Top 5 Films of 2011

As the year draws to a close, its a time to look back and reflect on what I think are some of the best films of the year.

5) Bridesmaids

Kristen Wiig of Saturday Night Live fame co-wrote and leads this laugh-out-loud comedy on the virtues and insanity of planning a wedding. The film has a feminine surface with a raunchy layer proving that comedy is not always in the hands of men who know how to fluff it up (case in point, Hangover 2) as it gives the lazily drawn wedding films, like Bride Wars and 27 Dresses, a stiff middle finger with hilarity and earning a spot as one of the most surprising and funniest films of the year.

4) The Adventures of Tintin

Steven Spielberg gives just service by adapting Herge's classic comic books of the young journalist, his dog, Snowy, and the inebriated Captain Haddock uncovering the secrets of a lost treasure. The 3D animated adventure emphasizes Spielberg's staying power as one of the great blockbuster filmmakers and compensating for the loss of his last venture into adventure with the fourth Indiana Jones movie.

3) We Need to Talk About Kevin

Lynne Ramsey's third motion picture and one of her most praised films about the struggle and acceptance of evil in society as a mother (Tilda Swinton) attempts to move on after her son committs a school shooting. Swinton gives one of the best performances of the year, as well as Ezra Miller giving a chilling performance as Kevin. The Oscar is definitely in Swinton's favor for Best Actress.

2) The Tree of Life

Seeing a Terrence Malick film is like seeing a meteor shower; it happens very rarely and hits you when you least suspect it. Tree of Life focuses on the life of a family in 1950s Texas whilst segueing into a stunning look at the beginning of life and the cosmos that is as visually and aurally intoxicating as Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain give exceptional performances as the polarizing parents raising their three sons, while Sean Penn plays the older version of one of their sons reflecting on his troubled childhood. It may be overwhelming at first glance, but so is 8 1/2, Doctor Zhivago, and other masterpieces that have tested audiences and critics.

1) Hugo

Martin Scorsese takes a giant leap from the mean streets of gangsters and into the world of 3D with his adaptation of Brian Selznick's story of a young orphan (Asa Butterfield), who lives within the walls of a Paris train station, trying to complete a robot first developed by his demised father. Whilst building the robot, Hugo and his literary friend, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), try to discover the private life of Isabelle's guardian, Georges Melies (a stunning Ben Kingsley), and the legacy of films he had left behind. Scorsese's film is not just a step forward into the world of 3D filmmaking, but a history lesson for all ages on the birth of cinema and how the past should never be forgotten as the medium advances into new territory. It is this blend that makes Hugo one of the best films of the year.

Hugo

When the phrase, “kid movie” comes to mind, especially during the holiday season, it’s easy to groan at the perpetual fluff being unleashed in the theatres (Alvin and The Chipmunks, Arthur Christmas, etc.). However, when you notice that a kids’ movie is directed by Martin Scorsese, you think that he’s lost his mind. But with Hugo, Scorsese has created his first family-friendly and heart-warming film about the history of the movies.

Based on Brian Selznick’s award-winning book, Hugo tells the story of a French orphan (Asa Butterfield) living in the walls of a train station in Paris, circa 1931. When Hugo is not fixing the clocks in the station, he is trying to fix a machine his father (Jude Law) was working on before his untimely death. Fixing the mysterious device becomes difficult when Hugo encounters Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley), the bitter owner of a toy shop who catches Hugo stealing his tools and the cold-hearted Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) who arrests children without their parents to save them. Helping Hugo along the way is Georges surrogate daughter (Chloe Grace-Moretz), an adventure seeking girl who helps Hugo unlock the secrets of Georges’ descent into misery.

Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace-Moretz give incredible performances as the bright-eyed wanderers venturing in and around the elaborate train station. Kingsley’s emotional performance as the passionate filmmaker-turned-miserable store owner Georges Melies adds to the roster of some of his best performances (Gandhi, Sexy Beast). Cohen adds the laughs to the film as the bumbling inspector, with his Borat mustache and high-brow antics toned down for the audience.

I’m not a huge fan of 3D movies. When I saw Toy Story 3, I couldn’t help but take my glasses off to enjoy the brightness of the film rather than the dim and tinted glow of the screen. However, it was still a good movie and I had that same attitude before I saw Hugo. However, within the first minute of the movie, I was stunned by visual designs of Dante Ferretti, the sharp lighting by Robert Richardson and slick camera work helmed by Scorsese. In essence, my preconceived notions of 3D films withered away during this 120 minute love note to cinema. Scorsese, the polestar of film preservation, manages to introduce to younger audiences the work of a bygone era (Griffith, Porter, the Lumiere Brothers) mixed with homages to Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton with state-of-the-art cameras. Despite the ebb and flow of films as an art form, Scorsese’s Hugo manages to create the perfect marriage of art and entertainment as he has successfully done for over 40 years.

Four out of Four Stars

We Need To Talk About Kevin

We Need To Talk About Kevin is one of the most chilling and haunting films of the year. Based on Lionel Shriver's novel, the non-linear tale focuses on Eva (Tilda Swinton), a grieving mother recollecting the life of her eldest son and his dissent into violence when he orchestrates a school shooting. Trying to move on with her life by working as a desk clerk, Eva fears being seen in public and bearing the label as the woman who brought another Charles Whitman into the world. Her home is smeared in red paint and she attempts to wash it off like a modern day Lady Macbeth.

Tilda Swinton gives a harrowing performance of a woman giving unconditional love and receiving internal pain. Her gripping performance leaves one wondering when she will reach her breaking point. One scene that stands out is when she is visited
by a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses and she tells them that she is going to Hell. From first frame to last, Swinton gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a self-destructive woman, who tries to redeem herself in any way she can, even if it means visiting her son in prison.

Ezra Miller's performance as Kevin is phenomenal with his nuances of a young Hannibal Lecter in the guise of a self-destructive kid. Even as a baby, you sense a certain evil looming in the film as Eva pushes him in a Rosemary's Baby pram. Take the calmness of Woody Harrelson's serial killer in Natural Born Killers with the rhetoric of Charles Manson and you get one of the most frightening performances of the year. John C. Reilly takes a break from the comedic roles he's played in the past with his performance as Franklin, the naive and doting father who underestimates Eva's ever-growing concerns over their son.

Mixed with the deep-seeded philosophies of Foucault and the media saturation rhetoric of Octavio Paz, Lynne Ramsey directs a powerful adaptation of one of Britains' most controversial novels of recent memory. She has only made two films throughout her twelve-year career; the working-class drama Ratcatcher and Morvan Callar. Her third film is as equally gritty as Ratcatcher mixed with a harrowing melodrama in the style of Lars Von Trier. We Need To Talk About Kevin is a film that will leave you taking after the credits roll.

3 1/2 out of 4 stars

Rampart

Los Angeles, 1999: A city that is in a cycle of gangs, drugs, and corruption perpetuated by one person, a member of the LAPD. Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson) is a dirty cop; no if's, and's, or but's about it. When he is not using the 4th Amendment as toilet paper when he's getting information on a drug ring, he's using his baton like one of the cane-swinging Droogs from A Clockwork Orange. After being videotaped beating up a black driver who crashed into his cruiser, Brown faces racial discrimination accusations and abusing his power leading him into a downward spiral of endless booze and sex. His saving graces are his ex-wives (Anne Heche and Cynthia Nixon) and his two daughters as he tries to redeem himself for those he has isolated from. Brown's attempts of being a loyal semi-father figure are tested by his rebellious daughter (Brie Larson) who keeps pushing him away into obscurity.

Oren Moverman is no stranger to looking at the rough exterior and soft center of men in positions of power; such as the case in his 2009 emotional powerhouse, The Messenger. In Rampart, he continues leading us to look at the rough edges obscuring a soft interior with a script co-crafted by James Ellroy. Ellroy's jazz-like prose from his novels (American Tablod, L.A. Confidential) is present on screen, as well as his look at the gritty and hedonistic underbelly of Los Angeles. However, the dialogue begins to get preachy when the issues of due process and excessive force are as repetitious as if one is reviewing the Rodney King footage. As predictable as the content is, whether or not you have seen Dirty Harry or Serpico, it is difficult not to be absorbed into a turbulent look at law and order.

What keeps the film from running on empty is Woody Harrelson, as he gives one of the best performances of his career by combining the seductive charm and violent streak he displayed in Natural Born Killers with the emotional depth exemplified in The Messenger. His performance as Dave Brown and his descent into hell is as powerful as Nicholas Cage's Ben Sanderson in Leaving Las Vegas and as equally as corrupt as Denzel Washington's Alonzo Harris in Training Day. Adding to the fiery mix of Brown's warped life is Robin Wright as a lawyer and Brown's bedfellow as she is swayed by his charm, while she adds emotional desire to her soulless lover.

When all is said and done, you are uncertain to pity Harrelson or damn him for his actions as he proclaims in a climatic pool scene, "I'm just a Cop! An expendable soldier!" In an environment where trust is null and void and justice is blind, how is one to protect and serve a city when they cannot protect and serve their life?

3 out 0f 4 Stars

Ken Russell (1927-2011)

Ken Russell, one of the most controversial and surreal filmmakers of Post-war Britain, died Sunday at the age of 84. Russell, dubbed the enfant terrible of filmmaking, made some of the most audacious films throughout a career that spanned over 50 years. In 1969, Russell received his only Oscar-nomination for his adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s erotic tale, Women in Love. His Freudian imagery and no-holds bar look at the male and female form was revolutionary at a time when sex in the cinema was commonplace after the strain and censorship of the Hayes’ Code.

In 1971, Russell made his most controversial and gothic masterpiece, The Devils. Based on Huxley’s tale of the tug of war between the Church and State in 17^th century France, the film shocked audiences, became the target for scrutiny by religious organizations, and was severely edited for international distribution. In particular, the ten-minute “Rape of Christ” sequence was edited due to its content that involved masturbation and ritualistic orgies within a church. It has since been restored and shown on bootleg copies, yet it hasn’t been restored for legitimate distribution.

Sex was not only on Russell’s roster as he combined the flamboyance and decadence of the rock stars of the seventies mixed with the lives of some of the most celebrated classical composers from Tchaikovsky (The Music Lovers), Mahler (Mahler), and Liszt (Lisztomania). In 1975, his filmed adaptation of The Who’s rock opera Tommy received two Oscar nominations and has since been praised as one of the great rock movies. Throughout the late-Seventies, Russell’s career waned with forgetful films, like Valentino, and successful thrillers like the sci-fi film, Altered States. In 1984, Russell reemerged with his campy and sexually charged Crimes of Passion, starring Kathleen Turner and the original Norman Bates, Anthony Perkins.

Russell’s last major motion pictures included The Lair of the White Worm and Whore. His prospects were not just directed at film, as he also directed staged productions on both sides of the Atlantic and directed the 2008 off Broadway production of Mindgame. In addition, he directed music videos for Bryan Adams and Elton John. His family collaborated with him on his films; his first wife, Shirley, designed costumes for Russell's earlier work before receiving Oscar-nominations for her clothing in films like Agatha and Reds. His daughter, Victoria, appeared in a few of her father's films, such as The Music Lovers, Tommy, and Crimes of Passion.

In my opinion, Russell was a sensational filmmaker, who pushed the envelope regardless of the size of his audience and managed to become a direct/indirect inspiration for filmmakers like Tim Burton and Darren Aronofsky. His work stands as profoundly shocking as it is beautiful. Before his death, he was in the early stages of working on an adaptation of Moll Flanders, and his demise leaves one wondering how he would have shocked or tantalized his audience once more. This year has been a sad one, in terms of the loss of great filmmakers, like Tim Hetherington and Sidney Lumet, and Ken Russell joins that list.

The Adventures of Tintin

I'm not usually fond of comic book movies, and I'm the first to admit that. However, films like Iron Man (Who doesn't want to see Robert Downey Jr. kick ass and not get arrested for it?) and The (overblown) Dark Knight were passable. Another film to add to that list is Steven Speilberg's animated adaptation of Hergé's classic comic series, The Adventures of Tintin. In case you haven't read the comic books or watched the short-lived animated series, Tintin is a Belgian reporter who risks life and death at unraveling mysteries and going on transcontinental adventures with his dog, Snowy, and his nautical, inebriated friend, Captain Haddock.

The film mixes together three of Herge's comic books within the series as Tintin (Jamie Bell) stumbles across a model ship that becomes the key to untold dreams and nightmares, as a malicious millionaire (voiced by a sinister Daniel Craig) stops at nothing to get it. Along the way, Tintin comes across Captain Haddock (voiced by a stellar Andy Serkis) as he, half-soberly, teams up with Tintin to seek vengeance as equally obsessive as Ahab's quest for Moby Dick by traveling land, air, and sea to get what is rightfully his.

Being Speilberg's first animated film, and being backed by Britain's exceptional screenwriters, like Edgar Wright, the voices were proved by some of England's top-notch actors. Jamie Bell is no stranger at playing young men satisfying their curiosities, either through dance (Billy Elliot) or through struggling with Oedipal issues (Hallam Foe), and his role as the adventure-loving Tintin was made for him. Andy Serkis has taken us to the dark side of fanatical greed as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and continues to stand out by playing the high-seas sailor, Captain Haddock, who drools for whiskey like Gollum drooled over the "precious" Ring. The comedic relief is provided, only shortly, by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as they play the Thompson Twins, the dimwitted duo who couldn't find a crime if they were standing next to a dead body and a bloody knife. A far cry from their previous work in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

Either in 2D or 3D, the film is a fun-packed adventure as the camera is always moving and not taking any breaks. The downside of that is that there is minimal emotions displayed by Tintin or any time for expansive dialogue making one wonder if the screenwriting team of Edgar Wright, Steven Moffat, and Joe Cornish are selling themselves too thin. In any case, Tintin is sure to please both kids and adults during Christmas as the film is nothing short of another Spielberg blockbuster that is desperately needed after the disappointment of the fourth Indiana Jones film and the painful War of the Worlds.

3 out of 4 stars

Up and About in Ireland and London

A few weeks ago, I went over to the United Kingdom right in the middle of the London Film Festival and managed to savor the cinematic flavor of a few movies that I was interested in. Some passed me by since I didn’t book any screenings in advance, like Polanski’s Carnage, Steve McQueen’s Shame, and the Festival’s major winner We Need to Talk About Kevin. Hopefully, I will manage to see these films come stateside over the holidays, which is the time for award contenting flicks.

The Tree of Life

This summer has had its highs and lows at the movies. To recap, Bridesmaids made the phrase “chick-flick” null and void with its raunchy and laugh out loud humor thanks to Kristen Wiig while Transformers: Dark of the Moon had instilled my spite towards Michael Bay by not only selling senselessness at the box office, but by bastardizing a classic Pink Floyd album by putting it in the title of the movie, sans “Side”. What’s next? Transformers: Exile on Street?

Leonard Cohen wrote “there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” and that “light” is in the form of Terrence Malick’s new film The Tree of Life. Winner of this year’s Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Tree of Life has been praised and griped by critics and audiences. Prior to seeing this film, I read Joyce’s “Ulysses”, which is one of the epic books with a stream-of-consciousness prose that eclipses the simplistic story of the lives of three Dubliners within the course of one day. I mention “Ulysses” as a comparison to Malick’s The Tree of Life; a sprawling epic of visual and aural proportions, which overshadows the simplistic story of the life of a family in 1950s Waco, Texas. Both works of art are difficult to get through, yet astonishing and memorable.

Brad Pitt gives one of his finest performances as a stern father, who rules over his three sons with a mentality that resembles the “survival of the fittest” rhetoric of Darwin mixed with the reality of a failed inventor like something out of Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”. Jessica Chastain is angelic as the mother who tends to the mental wounds inflicted by her husband with grace and beauty to the point that a subtle, oedipal complex is established between her and her eldest son, Jack (Hunter McCracken). These memories of childhood are revisited by Jack in the form of Sean Penn, who plays a Houston architect haunted by the death of one of his brothers. Although he has minimal time onscreen, Penn squeezes out every second with a visual presence that mirrors that of Marcello Mastroianni in 8 ½.

The narrative is spatial as you are on a trip from Texas to the outer reaches of the universe. The shifts in time are almost as profound and ethereal as Kubrick’s visual style of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This comparison is no stretch since Douglas Trumball (the visual effects supervisor to 2001) worked closely with Malick on The Tree of Life. The Kubrick comparison extends to the stedicam work of Emmanuel Lubezki as it closely resembles that of the floating camera in The Shining without the horror and claustrophobic atmosphere. Alexandre Desplat’s score beautifully segues between the music of Bach and ominous choral pieces in the similar nature of Kubrick’s use of Legiti and Strauss in 2001.

The summer isn’t over yet, but The Tree of Life remains one of the best films of the season and is sure to be praised as one of the best films of the year. Next to Kubrick, Malick is hailed for his meticulous detail, his precision, and being a reclusive visionary. Only his fifth film in a career that has spanned almost 40 years, Malick’s The Tree of Life cements his role as one of the most enigmatic, philosophical, and thought-provoking filmmakers.

3 1/2 out of 4 Stars

2011 Oscar Nominations, Predictions, and Complaints.

One month into the new year and I am already being bombarded with commercials and trailers for movies that show no signs of raising an eyebrow (The Roommate, No Strings Attached, etc). Luckily, the Oscar nominations were announced today, and will divert my attention from the army of asinine films plaguing the cinemas and, hopefully, make people go out to the closest art house theater in a 30 mile radius and savor what is being hailed by the AMPAS. As usual, I'll give my predictions for who will be walking away with the coveted statue and who was robbed of a nomination.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Christian Bale - The Fighter

John Hawkes - Winter's Bone

Jeremy Renner - The Town

Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

Winner: Christian Bale gave one of the most explosive performances of the past year as Dicky Eklund as Mark Wahlberg's crack-addicted brother/trainer in The Fighter. Bale has never been nominated, yet has been overlooked before for his versatile performances in Velvet Goldmine and American Psycho.

Runner Up: The only stiff competition I see in this category is Geoffrey Rush and his performance as the eccentric elocution teacher for King George VI in The King's Speech. If both actors weren’t nominated, then I would have to go to Mark Ruffalo’s performance as the laidback sperm donor in The Kids Are All Right.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Amy Adams – The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech

Melissa Leo – The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom

Winner: Although I enjoyed all the nominees and their individual performances, Melissa Leo’s role as the tough-as-nails mother/manager of Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund really stood out in The Fighter. This is Leo’s second nomination for an Oscar; her last nomination was back in 2008 for her role in the under-the-radar film, Frozen River.

Shocker: What shocked me was that Mila Kunis and Barbara Hershey were snubbed for their performances in Black Swan. Each woman exuded raw energy and sheer flamboyance, which the Academy sadly turned a blind eye to.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role

Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right

Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone

Natalie Portman – Black Swan

Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine

Winner: 2010 was the year that women shined in cinema more than the men. For me, I’m torn between Annette Bening’s heartfelt performance as Julianne Moore’s partner in The Kids Are All Right and Natalie Portman’s overambitious and psychologically unbalanced ballerina in Black Swan. Both women are at the peak of their careers. All signs point to Portman getting the gold. Bening has been snubbed before for her stellar performance in American Beauty and losing over Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry, but I shouldn’t sound so pessimistic; surprises can and will happen on Oscar night. Dare I wish for a tie between these two stellar women?

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem – Biutiful

Jeff Bridges – True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network

Colin Firth – The King’s Speech

James Franco – 127 Hours

Winner: Colin Firth bowled me over in his performance as King George VI, the stammering monarch during wartime England, in The King’s Speech. Although he was nominated last year in A Single Man, Firth lost the Oscar last year to Jeff Bridges. With all the gold Firth has been gathering so far, it’s no surprise that he will be giving an awards speech, sans the stammer.

Runner Up: Jesse Eisenberg gave a cool and collected performance as the cynical and enigmatic Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Despite getting high honors at the National Board of Review, Eisenberg may lose out to Colin Firth but it does not mean that he doesn't has the clout and stamina to get nominated again down the line.

Best Director:

Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – True Grit

David Fincher – The Social Network

Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech

David O. Russell – The Fighter

Winner: I was very impressed by the work by this year’s nominees, but David Fincher is most likely to get the gold for directing Aaron Sorkin’s explosive screenplay about greed, fame, and obsession; The Social Network. Although his focus is mostly on the subversive nature of humanity (Se7en, Fight Club), Fincher succeeds at painting a portrait of narcissism and cynicism that has plagued the Facebook generation.

Runner Up: If Fincher wasn’t nominated for The Social Network, I would have chosen Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan; his wild and disturbing look at the world of ballet dancing. Although he has only made five motion pictures, Aronofsky has succeeded in making a film that raises the bar in the psychological drama-genre and pointing the lense at stories that are far beyond the fringe.

Best Picture:

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King’s Speech

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter’s Bone

The Social Network might have been snagging the most Best Picture accolades from the Golden Globes and Broadcast Film Critics Awards, but it is still anybody’s game over which film will reign as top dog. Inception rode the wave of critical acclaim and breaking box office records over the summer, yet The Kids Are All Right was the summer’s sleeper hit that’s finally getting a wake-up call. Black Swan is my personal favorite of the year, yet the safe bet would be that The Social Network will win.

If you agree, disagree, or feel that the nominees were not what you thought they were, feel free to post your two cents and wait until February 27^th to get the results.