Top 5 Films of 2011

For the sake of consistency (and for the pure fun of it), I'm going back to my pre-blogging days in order to give my opinion on the top five films of both 2011 and 2010. This way I'll get to round out the decade and organize my thoughts about all the great movies that came out in the years before Eye Catching Ear Candy. 2011 is up first. Read and enjoy!

(*Honorable Mentions - The Artist, Bridesmaids, Hugo, I Saw the Devil, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Melancholia, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Super 8, The Tree of Life, 13 Assassins) 

5.) Moneyball: In the pantheon of sports movies, rarely did audiences ever glimpse the managerial side, the technical side, or even the strategic side, of the game. Thankfully in Moneyball that's exactly what we get. Through Brad Pitt's fire-and-ice portrayal of real life Oakland A's manager Billy Beane, we experience baseball in a whole new way: clinically, categorically, and dangerously. This is a refreshing perspective, one that doesn't feel as cliche or exhausted as the sports genre tends to be. Watching Beane and assistant GM Peter Brand (played quite competently by funnyman Jonah Hill) reinvent the game is riveting. Not a single line of dialogue is wasted, not a single ounce of characterization is misdirected - it all adds to the depth and gravity of the story. Fortunately, it's a good one. I'm sure all the baseball metaphors have been used already (It's a home run! This one's a game changer! Brad Pitt knocks it out of the park!), so I'll simply say this: it's an excellent movie - maybe one of the best in the genre, and certainly a highlight of 2011. 

4.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2: I can honestly say that the Harry Potter film series isn't one of my favorites. The early installments were quite plastic and lacked, among many things, human realism; while the later ones drowned in poor acting and shallow dialogue. But with The Deathly Hallows - Part 2, director David Yates and company wipe away all the saga's previous sins and give us an enduring cinematic adventure. With the emotional stakes higher than ever before, the movie flings through scenes, sets, and action sequences at a dizzying pace. All the actors are performing at the peak of their abilities, but truly Alan Rickman as the tragic Severus Snape is most impressive of all (the guy deserved an Academy Award nomination, at least). Even better, all these great performances aren't outshined by the abundant special effects, which electrify the action scenes and further immerse you in the tumultuous world of Hogwarts. The cinematography is marvelous, overflowing with a macabre richness that sticks in your eyes, lingers on your skin. This is a film of overwhelming spectacle, a true testament to the power of cinema. 

3.) Take Shelter: Existing at the other end of the cinematic spectrum, perhaps farthest away from The Deathly Hallows - Part 2, is the immaculate Take Shelter. Set in small town America, the plot revolves around construction worker Curtis LaForche, a soft-spoken family man who is plagued by nightmarish visions that depict an oncoming storm of apocalyptic proportions. Michael Shannon is the gifted actor who brings this character to life, portraying with heartbreaking realism all of Curtis's mounting insecurities and paranoid outbursts. Let me make this clear right now: this is not a fun movie to watch. This isn't a popcorn flick that you and your sweetheart see on a Friday night. No, sir. This is tense, taut, and painful. It stirs up deep fears of death and loss, it makes you question your sanity, it unsettles and disturbs. This is a dread-filled examination of one man's soul, and you won't come out unscathed. Take Shelter seeps into your spirit, tinges your soul. Subtle, honest, profound - it's utterly magnetic. Like a distant storm tumbling along the horizon, you won't be able to look away.    

2.) Midnight in Paris: Forget Annie Hall. Really. Forget Manhattan, too. This is Woody Allen's best film. It's about a writer named Gil Pender, an American spending some time in Paris. One night (one midnight, to be precise) he's strolling the golden streets alone and stumbles into the 1920's. He happens to meet geniuses like Fitzgerald and Hemingway and Stein, but before he knows it, 2011 returns, with all its trivialities and annoyances still intact. Gil makes a habit of returning to the 20's every midnight to meet more people, gather experiences, to collect ideas and memories.

Okay - gotta be honest, here: as a guy with a degree in English, I loved this premise.

Everything about this movie is buoyant and sincere. The performances are exquisite (with a cast that includes everyone from Owen Wilson to Marion Cotillard), the music is delightful, the pace is quick and airy, and the imagery is sublime. However, when it comes to Woody Allen, writing always comes first. Indeed even here, when the cinematography and staging speak volumes, dialogue and characterization nonetheless take center stage. Each word echoes with authenticity, every plot point rings true. This is a funny movie, sure, but not always a laugh-out-loud, slap-your-knees, wipe-the-tears-from-your-eyes kind of funny. Nope. More often than not, the humor arrives like a well-timed joke told by a comedian who's been around the block for awhile. You grin, take it in, savor it like a beautiful afternoon or a perfect taste on the tongue, and whisper, "Man, that was funny." It's a perfect film - witty, astute, and truly alive. 

1.) Drive: A city bustling with crime. A young mother struggling to raise her son. A stoic man, a conflicted one, who lives as a villain but thinks like a hero. A torrid love affair, spoken through silence, that lives and dies by one man's freedom. A getaway driver. A vicious crime boss. Car chases. Murder. Loss. Redemption.

With Drive, director Nicolas Winding Refn has crafted a stylish neo-noir thriller, one that is exciting and emotionally engaging. It's a film built on cliches (honestly - reread that first paragraph and tell me it's not), but adapted and fashioned in a way that is bold, fresh, and fascinating. It's a colorful tapestry, a gorgeous interplay of many terrific stories woven together: a glimpse of Chinatown, a dash of Bullitt, a sprinkling of The Third Man and LA Confidential. By building a unique story within a familiar framework, the film can be avant-garde without alienating audiences. With scarce (but nonetheless breathtaking) action sequences, vivid violence, an ironic score, and oodles of artsy imagery, this is a white-knuckler that dares to tease the mind and tug at the heartstrings.

All the important cinematic elements are here and pulled off with a polished finesse. The performances are stellar (Ryan Gosling is electric, Carey Mulligan is enchanting, Albert Brooks is subtle and scary), the plot is minimalist, the score is intriguing, the cinematography simmers, and the themes are integrated smoothly into the narrative fabric. Drive honors the films of yesterday, pleases moviegoers of today, and slyly hints at the cinema of tomorrow. It is an incredibly satisfying work of art - emotional, entertaining, and intelligent.