Favorite Movies I Watched In 2011

Well, I didn't review anything this year but I am about to list my favorite movies I watched in 2011.  One of them came out in 2010.  There seems to be a pattern here which is heartbreak and love.  I can only draw one conclusion...I need to get out of the house more often.  Sign me up for a bowling league, book of the month club, hell I'll clean pools on the weekends!  Fact is I am and will always be a hopeless romantic so I am drawn to stories that depict the truest emotion we have.  I missed a lot of movies this year and I am always playing catch up but here are my top three of 2011.   

1.  Melancholia

After sitting through and enduring Lars Von Trier's last movie Antichrist, I was interested to see what type of wrath he wanted to put his next set of actors and actresses through.  Thankfully he doesn't require self mutilation here but instead all the pain is from within.  Kristen Dunst plays Justine, a woman on her wedding day suffering from deep depression.  It does not help that any day now a blue planet named Melancholia may or may not collide with earth leaving nothing in its wake.  

Excellent acting from Dunst, who should receive an Oscar nomination for best actress, is punctuated by a surrounding cast including Charlotte Gainsbourg as Claire, Justine's sister and Kefer Sutherland, John, Claire's husband who is very confident the world is not about to end.  Split into two chapters Melancholia is a slow burn.  It explores depression, facing fears and triumphs in taking back your life.  What struck me is the metaphor Lars uses for worlds ending: Justine's depression versus global domination.  It's amazing how small your problems become once you realize everyone cant escape Melancholia (or do they?)  The cinematography is top notch and as the story plays out, Melancholia looms over the night and day sky with gloom and acceptance.  This film is not for everyone but it is my favorite of 2011.  

2.  Crazy Stupid Love

Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is out to dinner with his wife Emily Weaver (Julianne Moore) and while deciding desert she asks for a divorce.  Cue the outrageous comedy! 

Actually this film is very funny, very sweet and always one step ahead of most of the rom-coms I have seen.  Cal moves out and meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling) at a bar.  After watching Cal's drunken woes is me shtick one too many nights Jacob, the ever sleazy yet charming ladies man, decides to take Cal under his wing to show him how to pick up women and gain his confidence.  After one of the more eventful make over montage scenes, the transformation is complete and Cal is on his way.  Only trouble is, he loves his wife and decides to fight for her.  There are many twists and supporting players in this wonderful and enchanting story.  Things get dark, people laugh, people cry, people fight and by the end I was ready for all three.  Once scene I must mention has Cal and Emily waiting outside a school room for a parent teacher meeting.  This extremely well written and acted exchange could be my highlight of 2011.  The movie plays out they way you think it will and while maybe a bit over long and too convenient at times, it is a great example of story telling and acting.  This is 'Magnolia' meets 'American Beauty' meets 'Steve Carell' and I was not expecting that.

3.  Remember Me

Don't let that mug shot of Robert Pattinson fool you.  From the opening scene to the last this is a powerful film.  The final moments were a sucker punch I never expected and will never forget.  In the ten years since 9/11 a new type of story telling has emerged.  I first witnessed it with Mike Binder's 'Reign Over Me.'  In that movie we see the life of someone dealing with the after affects.  With Alan Coulter's 'Remember Me' we lay bare the life events that proceeded Americas Tragedy.  

Robert plays Tyler Hawkins, a middle of the road slacker searching for meaning while contempt to muddle through his brothers suicide.  Emilie de Ravin is Ally Craig, herself a witness to her mothers murder as a child and has moved on with her life.  The two meet and they live "happily ever after."  

This is a heavy film.  

Pattinson shrugs off his 'Twilight' naysayers with a solid performance.  The exceptional supporting cast includes Chris Cooper and Pierce Brosnan.  I imagine we will see plenty more of this type of movie as a new generation of filmmakers explore and exorcise their personal challenges that 9/11 brought.  

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Two other films that I found deeply involving were Lone Scherfig's 'One Day' starring Anne Hathaway and James Keach's 'Waiting For Forever.'  Both films follow the ups and downs of relationships in two completely different ways.  I hope to have full separate reviews of them posted soon.  

It was a great year for comedies as The Hangover Part II, Horrible Bosses, My Idiot Brother, Arthur, Bridesmaids and 30 Minutes or Less all had me laughing.

My favorite horror movie of 2011 is Scream 4.  My guilty pleasure genre did not produce many great films this year (Missed Paranormal Activity 3) but I loved the throw back vibe that Scream 4 created.  

Page One: Inside The New York Times is a fantastic documentary about the struggle between print and social media.  I found the inside workings of one of Americas oldest newspapers fascinating.

2011 was an interesting mix of sequels and remakes.  A trend that will continue next year as we gear up for another explosion of Super Hero movies.  Seriously, does Spider-Man need a re-boot?  Oh well, Peter Parker already has my 10 bucks. (damn you!)  The overall box office was up this year as Harry Potter, Transformers, Twilight, Fast Five (!?!) Pirates of the Caribbean and Cars 2 steamrolled through the less fortunate.  

The second year of the new again 3D craze did not inspire great rewards as many early movies converted the traditional 2D tape hoping to scam viewers out of a few more dollars.  Some were successful, Captain America and some...not so much, I'm looking at you Green Lantern!  Maybe Piranha 3DD will prove to be a 2012 winner.  With a title like that you never know. 

Christopher Nolan finishes his Batman trilogy, The Hunger Games is ready to pick up the Twilight mantle (tho one more of them to go) Men In Black III, Battleship, The Avengers, Prometheus and The Bourne Legacy should reap box office gold. 

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In the race for glitz and star power I am always seeking out the smaller more intimate tales.  I respect a movie that has something to say even if the overall product misses its mark.  

Melancholia, Crazy Stupid Love, Remember Me.

Three movies that couldn't be anymore different yet speak to the same topic through opposite view points and my favorite movies of 2011. 

  

Kick-Ass

Directed By - Matthew Vaughn

Starring:
Aaron Johnson
Chloe Moretz
Nicolas Cage
Christopher Mintz-Plasse


Plot: Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.


Review:


Well this was certainly interesting.  Lets get to it.  Dave (Aaron Johnson) is just your regular high school kid.  Not cool enough to get the girl but has a solid group of friends around him.  Comic geeks for sure but also just barley existing in life. One day Dave decides that being invisible to people just is not enough.  It is time to take a stand and become something greater.  Disillusioned perhaps but with his heart in the right place he orders a costume and transforms himself into Kick-Ass. Only trouble is this is real life and he has no superpowers.  Not one to give up he heads out one day to stop crime on the streets.  Guess what?  That did not go so well for him.  Broken for sure but not down for the count, an undaunted Kick-Ass gets his big break by saving the day while some not so heroic kids video tape the proceedings.  Dave becomes a YouTube sensation and Kick-Ass is in business.  


Meanwhile...Two real possible superheroes Mindy Macready aka Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) and Damon Macready aka Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) a father and daughter team, take notice of Kick-Ass and decide to reach out to him.  This is where the story opens up as we start to find out that this team has some serious scores to settle.  They want to wipe out the thugs of one Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) with the ultimate goal of taking him down.  Very violently.


Meanwhile...Dave is still the high school kid by day and in love with Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca) They grow very close to each other but the only problem is, for reasons I wont get into, she thinks he is gay.  She takes a strong interest in him because of not worrying about the threat of a relationship.  As they move along she is stricken with the thought that its a shame he is not available because they get along so well.  Ah but if she only knew!


Meanwhile...Frank has a son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who Dad thinks can not handle the mafia side of things in The Family.  Trying to please but never gaining full trust and as Kick-Ass keeps getting headlines for taking down the empire, Chris gets the idea to befriend Kick-Ass to bring him down, thus unleashing his own alter ego Red Mist!

This movie was one wild and fun ride.  A comic book adaptation itself, Kick-Ass is funny, violent, touching and did I mention violent?  In the same vein as Kill Bill our hordes of characters slash and shoot and dismember people with perfect on screen glee.  In the beginning this is very much a spoof of superhero movies but it grows into the idea it was poking fun at in the first place.  There are moments of jaw dropping action which are followed by strong story development and extremely funny awkward situations.  The latter involving our main hero entering the room of Katie via the window to come clean about his intentions and feelings for her.  Set up as a beautiful moment ala the Peter Parker and Mary Jane connection, the perfect human side of what would really happen if you know, real people acted this way, comes through in amazing reality.  "Whats the difference between Spider-Man and Peter Parker?" Dave asks.  "Spider-Man gets the girl."  And it is there where our story is rooted.  The maybe false hope of true love in a young mans mind crossed with the need to make things right attached with every comic book fantasy he has ever known.


Much has been made about the performance of  Chloe Moretz.  Only 11 years old during the filming of this movie her character is required to do some very heavy lifting.  Curse words be damned as she skillfully destroys any enemy in her way. We are talking every offensive word in the dictionary.  While I can understand the concern of having such a young person act this way for a movie (and trust me there was some serious outrage) I found myself in awe of the entire movie and none of it affected me in the slightest.  I am not the moral police, leave that up to her parents.  Glad they did because Hit Girl was not only a break out role for the actress but also a highly entertaining spectacle in a movie filled with spectacles.  An early scene involving the hard way to learn how to take a bullet is particularly fascinating and brilliant.

In the end we all know where this will go.  Some fun twists along the way and things I did not see coming.  This movie gets serious but never loses its heart. The soundtrack is also excellent and serves as another character in the film.  I am purposely leaving out moments that just need to be seen if you are into this type of movie.  Trouble is it does not fit into any category.  One part spoof, one part Spider-Man, one part Quentin Tarantino, one part Death Wish, one part Superbad and all parts insane.  Excellent film, must see material.


"With no power, comes no responsibility. Except, that wasn't true."


4 Crowes out of 4

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

Directed By - Samuel Bayer

Starring:
Jackie Earle Haley 
Rooney Mara
Thomas Dekker
A Bunch Of Other People You Wont Care About

Plot: The kids of Elm Street start having nightmares about the same man.  If you die in your dream you are dead for real.

Review:

"If Nancy doesn't wake up screaming, she wont wake up at all"

That was the original tag line for 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street, written and directed by Wes Craven.  At its time the movie was one of the most original and truly scary horror films.  With Halloween and Friday the 13th already sucked into the remake machine of hell, Freddy was just there for the taking.  Problem is if you spent money on this thinking it would even be remotely as scary as the original then I am afraid you were the one taken. 

We all know the story.  The kids on Elm Street are having nightmares about a burned man with knives for fingers.  Dirty green and red sweater - check.  Fedora hat - check.  Razor blade glove - check. Soon enough one of them dies and the race against time is on.  The trick is to stay up as long as possible to figure out what is happening.  The parents don't believe them and one by one we say bye bye to the lot. 

I'm not going to waste much time on this.  I did not like it.  While a second screening did have me more involved in the story we still have the main thing holding back major studio horror films for the last 20 years.  Paper thin characters we just do not care about.  Slap together some b-list twenty-something hotties, add a dash of jump scares, remove all tension and presto!  Horror remake movie is done.  Only the whole thing was cooked from jump street. 

ooohhh Scary!

  

So our kids figure out that this man may or may not have violated them years ago and the parents took to vigilante justice.  Burning him alive, in one of the movies more effective scenes.  The big twist here was the story tried to make you think Freddy was innocent for a portion of the running time.  An admirable idea but it was very quickly discarded and good ole Freddy really is the monster he appears to be.  I would have used this idea earlier in the movie then use the truth when they did.  The people behind this said all along it was a re-imagining and not a true remake.  If this was the case who ever imagined this mess needs to find a dictionary.  It was a play by play of the original only extremly less entertaining.  Which leads me to the last thing I want to mention about this new A Nightmare On Elm Street...

They are practically giving you the finger!

Yep, I will never understand this one.  Unlike other horror icons who can hide behind masks, Freddy Kruger was played by Robert England, no mask just great make-up and voice.  Robert became Freddy.  Replacing him was a huge mistake.  I have nothing against Jackie Earle Haley its just too iconic of a role for an audience of people, many who have been with this franchise for 25 years, to go and make this change.  I understand the filmmakers wanting to put there own stamp on the proceedings but Robert would have upped the fear factor in an otherwise fright-less 95 minutes. 

Being part of the 'Big Three' of horror icons so many have grown up with I feel I should note this.  The Halloween remake took a chance to be different and while many did not like the outcome I commend Rob Zombie for the efforts, it was not a brainless hack job.  Friday the 13th is too hard to screw up.  Put a hockey mask on a guy, give him a machete and away we go.  Nightmare was always a bit different.  Surreal in nature and not sure what was true or a dream and finding out that the dream is a deadly reality. (huh?)

So the remake train keeps going and in its path there has been many more losers than winners.  A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010 takes a masterful film and forgets what made it so damn good in the first place.  These filmmakers think they can bankroll a big name property with nameless kids, yes-men directors and meandering stories built off of people who once cared about the genre.  All they want is a big box office opening weekend and it will rent like crazy.  A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010 did just that but it will be forgotten just as quick.  Go watch the original to see how it is really done. 

1 Crowe out of 4

Punch Drunk Love

Directed By - Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring:

Adam Sandler

Emily Watson

Luis Guzman

Mary Lynn Rajskub

Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Plot: A beleaguered small-business owner gets a harmonium and embarks on a romantic journey with a mysterious woman.

Review:

"I don't know if there is anything wrong because I don't know how other people are." - Barry Egan

"Wow" - Me

Oh Paul Thomas Anderson, writer and director of Punch Drunk Love, it is almost not fair what you can accomplish with your craft.  Movies like this do not happen all the time, only every time PTA decides to make one.  More on that at a later.  Adam Sander plays Barry Egan, a young entrepreneur selling of all things hotel and casino style plungers (fitting really.)  He has seven sisters, meets a girl, calls a phone sex line, buys a lot of pudding and occasionally breaks into a random act of violence.  Let me back up a second.  This is not your man-child Adam Sandler movie.  Anderson saw something behind those eyes and wrote a script with Sandler as the lead before knowing he would even accept.  The celluloid lords took over and everyone got what they wanted.  For Adam Sandler it was his first chance at doing something different with a director who is known for different.  For Paul Thomas Anderson, it could not have worked out any other way.

We meet Barry opening up his business one morning.  A woman stops buy to drop her car off at the repair shop next door.  Not open yet, she asked Barry to give them the keys and off she goes.  Seconds later a harmonium falls off a truck and Barry scoops it up and stashes it in his office.  As the day progresses Barry is interrupted multiple times at work by his sisters on the phone wanting to make sure he is coming over that night for a birthday party.  Turns out one of them has a women she thinks he should meet.  Barry goes from total commitment to maybe not attending.  A fractured man with a sister who is trying to help.  Barry does show up that night but the blind date had been called off.  The pressure of the situation leads to the breaking of many panels of glass and Barry asking a dentist about a shrink.  Barry goes home and reluctantly calls a phone sex line, not to get off but to talk.  He sort of claims he has more money then he does and the next morning his phone rings.  Its the phone sex girl and she wants money.  None of this makes sense as I type it but the anger and beauty of this not so typical day is bleeding off the screen.      

Turns out that almost blind date was the woman who dropped off her car, Lena (Emily Watson) She had seen a picture of Barry and wanted to meet him.  The earlier car drop was not by chance, a common theme in Anderson's movies.  Barry is a good man, a nice man who one suspects having seven sisters ruined him emotionally.  He is ashamed of his past and builds up his future.  While at the grocery store he notices a promotion by Healthy Choice.  For each dollar spent you gain free frequent flyer miles.  Turns out there pudding has a loop hole.  Four for 99 cents yet each one gets scanned individually.  He even calls the company to verify.  Its all good.  Barry has no desire to get on a plane but the opportunity is too great for him to pass up.  So buy some pudding he does.  Lots and lots of it.

So back to the phone sex woman.  She has all of Barry's personal information.  After a few failed attempts at getting her money we are introduced to Dean (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) her boss.  He enlists a few thugs to scare him into it.  Oh, did I mention during this time Barry and Lena go on a date, he destroys a bathroom, gets kicked out before they can order appetizers and she is going to Hawaii on business in a few days.  Still, none of this makes sense as I type it.  It simply needs to be seen.

So after our first date ends in near vehicular manslaughter Barry desides to stand up for himself, maybe for the first time in his life.  The supressed rage he has harbord now becomes fully manifested and he goes after the people who have blackmailed him.  This is a slow burn.  We build up to the point of no return.  Yet this may be the first time in a while where someone stands up, does the right thing and becomes a better person for it.  Does he lose the girl in the process?  I wont say but everyone needs somebody to love.  

Nothing in this film is wasted.  Every shot, every background item, every word and every emotion is a calculated act of immense story telling.  The intense visuals paired with the emotional need of these people creates a very unique movie experience.  This was Paul Thomas Anderson's first film after 'Magnolia', a movie I will get to one day.  Anderson left the mega three hour movie idea behind and created his own hour and a half love story.  He didn't forget about the emotional struggle of every day life that is at the core of all his films.  These are people in need.  Anderson has a way of ripping those feelings from his actors that very few, if any directors today can. 

This is an odd film, a sad film, a happy film and an amazing piece of movie making.  Every single person involved helped to create a world that truly mirrors life.  Not a second of this film is without purpose.  Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Sandler and Emily Watson created the perfect love story in this Day & Age.  I think we could all use a harmonium.  

4 Crowes out of 4  

Numb

Directed By - Harris Goldberg

Starring:
Matthew Perry
Lynn Collins
Kevin Pollak
Mary Steenburgen

Plot: A chronically depressed screenwriter desperately tries to cure his condition when he meets the girl of his dreams.

Review:

Hudson (Matthew Perry) finds himself in a state of unwanted distress one night after having too many hits of a joint while hanging out with his friends.  Unfortunately for him, once the buzz wears off, the anxiety and depression only gets worse.  Walking around in a self described state of nothingness, Hudson hides in his home, loses interest in work and assumes this is how the rest of his life is going to be.  Enter Sara (Lynn Collins) with whom Hudson has instant chemistry with.  He now decides it is time to figure out his head if he wants to keep the girl.

One would expect this movie to fail largely to the fact of who's mug is plastered on the movie poster.  Matthew Perry will never be able to remove himself from his 'Friends' days and his movie credits include The Whole Nine Yards, Three To Tango and Almost Heroes.  Those movies may not have been Oscar gold winners but I have always enjoyed Matthew's likable good guy in a bad situation persona.  Here he goes for something different as a man suffering from depersonalization.  There are some very serious moments in this movie and Matthew holds his own while suffering through a nervous breakdown.  Thankfully writer and director Harris Goldberg keeps the story light with plenty of humor along the way.  The film was also autobiographical for Goldberg as he had suffered from this type of depression.   

Hudson's best way to keep himself grounded is to watch The Golf Channel for days on end, this makes him relax and forget about his problems...zone out is really the key phrase.  He has to walk the line of normal with Sara but after a few too many stay at home movie marathons she wants to go out.  This is not the best idea for Hudson and as Sara pushes to move the relationship along you get the feeling the whole thing is a ticking time-bomb...and it is. 

In an attempt to get better Hudson tries many failed attempts at therapy.  Each one prescribing him a new medication that does nothing for his symptoms.  One in-particular, Dr. Cheryl Blaine  (Mary Steenburgen) falls hopelessly in love with him resulting in a much needed comedic break and underscoring how maybe the ones always hearing about our problems are really well...Fucked up too.  I also have to mention Kevin Pollak who plays Hudson's best friend and co-worker.  Most of the humor comes from the many scenes of them together and almost every single one of them involves the mass consumption of food.  After a while you start to wait for the next one to see where they will take it.  

The ending of the film could have been more direct and hopeful but I guess when you are writing about something so profound hope doesn't really enter into the equation.  I respect this movie more than I actually liked it.  A very nice love story intertwined with a complete loss of who you are and what the future holds. 

2 Crowes out of 4

Rachel Getting Married

Directed By - Jonathan Demme

Starring:
Anne Hathaway
Rosemarie DeWitt
Bill Irwin
Debra Winger

Plot: A young woman who has been in and out from rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her sister's wedding.

Review:

Rarely does heavy handed drama and joyous celebration make for a good mix on film.  In 'Rachel Getting Married' the haunting past of a family collide with the union of marriage.  Kym (Anne Hathaway) has just been released from nine months of rehab on the eve of her older sisters wedding.  We learn very early that she has made a big mistake in her life but we do not know what that is.  She is picked up by her father Paul (Bill Irwin) and head home.  Once there we meet Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) who is getting ready for the big day.

Hilarity ensues.

Ok, I made that part up.  What unravels is the story of a woman torn by her actions within her addictions.  Kym feels suffocated by her family while Rachel is angry that her sister gets all of the attention.  Especially now on her wedding weekend.  There are arguments, crying and even a few punches thrown.  Directer Jonathan Demme (Silence Of The Lambs) shot this film with mostly a hand held camera, reminiscent of the Dogme 95 faded movement.  This gives the movie an almost documentary feel.  As if we were eves dropping on someones home movie. (This was shot in digital though so no need to worry about grain)

You could break this down into three acts, so lets do that shall we.

Act 1.  The Wedding Rehearsal - This is where we meet the families of the bride and groom, just as they are meeting each other for the first time.  It is here we learn that Kym's parents are divorced and both remarried.  There is nervous tension as Rachel has to explain why her sister is not the brides maid.  Kym, ever the chain smoker also has to report to meetings and as she says "I'm here to pee in a cup."  We start to figure out that there is something under the surface that this family has yet to come to terms with.  Enter Kym's mom Abby (Debera Winger, finally back on screen) She is hours late and once she arrives it is easy to tell she loves her daughters but almost at a distance, uncomfortable.  Demme uses this time to depict a long dinner scene where both families stand up one at a time and make a toast to the almost married.  Here we learn about them through the eyes of others.  Kym makes her toast all about the wonders of her personal 12 step journey, much to the anxiety of the other guests.  It is in a scene like this where a movie transforms into real life.  Eyes at the table wander and cringe while we are eventually brought back to the point, sort of.

Act 2.  Emotional Breakdown.  Our family is now back at home where Rachel has a few things to say about Kym's toast.  A sit down conversation turns into a full blown war and Rachel wins by declaring that she is pregnant.  "Thats not fair" says Kym.  This middle act becomes the arch of the movie.  Full details are released about what Kym did and how everyone involved has struggled with it for many years.  Hathaway earned an Oscar nomination for this role as she plays this tortured person so vividly and chaotically.  You know she cares, you see her change but she just cant get out of her own way.  This leads up to Kym fleeing to her mothers house.  **SPOILER TIME!**  The conversation soon escalates into violence as Kym asks her mother why she left her alone at age 16 with there younger brother Ethan.  See, Kym was a junkie and drove her car off a bridge, unable to get her brother out of his car seat, he drowned.  She asks "Why? You knew who I was!" her reply?  "Because you were at your best with him."

Act 3.  The Wedding.  After an emotional scene between Rachel and Kym making amends we can now start the nuptials, and what a wedding this is.  The vows are full on songs from the heart.  Literally as the groom sings to his wife to be.  The ceremony proceeds and once again we are back into home movie territory.  This is where the movie starts to lose me as we are subject to endless songs while (mostly) everyone dances around.  This is not your normal movie soundtrack, everything played is live during the filming.  A very nice touch but goes on for far too long.  We eventually find ourselves at the next morning where the ending does not cheat us after investing so much time with these people.  In the end all you have is family and regardless of what you do you know they will be there for you.  

I have to mention Rosemarie DeWitt.  She is the rock within this production.  She deserves praise for her role.  At times she is scared, at times she is happy, at times she is angry but all the time grounded and gives an astonishing performance.  

This movie is not for everyone.  The pacing can be slow and the elaborate musical expression, while fun, drags on just a bit too long. However, if you enjoy truly wonderful performances from a highly gifted cast, dealing with extreme emotional baggage.  This is a keeper and a truly amazing film.

3 1/2 Crowes out of 4.