I have finally seen all the 2011 releases I care to see, and up until last Sunday I was worried that I wouldn't have enough films to make an even ten. I wouldn't characterize 2011 as a BAD year for movies, more of a year of hits and misses, with the real gems ever-harder to find in the crowded movie marketplace.
Happily, the one discernible theme in the movies released at the end of the year is: "Movies Rediscover Their Past." That theme produced two wonderful films (see below), and Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" -- a Disney-esque throwback that positively wallowed in one-dimensionality.
This year your response to the titles below might be a collective "Huh?" (more so than usual!). I plan to link many of these films to a more expansive review. With that in mind, here are TEN BEST MOVIES of the YEAR:
1. THE ARTIST
2. The Mill and the Cross
3. Hugo
4. Midnight in Paris
5. The Descendants
6. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (UK)
7. Martha Marcy May Marlene
8. Meek's Cutoff
9. Tree of Life*
10. Weekend (UK)
Honorable mention (alpha order)
The Adventures of Tin Tin
Contagion
The Debt*
Mission Impossible 4 ("Ghost Protocol")
Moneyball
Take Shelter*
"Saw & enjoyed" (a category reserved for good/not great movies):
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help*
My Week With Marilyn
Puss in Boots
Texas Killing Fields*
And one suggestion for a new category for the Oscars: BEST OPENING CREDIT SEQUENCE:
This year produced two clear favorites:
RUNNER-UP: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (oily!)
WINNER: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (excellent!)
* these five films all featured the lovely Jessica Chastain. And they all made the cut! Go figure...
