2011 Movies: How's it goin?
There are a lot of movies that I've seen so far this year, but just haven't had the time or energy to review. So I thought I'd take the time to do a brief retrospective on 2011, talk about what I've seen, rank what I've seen so far, and talk about what I have yet to see. Got all that?
Win Win- This little gem is one of the best movies I've seen so far this year. At first glance it appears to be your standard inspirational high school sports flick, but it really isn't. Paul Giamatti stars as a lawyer/high school wrestling coach, who through an unforeseen set of circumstances, becomes the guardian of a blonde teenager with an attitude, who just happens to be somewhat of a wrestling prodigy. Great performances all around (especially Giamatti and Amy Ryan), this is one of those feel-good movies that takes you by surprise, because it's honest.
Arthur- I can't help but be disappointed by this movie. It was probably unnecessary to begin with, and it becomes abundantly clear throughout that Russel Brand thrives in a supporting role, not the lead one. There are laughs to be found in this movie, but they're overshadowed by the cliche, formulaic plot.
Bridesmaids- I'm having a hard time putting into words why I like this movie so much. The ensemble cast is excellent (Melissa McCarthy is hilarious), led competently by Kristen Wiig (who has hit her stride in a big way). It's pretty ridiculous, but in the Apatow tradition, finds a way to balance the ridiculous and the realistic in the most satisfying way.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides- Eh..... this movie was about what I expected. The filmmakers did themselves a favor by giving Knightley and Bloom the boot, but still can't seem to grasp the concept that 9 times out of 10, less is more. The first "Pirates" movie was clearly the best, and they've been overcompensating ever since. Can't we just see a movie that's actually about pirates, doing pirate things?
Midnight in Paris- "Midnight in Paris" hearkens back to the best Woody Allen films from the 70s and 80s. Owen Wilson is the Woody stand-in in "Paris", and does an excellent job channeling the Woody neuroses while keeping his own vibes thoroughly intact. The premise is highly entertaining, and Martin Sheen succeeds at being the intellectual douche bag that we all love to hate.
Kung Fu Panda 2- Awesome movie. The entire cast of voice talents is back, along with Gary Oldman voicing the new villain. The actual kung fu is crisply animated, depicted at lightning speed, but slow enough so that we actually see what's going on (most of the time). The jokes are solid, and it's just an entertaining movie overall.
X-Men: First Class- In my mind, this movie should be called "The Michael Fassbender Show". Fassbender unquestionably steals the show as Magneto, and that's a good thing, because the rest of the movie was just pretty good. This movie had all the makings to be amazing, but parts of it just didn't add up for me. Don't get me wrong, it was thoroughly entertaining, but some of it was just dumb. Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Lawrence seemed miscast, and the dialogue was hit-or-miss: "Mutant and proud" is the dumbest line since "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's hit by lightning?". Overall, pretty good. Definitely the best superhero movie this summer. If you haven't seen it, see it for Fassbender.
Win Win- This little gem is one of the best movies I've seen so far this year. At first glance it appears to be your standard inspirational high school sports flick, but it really isn't. Paul Giamatti stars as a lawyer/high school wrestling coach, who through an unforeseen set of circumstances, becomes the guardian of a blonde teenager with an attitude, who just happens to be somewhat of a wrestling prodigy. Great performances all around (especially Giamatti and Amy Ryan), this is one of those feel-good movies that takes you by surprise, because it's honest.
Arthur- I can't help but be disappointed by this movie. It was probably unnecessary to begin with, and it becomes abundantly clear throughout that Russel Brand thrives in a supporting role, not the lead one. There are laughs to be found in this movie, but they're overshadowed by the cliche, formulaic plot.
Bridesmaids- I'm having a hard time putting into words why I like this movie so much. The ensemble cast is excellent (Melissa McCarthy is hilarious), led competently by Kristen Wiig (who has hit her stride in a big way). It's pretty ridiculous, but in the Apatow tradition, finds a way to balance the ridiculous and the realistic in the most satisfying way.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides- Eh..... this movie was about what I expected. The filmmakers did themselves a favor by giving Knightley and Bloom the boot, but still can't seem to grasp the concept that 9 times out of 10, less is more. The first "Pirates" movie was clearly the best, and they've been overcompensating ever since. Can't we just see a movie that's actually about pirates, doing pirate things?
Midnight in Paris- "Midnight in Paris" hearkens back to the best Woody Allen films from the 70s and 80s. Owen Wilson is the Woody stand-in in "Paris", and does an excellent job channeling the Woody neuroses while keeping his own vibes thoroughly intact. The premise is highly entertaining, and Martin Sheen succeeds at being the intellectual douche bag that we all love to hate.
Kung Fu Panda 2- Awesome movie. The entire cast of voice talents is back, along with Gary Oldman voicing the new villain. The actual kung fu is crisply animated, depicted at lightning speed, but slow enough so that we actually see what's going on (most of the time). The jokes are solid, and it's just an entertaining movie overall.
X-Men: First Class- In my mind, this movie should be called "The Michael Fassbender Show". Fassbender unquestionably steals the show as Magneto, and that's a good thing, because the rest of the movie was just pretty good. This movie had all the makings to be amazing, but parts of it just didn't add up for me. Don't get me wrong, it was thoroughly entertaining, but some of it was just dumb. Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Lawrence seemed miscast, and the dialogue was hit-or-miss: "Mutant and proud" is the dumbest line since "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's hit by lightning?". Overall, pretty good. Definitely the best superhero movie this summer. If you haven't seen it, see it for Fassbender.
2011 Ranked
- Super 8
- Midnight in Paris
- Win Win
- Bridesmaids
- Scream 4
- Kung Fu Panda 2
- X-Men: First Class
- Paul
- Thor
- Your Highness
- The Green Hornet
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- The Hangover: Part II
- Arthur
- The Adjustment Bureau
- Unknown
- Green Lantern
- Battle: Los Angeles
2011 Movies I Have Yet to See
- Jane Eyre- I just read this book for my "British Literature" class. Plus, it's got my man-crush, Michael Fassbender!
- Kill the Irishman- It's got Christopher Walken, and it's set in Cleveland. Not sure why I haven't seen it yet.
- Hobo with a Shotgun- This movie looks fun. If you haven't heard of it, look up the trailer.
- Source Code- One of those movies I was really anticipating, but didn't see in theaters. I await its Netflix/DVD availability.
- Hanna- Looks pretty crazy; I hear it's awesome.
- The Tree of Life- Has gotten nothing but glowing reviews, and Terrence Malick is kind of a genius, so...
- Beginners- A quirky-looking dramedy starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, and Shoshanna from "Inglourious Basterds".
- Cars 2- The trailers certainly didn't thrill me. But it's Pixar, so I'll give it a shot.
Yay thoughts! I haven't gotten to see a good number of these films, but I'll have to check some of them out based on your thoughts here.
ReplyDeletePirates - I actually thought they did a LOT of less-is-more in this one (although anything would be less compared to At World's End). I basically went in wanting more of Johnny Depp being Jack Sparrow, swordfights, and Penelope Cruz being a hot pirate. I got all those things so I was entertained.
Bridesmaids - I LOVED this movie! I am such a fan of Kristen Wiig, so I pretty much loved it all. It was hilarious, but it also had a lot of heart. Glad you enjoyed it.
X-Men - I also loved this film. It was so refreshing to be reminded of what a great X-Men film can be after the abysmal X3 and Wolverine. I also have to completely disagree with your thoughts that Lawrence and Bacon were miscast because I thought they delivered some of the best performances of the film. Michael Fassbender is on my man-crush list too, right after Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Andrew Garfield. His performance in this is going to make him a star. James MacAvoy was great too. I really just loved this movie.
Hey- thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteYes, I suppose "Pirates" was toned down compared to 2 and 3. But as you said, that's not really saying anything. Mermaids, staggering battle sequences, Geoffrey Rush in a powdered wig, all just a tad much in my book. Also, it's only been a few weeks and I'm already forgetting the plot- chalk that up to my memory or the staying power of Pirates 4 (I bet it's a lil of both). That being said, Johnny Depp remains charming and it was kind of fun. In my perfect world, I would just have simpler Pirates movies.
As for Jennifer Lawrence in "First Class", I don't know, she really didn't do it for me. Am I holding her to the standard of her performance in "Winter's Bone"? Perhaps, but I still didn't think she was great. Mystique's character development wasn't really satisfying for me, and I feel like they could have done so much more. As for Kevin Bacon, he was just kind of there, nothing special I thought. I would agree though, McAvoy was excellent, he complimented Fassbender really well, Magneto is just a way more compelling character.