2011 was an OK year for movies, but 2010 was better. And now the Oscars are over with. I've seen 6 of the 9 movies that were nominated for Best Picture:
- "The Descendants": This was my favorite of those that I saw. Clooney's performance as an "everyday" kind of guy was his best ever as it showed he could be more than just a cocky know-it-all smarmy dude. And Shailene Woodley's performance as his teenage daughter was exceptional.
- "Moneyball": As a sport fan, I really dug this movie. Brad Pitt as Billy Beane was one of his best performances ever. And Jonah Hill broke out as more than just a funny fat kid. One of the better sports movies to come along. You get a sense that you are in the clubhouse & front office right along with these guys.
- "War Horse": An excellent feel-good, well-made movie from Mr. Spielberg. Much better than his other 2011 effort, Tintin (which was pretty bad). It was the most "epic" movie to come around in awhile...
- "Midnight in Paris": I really enjoyed this movie…It had a very fun feeling to it. It's so well-written & you get a sense of what Paris must have been like back in the 20s…romantic, full of culture & life. Owen Wilson shines as the dopey, sappy Gil…He's a good Woody Allen.
- "Hugo": A good (but not great) movie. I wonder if I'd have liked it more if I'd seen it in the theater in 3D. I honestly don't know if it deserved a Best Pic nod. There were others that deserved it more ("50/50" and "The Ides of March" come to mind).
- "The Tree of Life": This movie was just plain awful. It wasn't even close to linear & just didn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense. I did not enjoy this movie one bit! Maybe I am not "artistic" enough...
Once I see the rest of the nominees, I'll have to update this...
Now MY favorite movie of 2011 was "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". It is a shame it didn't get a nomination for Best Picture and David Fincher didn't get nominated for Best Director. He captures the chill of Sweden, both literally & figuratively oh so well. A dark, intense thrilling movie that is very true to the book. Daniel Craig's, Stellan SkarsgÄrd's & Christopher Plummer's performances got very little critical acclaim yet they all excelled. And of course Rooney Mara's transformation into Lisbeth Salander was incredible.
I think my 2nd favorite movie of 2011 may have been "Bridesmaids." It was by far the funniest movie of the year. It was well-written, well-acted and tons of fun. I laughed throughout most of it, both times I saw it.
Some of my other favorites from 2011:
- 50/50
- The Ides of March
- Super 8
- Warrior
- Crazy, Stupid, Love
- X-Men: First Class
- The Lincoln Lawyer
- Win Win
- Margin Call
1 comment:
Interesting take on the Best Pic movies Lar. I like the blog, keep it up.
Post a Comment