Best & Worst of 2011

So yeah, this has been a long time coming, but I've finally gotten around to it. This is going by the official release dates of the below movies, as I think ranking them according to Australian year of release is kinda pointless. Anyway....

Top Films 10 of 2011

1. The Tree of Life

A rare film that only comes around every so often that not only lives up to it's ambitious nature but exceeds it. Completely moving, surreal and other worldly experience, this could well end up being the film of the decade.

2. Burning Man

Australian brilliance. Not only an artistic triumph but succeeds in telling an extremely engaging and, apparently, very personal story for director Jonathan Teplitzky about dealing with personal tragedy, all the while resisting the urge to add even a hint of sentimentality. Kudos.

3. A Separation

I haven't written about this one yet (although will soon), this Iranian film offers up a fascinating multi layered exploration of family, truth, lies and religion while not becoming preachy, and sympathising with every character and presenting all different points of view on display fairly and equally. With such a rich variety of character and themes this one would be studied in English classes for the rest of eternity, if only the film were in English.

4. Hugo

Martin Scorsese's passionate and wholly original work about childhood and the beauty of film making is a visual stunner that has the storyline to back it up. Shame that you'll need a 3D TV to recapture that magic from cinema.

5. Shame

Unsettling, yet powerful and honest portrayal of a man who has become a complete slave to his sex and pornography addiction. This exploration of what happens when men lose their way is difficult to watch and recommend due to it's graphic content, but is undoubtedly a near masterpiece.

6. The Descendants

Dubbed as the sentimental favourite of 2011, probably due to it's heart warming story that just about anyone can enjoy about family bonding together during crisis. Excellent characterisations, funny script and a plot that starts strong and loses no momentum along the way.

7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Complex yet masterfully crafted spy film that will, if there's any justice, be recognised as a classic of the crime genre somewhere down the track. Will probably require a couple of viewings due to the complex narrative, but it's worth it.

8. Melancholia

Lars Von Trier's flawed masterpiece about the end of the world is like no other Armageddon film you're likely to see. No pointless love stories or sappy farewell speech's, but rather a look at how two sisters deal with their impending doom differently based on their mental state. The use of Wagner's prelude to Triston and Isolde is used to great effect, especially when blasting through the speakers to signify that the end is nigh.

9. Moneyball

The combination of Brad Pitt in a lead role and an Aaron Sorkin script had all the markings of being a winner, and didn't disappoint with Sorkin providing his usual witty and intelligent dialogue and Pitt providing the acting goods to bring this intimate character study to life.

10. The Guard

Rounding out the top 10, this Irish film works well as a comedy, a crime/action film and a serious character study. On top of that, Brendan Gleeson gives a brilliant performance, so what's not to like?

Five Worst Films of 2011

This part is by no means an exhaustive list. For obvious reasons, I usually avoid films that receive bad reviews from critics and the public, and therefore I'm sure there are a lot of duds I haven't seen. However, every now and then I have the misfortune of coming across some stinkers for whatever reason, and these are the five worst from last year.

1. (Being the absolute worst) Jack and Jill

Adam Sandler has clearly come to the point in his carer where he has realised he can sell a film base solely on his name and nothing else, so putting any actual effort into the movie would be a waste of his time. And no, putting on a wig and playing his own twin sister doesn't qualify as effort, it qualifies as completely moronic. No laughs to speak of, no plot or characters to care about, loads (and I mean LOADS) of product placement, and Al Pacino playing an insane version of himself confirming the sad reality that his star has fallen, this is one huge steaming garbage pile.

2. Your Highness

The aim of the game in this fantasy comedy is to use the F word as much as possible in each sentence, and apparently that automatically equals laughs. The special effects are lame, the story is utterly pointless and none of the jokes work. Pathetic.

3. Battle: Los Angeles

To save you the pain of sitting through Battle: Los Angeles I'll sum up this snooze fest in a few words; Army guys are introduced briefly - aliens invade - BANG BANG BANG - generic war speech 1 - BANG BANG BANG - generic war speech 2 - BANG BANG BANG - the end. Next.

4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The worst entry in this insipid trilogy (ok, the first one was actually not bad) obviously has no substance to it, but I've heard many appeals made to the fact that the final battle was worth sitting though the other mindless two or so hours for. But I can't understand why. The battle goes on forever, it's all over the place and has no flow to it whatsoever, and with nothing invested in the story or characters I couldn't give a stuff who ends up winning.

5. Sleeping Beauty


It's a shame that this was the film to effectively represent Australia at Cannes last year. Slow, boring and pretentious, the director seems confused between subtle character development and not giving enough information for the audience to care.


Most Underrated Film of 2011

The Ides of March

The critics didn't seem to think all that much of George Clooney's latest directorial effort, however I was compelled by this political story of shifting loyalties and loss of innocence from beginning to end. A tad contrived perhaps, but no more so than any other film of it's type.

Most Overrated Film of 2011

Warrior

Cliched, heavy handed and unrealistic, this MMA film's only saving grace is it's performances, which although prevent it from becoming a disaster, certainly don't propel it to a level worth of the critical praise it's received.

It's been a white part 2

So here's the conclusion to the previous entry, containing the rest of what I meant to include.

Warrior

Warrior is a mixed martial arts film about two estranged brothers with an alcoholic father who both enter the same multi million dollar tournament. I've written a bit about my thoughts on this one elsewhere, so allow me to take a moment and make use of ctrl+c followed by ctrl+v....

In response to Mr. Ben Hobson's positive review of the film I said

"..... It started out well introducing the characters but got progressively worse as it went on. What I didn't like about it;

- The relationship between the brothers wasn't developed in any great depth, certainly not enough for me to care about the end. I think there was one brief confrontation between them before the ending.
- The dialogue was pretty weak.
- I disagree with you regarding the cheese. The whole last hour or so which comprised of the tournament was rife with cheesiness and cliche. From the completely unsubtle way the commentators narrated the story and gave us vital information, to the annoying music stirring up cheap sentimentality, to the crowds reactions to the fights, slowly warming to the protagonists.
- For that matter, the entire way they developed the characters was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
- SPOILERS - The way the tournament was set up and played out was extremely unbelieveable. As if a washed up UFC fighter and a no name would gain entry to a major tournament worth $5,000,000. The fact that the washed up fighter then beat the Russian fighter who was unbeaten and at the top of his game without us (the viewer) seeing his journey through intense training was pretty unsatisfying."

However, on a more positive note what I did like about the film were the performances, particularly Tom Hardy. His relationship with his alcoholic father, played by Nick Nolte is quite nice, and there's a brilliant scene between them that almost single handily redeems the film. But it doesn't. This isn't any better than average.

**1/2 out of *****

Shame

The second film from British director Steve McQueen (so no, not the Steve McQueen you're thinking of) paints the portrait of a man named Brandon, played by Michael Fassbender. On the outside Brandon appears to be a confident, successful guy having it all together with a respectable job, nice apartment and living a comfortable life. This is the image he presents to those around him and no one suspects any different. On the inside, however, he's a man who's completely lost his way, living hollow existence as a slave to his sex and pornography addiction.

When his sister, played by Carey Mulligan shows up at his apartment to stay carrying the same amount of baggage as Brandon, and possibly more, it throws more than a simple spanner in the works. Through a number of confrontations between the two we begin to learn that their childhood was not a Rosy one, and it has inevitably damaged them both, but is the damage irreparable?

As far as I'm aware this is the first film to take a serious look a sex and pornography addiction and the destructive effect it can have on a person's humanity, and it's powerful one at that. From the goose bump inducing score, to the brilliant performance of Michael Fassbender to the subtle, somewhat ambiguous journey into the depths of Brandon's soul that is none the less extremely deep and, I'll admit, a little tear jerking. I have to be honest and say I was extremely moved by this very raw, very honest, yet extremely stylish look at what happens to men when they lose their way.

It's s tough film to recommend due to it's graphic nature, so some research into the content is suggested by yours truly before choosing to watch it. It's a touch uneven, with the last 20 minutes or so packing the most punch, where as earlier the film feels like it looses momentum occasionally. But that's nit picking, this was an otherwise amazing, powerful experience.

****1/2 out of *****

My Week With Marilyn

I don't really feel like talking about this one much, so I wont. In short, good movie, not great. If you have any interest in Marilyn Monroe you'll probably like it, but even if you don't the story about her brief fling with a guy working on her first British film, who wasn't anyone particularly noteworthy for that matter, is fairly engaging. Michelle Williams is fantastic as Marilyn and could have carried a script written by a fourth grader anyway.

***1/2 out of *****

Carnage

Roman Polanski's latest (yes he's still making movies) is set pretty much entirely in one apartment and the adjoining corridor. Jodie Foster and John C Reilly play the residents of said apartment, and are playing host to Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz, who's son has hit their hosts son in the head with a stick. The two couples meet to discuss the matter, and although the meeting at first appears as if it will be brief a number of incidents keep stopping Kate and Christoph from leaving. What ensues are numerous conflicts, resolutions, shifting loyalties and clashes of over differing values as the two couples learn more about each other than the wanted or needed to.

The concept of Carnage was probably more interesting than the execution, and it may have worked better as a play. I am a fan of all four actors, however, and what is interesting to watch is how their characters a developed over such a short period of time (79 minutes) in a confined space. Watching four adults begin proceedings in a civil meeting and slowly degenerate into a childish, chaotic mess is also somewhat amusing, while at the same having perhaps a few too many doses of reality to instead be rather alarming. Again, a good, but not great film that you can probably skip at the cinema but well worth checking out on DVD.

***1/2 out of *****

It's been a while....

so lets get into it.

The Grey

Or Liam Neeson vs the wolves. After sitting through a opening scene introducing Liam Neeson's character as a sad loner who's given up on life followed by a intense and well, frankly awes me plane crash, that's essentially what the movie is. Neeson and some fellow co-workers find themselves stuck somewhere in Alaska as a pack of wolves pick them off one by one. Sound boring? You'd be wrong.  There are plenty of nicely staged scenes of nail biting action/suspense for fans of the genre, plus just enough philosophical musing to justifiably say this is deeper than you're average popcorn movie fare. The end result is a horror survival story that (almost) smoothly blends with an exploration of man's struggle with his inevitable journey toward death and questions of where God fits into the whole mess. I just can't help but feel that this is a good movie that could have been a great one had a little bit more time been spent fleshing out the secondary characters rather than them just being wolf fodder and a vessel to convey the central themes.

***1/2 out of *****

Tinker Tailor Solider Spy

British spy movie that plays out a bit like a realistic James Bond, Tinker Tailor follows agent George Smiley as he comes out of retirement to try to unmask a mole working in the inner sanctum of British Intelligence known as The Circus, supposedly supplying British secrets to the soviets during the cold war.. Painting a vivid picture of the 70s and cold war paranoia, the film makes excellent use of flashbacks throughout in what is a masterfully told story.

The character development is subtle yet offers deeper insight through a brief exchange than pages of dialogue do in many other movies. The mini characters arcs and sub plots all intertwine seamlessly with the major plot to bring about one of the best movies of 2011. A complex narrative will mean that those unfamiliar with the source material may have to check it out twice to fully appreciate it (I enjoyed it more the second time around) but it's worth it. Don't expect loads of action, just brilliant film making.

**** 1/2 out of *****

This Means War

A romantic comedy that, for some reason, I saw with two other guys. Not really sure how that happened, although I guess because it had action elements as well that makes it acceptable. Reece Witherspoon, for some reason, decides it's good idea to two time two guys. The fact that those two guys are fellow CIA agents and best friends means, of course, they quickly find out about it and decide to outdo each other.

So, being an romantic, action comedy obviously the success of the film will rest on how those three elements hold up. As a romance? Fail - there is bugger all chemistry between Witherspoon and the two male leads (Tom Hardy & Chris Pine), and I couldn't have cared less who she ended up with. Action? The action scenes are pretty tame and run of the mill, and certainly wouldn't satisfy anyone who watched the movie for that aspect alone. Comedy? Well, yeah, it is funny. Not belly aching funny but funny enough. This Means War is not a great movie but it is, dare I say, a bit of popcorn fun. As long you're not expecting a masterpiece then there's no reason not to enjoy this slightly guilty pleasure.

*** out of *****

The Hunter

Another Australian film with an international star at the helm, this time it's Willem Dafoe. Not sure what's up with that, but anyway. Dafoe's character has been sent on a mission by his employer to hunt for the long thought to be extinct Tasmanian Tiger (no guesses for where the film is set) for reasons that are first unclear but unravel as the film goes on. What at first seems like interesting idea soon turns into a fairly tired environment vs industry story (and as usual environmentalists = good, big corporations = evil) and even some really nice cinematography showcasing the Tasmanian wilderness can't hide the fact there's zero character development to be found anywhere. Still, the film has a fresh and natural feel to it, and I like the concept, so I'll score it generously.

*** out of *****

Terri

Terri is an overweight high school student. He has no friends, is cared for by his crazy and sick uncle who actually needs Terri to care for him, and wear pyjamas to school because they are "comfortable." During the course of the film he is taken under the wing of the high school principal, played by John C Reilly, who realises Terri needs help, and also ends up befriending the used-to-be-the-most-popular-girl-in-school until she fell from grace and the school's resident juvenile delinquent. The incredible amount of sympathy that is generated for Terri makes this one hard not to like, and and as a character study the movie works. However, at the same time the story feels unfinished, and once we arrive at the end Terri's journey only seems about half of the way there. Had they added an extra 20 minutes or so to tie things up in a more satisfying way this would have been better, but as it is Terri is still well worth a watch.

***1/2 out of *****

Well I had planned to write more but I might save that for tomorrow. I'm tired and going to bed.