2011 was a pretty unspectacular year. I’m referring to movies specifically, but the whole thing really did just come and go. History was made when more sequels were released this year than any other ever. We are probably witnessing the first stages of the complete downfall of creativity. Some of the movies I saw this year made me think that we may already be nearing the point where films are processed rather than made. That’s not to say there weren’t good movies this year, because there were the handful that shone out through the garbage. There was still a lot of garbage.
That’s why it is interesting that most of the movies that really stand out this year are ones that are deliberately old-fashioned. A lot of the really great movies were about eras long past, either to pay respects to them or to learn from them. It is only logical that after reaching a certain point of modern advancement that we wind up looking back. I selected the ten movies listed below based solely on my own tastes. This is not an unbiased list of the best movies of the year, but the movies that I specifically enjoyed the most. I do not expect everyone to agree with the choices.
Since there were several presumably great movies this year that I was unable to see due to limited theatrical availability (The Artist, The Descendants, Shame, etc.), I will probably add a “Part II” to this list in a few months. Consider these the ten best movies that I saw during the year. Also, I decided to include The Illusionist because, even though the books would officially say that it is a 2010 movie, it did not actually get released in America until January, and I couldn’t see it until it came out on disc in May. It counts.
#1: The Tree of Life Probably the most unseen movie on this list, it is also the only one to artfully walk the line between old-fashioned nostalgia and modern innovation. It is one of the most daring and original movies I’ve seen in years. It is almost impossible to explain and defies comparisons. It is simply an experience that I can best describe as spiritual. This is one of the few examples of a decidedly secular movie inspiring thoughts of security in faith. I remember how moved I was by a scene I envisioned as seeing through the eyes of God, who still listens to the minutest of prayers. It turns out the scene was supposed to be the big bang. It doesn’t matter. The great thing about abstract art, which is a perfect term for the film, is that it is open to any individual interpretations, all of which are correct. This film is so completely unique that most people who see it will have no patience for it. Most people won’t see it. It received a very small theatrical release and it was silently thrown onto disc as if the studio was somehow embarrassed by it. All I know is that up until last week I hadn’t seen it since June, and I’m still thinking about it. Original Review
#2: Hugo I love watching movies that were made by people who love movies. Martin Scorsese loves movies. With this film, he stepped out of his comfort zone, gritty pieces of “angry art,” and stepped into new territory, the children’s adventure film. It is no real surprise that he does well with the material, but it is incredible to see just how well the film plays for everyone who sees it. The fact that it is just as fun and educational for adults as it is for kids actually says a lot about the ignorance of most film-goers to the history of cinema. I think this movie, being informative without forcing the issue, is a perfect way to introduce a new generation to an old one. The moral of the story is one of film preservation, which is a vital part of the preservation of our history. The plot involves a brief history of George Melies, one of the first cinematic innovators. I was already a fan of his work before seeing the film, but many people have never heard of him before now. The most essential part of the preservation of films is remembering they exist. That’s why this movie is so great. The fact that it is also a fun fantasy movie just makes it greater. Original Review
#3: War Horse I am so glad Steven Spielberg is making movies again. Few directors have made as many beloved films as he has, with many of them already considered modern classics. This may not be one of his best movies, but it is a welcome return and a highlight of the year. I don’t really know anything about the book and play the film was based on, but I do know about the style it displays, which is reminiscent of the big studio productions of the 30s and 40s. It jumps around in theme, becoming similar to How Green Was My Valley, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Gone with the Wind, while always remaining its own. The production design makes for one incredibly beautiful movie. The best way to see it is on the big screen in the back row, to make sure you miss nothing. One of the major criticisms the film is receiving is that it is too episodic, which is like complaining that life is episodic because it keeps starting over every day. The story is like a visual version of a collection of journal entries by several different people. I’ve always wondered what supporting characters in movies are doing off-screen, and this provides a bit of a glimpse. I hope that I’m not jumping the shark in my enthusiasm for the film, but I truly think it will be an easy movie to love, once audiences get to it. It really is a joyous experience. Original Review
#4: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I have to admit, I had doubts that David Fincher could turn out a better movie than already existed. It was only two years ago that the original Swedish movie of the popular novel was released, and starring the incomparable Noomi Rapace. After comparing the two films, it is obvious which is better. I clearly forgot David Fincher is awesome. Having not read the book yet, I guess I don’t really have a lot of room to talk, but I now see how rushed and joyless the original film was. This one takes its time with the story, carefully going over every aspect until every moment becomes perfection. This is at least one example of a modern movie benefiting from its setting and style. I already knew the story, but I still found it to be thoroughly thrilling. The success of Daniel Craig as the star is debatable, but inconsequential. Rooney Mara is just as great as Rapace in the title role, providing a bold performance in which she literally becomes the character that everyone will remember the movie for. This was a movie that actually cared about what it was doing, being especially eager to please. I was pleased. Original Review
#5: My Week with Marilyn I have always found Marilyn Monroe to be one of the most fascinating personalities of the screen, and this movie just throws more gas on the fire. I had always thought of Monroe in terms of success. She was popular because of this and we all loved her because of that. This film made me see her as a person, not an icon. Still, this movie perfectly captures the idea of Monroe that her fans carry around with them. Instead of being about the actress, it is about the incident. The opening scene firmly establishes a time and place and sticks with it. We see the main male character sitting in a movie theater watching Marilyn Monroe on the screen, and the look on his face says everything we’ve thought through the years. We then turn to Michelle Williams who plays Monroe with genuine conviction. She knows she has been given the acting opportunity of a lifetime and she gives it her all. The result is brilliant. We watch her, studying her every move, looking for something that isn’t Marilyn, but there are no flaws. Williams is not Monroe, but the beauty of the film and the performance is that they convince us otherwise. Original Review
#6: Drive Here we have what I called one of the biggest surprises of the year and also one of the best movies of the year. The former is undoubtedly true. I still remember sitting in the theater expecting the norm and getting something else entirely. I still say the latter is true also, although people seem to have either forgotten it or are intentionally ignoring it. It certainly doesn’t pay to be different. This is a movie that has all the elements that would make a popular action movie, but has the patience to do greater things, even if it risks being unpopular. It is about a stunt car driver and there are car chases, but they are more expertly timed than usual. At no point does this movie forget its story in favor of thrills. It doesn’t flash by at such a dizzying rush that you don’t get anything out of it. It slides through solemnly, taking a more comfortable pace. Ryan Gosling is super cool as the hero and Carey Mulligan is appropriately sweet, but Albert Brooks really steals the show. He plays the downright evil villain, a modern gangster, with a subtle cheerfulness that is enjoyable to watch. I can only assume that the lack of attention will force this one into obscurity, but it was certainly a higher point in the year then the dozens of lesser genre flicks it got lost in. Original Review
#7: The Illusionist Jacque Tati was one of the most popular and visionary European comedians of his time, and was himself a recognizable image, as he starred in all of his own movies featuring his iconic character Mr. Hulot. For whatever reason, he wasn’t ever popular enough to make all of the movies he wanted, and this new film was based on a screenplay he wrote, but never filmed. Tati’s directing style is mimicked respectfully and accurately, bringing to life what otherwise would have been a lost masterpiece. It is particularly fascinating for two reasons. First, it is animated, which allows the film to actually star Jacque Tati in its own way. A lot of study must have gone into the creation of this animated figure, which is not Hulot, but is without question Tati. Second, it was at least partially autobiographical, the turning of an unfortunate incident Tati actually endured into a piece of light comedy. Like Tati’s original films, it is more amusing than actually funny, and also a little more tragic. The film was made at the same studio that made the fantastic Triplets of Belleville, and they’ve got a really good track record now. For those of us who are fans of the source material, there was as much here to love as the classics. It is a real treat.
#8: Midnight in Paris The good thing about Woody Allen’s movies is that if you don’t like one of them, you don’t have to wait long for him to try again. He makes at least one movie every year, and this year’s outing is one of his most interesting. It certainly fits the apparent theme of the year perfectly. It stars Owen Wilson as a modern writer fascinated by the beauty of Paris, but more entranced by what he envisions as its “Golden Age,” the 20s. Through movie magic, he finds himself in the 20s at midnight every evening, going to parties where he meets people like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. The movie weaves through these encounters like it too is fascinated by its own plot. I loved that the collection of cameos by the likes of Kathy Bates, Marion Cotillard and Adrian Brody do not overpower the simplicity of the film. It seems Woody Allen has finally lost his interest in moaning about the problems of New York and has found a more practical muse in Paris. The moral of the story is also quite ironic, considering the subject: the present is even more rich and important than the past. The film, therefore, urges the same people who will love it for its nostalgic splendor to turn around and look forward.
#9: The Future The best way to describe what this movie was like when it arrived is that it was like a thunderbolt flying past in slow-motion. It was so creative, so unique and so alive that I really didn’t know what to think of it at first. I still don’t know what it’s trying to say, though it is saying it furiously. There is definitely a message here against conformity and also something about facing responsibility. Time stops, cats talk and nothing happens the way convention says it should. This was the second film directed by Miranda July who also stars. I am always impressed with anyone who can lift an entire film off the ground without any major backing, yet July has now made two movies that I consider to be masterpieces of independent movie-making. I love that the small budget requires that things be taken to a ground level. The simplicity of the film is where it gets its spark. This story of two people in an apartment asking questions, defying logic and just living is more meaningful and memorable than most expensive blockbusters. This movie proved to me that the boundary-pushing values of the New Wave movement from the 60s are not dead, but living on through the works of a handful of creative minds determined to make a good movie. Original Review
#10: The Help When I first saw this movie, I guess I didn’t quite get it. I recognized that it was a well-made movie with good performances, but I thought it was offensively unnecessary. Now, I’ve seen it more times than any other movie this year. I underestimated its infectiousness. This is a great inspirational movie, even if it does muddle the facts a bit. The era that this film portrays did not ever exist as it is shown here, but truth being changed for the benefit of a good story is technically okay. The moral of this movie has already been covered many, many times, but maybe not quite this theatrically. The film is a splendid circus trick, flawlessly balancing between dramatic and comedic extremes, with the result being so emotionally compact everyone can swallow it. The stars carry the film without trouble, providing a grounded realism to some of the more ludicrous plot points. Viola Davis is marvelous as the teary-eyed old maid who’s seen it all and Emma Stone wins everyone over, adding further proof that she is one of the most promising young stars today and Octavia Spencer is especially memorable for providing one of the nastier characters with a worthy comeuppance. This is a rightly popular movie even if it is a bit broad with its content. After all, one of the best ways to convey a message is to shout it. Original Review
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