Top 10 Films of 2011

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The box office may have struggled heavily in 2011, but there were still many films worth watching. This is my list for the Top 10 Movies of 2011. There are some movies I haven’t seen that may qualify to be in the Top 10, and you may not have seen all of these movies, but I can assure you that all of them are worth checking out. All critics have differing opinions, so I don’t expect my list to be the same as many other people. Let’s start.

10. Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris seems like an unlikely choice because Woody Allen hasn’t made a good film in a long time. I wouldn’t even consider some of his ‘better’ films to be that good. However, with Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen regains some of his reputation as a quality director, and he’s even been nominated for a Golden Globe. Midnight in Paris is a simple film, and you probably won’t know many of the historical figures mentioned in the film (unless you know your artistic history from the 1920s). Owen Wilson delivers a great performance, and has great chemistry with his co-star, Marion Cotillard. The true quality of the film lies in the message it delivers: the present will always be slightly disappointing to everyone, but we should not try to idealize the past. Every single era has its moments and highlights, and we cannot fully enjoy our lives unless we understand this and value everything we are blessed with in the present.

9. Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol

It would be a mistake to miss the fourth installment in the Mission Impossible series, as it is the best and most entertaining. With a superior cast, excellent special effects and an insane scene by Tom Cruise, it’s not worth missing being seen on the big screen. For a more detailed review on the film, click here.

8. Moneyball

Moneyball is just one of the few Brad Pitt films that demonstrate his superb acting ability. He is able to diversify into any role and is one of the best current actors in Hollywood. As for the film, it has been a while since a great sports film has been released. Sports films haven’t necessarily been blockbusters in the past, so it’s understandable that they do not appear to be an attractive investment for movie producers. However, Moneyball was far from being a bomb, and it was propelled by the excellent reviews it was receiving from all sides. I’m not a huge fan of sports films, especially baseball (which I cannot stand watching), yet it was able to win me over. Good directing and great performances, along with a true story describing Oakland’s revolutionary scouting system led Moneyball to the top of the list of sports films and one of the best films of 2011.

7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I still think Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the surprise film of the year. Tim Burton’s film was successful at the box office, but it was not very good. Another issue many people had with this year’s prequel to the franchise was that it’s very dependent on CGI. All of the apes are computer-generated and the film relies on its special effects. However, it does not fail to impress, and led by an awesome performance by Andy Serkis as Caesar, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an excellent film that not only revives the franchise, but ends up being the best one of the 7 films. Check out my review here.

6. The Descendants

George Clooney is set to receive another Oscar for his performance in The Descendants. He won the Golden Globe and I don’t expect anyone to beat him out of the top award (except a possible surprise win by Brad Pitt in Moneyball). The Descendants is a depressing film that deals with everyday problems (family issues are present more often than most of us are aware), and with strong performances from all the actors, it makes for a great film and one that is worthy of an Oscar. The screwed up family genre doesn’t always make for the brightest of films, but you can typically count on it being a good movie (the 2000 Oscar winner, American Beauty, is about as screwed up as a family can get). You can read my review of The Descendants here.

5. X-Men: First Class

I haven’t seen X2 in some time, so I’m unable to say if First Class is the best X-Men film or it is right behind the second installment. First Class took a risk by making a film with a new, young group of actors and basically rebooting the series (not to mention that Hugh Jackman – Wolverine, the best character – was not in the film). It takes place during the time when Professor X and Magneto met and fought alongside each other, and it is a prequel to previous X-Men films. The risk paid off, with a spectacular script, a great performance by Michael Fassbender as Magneto, and great special effects that were able to keep audiences engaged. First Class is one of the year’s best films, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out on the best superhero movie of the year.

4. The Artist

The Artist doesn’t belong in this year, in this decade or even in the last half century. It’s a black-and-white film about a silent film actor in the late 1920s whose career and life fall apart when films with sound begin to take over cinema and silent films disappear. There really haven’t been any black-and-white films made in a long time, and it’s no doubt a nostalgic feeling for those older critics to watch a good film that is made in the same style of those films back when they were younger (in fact, it was even before their time). The two lead actors give strong performances and the film has a good script and excellent music throughout. The Artist is the frontrunner to win the Best Picture Academy Award, and I can’t complain. Even though I don’t consider it to be the best film of the year, it has undeniable charm and it is a joy to watch. Younger generations should watch The Artist and experience how cinema used to be, back when every movie was quality, and when studios didn’t make bad films just because they can generate good profits (ie. Transformers 2 and 3).

3. Drive

First of all, I just want to mention that Albert Brooks’ performance in Drive is overrated and even though many Drive fans are complaining and saying he should have gotten an Oscar nomination, I wouldn’t say his performance was Oscar worthy. As for the film, it’s definitely one of the best of the year, and it’s a shame that the Academy doesn’t recognize it as such. It is also the best directed film of the year, but Refn has been shafted on many occasions in this awards season and clearly isn’t being recognized as he should be by critics. Ryan Gosling is excellent, and just wait for the second half of the film. Read my review here and go check out the film for yourself.

2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Not having read the book, I had no idea what was going to happen in the film. It’s been some time since there’s been a good mystery film released, and GWDT is made excellently. I’m sure the book is better, but as a movie, it keeps you engaged and delivers the twist well. I’m not too satisfied with how graphic some of the scenes were (if you watched the film or read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about), as I felt it was unnecessary by Fincher to show as much as he did and make the scenes last longer than they had to. Nevertheless, led by strong performances, good directing otherwise, and an excellent score, GWDT is definitely one of the best films of 2011.

1. Happy Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part II

With Harry Potter, it’s tough to decide where to place it. Even though it’s probably not the best film of the year, it’s an incredibly satisfying finish to one of the greatest franchises of all time, and it’ll be sad knowing that there will be no more Harry Potter films (until the franchise gets rebooted). My review is here.

Captain America: The First Avenger Review

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Going into the movie, I knew Captain America would be good, but I wasn’t as sure as I had been months prior to the release because critics were giving the movie very average reviews, mostly in the mid 7s. After watching it last night, I can tell you it’s definitely better than average. I won’t go so far as the say it’s the best movie of the year (Harry Potter, X-Men Origins: First Class and Super 8 are still ahead of it), but it’s a great flick that you should check out if you have the chance. In terms of comparing it to other superhero movies, I would put it slightly above Thor, but still behind the first two Spider-Man and Batman films, along with the first Iron Man. I haven’t seen Green Lantern, but I’ve yet to hear anything positive about the film, so it’ll probably stay that way.

Assuming you’ve seen the commercials, you probably know the main plot. The movie takes place during World War II. Steve Rogers is a miniscule man with a lot of heart who wants to fight for his country and he’s given the opportunity to become a soldier by having an experiment done on him which turns him into Chris Evans (I mean, Captain America). His main enemy is played by Agent Smith from the Matrix (Hugo Weaving), who creates an army equipped with an all powerful weapon that is pretty much unstoppable. Now, of course, this is a superhero movie, so you really shouldn’t expect it to be that realistic. I don’t have any complaints about the plot, so let’s move on to something else.

Chris Evans was a strange choice when I originally heard about it. The only movies I’d watched him in were Fantastic Four and the Losers, and he was a pretty funny character in both those movies, but going on only those roles, I could not picture him as Captain America. The role is not very humorous at all; it required a lot more emotion and chest muscles than his previous films. Regardless of what I had originally thought, that doesn’t matter because I now realize how great he is for the role. He acted out the role well, and I’m glad I’ll be able to see him again as Captain America (if not in Captain America 2, then in the Avengers next summer). The girl with the lead role (Hayley Atwell) played her part, and though I didn’t find her to be the most attractive girl in a superhero movie, I enjoyed the scenes with her. Hugo Weaving did a good job as always, and the rest of the cast was good as well. Of course, you can’t expect the acting in a superhero movie (aside from Nolan’s Batman films) to be superb, but it was still a solid all around performance by the cast. Tommy Lee Jones served partly as the comedic relief in the film, and had a few funny lines (“That boy’s making me cry.”). Nonetheless, he still acted as well as he’s known for, and I’m glad he was in the movie.

The direction style is an interesting one, because besides the movie taking place in the 1940s and everything looking very retro and old fashioned as it did back then, the picture wasn’t the same as on most other movies. It’s similar to that of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, starring Angelina Jolie, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow, so if you’ve seen that movie, then you’ll know what I am talking about. It gives the film an old and authentic sort of look and feel, which goes along with the timeline of the film. I’m not the greatest fan of these visuals, but they didn’t make the movie any better or worse. One thing that annoyed my slightly was the 3D. It was clearly post-converted and at certain times, the picture is blurry and you can see two lines instead of one. There’s one scene where the camera is scrolling over snowy mountains and they were blurry to the point that I wanted to take my 3D glasses off. Therefore, go watch the movie in 2D if you can. The 3D does add depth at certain points to make it look better, but the blurry points honestly make it not worth it for the extra $3. One other thing about the direction I’d like to point out is that I’m not too big of a fan on how some of scenes with Captain America fighting were filmed. I don’t like those scenes, in any movie, where the protagonist wins a fight, and then as he/she is walking away, there’s an explosion in the background, while they continue to walk away from the scene, in slow motion. There are some scenes in Captain America that are similar. He is either running from the scene or riding away with his bike through fire as the explosion is happening. I’ll give it more leeway because this is a comic book film and it’s filmed in more of a comic book style, but I really think directors should avoid filming scenes like that. It’s meant to look cool, but I find it to be more corny than cool.

Overall, the movie is very solid; no more and no less than what I expected it to be. That’s not necessarily a good thing, because Captain America was the most anticipated movie of the summer for a lot of people (of course, I mean guys). However, there is enough action and the movie should satisfy the majority of its fans and others who’ve yet to see the movie. It’s one of the best movies of the year, so far, and one of the better recent superhero movies.

Score: 8.4/10 (Not quite deserving of an 8.5, but close)

Requiem for a Championship

Tweet Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks organization and fans of the Mavericks for winning the 2011 NBA title!  Let there be no questions; Dallas was the best team this year and fully deserved the title.  On a roster where no players had won a championship previously, its almost hard to believe that they were the best team in basketball this year.  Not the best collection of individuals, but the best TEAM.  NBA championship teams are often defined by qualities.  Detroit is associated with Defense, Lakers with showtime and flare, the Celtics with toughness.  For the 2011 Mavericks, the best quality I can think of is: teamwork. 

When you reflect on Dallas's run to the title, you will be able to point to everyone doing something (with apologies to Caron Butler, Beaubois and Jones, who were inactive for the playoffs). Whether it was Corey Brewer sparking a comeback in Staples center, Brendan Haywood playing excellent defense, or Jason Kidd hitting a dagger 3 against Portland, this team always gave their superstar the help he needed.  Big shots from Stojakovic against the Lakers, key minutes by Mahinmi and Cardinal in the finals, and Shawn Marion's willingness to guard Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Lebron James in consecutive series.  Not to mention J.J. Barea's heart, Tyson Chandler's toughness throughout the playoffs, and De Shawn Stevenson and JET backing up their words against Wade and James.  It is truly remarkable for a team to have this many players contributing in big ways but coach Carlisle made it work.  As for Dirk Nowitzki, I'm sure everyone will have a different opinion on his best moment of these playoffs but for me, one stood out in particular: the last 30 seconds of game 6 against Miami. 

As Dirk Nowitzki took a pass from Jason Kidd on a beautiful cut to the hoop with thirty seconds remaining in game 6 and put the ball in to the hoop it began.  He raised his fist high in the air and took in the moment, he seemed to take it all in, relishing every moment of his first NBA title.  Then, after a stoppage in play, he put both hands on his head and seemed distraught.  Emotion overcoming him to the point where he did not want to be seen, he left the court as fast as he could once the buzzer sounded and headed in to the locker room crying.  If there is any question as to how much this title meant to him, those images should tell you how much it did.  In various post-game interviews he talked about how seeing all the hard work he put in over the years pay off caused him to break down.  Finally Dirk was able to get even with Wade after the latter had won a title at his expense in 2006.  Finally Dirk can forget about 12 seasons of disappointment.  Finally, his resume as an NBA player is complete.  No longer will anyone question his toughness, leadership, or ability in the clutch.  If there is one thing we learned tonight, its that Dirk Nowitzki is a true champion.