****UPDATE NUMBER 3****
Saw 'Beginners', 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close', 'Drive', 'Hobo with a Shotgun', and 'The Lincoln Lawyer'.
I hated EL&IC, was bored by Beginners, thought Drive was alright (Ryan Gosling should have got a nomination), found Hobo amusing, and was surprisingly entertained by Lincoln Lawyer.
More to come!
****UPDATE NUMBER 2****
Saw 'Abduction', 50/50, 'The Ides of March', 'The Warrior', 'Carnage' and 'A Better Life'
50/50 is my new #1. Carnage/Abduction, were meh. Ides of March was really good.
****UPDATE NUMBER 1****
So, this week I saw Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Another Earth, Carnage, and Midnight In Paris.
Add 'Another Earth' to the just missed the list, and remove 'Crazy Stupid Love' from the top 15. The number 3 movie I saw this year is officially 'Midnight in Paris' and everything from 4-12 gets shifted down a number. See the list again for an mini-review of 'Midnight in Paris'.
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Hey there!
It's been a while since I've written; a lot has been happening, and I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I'll get to life stuff probably in a few weeks, but for now it's to my passion- films! I'm gonna give a breakdown of my favorite films that I saw last year, as well as some that I missed but want to see.
Movies I Still Need to Watch
Red State, Melancholia, My Week with Marilyn, New Year's Eve, We Need to Talk About Kevin, War Horse, Iron Lady, The Descendants, Albert Nobbs, A Separation, Bullhead
The bold ones are getting priority, either for awards stuff or because they look amazing, and some of those (Carnage, Another Earth, 50/50, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) look like movies that could be in my top 15 for last year. I may end up editing the list after I see all of those.
Just Missed The Cut
No Strings Attached, Take Me Home Tonight (really underrated), Battle LA (more below), Thor, The Adjustment Bureau, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (more below), Captain America: The First Avenger, Attack the Block, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Fright Night, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I Am Number 4, Crazy Stupid Love, Another Earth
First off 'Battle LA' was roasted by everyone who saw it, but I like me some movies where you can shut off your brain and just have fun. And yes, HP missed the cut. I loved it tons, but there were movies I just loved better. And check out Attack the Block and I Am Number 4, they were great!
My Top 15 Movies of 2011
15. Win/Win
This movie surprised me in that I expected to like it but ended up loving it. A really different and interesting story and Paul Giamatti was of course terrific.
14. The Help
I waited to see this one because I had heard mixed things and didn't know if I'd like Emma Stone's southern accent. It ended up being pretty good, particularly because of the supporting cast, especially Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Octavia Spencer. Of course, I'm also weak for anything that has Allison Janney in it! The story was well done and it was just a great film to watch.
13. Young Adult
I love Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman anyway, but this script impressed me, as did Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt. This film was pretty brave, centering around a character who is highly flawed and has little to like about her. You find yourself rooting against her the entire time, but I think that's the point. It's really wonderful.
12. X-Men: First Class
Considering how much I love the X-Men and Marvel Comics, I would have thought that this would have been in my top 10 but that speaks to how much I loved the top 10. It was very creative, and I seriously enjoyed the idea of mutants in the 1960s. A great throwback to the original comics, and a really entertaining movie. Kevin Bacon was great, as was the entire cast, (and can we say Hell Yes, Emma Frost? Yeah. Hell Yes, Emma Frost.) Can't wait to see the next one! BTW, THIS is why Bryan Singer should do his version of X:Men 3.
11. Shame
I saw this very recently, and must say, it's not for the faint of heart. It's extremely graphic and an intense look at the recently popular celebrity cop-out of sex addiction. Michael Fassbender's portrayal of Brandon, a young New York professional struggling with his addiction as his sister comes to visit. The slow burn that leads him through his attempts to hide his problem and the shame (hence the title) of what he's dealing with really draws you in. Carey Mulligan was also impressive as Michael's lost, mooching sister. This movie was difficult to watch but I found it worth it.
10. The Artist
Who greenlit a silent, black-and-white movie in this day and age? Cause it was great and I want to thank them. I had my doubts, but was thoroughly entertained throughout. The charm and difficulty of telling a story without dialogue did not go wasted on me, it was fantastic and was in the same style as an old school movie but didn't feel dated. Of course, the final scene was great too, but I won't spoil it for you. Terrific.
9. Moneyball
Baseball is maybe my least favorite sport, but I love me some baseball movies. Little Big League, Rookie of the Year, etc, and this one joins the list of great baseball movies. Not tons more to say, just that I really enjoyed this one.
8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Crazy, crazy movie. I didn't know anything about this series before watching it, but David Fincher did a great job with a dark film, and Rooney Mara should win the Oscar, if you ask me.
7. Bridesmaids
Oh dear Lord, Kristen Wiig is amazing, and this movie was funnier than the Hangover for me. The scene in the airplane was maybe one of the funniest that I've ever seen. And can we talk about Melissa McCarthy? She needs to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress because she dominated that role. Comedies are just under-appreciated, but she needs to get some love.
6. Hugo
My favorite Scorsese film happens to be his first family film. An impressive ode to cinema, and the only time that I have ever recommended watching a movie in 3D. Though at first it was a little slow, I fell in love with this film cause it made me remember why I love movies in the first place. Beautiful, beautiful film.
5. The Adventures of Tintin
I had actually been wondering when Spielberg was gonna direct another movie and we got two amazing ones, 'War Horse' and 'Tintin'. And wow, did Tintin live up to my hype. It was everything that 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls' SHOULD have been. Talk about entertaining! I'm planning on seeing it again once I make it through some of the others on my list.
4. Scream 4
I'd been waiting for this movie for a looooong time and it didn't disappoint. I'm actually watching it w/ Courtney as I write this, and we're at the ending, which was completely surprising and twisted to me. I'm not a huge horror movie geek but I love the Scream series because they're more (in my opinion) film commentary than just plain horror movies. You get in your screams but it's so clever and well done. This one is the best since the original, and though that one won't be topped, I loved this screamake/shriekquel tons.
3. Midnight in Paris
I'll admit that I'm late to the game on this one, but man am I glad I saw it. It's a charming, delightful notion that this movie plays on, the thought of nostalgia vs. reality, and the joy of living in the present. My mantra in life is perspective, so this film was obviously endearing to me. I loved everything about it, from the story to the characters, the acting, and the colors. The shift to sepia tone when Gil goes back in time- marvelous. It was just a joy to watch and is one that could go down as one of my favorite films of all time. Curious, I'm sure that it's not in my top 2, but that's based on 2 things- how much I looked forward to 'The Muppets' and how much they mean to me, and the impact that #1 had on me. It's relevant and difficult, etc. Still, Midnight in Paris will stick with me.
2. The Muppets
This was the movie I was most excited about this year, and boy, it didn't disappoint. I saw it 4 times in theatres and plan on seeing it again if I have a chance. Very well done, touching, charming, fun, silly, but has tons of heart. I didn't like the songs but everything else was fantastic. Jason Segel deserves the credit for making this movie as awesome as it was.
1. Margin Call
Hands down my favorite movie of the year. I can't describe how powerful it was, a fictionalized film about the events that lead to the economic downturn on Wall Street, and my oh my did it affect me. You need to watch this film, it's well done and so relevant to the world right now.
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That's all for right now, though more posts to come this next year. Enjoy your movies, people!
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