The 10 Best (and 5 Worst) Films of 2011.

First of all, I know I've been a poor blogger of recent months. I'm still watching plenty of movies, just not giving myself enough time to finish up the reviews. However, beginning with this post, I will make sure I'm more attentive.

Though we are nearly six months into 2012, DVDs have finally let me view all of the films I intended to last year. Here we go:

tie-10) Warrior/The Help
Believe it or not, both of these movies had some things in common. While both films had cheesy and predictable moments throughout, they each had terrific performances that couldn't be ignored. With Warrior, the trailer said everything but Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy gave real gritty performances that kept the audience involved. The Help, on the other hand, didn't have as much cheese but it was there. What put it over the top were the great jobs done by Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain. To me, those two made the movie.


9) Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
I went into this movie just expecting a simple documentary about what happened to Conan between his exit from The Tonight Show and his standup tour over the summer of 2010. What I got was a very deep film about what was going on in his head. You got to see the emotion, the disparity, the sadness and the joy he got while on tour. It was the hardest time of his professional life and the viewers got to see all of it. O'Brien didn't hold anything back and the film was better off for it.


8) 50/50
What a great look at how it must feel for a young person to go through the stages of cancer. 50/50 used humor to not only mask, but also reinforce the emotions that Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character is going through. This movie got royally shafted in the 2012 Oscar race. It could've easily taken a Best Screenplay nomination, if not a victory.


7) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
The final film of the Harry Potter series may have been the best one. To this day, I'm still undecided on whether it's better than Prisoner of Azkaban, but this one was damn close. It ended the series perfectly, keeping the characters' stories rich and full while finishing them in a way that satisfies the audience. With my wife having read all the books and me not, I can say that, from both perspectives, this movie was a fitting end.

6) The Artist
The Oscar winner for Best Picture was a niche film. But it was so beautifully done that I have no problem with it claiming the top prize. The Artist, even with no sound and in black and white, easily maintained the feelings and depth that many talkies strive for. Jean Dujardin gave an outstanding performance, but I believe that James Cromwell's role as George's servant went unnoticed. I could've seen him getting a Best Supporting Actor nod.

5) The Muppets
Jason Segel did it. He managed to make the Muppets relevant again in a world that may have forgotten about them. The humor and the music was so upbeat and fresh that it kept me enthralled from the get-go. Nothing was funnier to me than Chris Cooper saying "Maniacal laugh" instead of actually laughing. I can see myself watching this movie for several years to come.


4) Contagion
I love thrillers. If done correctly, they may be my favorite film genre. Contagion took the thriller movie to the realms of the conspiracy theory genre. This film makes you believe that this could happen in real life. The sheer terror and utter chaos that would erupt if a deadly virus took hold of the world. Despite the entire Marion Cotillard storyline, this movie was near-perfection to me. Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet...they all gave outstanding performances within the ensemble cast.

3) Hugo
Martin Scorsese's ode to films was such a magical journey. While I regret not seeing this in 3-D, the 2-D visuals are more than enough to keep me enjoying the movie. Set in a Paris train station, Hugo makes you feel like you're in this vast setting even though you're not. Throw in terrific performances from Ben Kingsley and Chloe Moretz, and you have a movie that will go down as one of Scorsese's best. Even though it has no gangsters or swearing.

2) The Descendents
Alexander Payne made his masterpiece. He managed to direct a terrific movie that combined humor, heart and despair. George Clooney was outstanding as a man who battled the emotions of a wife in a coma and the revelation that she was cheating on him. I would have given this the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actor and even Best Director.

1) Drive
Shades of Tarantino, shades of Kubrick and shades of Scorsese are all brought together in this brilliant piece of cinema. Drive manages to keep the action-movie pace alive while rolling through the plot in a very slow, decisive way. Ryan Gosling barely speaks, but you can see his emotions and rage in his actions. But the real star of the movie was Albert Brooks. His methodical take on a mobster was refreshing. Brooks could have easily taken Jonah Hill's spot in the Best Supporting Actor nominations. Thank God this is now on Netflix, I may never stop watching.

Now, the Bottom Five of 2011:

5) Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
I won't dog this film for its plot or the incredible annoyance of Thomas Horn. This movie sucks because the filmmakers are trying to make the audience cry. The characters are supposed to make us do that, not the studio heads and suits. Also, Thomas Horn was crazy annoying.

4) Killer Elite
What the hell just happened? Jason Statham is trying to save Robert De Niro from some Arab guy, while Clive Owen is trying to kill Jason Statham for no apparent reason. So, there's the plot. This movie could have been saved a little by the action/fight scenes, but they sucked, too.


3) Hall Pass
What happened to the Farrelly Brothers? Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, There's Something About Mary. They used to know how to make an adult comedy that worked on many levels. Hall Pass, on the other hand, made Say It Isn't So look like gold. And this is coming from someone who likes Jason Sudeikis.
 
2) The Green Hornet
A terrific-looking trailer turned into an extremely disappointing movie. While Seth Rogen was wrong for the lead role, he was hardly the real problem. That belonged to Michel Gondry. The once-talented director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a terrible action director. The film was so disjointed and uneven that I lost interest almost immediately. Some of the action scenes were cool, but I actually left this movie feeling like I completely wasted two hours. That doesn't happen often.

1) Battle: Los Angeles
Combine every single alien action movie of the last 20 years and you have this God-awful excuse of a movie. The war scenes sucked, the acting was phoned-in, the plot made no sense and the graphics made it look like I was playing Halo made for Nintendo 64. The filmmakers should consider themselves lucky that I even made it through this movie. I'm happy to see it wasn't a success that would have spawned unnecessary sequels.

There you have it. My long-overdue Best/Worst Of 2011 list.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon of completely ripping this movie apart, because I didn't find this to be abhorrently bad. It wasn't good, that's for sure, but not for the reasons most critics hated it.

Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) is a tweenaged student with borderline Asperger's. He is also trying to deal with the death of his father, Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks), who was killed in the 9/11 attacks. He can't even bring himself to say the date again, just referring to it as "the worst day." Oskar physically harms himself in order not to deal with his emotions. Some time after 9/11, Oskar goes into his father's closet and knocks over a vase. Inside is a key with an envelope labeled "Black." Oskar considers this an adventure from his father and sets out to interview every person with the last name Black. Some are inviting, while others simply shut their doors. During the interviews though, he stumbles upon a stranger (Max Von Sydow) renting out his grandmother's spare room. The two of them together continue on Oskar's quest, while also learning they both need to find a better way to deal with their emotions.

I'm going to get in the one positive from this movie: Max Von Sydow. He deserves all the praise he got. Without saying a single word, Von Sydow managed to convey his feelings to the audience in a way that felt genuine. As for the rest, not so much. I don't usually like to bag on child actors, but they couldn't have found a less likeable/more annoying kid. I'm not sure who could've played the role better, but that's what casting departments are for. The film itself almost makes you want to hate it because it practically forces you to cry. I have no problem with using 9/11 as a plot point, but this just didn't do it right. It's quite clear what this movie wanted its audience, so much so that the filmmakers must have knowingly tried to ram it down our throats in order to get an Oscar nod, which it somehow managed to do. Done the way it was, it really is an unnecessary film. Grade: C

2012 Oscar Picks

It's that time of year again. Tonight is the 84th annual Academy Awards. I will be giving my picks for certain categories, as well as what I think will actually win in said categories. Note: some key movies I haven't seen so far include The Tree of Life, Beginners, Iron Lady, A Separation and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I tried to see as many as I could, but my son Harry was born this year. I'll take him over movies anytime.

Best Picture:
My pick: The Descendants
Prediction: The Artist

Best Director:
My pick and Prediction: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

Best Actor:
My pick: George Clooney
Prediction: Jean Dujardin

Best Actress:
My pick and Prediction: Viola Davis

Best Supporting Actor:
My pick: Max von Sydow
Prediction: Christopher Plummer

Best Supporting Actress:
My pick and Prediction: Octavia Spencer

Animated Film:
My pick and Prediction: Rango

Best Adapted Screenplay:
My pick and Prediction: The Descendants

Best Original Screenplay:
My pick and Prediction: Midnight in Paris

There are just the major categories. I don't feel I've seen enough of the other categories to make an informed decision. Now, here's my ranking for the Best Picture nominees. Only the 8th spot wouldn't get a passing grade from me. I still have a few more movies to watch before I officially name my Top Ten of 2011.

Best Picture (My Rank):

1. The Descendants
2. Hugo
3. The Artist
4. Moneyball
5. The Help
6. Midnight in Paris
7. War Horse
8. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
   

There you go. Enjoy the show

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Brace yourselves, I liked a Woody Allen movie. A lot. I haven't been able to say that for a long time. For the longest time, his writing has felt so stilted that I couldn't find myself interested at all. And yes, that goes for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I don't care how many people tell me how good it was.

Hollywood screenwriter Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) and his fiance Inez (Rachel McAdams) are vacationing in Paris with Inez's wealthy parents. Gil is distraught with the state of his writing and wants to move to Paris. But Inez is too uptight and well-do-to and refuses to play along. After disheartening dinners with Inez's parents and some of her friends, Gil takes a midnight stroll in the City of Light. While walking, a car pulls up asks Gil to hop in. Because he's drunk, he agrees. He's whisked away to a party that seems odd to him. Gil soon comes to realize he's somehow transported to the 1920s. He's partying with some of his idols. Ernest Hemingway and Cole Porter, along with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Every night after, Gil continues the midnight strolls and starts to fall for Adriana (Marion Cotillard). But he has to figure out how that could possibly happen, and what impact it could have on Inez. More to the point, does he really care?

I was surprised by how much I like Midnight in Paris. The screener was just sitting on my table for months, and I was putting it off. I'm really happy I finally watched. Even Owen Wilson worked in this. But my personal favorite parts involved either Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) or Salvador Dali (Adrian Brody). They were both hilarious and kept me waiting for when they'd appear on screen again. As much as I liked this film, one part knocked this down at least half a grade. It was toward the end, when Wilson just blatantly states the moral of the film. Almost like the audience is too slow to figure it out on our own. But I got past that, and so can you. This will surely win an Oscar for screenwriting. Grade: A-

Super 8 (2011)

Who likes lens flares? Ending aside, this may have been the best action movie of 2011. J.J. Abrams is a great director who knows how to keep the story going and the audience involved. And if you have "Friday Night Lights" star Kyle Chandler in one of the leads, I'm in.

Circa 1979, Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) and his father, Deputy Jack Lamb (Chandler) have suffered a tragedy. Jack's wife has died in an accident at the factory where she worked. After some time has past, Joe turns to making films with his friends as a way to cope. While making a low-budget zombie movie, the gang witness a horrific train accident caused by one of their teachers. The teacher briefly survives and tells them to never talk about what they've seen or they will be killed. They all agree, but strange things soon start to occur around town. Animals and people start disappearing, and now Deputy Jack wants answers from the Air Force, who is conducting the "cleanup." Without giving too much away to those who haven't seen this, it's a sci-fi movie. Take what you will from that.

My favorite aspect of Super 8 was that it's equal parts action flick and conspiracy film. The action was well-balanced throughout with the more dramatic scenes involving Joe's family and love interest. For being a sci-fi movie, the scenes felt believable. Like they could happen in real life, if this was at all possible. The last 25-30 minutes or so kind of lost the tone of the movie. It wasn't bad, it just didn't totally fit. I still highly recommend this movie, but the grade for the first half of the film would've been higher than the grade for the full film. Grade: B+

The Muppets (2011)

This is the most feel-good movie of the year. Any audience member can come out of this film with a smile on their face. The Muppets just make people happy.

Walter is a man born a Muppet growing up in Smalltown. His older brother is a human named Gary (Jason Segel). As kids, the two brothers quickly become fans of The Muppet Show and Walter has someone he can look up to. He starts to idolize the Muppets. For his ten-year anniversary with girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), Gary agrees to take Walter along on their trip to California to see the Muppet Studios. On the tour, Walter overhears oilman Tex Richman's (Chris Cooper) plan to destroy the studio and drill for the oil underneath. Distressed, Gary and Walter set out to find the Muppets and tell them Richman's plan. After meeting Kermit, finding the rest of the original Muppets gets easier. Now, they must put together a massive show, with no real funding, to try and raise the money to save the theater from Richman's evil grasp. It's a tall order considering no celebrities will help and the Muppets themselves are no longer thought of as famous. But, come on, it's the Muppets. Of course everything will work out, right?

This was just a fun movie. I can't stress that enough. Any fan of the Muppets or comedies in general should love this film. Not only were the main stories and characters good, but there were so many smaller details that just cracked me up. The main one being whenever Tex Richman wanted to laugh, he'd just say "Maniacal laugh" over and over again. Throw in celebrities from Jack Black to Neil Patrick Harris to Judd Hirsch, and you have the makings of, well, The Muppet Show. Rarely does a flick make me want more, but I could have watched another hour of this and not be upset. Do yourself a favor and watch this. Grade: A-

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)

Let me start by saying I have not seen either of the first two documentaries in the Paradise Lost series. Luckily, a good portion of this film is focused on the past history of the West Memphis 3.

In 1994, teenagers Damien Echols, James Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were convicted of killing three younger boys in a wooded area of Arkansas. Echols was sentenced to death and the other two were given life sentences. In the first Paradise Lost, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky notice some inconsistencies with the evidence presented at the trial. That movie helps get the attention of the national media and celebrities and the conspiracy theories start up. This film picks up 15 years after the conviction. The focus shifts to how views have changed about their guilt/innocence. John Mark Byers, the father of one of the victims, makes the strongest case. In the first two films, he strongly believed the WM3 should be punished for their "devilish" ways. But now, he feels they are completely innocent and the focus should shift to Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of another victim. The court proceedings keep going at a snails pace for the WM3 when, all of the sudden, they're able to walk out of prison using a unique plea deal. Maybe Paradise Lost 4 will focus on their lives after prison.

This was a very informative film and I was definitely glad I randomly caught it on HBO one night. While the filmmakers agenda is clear, Berlinger and Sinofsky made sure they covered every angle possible. From Echols to Byers to Hobbs to the Dixie Chicks, every opinion matters and every side of the story needs to be told. The movie, for the most part, took its time with the bevy of information it had to give to the audience. But the ending was rushed together, and understandably so. Filming had basically ended when the WM3 were suddenly released in August 2011, so the release had to be pushed back. It's absolutely not the best documentary I've seen this year, but I did find it informative and enjoyable. Grade: B