completely out of character for her, but I blame that more on the writing than on her acting. She carried the film incredibly well with the equally as good Daniel Craig, and they displayed the perfect chemistry that the characters needed. Along with him, she was harsh, she was hard, and she was incredible.
Runner-up: Jessica Chastain, The Help
BEST FILM OF THE YEAR
Tell me if this sounds like a movie that I’d want to see: two MMA fighters, who also happen to be brothers, face off in a UFC tournament and also learn a little something about family. Despite that admittedly cliche description, however, Warrior is a fantastic film. With three fantastic performances from Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte, it’s less a story about a fighting tournament than it is about family, forgiveness and redemption.
Hardy, in one of the most intense performances I’ve ever seen, plays Tommy Conlon, a disgraced Marine who seeks out his estranged father (Nolte) to help him train for the Sparta fighting tournament. Edgerton plays Brendan, a high school chemistry teacher who is deep in debt, facing foreclosure and mounting hospital bills due to his daughter’s heart condition. At night, he participates in shady fights at bars, reliving his days as a fighter and making a few extra bucks on the side.
It’s no surprise, thanks to both common sense and the terrible trailers, that Tommy and Brendan end up facing each other in the final round of the tournament. Like I said, though, the fighting is really just a backdrop for these characters and their history: each brother is mad at the other for their parents’ break-up years before, and their father is trying to keep his life together while mending the broken relationships with his sons. There are no easy answers to any of their problems, and even though the film ends on a some what ambiguous note, the final scene showcases that even the angriest, most hardened people just desire love and forgiveness. And while it is cool to see Tom Hardy straight up wreck some dudes before seeing him really unleashed as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, the movie is a serious reminder that redemption, even unsought, is what we all need.
Runners-up: We Bought a Zoo, Source Code, Rango, Cars 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Muppets, Drive, The Help, Winnie the Pooh, Mission:Impossible-Ghost Protocol, Pearl Jam 20, Crazy, Stupid, Love., Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Super 8, The Beaver
There you have it. Like I said, there are still many, many movies from last year that I want to see, so don’t take this as a completely comprehensive post. It’s just getting late in the month and I think it’s silly to post a list about last year in the second month of the year. At least, even more silly than thinking this much about movies already is.
But hey, I have a wife now, so huzzah!
Like this:
~ by jayaws on January 29, 2012.
Posted in Analysis, Commentary