What a great year for movies. This has been the best year for film since 2007. My top four movies of this year would easily replace my top four favorite of last year - a pretty bad year. There was such a great diversity of films, from comedies, to superhero movies, to action films, to art house flicks and on and on.
Of course, not being a professional movie critic, I missed many movies that probably could have easily made it on my list (I will include the list of these movies at the bottom). Here's the list of my top sixteen.
17. Cedar Rapids
"Short and Sweet" is the best way to describe this film. I was impressed by how three-dimensional the characters were. And John C. Reilly and Ed Helms are funny as usual.
16. Captain America
There is a lot of flaws in this one but it is also just a good time. My favorite part about this film is that my kid latched onto it and he and I really bonded over it. This movie and Thor really made me excited for superhero movies again. (I also liked Green Lantern even though many hated it).
15. Red State
I woke up at five in the morning to see this at Sundance and it was sure worth it. This film is a mixture of horror, action, comedy and satire that is blended really well. Surprisingly well.
14. Bellflower
What a crazy, violent, insane, fun film. This is truly a story about when love goes very, very wrong. Some of the images of this film are so intense they will never leave me.
13. Winnie the Pooh
Again, another "short and sweet" film. I am really glad to have a kid because it gives me an excuse to see animated films in the theater. This one was so fun and made me laugh out loud several times. And for a nostalgic purposes and overall quality, I would take this film over the new Muppet's movie any time.
12. 50/50
I could never get enough of Seth Rogen. He constantly plays the same character but I never get tired of watching him. This is one of those feel good dramodies which generally really annoy me. But this movie had the comedy/drama balance just right. JGL (as the girls call him) is pretty awesome too.
11. X-Men
Man, what a year for Marvel. Also, what a year for Michael Fassbender. I'm more of a person who pays attention to directors than actors but this guy changes the dynamic of every movie I've seen him in. If anyone else had played Magneto this film would only be half as good.
10. Melancholia
Of course I had to throw a Lars von Trier film into my top ten. Anyone who knows me knows how much I worship this guy. He is probably the best director going and this film does not disappoint. If you want to see an apocalyptic/end of the world film that is actually good this is the one to see. As with every other von Trier film this is beautiful and emotionally/psychologically devastating. I read somewhere that von Trier really wanted to make a movie about what it is like to suffer depression and once I knew this the film made so much more sense and had so much more depth to it. Keep this in mind when you watch it.
9. Rango
The best animated film of the year so far. I couldn't believe how life-like and detailed the creatures were. I really don't like Johnny Depp anymore except he was great in this film. The story was fun and accessible to people of any age. I actually liked it better with repeated viewings.
8. Source Code
I had this farther up my list earlier in the year but the more I think about it I really hated the ending. The acting by Gyllenhaal and Monaghan - two actors I don't really care for - was surprisingly great. And everything up to the last ten minutes or so was really fun and creatively done.
7. Moneyball
Who would have thought a film about statistics and baseball could make such and interesting subject? This is the best performance Brad Pitt has ever given.
6. Bridesmaids
The funniest movie of the year is a movie about a bunch of girls preparing for a wedding? What? Yes, it is true. But this isn't all that surprising because I've thought Kristen Wiig was the best thing to come out of SNL in a while. This movie passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors.
5. Terri
I might have to see this one again but from what I remember this was a really, really good movie. John C. Reilly is one of the few people that can give real depth to wacky characters and he is probably my favorite actor right now. Aside from a really weird scene involving three kids, a lot of booze and a shed this movie was a complete delight.
4. Tree of Life
I know, I know, how pretentious of me to put this in my top five. Well, if I'm going to be completely honest, if there is one movie this year that will pass the test of time this movie is it. But that is what Terry Malick does, he makes timeless movies. There has been much written about this movie, a lot negative and a lot positive, but the fact remains that the middle part - the actual story - is the best told story this year.
Sure this movie is pretentious and sure there might be some fat that needs to be trimmed, but there isn't a more beautiful, honest film that has come out this year. When I mean honest, I mean that Malick's vision of humanity so closely matches actual reality that it makes you feel like you are a part of the family he is depicting.
The thing that impressed me most about this film is its depiction of beauty and strength. Every image and every character is beautiful and strong, gentle and threatening and this is where the tension in the film lies. One of the lasting images that best explains the film for me is one of a waterfall and I kept thinking that this image is not only is beautiful - and therefore could inspire awe and comfort - but it is also powerful - and therefore could do real damage. The characters in the movie are the same just as people in real life are.
The only real false thing about the movie is the last fifteen minutes. But I will pretend for now that those minutes never existed.
3. Super 8
I get so exhausted with the 80's and everyone trying to bite off of it as if it were such a cool time to be alive. Let's face it, the 80's kind of sucked. However, the movies, especially the blockbusters like Star Wars, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, etc. were some of the best blockbusters of all time. Super 8 does a great job of capturing the feel of the films of that era and for a moment, while watching the film, I was transported back in time to the 80's - the good part anyways.
The acting is great, the characters are charming, the soundtrack is memorable and the story line is fun. What more do you need.
2. Drive
This might be the coolest movie ever made. At least it is the coolest movie since Pulp Fiction. Nicolas Winding Refn is becoming one of my favorite directors (if you haven't seen his film Bronson go check it out. It is on Netflix instant).
I once heard someone say that for a movie to be considered great all it needs is three great scenes and no bad ones. If this is the case, and I believe it is, then Drive is surely a great movie because there are at least three amazing scenes in this film - and definitely no bad ones.
Albert Brooks probably gives my favorite performance of the year. He is not in the film for very long but fills the screen with his calm but ever-threatening presence. This soundtrack will be a classic in cinema for years to come and Nicolas Winding Refn is and will continue to be one of the best directors working.
1. Certified Copy
Oh, come one, of course I had to put a movie that no one has heard of at the top of my list. Well I can't promise that if you do watch this film (also on Netflix instant) that you, too, will like it because it is not a film that jumps out and grabs you. No, no, no. The reason this is the best film this year is because you have to grab it. The director, Abbas Kiarostami, is making you do the work with no promise of any clear cut answers.
The film is just about a man and a woman walking the streets of Tuscany. And all they do is talk, that is it. But as the film develops you simultaneously learn more and less about their relationship until by the end you are so baffled by what Kiarostami has done to your mind you can't help but think about the film for days after. At least that was my experience.
The best film of the decade so far.
Movies I haven't seen but might have made my list: A Separation, The Interrupters, Project Nim, The Artist, The Arbor, Midnight in Paris, Attack the Block, The Descendants, Meek's Cutoff, Margaret, Take Shelter (I actually saw Take Shelter at Sundance but was so deprived of sleep that I couldn't focus on it).
The funniest movie of the year is a movie about a bunch of girls preparing for a wedding? What? Yes, it is true. But this isn't all that surprising because I've thought Kristen Wiig was the best thing to come out of SNL in a while. This movie passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors.
5. Terri
I might have to see this one again but from what I remember this was a really, really good movie. John C. Reilly is one of the few people that can give real depth to wacky characters and he is probably my favorite actor right now. Aside from a really weird scene involving three kids, a lot of booze and a shed this movie was a complete delight.
4. Tree of Life
I know, I know, how pretentious of me to put this in my top five. Well, if I'm going to be completely honest, if there is one movie this year that will pass the test of time this movie is it. But that is what Terry Malick does, he makes timeless movies. There has been much written about this movie, a lot negative and a lot positive, but the fact remains that the middle part - the actual story - is the best told story this year.
Sure this movie is pretentious and sure there might be some fat that needs to be trimmed, but there isn't a more beautiful, honest film that has come out this year. When I mean honest, I mean that Malick's vision of humanity so closely matches actual reality that it makes you feel like you are a part of the family he is depicting.
The thing that impressed me most about this film is its depiction of beauty and strength. Every image and every character is beautiful and strong, gentle and threatening and this is where the tension in the film lies. One of the lasting images that best explains the film for me is one of a waterfall and I kept thinking that this image is not only is beautiful - and therefore could inspire awe and comfort - but it is also powerful - and therefore could do real damage. The characters in the movie are the same just as people in real life are.
The only real false thing about the movie is the last fifteen minutes. But I will pretend for now that those minutes never existed.
3. Super 8
I get so exhausted with the 80's and everyone trying to bite off of it as if it were such a cool time to be alive. Let's face it, the 80's kind of sucked. However, the movies, especially the blockbusters like Star Wars, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, etc. were some of the best blockbusters of all time. Super 8 does a great job of capturing the feel of the films of that era and for a moment, while watching the film, I was transported back in time to the 80's - the good part anyways.
The acting is great, the characters are charming, the soundtrack is memorable and the story line is fun. What more do you need.
2. Drive
This might be the coolest movie ever made. At least it is the coolest movie since Pulp Fiction. Nicolas Winding Refn is becoming one of my favorite directors (if you haven't seen his film Bronson go check it out. It is on Netflix instant).
I once heard someone say that for a movie to be considered great all it needs is three great scenes and no bad ones. If this is the case, and I believe it is, then Drive is surely a great movie because there are at least three amazing scenes in this film - and definitely no bad ones.
Albert Brooks probably gives my favorite performance of the year. He is not in the film for very long but fills the screen with his calm but ever-threatening presence. This soundtrack will be a classic in cinema for years to come and Nicolas Winding Refn is and will continue to be one of the best directors working.
1. Certified Copy
Oh, come one, of course I had to put a movie that no one has heard of at the top of my list. Well I can't promise that if you do watch this film (also on Netflix instant) that you, too, will like it because it is not a film that jumps out and grabs you. No, no, no. The reason this is the best film this year is because you have to grab it. The director, Abbas Kiarostami, is making you do the work with no promise of any clear cut answers.
The film is just about a man and a woman walking the streets of Tuscany. And all they do is talk, that is it. But as the film develops you simultaneously learn more and less about their relationship until by the end you are so baffled by what Kiarostami has done to your mind you can't help but think about the film for days after. At least that was my experience.
The best film of the decade so far.
Movies I haven't seen but might have made my list: A Separation, The Interrupters, Project Nim, The Artist, The Arbor, Midnight in Paris, Attack the Block, The Descendants, Meek's Cutoff, Margaret, Take Shelter (I actually saw Take Shelter at Sundance but was so deprived of sleep that I couldn't focus on it).
