Scots Taffer on 14/12/2011 at 05:55
It's that time again!
This will be another year maligned for the number of movies I wish I had seen or am still waiting to see rather than those that I did manage to catch. Not enough for a top ten at this stage so I will just separate between the memorable and forgettable.
This year was also notable for my complete and utter disdain for anything comic book related.
Memorable
Drive
I can't wait to watch this again. Reminiscent of how Terminator was this lean mean version of the action sci-fi, this does the same for the action thriller. The ambience, the music, the acting, the direction, all superb.
The Guard
Absolutely brilliant central performance and pitch black comic tone made this the movie I wanted In Bruges to be. Cannot recommend enough.
Contagion
A queasily realistic take on global pandemic that allows its story to organically grow in scale with the hypothetical viral spread. The only part of the story that didn't really work for me was the kidnapping subplot... which suggested there were perhaps other extraneous plotlines that may have gotten cut too but this one survived.
Source Code
Smart action sci-fi follow up that most people (who hadn't read the script early on) probably wouldn't have expected from Zowie, but I thought it was a logical extension. Subscribing early to this guy's fanclub.
Bridesmaids
Overlong by about 30 minutes but easily the funniest commercial comedy I've seen all year. I was tearing up big time at some spots.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I really liked this in the cinema - Caesar's story was so strong that it came at the detriment of everything else though (paper thin human characters and scenarios). I want to see if it holds up to repeat viewings and would love for a sequel in this universe.
Watchable
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Gosling as a chiselled ab lothario and Carrell as a sadsack? I'm in. Very enjoyable but unusual structurally, light hearted without too much of a message being jammed down your throat.
Attack The Block
Not a direct hit for me, I liked its energy and sense of inventiveness but I felt there were lots of missed opportunities for dashes of humour and the actual ingenuity was less than the impression it gives.
Rango
This deliciously quirky animation does a lot of things well and is immensely rewatchable (which is important as anyone with kids will know).
Midnight In Paris
Quirky rom-com with Owen Wilson playing an uncanny version of Woody Allen and like all of his films they're semi-autobiographical and reflect on the grass being greener elsewhere.
The Beaver
Tonally weird but engaging dramedy with one-man-media-circus Mel "Sugartits" Gibson as a depressive who finds voice in a discarded Beaver handpuppet.
Forgettable
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Didn't have a central focus to it so the unanchored feeling persisted through a series of entertaining/interesting vignettes about where modern marketing is at.
Cedar Rapids
I've pretty much forgotten every joke from this buddy comedy about an insurance conference, but I remember laughing through it... Uh... :)
Horrible Bosses
Funny concept, couple of good lines but otherwise pretty lame.
Rio
Light fluffy fare, well voiced and well put on.
The Company Men
Sober and well acted but ultimately an "overcoming adversity" tale with nothing new.
Limitless
Interesting concept that's used in a very superficial way with a very superficial actor. All gloss.
The Lincoln lawyer
You forget when you're out of the world of beachside pulp thrillers just how ludicrous some of the twists and turns in these overbaked genre tales are, and this one is no different.
Pirates: Who Cares What The Subtitle Is At This Stage, It's All About Cash
Noisy, stupid crap. Still better than Pirates 3 though.
The Adjustment Bureau
Again, another neat concept that just didn't get a proper work-out - not enough conflict or dramatic meat. Very bland feeling.
Paul
Big miss for me. Pretty much all round.
Please Wipe My Memory Now
Battle: LA
What the fuck was this. Seriously, I still don't even.
Not seen yet (but suspect may rank well):
Hanna, Bellflower, Super 8, Ides of March, Hugo, Project Nim
Not out here yet:
The Artist, Adventures of Tintin, Young Adult, The Descendants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Kuuso on 14/12/2011 at 06:55
Haven't watched that many contemporary movies this year, but:
Excellent/good:
Melancholia
There's something a bit off about this movie, something that I can't place my finger on. There's some kind of awkward feeling throughout it. I'll put it down to the Trier effect for now. All in all, it's beautifully shot movie that gets thoughts flowing. Dunst is excellent as is the other cast. Only naffs is the soundtrack (which is too grandiose for my liking) and[spoiler]the whole psychic subplot (albeit it justifies the absolutely amazing first shots in the movie)[/spoiler]
Hanna
I wrote something about this in some other thread, so I'll keep it short. If you watch it as action movie, it's not that good. If you realise it's everything besides it - it turns out quite amazing and contemporary. It's a road movie, it's a growing up tale, it's a character driven drama with lots of psychological meaning to it. The whole way it plays with the characters sexualities is just wonderful. The soundtrack is amazing, but the movie is a bit too long for what it has.
average:
Horrible Bosses
Was fun enough. Did have that nice growing arc that farces should have, but everything it got is just modernly hollywood that it won't do anything much more, which is a shame, since the slightly macabre plot could have went further. Jennifer Aniston manages to be hot even still.
Tree of Life
Mis-en-scène is altogether amazing, but with such naive ideas behind the plot, I didn't like it. It also sacrifices too much for the visuality, the Sean Penn portions of the movie are useless and unbelievable, no wonder Penn himself doesn't get his role in this movie (according to him).
X-Men: First Class
Suprisingly good even if it's a standard hollywood fare. They capture the time it's located in nicely. Entertaining, if nothing else.
Ulukai on 14/12/2011 at 21:33
These are the only films I've seen that I remember.
Film of the Year
X-Men: First Class - Yes, yes it was. Superb.
Honorable Mentions
Fast Five - We're up to number five but the original cast are back, I love cars and it's stupid, enjoyable stuff-your-face-full-of-popcorn Fun with two capital F's.
Limitless - Different. Interesting idea, ok execution, bit of a meh ending. Had fun watching.
Average
Horrible Bosses - Has some funny bits, laughed but they weren't belly laughs. Spacey is great.
Paul - Got called Sad by my fiance for getting most of the geeky references. Was disappointed by volume of geeky references, it was almost trying to be too knowingly clever. I had high hopes after Hot Fuzz but wasn't quite the romp it was hyped up to be.
Rango - Well, ok. It had cute bits but no part of my heart melted. Also, Rango himself is mostly scary.
Epic, Epic Disappointment
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Ok what the fuck? Men, men act. Men act really well and it exudes this drab 70s atmosphere in a brilliant way. But if you haven't read the book (and I haven't) you'll come out thinking "What the fuck was going on there?" I'm still none the wiser and most of the people I overheard on the way out were similarly nonplussed. Great acting, dire film. There is no coherent story.
SubJeff on 14/12/2011 at 21:43
Errr, what? Tinker Taylor was rather slow, rather reserved, but also rather good. What do you mean "What the fuck was going on there?" ? Did you really not get it?
Mind you I thought X-Men was super dull. The only characters worth watching were Prof X and Magneto. The rest was pretty embarrassing.
Ulukai on 14/12/2011 at 21:51
No I didn't get it, nor do I ever recall having to work so hard at a film. Reserved and slow are fine if it works, but it just didn't work for me.
SubJeff on 14/12/2011 at 22:11
You had to follow loads of names and nicknames, something which doesn't happen much in film theses days. My friend fell asleep in the cinema.
Fafhrd on 15/12/2011 at 02:16
I'm going to have to main line every movie from 2011 that I have on blu-ray, and then see what's still in theatres before I can put together a definitive list.
You're setting yourself up for disappointment with Super 8, Scots.
Sulphur on 15/12/2011 at 05:13
Super 8 isn't all that, yeah. I loved the first half. The movie then proceeds to ignore what it had going for it and makes the last half an undercooked mess. Sudden reversals in character dynamics to shoehorn in the usual pat resolution to the lousy abusive father arc, a pretty awful effort at giving the alien context, and the rushed, entirely unconvincing last five minutes... it could have been so much better.
Still, good for the first half. Those kids could have been in Stand By Me and I don't think we'd have noticed the difference.
Thirith on 15/12/2011 at 05:51
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
You had to follow loads of names and nicknames, something which doesn't happen much in film theses days. My friend fell asleep in the cinema.
If it's like the novel and the TV series, then I expect nothing much actually happens. It's similar to that
Shadow of the Wind novel in that it's mainly people sitting together, telling each other about what happened X years ago while others try to put together the puzzle pieces. I'd imagine they would rearrange things somewhat for a film version, if only to make it more *active*.
Briareos H on 15/12/2011 at 08:59
I don't think there was a film worth watching in 2011.
