Many of you probably read my post of my favorite films from 2011 earlier this year. Its taken me quite some time since then to watch all the movies that I wanted to see from that year though. The earlier list was probably a bit premature since there have been a couple of films that I had to see later that I really enjoyed. For this reason I'm updating my list with changes regarding these films and my overall consensus feeling towards films that did make the list. 2011 was unusual since many of its movies had long dvd shelf lives or pesky qualifying releases for the Oscars which made them unavailable to watch until mid 2012. These include movies like Rampart, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory. Other movies, like Maragaret, received such puny theatrical releases that it was impossible to see them in 2011 and then their dvd release dates were many months later.
Bertrand Bonello's Cannes House of Tolerance wasn't even on my radar of a possible yearly favorite until I saw it in March.
I've also decided to split fiction narratives from non-fiction. I've found it hard to reconcile differeing aspects of documentaries from fiction and they have different qualities which make them great. Some of the documentaries from last year are my favorite documentaries of all time, but they weren't my favorite films from last year. A split may just be an excuse of a way for me to add more movies to the list.
Here is the new updated top 15 list of 2011. Movies I hadn't seen yet by the time of my original list are bolded.
My Top 15- Fiction
1. Melancholia (Lars von Trier)
2. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
3. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
4. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)
5. Weekend (Andrew Haigh) 6. Margaret (Kenneth Lonergan) 7. House of Tolerance (Bertrand Bonello)
8. The Artist (Michel Hazanvicius)
9. Another Earth (Mike Cahill)
10. Kaboom (Greg Araki)
11. The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodovar)
12. Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols)
13. Drive (Nichols Winding Refn)
14. Le Havre (Aki Kaurismaki) 15. We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay)
Best Documentaries
1. Senna (Asif Kapadia)
2. Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky)
3. Pina (Wim Wenders)
4. George Harrison: Living in a Material World (Martin Scorsese)
5. Tabloid (Errol Morris)
Just missing the cut were Martin Scorsese's Hugo, Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death, Richard Ayoade's Submarine, and Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
2012 is at the half mark and there have already been many movies released to US theaters ranging from Adam Sandler's newest That's My Boy to the horror film The Devil Inside. No, I didn't see either of those films nor do I ever plan on it. However, I have watched plenty of good movies in the first half of the year and even missed quite a few that I wanted to see. Well I really didn't miss them, but their releases were so small that they didn't play in any theaters near me. These movies that I have not yet seen include notably Sound of My Voice, Snowtown, Kill List, Post Mortem, and Oslo, August 31st. I'll get a chance to see them later in the year when they are released on instant.
Many of the major films released in the first half of 2012 were Cannes films from 2011 that were not released here until this year. I particularly enjoyed the Mexican suspsense film Miss Bala in which Stephanie Sigman gives an impressive performance. The Dardennes brothers newest film, The Kid with a Bike is another jewel in their repertoire. Hong Sangsoo's The Day He Arrives surprised me the most of any movie of the year so far. It has a simple style contrasted to a complex plot and themes. I had not seen any of Hong's movies and this first one was a treat. I also loved the cinema verite of Maiwenn's child protection unit drama in Polisse. It includes the best ensemble of the year and one of the best scenes. I saw a few other of the 2011 Cannes films (Elena, Footnote, Michael, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Where do We Go Now?), but none of them reached the same level for me as the four aforementioned ones.
I wasn't as huge a fan of The Avengers as most people have been, however there have been blockbuster and big budget movies I have enjoyed. Garry Ross's adaptation of The Hunger Games absorbs the viewer into the universe of Panem. Ridley Scott's Prometheus has its share of editing and writing problems, but it is a visual spectacle that dares to ask big questions. Its one of those movies I appreciate much more than it is good. For its sheer daring and spectacle, I will remember it come the end of the year.
Returning to the screen for the first time since 1998 is American auteur director Whit Stillman. His Damsels in Distress is a quirky, lovely, and joyful look at a college campus. The delight in this film is a major contrast to the realism found in Miss Bala and The Kid with a Bike. Like Stillman, Wes Anderson has a similar, but distinct style in his films. Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson's newest, adds to Anderson's resume and continues upon his styles and themes. Its extremely enjoyable to watch and made with the craft of a master.
The animated movie The Secret World of Arrietty is one of the most simple films from the Japanese Studio Ghibli animation house, yet it is still charming, sweet, and impeccably made. It may not be as good as a film directed by Miyazaki himself, but it is still a gem. It won't be eligible for the Oscars this year, due to the delay in its release (it was released in Japan two years ago), but hopefully it will be remembered at the end of the year with other critics bodies.
Let's not forget Steven Soderbergh. While he declared that he is retiring, the prolific director has shown now signs of slowing down. Both of his films released this year, Haywire and Magic Mike, are very good. Neither is a favorite for me so far this year, but they are highly worth watching and dissecting. Magic Mike interestingly may be the most Floridian movie to be released in years. As a Floridian, it is something I highly appreciate with its many location shots and references to upper and middle class Floridian lifestyles. Not many films have showcased the uniquely southern but distinctively different Floridian culture.
Below are my top ten of 2012 so far. To be eligible, a movie must have had its American release starting January 1st through June 31st. For practical reasons, limited releases in late June (like Beasts of Southern Wild) won't be included on the list since I won't get a chance to see them for some time. Positions 3-7 were all very close and I would expect those movies to shift spots over time.
My Top 10 of The First Half of 2012
Honrable Mentions: Bernie (Richard Linklater), The Hunger Games (Gary Ross), and Keyhole (Guy Maddin)
10. Tie: Hawyire and Magic Mike Directed by Steven Soderbergh (The United States)
9. Declaration of War Directed by Valerie Donzelli (France)
8. Prometheus
Directed by Ridley Scott (The United States)
7. The Secret World of Arrietty
Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Japan)
6. Miss Bala
Directed by Gerardo Naranjo (Mexico)
5. Polisse Directed by Maiwenn (France)
4. The Day He Arrives
Directed by Hong Sangsoo (South Korea)
3. The Kid with a Bike
Directed by Luc and Jean- Pierre Dardenne (Belgium)
2. Moonrise Kingdom
Directed by Wes Anderson (The United States)
1. Damsels in Distress
Directed by Whit Stillman (The United States)
And I have a few superlative awards to give out halfway through the year:
Best Actor: Jack Black in Bernie
Best Actress: Stephanie Sigman in Miss Bala
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender in Prometheus Best Supporting Actress: Celine de France in The Kid with a Bike
Best Ensemble: Polisse
And for a treat, the list of my most anticipated films for the second half of 2012.
1. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson)
2. Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino)
3. Holy Motors (Leos Carax)*
4. To the Wonder (Terrence Malick)*
5. Beasts of Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin)
6. The Hobbit (Peter Jackson)
7. Frankenweenie (Tim Burton)
8. The Paperboy (Lee Daniels)
9. In the House (Francois Ozon)*
10. Up From Poppy Hill (Goro Miyazaki)
*Holy Motors and In the House both have American distributors, but neither company has announced the release dates of the films, which could be pushed into 2013. Likewise, the new Terrence Malick movie has been announced, but we don't know if it is really truly ready and if it will get a 2012 release.
Well, its mid March 2012 and I am just now posting my top 10, or should I say top 15, list of 2011 films. Instead of posting in the deluge of top 10s which are released in mid and late December, my list comes later because its impossible to see all the acclaimed and notable films by the end of the year unless you are a professional movie critic or blogger. If I had posted my top 15 then I would have been seriously missing some great films from my list. In posting this now, I'm still not satisfied as there are still a handful of films that I haven't been able to see from 2011. Because of their late and very limited theatrical expansions and dvd release dates, I am not waiting any longer to post my list or my list probably wouldn't be posted until June or July. In the rare case of Mysteries of Lisbon, I haven't had the time to watch its approximately four and a half hour length yet.
Movies That I'm Still Waiting to See:
George
Harrison: Living in a Material World (Martin Scorsese)
In the Land of Blood and Honey (Angelina Jolie)
Into the
Abyss (Werner Herzog)
Machine Gun Preacher (Marc Forster)
Margaret (Kenneth Lonergan)
Mysteries of Lisbon (Raul Ruiz)
Tomboy (Seline Sciamma)
Tyrannosaur (Paddy Considine)
Pariah (Dee Rees)
We Need to Talk about
Kevin (Lynne Ramsay)
To qualify for being eligible in a given year, a film must
have received a US theatrical release. This disqualifies several films like Albert Nobbs and Rampart which had Academy "qualifying runs" in late 2011 but
weren’t available to the regular public until 2012. This is the first time I am not including films with qualifying releases, so films such as The Way Back and Biutiful (2010 qualifiers) were eligible in 2010.
I decided to Make a Top 15 this year instead
of the usual 10. I feel that there were more than fifteen really good
movies and that there isn't any real use in limiting the amount of films
that I praise. When making up my list of twenty, a film that might
have been in place #15 could have been in place #7 on a second writing
of the list. Such competition among the movies made it essential to put
twenty and not just ten. Below are the films that I considered, with directors in parenthesis) but didn't quite make it followed by my Top 15.
Finalists That Didn't Quite Make My List:
50/50 (Jonathan Levine)
Contagion (Steven Soderbergh)
Incendies (Denis Vileneuve)
Jane Eyre (Cary Fukungawa)
Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen)
Rango (Gore Verbinski)
Restless (Gus Van Sant)
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Thomas Alfredson)
Win Win (Tom McCarthy)
Young Adult (Jason Reitman)
Honorable Mention:
Submarine
Directed by Richard Ayoade
Submarine got the boot from the Weinstein Company in the
summer. It was supposed to receive a limited expansion in its theatrical
release but instead the was pulled quickly because of its poor box office
showing. Hopefully the choice from the Weinsteins don't keep viewers away
because it is a wonderful, charming, and quirky coming of age film which will
probably receive many comparisons to the films of Wes Anderson. Ayoade
however brings many unique traits and styles to the film which are easy to
notice such as his more cynical point of view.
Pina
Directed by Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders had long intended to make a film about the dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. Bausch unfortunately died before Wenders could begin making the film. Wenders however was able to turn the film into a tribute to Bausch with the help of her dance troupe. The film itself is mesmerizing and beautiful. Its not a fictional film, nor is it really a documentary. I guess the closest thing to it is a dance film. The best classification of it is a docu-dance film, as it uses a documentary structure to the film with some of the footage being filmed specifically for the film while other footage being archival. I'm not sure how I feel with putting a film that is not really narrative at all in any form in my best of list. The best way to honor it is with this honorable mention position.
Hugo
Directed by Martin Scorsese
It was hard for me to not include the new Scorsese in my top 15. It has so many great qualities. The technical aspects are superb, ranging from the score to the visual effects. It also is a complete homage to cinema. Lastly, it is really enjoyable and re watchable, something that all my films in my top 15 may not be.
The Top 15:
#15
City of Life and Death
Directed by Lu Chuan
Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death
is one of the most difficult and emotionally draining films of 2011.
Even though it was released internationally way back in 2009, it didn't
get a US release until 2011. The movie depicts the Rape of Nanjing and
the atrocities committed against the Chinese. Of note is the beautiful
cinematography of Cao Yu. With City of Life and Death, director Lu Chuan has became one of my anticipated filmmakers working and could become of the next big international auteurs.His next film, The Last Supper, is rumored to be premiering at Cannes this year.
#14
Le Havre Directed by Aki Kaurismaki
The newest film from Aki Kaurismaki, Le Havre, opened at Cannes last year to widespread acclaim yet it failed to win the Palm D'Or and most other awards last year. It was also notably snubbed from the Academy Awards foreign film short-list even though Kaurismaki had been a favorite in the past with The Man Without a Past. The reasoning behind the lack of love for the film was because it wasn't deep or heavy. The same critics of Le Havre also voiced criticism towards other films that were more lightweight such as The Artist. While Le Havre may not be a deeply challenging movie it does tell us a lot about humanity and virtue. Just as important, it makes is feel like we are in the port city of Le Havre while we are watching the movie.
#13
The Guard
Directed by John Michael McDonagh
The Guard is the first film from Irishman John Michael McDonagh and it is the best comedy of the year. Brendan Glesson plays the lead role and gives a great performance as a good-cop/bad-cop in Ireland. McDonagh sets a great mood and puts the film in all ways possible in Ireland. McDonagh also penned a great script that kept me laughing throughout the movie.
#12
The Skin I Live In
Directed by Pedro Almodovar
There is not much to say about one of the world's greatest living directors that hasn't already been said. Almodovar continues to churn out good and great films. The Skin I Live In may not be one of the best in his library that includes many greats, but it is still a strong film that questions conventional norms of human sexuality. And its important not to forget the great score from Alberto Iglesias and the wonderful art direction found in all Almodovar films.
#11
Drive
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
When I saw Drive in the theater earlier this year, the crowd went wild, but in the wrong way. The audience didn't particularly understand why there was so much gore in film (which compared to other films, there isn't much of), why the main character was not fully explained, and why the movie was so stylish. Simply, Drive is the coolest film of the year that doesn't fit into normal action film tropes. Instead it is a methodical character study filled with style. Let's not forget its amazing soundtrack.
#10
Kaboom
Directed by Gregg Araki
If Drive is the coolest film of the year, than Kaboom is the most fun and the most likely to become a cult hit in coming years. It received a chilly reception in its US release last spring and most critics complained Araki was making another film about a confused youth which didn't meet up to the levels he set with his early films. I entirely disagree, partly because his early films, while touching major themes, have faltering screenplays and are extremely dated. Kaboom instead has a cool and quirky dialogue, a colorful art direction, and one of the most interesting plots of the year. It doesn't really break any new ground but it is very watchable.
#9
Take Shelter
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Michael Shannon gave one of the powerhouse performances of 2011 in Take Shelter. He covers so much acting terrain in a seemingly easy fashion. Along with Nichols' directing, Shannon's acting pushes you into the paranoia that Shannon's character inhabits. Jessica Chastain also shines in her supporting role.
#8
Another Earth
Directed by Mike Cahill
In Another Earth, director Mike Cahill and actress Brit Marling take an absurd idea, on whether another Earth existed parallel to our Earth and the histories of the two planets were exactly the same, and make it plausible. Cahill and Marling's screenplay is so taut that you end up not really caring about any possible plot holes related to the situation but instead create interest in the characters and their situations. Marling gives a great performances as a young woman who is dealing with extreme regret and sorrow and is opposite Will Mapother who is equally good.
#7
The Artist
Directed by Michel Hazanavicus
A lot of controversy surrounded The Artist in the final weeks of 2011 and early 2012. The controversy though wasn't centered around anything negative about the film, but instead that it was too "light" of a film that shouldn't win the Oscar for Best Picture. The whole argument over whether films should have something hugely substantive to say about life and the world we live in is misguided. Movies can be great even if they are just character studies or those like the Artist which tell a great story. Yes, The Artist may not be the most challenging movie of the year, but movies do not have to be incredibly challenging to be great. The Artist is wonderful because it is a lighter, a charming, and an enjoyable film. It helps that actors Berenice Bejo and Jean Dujardin and the dog Uggie are all very likeable
#6
Senna
Directed by Asif Kapadia
Senna is by far the best documentary of 2011. Instead of being a documentary with talking heads discussing the life of Aryton Senna, the movie is made from live footage of Senna's life. With great editing the footage has been put together to create a wonderful movie that traces Senna's life and his Formula 1 career. Many critics of the film says it idolizes Senna, but it really doesn't just show the virtues of the man. It also shows us the darker sides of Senna while remaining a tribute to him. Senna is one of the most emotionally charged movies of the year and even people who don't like auto racing can fully enjoy it.
#5
The Tree of Life
Directed by Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick is one of America's most reclusive film directors and finally got his film about the origins of life made and released in 2011. The film had been in production for ages and had been in Malick's mind from the years since Days of Heaven was released in the late 70s. The movie itself is gorgeous as Malick weaves a story around a 1950s family in Texas while connecting the story to the story of life and the universe. The movie is the most ambitious of the year and at times even becomes too Malicky for its own good. For that reason, The Tree of Life, isn't at the top of my list. Malick is great, one of my favorite directors, but he really out did himself this time. There is too much of his style in the movie that even at times make him seem like he is riffing off of Fellini. Overall though, The Tree of Life, is a majestic master class piece of film making filled with emotion and a countless number of viewings on humanity and life.
#4
Weekend
Directed by Andrew Haigh
Weekend was one of those films that grew very slowly in the festival market at the beginning of the year to end up with many critics best off accolades by the end of the year. The release strategy for it was very good which was helped because the movie itself is very good. The movie is about a weekend one-off relationship of two gay men in Nottingham, England. It is the most truthful movie about a gay relationship to come out in years. Importantly, while mostly set in enclosed spaces, the technical aspects are still top notch with great camerawork which lets the relationship feel truthful, delicate, and cinematic as the script allows.
#3
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Uncle Boonmee was the first real treat of 2011 since it was a 2010 international film that didn't come to the US' shores until 2011. Weerasethakul, or who we know more intimately as "Joe", crafted an elegant film filled with landscapes and culture from Thailand. It is the most spiritual movie to come out in 2011 as it is filled with references to the local Thai culture which include ghost monkeys and talking catfish. Even among the spirituality, Joe manages to make the film gripping and tense until the very end.
#2
A Separation
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Set in modern day Iran, A Separation is very much a courtroom drama about a divorce and another domestic incident. The movie is full of truth and heart. It shows the agonizing pain of characters who are in situations which they didn't want or expect to be in. What makes Farhadi's film so brilliant is that he treats all the characters fairly and doesn't make any the "bad guy" as some filmmakers and writers so easily want to do. Farhadi is a member of the third wave of Iranian filmmaker and will likely be the most prominent member of the group. He is likely to join Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi as one of the highly acclaimed working Iranian directors.
#1
Melancholia
Directed by Lars von Trier
2011 was a year filled with movies about the end of the world, in one way or another, but none of the films showed the end of days in such a clinical fashion as Lars Von Trier's Melancholia. Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg both give remarkably great performances playing two sisters that represent depression and anxiety as the end draws to a near. The film is aided by the cinematography and beautiful art direction, both which are notable staples of any recent Lars von Trier film.
The Superlatives:
Here are my personal superlatives of the year. These are the people, movies, and crafts which I thought were the best of the year.
Best Director: Lars
von Trier for Melancholia
Best Directoral Debut: Andrew Haigh for Weekend
Best Actor
: Chris
New in Weekend
Best Actress: Kirsten
Dunst in Melancholia
Best Supporting Actor:
Viggo
Mortensen in A Dangerous Method
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica
Chastain in The Help, Take Shelter, and The Tree of Life
Best Ensemble: A Separation (Leila Hatami, Peyman Mooadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, et al)
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan for Tinker,
Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Best Original Screenplay: Andrew Haigh for Weekend
Best Cinematography: Manuel Alberto Claro for Melancholia
Film Editing: Chris King and Greggers Sall for Senna
Best Art Direction: Simone Grau for Melancholia
Best Costumes: Caroline de Viviaise for The Princess of Montpensier
Best Makeup and Hair: Sebastian Deffontaines and Aurelie Elich for Potiche
Best Original Score: Howard Shore for Hugo
Best Adapted Score: Cliff Martinez, Kavinsky and Lovefoxx, Desiree, Riz Ortalani, College, and the Chromatics for Drive
Best Sound Editing and Mixing: Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl, Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffery J. Haboush, and Peter J. Devlin for Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Best Visual Effects: Rony Soussan, Marc Weiger, and Volker Engel for Anonymous
Worst of the Year that I Saw:
1. The
Dilemma (Ron Howard)- A petulant bore of a film with completely
unlikable and obnoxious leads and plastered with highly offensive gay
jokes.
2. Film
Socialisme (Jean Luc Godard)- Godard continues to show how irrelevant
he and his films are. They are non-nonsensical bores that do and show nothing
and don't progress any worldview.
3. 13 Assassins (Takashi Miike)- Miike's "homage" to Kurosawa is nothing but a sadistic slap in the face wrapped in a bad screenplay.
4. I Saw the Devil(Jee-woon Kim)- Another unnecessary sadistic revenge film.
5. The Last Circus (Alex de La Iglesia )- Have I mentioned sadism yet? De La Iglesia's movie is filled with it and he adds a bit of masochism. The plot itself is a repetitive mess that tries to bring up themes about the Spanish Civil War and fails.
