My Top Movies of 2011

I am a man of the people, and when the people make a request I listen and often ignore it and then just go about my day. But if it is a good request then I take it a little more seriously. A suggestion like what did you think were the best movies of the year. That is a hell of a question and actually took some time to think about. While the top movies are easy to pick deciding what to leave off and what to leave on got infuriating so I thought I would make a go of it. Since the Academy gave us nine nominations here are my Top Nine Movies of 2011

9) The Ides of March
Damn what an incredible cast. If it seems like this movie just snuck on you'd be mistaken. This was going to make the list no matter what I just needed to think where to place it. All the acting is incredible and Ryan Gosling is so clearly The Guy right now, and all he had to do was look across the room to find out what it’s like to be The Man and boom there's Clooney. The movie goes at an incredible pace and while it is a short movie it moves even faster. There were so many moving parts, and Clooney as the writer and director puts it all in there efficiently and has you gripped to the edge of your seat all with tons of nods to campaigns of the past.

8) Midnight in Paris
A lot of people had this a lot higher on their list, and to be named one of the best movies of the year by anyone is an accomplishment. This is on everyone's list. And it is Woody being Woody; you have to like his work to really like this one. And I actually really liked the casting of Owen Wilson as a gentile younger Woody. Some of the characters were great like Hemingway and Dali, but this was one of the few times I got annoyed with Marion Cotillard, she really took me out of the film which is odd being that she was one of the few French actresses in the movie. I don't know, it was great and I liked it but it didn't keep me hooked which is why it is lower on the list.

7) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Say what you will about the book or all the annoying people who read the book, or even worse the people who dress up for the movie. This was a good movie and deserved far more adulation than it got. It is clear J.K Rowling does not know how to write, but man she created a fantastic story with wonderful characters. And in the hands of David Yates who filmed the movie as darkly as the tone demanded the project played perfectly where so many others failed before him. And who would have guessed that Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson would grow into such fine actors, even if he was half in the bag during most of the shooting. These two young actors were able to stand out when there were people like Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman on set, that is impressive.

6) Bridesmaids
Maybe you saw it after everyone was telling you how funny it was and left this movie unimpressed by all the hype. You know how it got all that hype? By being fuckin hysterical. Kristin Wiig wrote a seriously funny movie and then gave all the best lines to someone else. Not that she wasn't brilliant in the lead role, but Melissa McCarthy stole this movie right out from under her. The story is sweet and doesn't dumb down the entire gender which so many movies in Hollywood do by assuming all they need in life is a good man. Plus poop jokes.

5) The Artist
This is just a feel good movie. Yes it is just a giant hand job to all that Hollywood is and all that it was, but whatever I'm down with it. And I personally love watching the rise of one lead to the fall of another. And while the love story doesn't stick with me so much I do remember falling in hook, line, and sinker when I was originally watching the movie. Plus the music is fantastic and I love the difference in acting styles from when they are on the screen to when they are out on the streets. Plus that dog, god I love simple pandering that a cute animal will bring to a movie

4) 50/50
How was this movie not nominated for anything at all?!?!?!? Seriously the screenplay is brilliant and heart wrenching without being too depressing. The characters are all amazing, but a special shout out to Bryce Dallas Howard for rocking the bitch character, oh and I loved the overbearing mother, oh and the music. God so much of this movie was so good I really need to watch it again. And that is all before mentioning just how great Joseph-Gordon Levitt has become as an actor. Or how fantastic Seth Rogan's character was and how well he portrayed him even though it’s not so much acting as it remembering as this ACTUALLY ALL HAPPENED. Will Reiser who wrote the script was diagnosed with cancer and Rogan convinced him to write a screenplay about it. He was going to make it a lot darker; luckily he didn't as the movie was super enjoyable, well as enjoyable as it can be with the subject being someone dying of cancer.

3) Warrior
I wanted to put this movie higher on the list but I just couldn't do it because the movie was so telegraphed but I don't care. This movie still sticks with me and it came out in frickin September, sometimes the lines and music will just pop in my head and I love to leave them there. That is the sign of a great movie, a movie that sticks with you. Nick Nolte is fantastic as the alcoholic father; a role I assume is easy for him to play. Gavin O'Connor who directed the movie also directed Miracle which has the same feel good-id-ness about it. Oh and Tom Hardy is bad-ass. I cannot wait for the new Batman movie

2) Moneyball
Maybe it is because I'm a sports fan that two of the top three movies are sports movies, or maybe it is because both movies are fantastic, probably the latter. Aaron Sorkin takes what is essentially an unfilmable book about sports statistics and makes it compelling to any viewer even if you are not into baseball. I originally thought only sports fans would enjoy this movie but after speaking with a lot of people I found it transcended sports and I love that. Brad Pitt is pitch perfect as Billy Beane and Jonah Hill is fantastic as his counterpart and has some of the best scenes in the movie. The movie moves fast and the dialogue is even quicker, without question Aaron Sorkin is one of the most talented men in Hollywood.

1) Drive
"You tell me where we start, where we're going, where we're going afterwards. I give you five minutes when we get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. No matter what. Anything a minute on either side of that and you're on your own. I don't sit in while you're running it down. I don't carry a gun. I drive." Ryan Gosling on the top and bottom of this list, obviously. He was so bad ass in this movie. He was perfect and I loved all the brilliant parts to this movie, from the retro fitting text to the nameless characters to Albert Brooks eating Chinese in an Italian restaurant. I loved it all, but here is the thing, I didn't love it at first. It took me a while, after seeing the movie I didn't really know what I just saw but then I thought about it and kept thinking about it and just how brilliant this movie was. Just ask The Artist, you don't need dialogue to make a character interesting and that is exactly what they do with the driver. And once the movie passes the half way point and the tone changes the movie becomes all the better. This is a movie that could be examined and picked apart by experts and they still may miss bits of brilliance from the movie. This is a movie that will be remembered years to come.

So that was my top 9 movies of the year. What did you think? What were your favorites? Let me know. And here is to 2012 being top notch for movies to look forward to this year. Enjoy it, I know I will.

Drive

Ryan Gosling is capable of almost anything, and has left little doubt that he is one of the brightest stars in Hollywood. He has can play the heartthrob and romantic like in The Notebook, he can be a heart breaker like in Blue Valentine, he can be funny and charming like in Crazy, Stupid, Love. In the last movie mentioned he stepped out of his comfort zone and tried a comedy. He is often very adventurous in his roles and always knocks then out of the park. In Drive he seems to take a step back in to what he knows and while he does well in the role I doubt this will be a role worth remembering.

For director Nicolas Winding Refn this is his first stab at American film making. He has been very popular in Europe and has shown a knack for making movies, but of his movies that I have seen they have all been very stylistic. There are those who praise his style and concepts as high art and enjoy his projects for it. In Drive he appears to be making an ode to the eighties be it the font on the movie poster and credits, the music, or the white jacket our protagonist wears throughout the story. He obviously is very knowledgeable on the era and creates a wonderful atmosphere. But he always seems to over commit to it. Alright Don, we get the image you are going for but sometimes it seems that you are more concerned with style over substance. Some people will praise his work, and with a 13 million dollar budget maybe the only thing he could afford was an eighties looking B movie. It was a fun style but sometimes, much like in Bronson it overwhelmed the story.

The story is good though, it features Ryan Gosling in the lead role as a man who works as a mechanic and a stunt driver and also moonlights as a getaway driver. In the opening monologue he lays down the rules. He gives them 5 minutes to do whatever they want, outside of that they are on their own. With a hero that dabbles on the other side of the law he must hold a strict moral code on what he is willing to do in order for the audience to side with him. It also helps that the hero seems to epitomize cool. In order to prepare for the role Gosling rebuilt the 1973 Chevy Malibu that his character drives in the movie. The writers also do their best to help the audience connect with the character. He only speaks when it is absolutely necessary. This type of writing is rarely seen anymore, more often opting for dialogue that expresses what our characters think. Here the actors express themselves, rather than verbalize their thoughts.

There are a slew of actors who help to get Gosling's point across and help to define him and his actions. A plethora of television actors make brief appearances in the movie for some defining moments to our other actors including Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, and Christina Hendricks. One of the most surprising performances though belongs to Albert Brooks. I can't remember the last performance I liked of his, not counting voicing a fish looking for his son and a billionaire trying to take over the world. He brings a cool calm and trusted performance to the movie that really accentuates his character. Gosling's romantic opposite is played by up and coming A-list actress Carey Mulligan, whose talent seems to go wasted. She is asked to do little for her own character and instead only to move plot and provide support to Gosling. This is something rarely seen anymore either, a supporting actress actually there solely for the support of the main actor. But as the female lead and boasting such a talent it is a shame to see Mulligan’s go to waste in a movie that asks her to do very little.

Mulligan's biggest contribution may be that she brings to the movie what many in the audience may already be expecting. There are very few times Gosling has not been involved with a romantic counterpart, so for the females in the audience she brings some of that to the story. But really any expression of love in the movie is there to accentuate the violence willing to be done for it. For the guys in the audience there is no shortage of blood. It takes a violent turn during the second half. It is almost shocking how violent they go, but maybe even worse it is sometimes laughable how bloody some of the scenes get. Also shocking is despite the movie being called Drive just how little our main character spends behind the wheel. I understand not wanting to be lumped into the same genre as The Fast and the Furious, but there is really only one good driving sequence which I can't help but feel was inserted in at the producer's request to increase the action pacing a bit.

The movie is fun, but it just gives off the impression that it is trying too hard. The movie really wants to fit into a certain genre and be a certain style. It wants to be an art house movie and an action movie and I don't know if the two blend well together. Some people are going to love it, a lot of blood a lot of action why wouldn't they, but for me the need to be artistic as well as bloody made it too ridiculous. For some people that is exactly what they are going to want. If you want an eighties movie with a hero the likes of an Eastwood then you should enjoy this movie. I enjoyed it, but it took me a long time to really formulate any kind of opinion on it which usually means that the movie is good but certainly not a must see. B-

Crazy, Stupid, Love

The movie opens with the heartbreak that drives the rest of the movie. Cal played by Steve Carell learns in the middle of a packed restaurant that his marriage is about to end and his wife Emily, played by Julianne Moore, cheated on him with a co-worker. This is not the start to the romantic comedy that we are used to, and from here it could go anywhere. They decide to keep the movie in the comedic wheel house but not without a few dramatic moments.

There is a lot jammed into Crazy, Stupid, Love but it never feels like you are missing out on anything. Dan Fogelman wrote his love story with three different generations all experiencing more or less the same thing. The first half of the movie seems to be full of punchy dialogue but as the movie progresses we lose the tart retorts and gain a sincerity and hope to the film. The emotions the characters feel seem much more genuine and their action more natural to what is going on around them even if the situations that started it all seem less likely.

While maybe not all totally believable the movie has a lot of heart and that has to count for something. The movie’s leading men hook up in a totally unrealistic fashion. There is no way some hot guy in a bar full of far too many attractive women takes a sad, pathetic 40-something man under his wings and guides him. But to be fair there is no chance a divorce ends that quickly or amicably without lawyers so it is best to just go with it. The dynamic between the male leads are great and lead to a lot of funny moments. It is not just the zingers that the actors deliver that receive audible reaction from the audience. This movie is also full of uncomfortable moments directly out of Carell’s “Office” playbook which makes sense as he also lends his hand as a producer on the film. I don’t know if I can remember a movie since Superbad that I was forced to look away from the screen by just how uncomfortable some of the funnier scenes in the movie got. The delivery is fantastic all around and there is little doubt to why that is.

The cast is full of incredibly talented people who continually get better with each role. Ryan Gosling is everything that is right with movies right now. His most recent roles have been amazing from the heart-breakingly beautiful in Blue Valentine, to the drug addled coach in Half Nelson, to the eternally romantic Noah in The Notebook. He picks amazing parts and knocks each of them out of the park. It was great to see him branch out into a comedic role and show just how far his talent can reach. Gosling is bound by nothing and it is going to be great to watch this leading man continue to grow. Carell returns to the big screen as the everyman romantic who once again spends the movie blurring the lines between being a total doofus and a complete charmer. His best scenes though are when he and Gosling work together in a Miyagi-esque relationship.

Their female co-stars don’t get quite the same detail written into their characters. After the initial outburst we learn very little about Moore’s Emily. There is a lot in the script about how Carell’s character deals with the break up, but most of Emily’s story comes from a response to the actions of her husband. Her best scenes feature her and Carell expressing the regret of their current situation. Emma Stone meanwhile plays Hannah the aspiring lawyer, and much like Gosling her character is far more interesting than the female lead. Her charisma flies off the screen especially the moments she shares with Gosling. She pops with her co-star and flaunts her perfect comedic timing. Of the four main actors, she probably gets the least amount of screen time. It is a shame we don’t see this romance till later in the story but these two young actors make every scene work.

Not only is this a talented leading group but the ensemble behind them are great as well. The third story line involves the older couple’s son who, typical of Hollywood, seems to be more knowledgeable than the adults who surround him. Also wonderful in the movie is Marissa Tomei who dials up the crazy a little bit and generates quite a few laughs herself. In fact the whole cast is able to get the audience going and it is a credit to the script that it was able to attract so many talented people.

The cast should attract a lot of people to this movie. Where it will win them over though is the amount of heart that shows on the screen. B-

Blue Valentine

This movie was never going to have a happy ending, I knew that going in. All I kept hearing was that was the most depressing movie of all time. Knowing that I took this to be a classic who done it? Like most people I want a fall guy, I want to know what happened here. I want to know why these beautiful and crazy kids are doomed to fail.

Enter Ryan Gosling as the care-free Dean, i doubt he had too much going for him before this story starts and is not too worried about his future. While talented at many things he lacks any ambition and just enjoys the moment. His partner in crime is the recently nominated actress Michelle Williams as Cindy. She seems much more cynical, promiscuous, and is always looking ahead to accomplish more. While opposites may attract these two philosophies of life seem to be at odds in the film.

Dean found everything he needs in this little family, instantly making him the more likable character. He treats his daughter like a princess and shows her all the adoration she could ever need. But apparently The Beatles were wrong and a little bit more than love is needed. Cindy has grown into the woman she had to be to help the family survive as a middle-class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Dean is more immature and found a job that lets him drink in the middle of the day and be there for his family.

These two actors are constantly looking for challenging roles, and in this movie it appears they have found one. How does one portray, in a believable fashion, a six year difference where everything has changed, it would be too much and unbelievable to go from one extreme to another so rather they both rely on subtly, Williams more so. There also seems to be a lot of free riffing and improvisation such as the scene on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Gosling is experienced with this kind of acting as he has gone out of his way to find strong independent movies. He easily could be making boat loads of money with huge box office numbers but has always gone after meatier scripts. He plays this role well with a lot of professional experience. His couterpart Williams seems to draw her inspiration more from her own past. At the time this movie was supposed to be made Heath Ledger passed away and out of respect to her and her daughter they delayed shooting. Upon learning this you have to wonder if some of this life experience went into the performance. She rolled effortlessly into this role and played it with such quiet strength, while maybe not the more likable of the two, the performance is stunning.

Writer/director Derek Cianfrance wrote this story in 2006 and in two parts. He says the beginning is a love story and the ending is a tragedy, but this isn't split into two distinct halves. Rather the stories are spliced together using high def digital video for the present, while the beginning of the relationship (which is always a little fuzzy) is shot on 16-mm film. This story telling helps to accentuate each moment.

But what is never seen is the middle, what happened between these two moments that left these people like this. To the story those moments are not important, it's not important to place blame but rather an examination of how two people can meet and what little it takes to fall in and out of love. Still the effect it can leave on you is overwhelming.

Much like a real relationship both sides have their demons and both sides contribute to the end. It's frightening how truthful this movie feels to watch a couple just fall out of love. And Cianfrance doesn't show us his hand, he may lead us in certain directions, but we never see how Cindy and Dean have come to this point in their lives after overcoming so much. Much like in real life they never say where it all went wrong all we are left with are the biggest moments of any relationship, the beginning and end of it. A-

Oscars 2011: First Glance

It's Oscar Season. Followers of this blog know that I love this time of year and like to draw it out as much as possible. So while I do plan on doing a post on my predictions for the awards, first here are a few things that caught my eye.

I knew that The King's Speech would be Oscar bait, I didn't think it would be leading the pack with 12 nominations. I thought it would be The Social Network. But the movie leading with all the best picture awards already didn't even garner second place. True Grit, which is a fun movie don't get wrong, took second with ten nominations.

This may be because of the glaring omission of Andrew Garfield as Supporting Actor. I genuinely thought all three men, Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Armie Hammer all deserved nominations for their performances, but that wasn't legitimately possible. Instead none get nominated and that is unfortunate.

Where was Nolan's nomination for director? Two years ago they expanded the Best Picture field to include blockbusters that don't get love from the Academy. So while Inception is rightly included in the best picture field it didn't get any love in the directing field. Nolan probably deserved more accolades for his directing than his screen writing. But if it were the other way around I'd probably still be bitching about it.

For lead actors Ryan Gosling got robbed. His performance with Michelle Williams is symbiotic, how is it possible for one to get nominatted and not the other. I imagine it was Javier Bardem who took his spot. Like most of America though I haven't seen Biutiful but I plan on getting to the bottom of this. I hear good things though, and to his credit Bardem becomes the first actor to be nominated as solely specking in Spanish throughout the film.

Call me crazy but I enjoyed Julianne Moore's performance more than Annette Bening's from The Kids Are Alright. Both deserved nominations and if only one was going to get the honor everyone knew it was going to be Bening but I thought Bening had a one strong moment where as Moore was consistently good throughout the movie.

Wasn't Waiting for "Superman" supposed to be the documentary everyone had to see to save our children? How did this movie not get nominated?

I love that Melissa Leo earned a nomination as the maniacal mother in The Fighter but where is the love for Barbara Hershey an equally if not more sinister parental figure for Black Swan because I'm not actually even sure if she was that evil or not.

Everyone is saying that The Town deserved more accolades. And with ten pictures being nominated for Best Picture it is really hard to snub a film anymore when it really only comes down to one or two films. What about directing or the screenplay. I actually agreed with the Academy on this one, and while it was a fun movie, unlike Nolan (who I would gladly substitute for Tom Hooper) I couldn't take anyone off the directing list for Ben Affleck.

What did you think. Am I wrong in any of these nomiantions? Is there someone else you thought got snubbed? Let me know