2011 was a weird year for movies. There were a lot of thoughtful, artistic endeavors that left me cold (I'm thinking of The Tree of Life and Melancholia), whereas some of my favorite movies were more mainstream than I typically go for (I loved X-Men and Bridesmaids). And then, of course, there were dozens of very good films that just didn't stay with me for long (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Meek's Cutoff, The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2 were among them). I think in the long run it was a good year for film--a lot of filmmakers and film viewers took risks in what they made and what they watched this year. Even if I didn't find a new film to add to my "all-time favorites" list, I still had a lot of fun and some amazing experiences at the movies this year.
My Favorite Films of 2011:
6. Hugo
Hugo was one of only two movies I saw more than once in the theatre this year. The first time I watched it I was with a big group of friends and we saw it in 3D. I felt a tremor of joy go through me during the opening sequence, as the camera pans down to 1930's Paris and into the train station where Hugo Cabret lives and works, hidden away like a mouse. The scenes depicting George Melies making his films at the turn of the 20th century, as well as Hugo and Isabella's journey to the film archives, caused me to feel nostalgia for a time I never lived in, and have only experienced vicariously through film. The second time around, I saw Hugo with my parents--both of whom admitted to tearing up during the movie. It's rare that I find a movie that brings out the same emotions and pleasure in my parents and also my cinephile comrades. Hugo did just that.
5. Circumstance
A little seen, but powerful film about two Iranian teenagers experiencing the first stirrings of adulthood, sexuality, and independence in a culture that is intent on keeping them quiet and obedient. The most heartbreaking message of the film is that the two young women love each other so much, but in the end their love isn't enough to change their circumstances.
4. The Skin I Live In
Certainly one of the most bizarre films of the year, Pedro Almodovar's The Skin I Live In is, well, difficult. It's the story of a woman who is a captive, yet never lets go of the freedom inside herself. It's a violent--even perverted--film yet has a dark sense of humor; a combination that is Almodovar's specialty. Gallows humor, you could call it. And as in Almodovar's other movies, the heroine at the center of The Skin I Live In thrives in awful circumstances and proves herself stronger than her oppressor.
3. X-Men: First Class
I went into this movie with pretty low expectations. I had never seen any of the previous X-Men films or read any of the X-Men comics. I knew next to nothing about the X-Men. But for my money, this was one of the most entertaining movies I saw this year. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender give excellent performances as Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr--young men who start as friends with radically different life experiences and thus radically different philosophies that will one day force them to part ways as enemies. Superhero movies often have very simple worldviews: good vs. evil, strong vs. weak, etc. X-Men: First Class takes this black and white way of looking at the world and adds shades of gray.
2. Another Year
Technically, this film was released in 2010. However, it didn't reach my town until January of 2011, so I'm counting it as part of this year. Another Year is quiet character study that is so realistic that at times it's painful to watch. Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen play Tom and Gerri (yes...), a happily married couple entering their golden years with so much love, happiness, health, and modest wealth that their single, lonely friend Mary (Lesley Manville, in what I think is the best performance of the year) looks downright pathetic in comparison. And Mary is pathetic: drinking too much wine and passing out in Tom and Gerri's guest bedroom; flirting with their 30-something son; looking around the dinner table with sadness and desperation in her eyes. Mary is a character you want to slap and hug at the same time, mostly because it's easy to see a little of yourself in her. We all feel a little loserish once in a while, and despite its gentleness, Another Year makes us wince with recognition.1. Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids is the other film I saw more than once in the theatre. In fact, I saw it three times: with coworkers, on a date, and with my *gulp* mom and dad. And all three times, I sat through the credits thinking "I could watch this again right now". Granted, I was predisposed to like Bridesmaids, being a fourth-ish wave feminist raised on Jezebel.com, Bust magazine, and Tina Fey. Bridesmaids was billed as the movie that would change "chick flicks" and comedies starring women forever. Finally, we would prove Christopher Hitchens wrong: women ARE funny, dammit! Now laugh!
Well, I can't say that Bridesmaids started a revolution, exactly--although it did make more money than Superbad and became one of the biggest R-rated hits of, well, ever. But I will say this: my 57 year old father, an avowed hater of romantic comedies and chick flicks, sat through this movie and said he really liked it and that it almost made him cry. That's something, folks.
Bridesmaids meant something to me--it was like an acknowledgement of my worldview. I saw in Bridesmaids my sense of humor, my relationships with my female friends, my simultaneous resentment of and desire for romance reflected on screen--perhaps a little too cartoonishly in Wiig and company's hands, but reflected all the same. It's not all Two and a Half Men and Bridget Jones's Diary out there. There is a place where comedy and the female experience intersect--and I want to go to there.
***
Honorable Mentions:
Beginners
This sweet movie about a octogenarian (Christopher Plummer) who comes out of the closet and wants to make up for lost time after the death of his wife, only to be diagnosed with cancer, is heartwarming in the best possible way. It's affectionate without being cloying; it's optimistic without being unrealistic and pollyannaish; it's twee without bashing you over the head with cuteness (for people with a high tolerance for cute). Beginners could have gone horribly awry, but I felt that it hit the mark, thanks mostly to the performances of Plummer and Ewan McGregor as his thoughtful, introverted son. In an entertainment market that favors a violent, action-oriented version of masculinity, these two gentle men stood out as the real deal.
Drive
Speaking of violent, action-oriented masculinity, Drive takes male heroism is a grim--even sickening--extreme. Starring the Man/Meme of the Year--Ryan Gosling--as a loner who is a stunt car driver by day and a getaway driver by night, Drive got some major backlash when it turned out not to be the sexy car movie audiences were expecting it to be. In an earlier review, I bitched about Drive not having any three-dimensional female characters, and that the women in Drive were essentially "tokens" without much to do except serve as props and motivations for the male characters. But then I realized that Bridesmaids does pretty much the exact same thing with its male characters. So...fair's fair I guess. Anyway, despite Drive's flaws, it's a movie that haunts you long after the credits roll.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Last year, the original Swedish adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo made my top five. Sadly, as good as David Fincher's remake was, it didn't equal the thrill of seeing the film for the first time, when the mystery is still fresh. Also, seeing actors I knew speaking in English was a distraction. When I saw the Swedish version, I wasn't familiar with any of the actors, and the subtitles made the whole thing seem more authentic. That said, everyone who worked on this movie did a fine job. The chilly cinematography and unsettling music are especially affecting, and Rooney Mara's portrayal of Lisbeth Salander is excellent. Like Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo doesn't have *too* much going on beneath is slick, ultraviolent surface--but it is an exciting, entertaining film nonetheless.
***
Other good movies of note:
Buck, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2, The Lincoln Lawyer, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Meek's Cutoff, Midnight in Paris, Super
***
My Least Favorite Films of 2011
3. Breaking Dawn pt. 1
It's an easy choice, and I have to give it credit for being unintentionally funny, but when it comes right down to it, Breaking Dawn pt. 1 is not a good movie. Kristin Stewart and Robert Pattinson may be good actors in other films, but they just looked pained and sad to be part of this franchise. The film's vampire mythology is inconsistent, the dialogue is laughable and overwrought, and the film's messages about love, family, and motherhood are...let's just be honest...fucked up. The Twilight movies serve as silly popcorn entertainment for those who can stand it and torture for those who can't.
2. Limitless
What sounds like a great idea on paper (a loser gets access to brain drug that makes him awesome at everything) was surprisingly uninspired and stupid on screen. From the unnecessary voiceover narration to Bradley Cooper's not ideal performance, to the Robert De Niro bait-and-switch (the previews make him look like the main bad guy, but he's not really in the movie that much and he's not really that villainous!), the whole thing is just underwhelming.
1. No Strings Attached
Where Limitless was underwhelming, No Strings Attached was downright boring, which, to me, is the greatest sin a movie can commit. There are plenty of "bad" movies that can be extremely entertaining, but this Ashton Kutcher/Natalie Portman rom-com was such a snoozer, it was kind of depressing. I don't like Kutcher, but the man can be funny. He just looks sedated here. And Natalie Portman as a sex-hungry, over-worked, cherub-cheeked doctor? No. I think terrible casting was the film's main problem. The thing is, I wanted to like No Strings Attached. I wanted it to be funny, and kind of dirty, and sweet. But it was jusrtt,,,
...zzzzzzzz
***
Overrated films of 2011:
Attack the Block, The Help, Melancholia, The Tree of Life, The Trip, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
***
Well, that's all folks! Here's to another great year in film!
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