Front Page Reviews & AIR
The Few of Movies 2011
In the humble estimation of this little Mueller, 2011 was not the best of all possible feasts in film. It was not a year gorged of dramatic masterpieces or slaked of comedy libations. It was a slightly more meagre year. It wasn't easy to put ten dishes on the table. The best stuff was the simple, heartfelt serving. And, of course, the double portion of Michael Fassbender.
These Are A Few of My Favorite Films
Win Win [Dir. Thomas McCarthy]
Vintage McCarthy—director of such fine films as The Station Agent and The Visitor. Its got warmth, and depth, and heart in all the right places.
Take Shelter [Dir. Jeff Nichols]
Riveting, unsettling.
Beginners [Dir. Mike Mills]
Maybe the most joyful performance of Christopher Plummer's long career.
The Artist [Dir. Michel Hazanavicius]
The first non-Charlie Chaplin silent film that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Its gorgeous and transportative.
Shame [Dir. Steve McQueen]
Deeply unsettling. All show, no talk. Michael Fassbender take 1.
Tree of Life [Dir. Terrence Malick]
The most loved/hated movie of the year. Its artful but indulgent. Its indulgent but artful.
A Dangerous Method [Dir. David Cronenburg]
You had me at Freud. 1904-1911. Michael Fassbender take 2.
Drive [Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn]
Gosling strikes a Lynchian vein.
The Interrupters [Dir. Steve James]
The director of the greatest documentary of all time (Hoop Dreams), turns his camera on the efforts of a small group of ex-cons to bring an end to the violence in Chicago’s South Side.
A Few Good Films
True Grit [Dir. Coen Brothers]
It’s mostly just a good ole Western, with a few magic moments, a plucky young actress, and some Coen Bros. stank.
Moneyball [Dir. Bennett Miller]
The script is fantastic and B. Pitt does fine, but its worth the price of admission just to see Philip Seymour Hoffman in a b-ball uni. Looking good, Phil.
Project NIM [Dir. James Marsh]
Documentary of a family’s adoption of a chimpanzee in the 70’s.
Buck [Dir. Cindy Meehl]
This is a sweet little documentary about the guy who inspired the Horse Whisperer.
Midnight of Paris [Dir. Woody Allen]
You’ve got to be in a good a mood and you’ve got to be generally forgiving of Woody Allen’s late-in-game laziness to enjoy this one. But if you can manage that, it’s a fun, nostalgic ride.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams [Dir. Werner Herzog]
Not Herzog’s greatest documentary, but its worth taking 1.5 hours of your life to reflect on its subject matter: the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind, discovered in 1994, painted on the walls of the Chauvet caves in Southern France nearly 32,000 years ago. Herzog was given limited and exclusive access to film inside the cave. His narration muses on the unsuppresable human urge toward the arts.
Bridemaids [Dir. Paul Feig]
This is undeniably funny shit, ladies.
Wicked Disappointment
The Descendents
This movie was billed as the moment in which George Clooney let his emotional depths be plumbed. But it never happens. Its full of shots in which its is supposed to be happening (i.e. pan to Clooney’s face for the sad reaction shot), and the movie depended upon its happening, but it never does. Clooney couldn’t do it. He’s all surfaces.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Beautifully shot, cast and acted. One problem: you have to read the book on which it is based before you can understand what in the bloody hell is going on.
i just saw this tonight and i gotta weigh in. i gotta disagree with Brian. I love the Hawaiian setting of the movie, the beach, the trees, etc. Creates a great vibe. The soundtrack was nice, too. But I thought this movie was pretty weak. Why is the 10 year old cutie treated like a nuisance for most of the movie? Why wasn't there more tenderness toward her, either symbolically or, what would have been better, in conversations with her from Dad or the older sister? Bummer. A lot of untapped potential there. And Clooney's "goodbye" lines to the dying wife struck me as trite: "my love, my pain, my joy" Ick. Cheeseball central. This movie lacked subtlety and nuance, which would've made it much more interesting IMO. Clooney and the teenage daughter's relationship starts out horrendous with tons of conflict, then no further discussion between them, no apologies, no listening to each other's point of view, the audience is left to assume they resolved their heated conflicts after 20 minutes, only to set out together as a team to find his wife's lover? Bizarre storyline. Loved looking at Hawaii for 2 hours, though.
I'm dying to see Tree of Life. Melancholia looks rad too.
I watched it twice in 24 hours (I almost never watch movies more than once, even ones that I love). It could have been a really confusing film, but instead of trying to “figure it out” I committed to just watching it and allowing myself to feel whatever the imagery conjured up. A lot of it didn't read as a clear (ham-fisted) metaphor – which I think is why it was so powerful. It wasn’t like, “oh, when this happened it was a metaphor for this.” But I could certainly tell you what feelings were invoked by the scenes. What did the two dinosaurs or the volcano have to do with the three brothers? No idea, but I can tell you that they invoked a consistent set of emotions. The film made sense the way a Jayhawks song makes sense - you have no idea what they're talking about, but you know what they mean. You feel what you're supposed to feel. Which, in this case, was melancholy, inspired, nostalgic, hopeful, sad, graceful, blessed, etc.
yeah Chris. the kids running through the yards of the neighborhood...the shots of the kids in the street, with the camera set down at knee-level slightly angled up at them, and the dusk sun in the background, the volcanos, the ocean....it's a movie i watched once and i'll never forget it. it might be just the way it's filmed, the skills with the camera and the light.. so good. unforgettable.
Great list, but have to strongly disagree on this movie. Just saw it tonight, and I thought it was fantastic. Moving and witty, well acted and well written. Clooney had me believing him -- I thought his portrait of the emotional progression was tremendous. And I'm not any type of Clooney fan. Loved the flick.
I totally wanna see Dangerous Method.
Loved Tree of Life. It was too long, and all the visual metaphors at the end were overdone, yet the story of the family is one of my all time favorites. Brilliant. The kids running around the neighborhood felt so real to watch. I felt like I was in the movie, chasing my brother around with Russ and John and Mike and Steve, our neighborhood buddies. We lived in backyards and up on the edges of the steep gorges behind our houses. Brad Pitt and those boys..so perfect...and nothing more to say, and yet everything was there and still could be.
Margin Call was the best movie I saw in 2011. I know most people don't like nuance on the subject of Wall Street, but this movie nails it. You'll want this movie in your Netflix cue. Here's the trailer:
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