Top 15 of 2011 in Retrospect: Months Later

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: Halfway in Film

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.

2011 in Film: My Top 15 and Superlatives

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.

Most Anticipated for the First Third of 2012

I was thinking of writing a "Most Anticipated" List of 2012, but it is still really early to start writing about  movies that come out next autumn and winter.  Its probably best to look at the films coming to us in the next few months.  Thus I decided it was best to split the new year into three categories: the winter and spring first third of the year which usually gets dumped with 2011 holdovers from January to April, the summer blockbuster third that goes from May to August, and the latter awards season of the year where prestige picks from the studios get released ranging from September to December. 

I don't include 2011 films that will be released in 2012 in this list.  Films like Coriolanus, In Darkness, Rampart, The Lady, Flowers of War, and Albert Nobbs all received 2011 limited released in Las Angeles or New York, even though they I won't and general public be able to see them for some time.  I am however including films that were internationally released in 2011, but will not be released in the US until 2012.  I use the US release dates in determining in which year films will place in my top 10s and most anticipated lists.  

2011 was a great year in cinema.  My top twenty will be coming in the next month or so as I catch up on a few films.  But looking forward to 2012, it seems to be a good year as well. The first third presents a good amount of notable films this year, more than usual.  Two films that missed my list of most anticipated for this third include Joseph Cedar's Footnote, which premiered at Cannes last year and will be release by Sony Pictures Classics and Gary Ross' Hunger Games, which has a lot of anticipation among readers of the book series.  The trailer of Hunger Games, however, has failed to really excite me.  Two other films to note that did not make the list are John Madden's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Terrence Davies' The Deep Blue Sea.  Both are by good directors and could be really good films. 

#10 Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Lasse Hallstrom's new film appears to be a light comedy starring Ewan McGreggor, Kristen Scott Thomas, and Emily Blunt.  Simon Beaufoy of Slumdog Millionaire and The Full Monty fame has written the screenplay for the film.  Salmon could be the feel good film of the beginning of the year.

Release Date: March 2nd, Limited Release

#9 Mirror Mirror

Tarsem Singh is not really a great filmmaker, but he always has visual flair.  Last years Immortals was example of that.  His new film is one of two that take on the story of Snow White.  The other is released later in the year.  Julia Roberts stars in Singh's film and she appears to be having much fun in the role of the wicked step-mother.

Release Date: March 16th, Wide Release

 #8 John Carter

Disney is banking a lot of money of their new film John Carter.  Directed by Andrew Stanton (Wall-E, A Bug's Life, and Finding Nemo), the film is a sci-fi film about a man who wakes up in a different time on Mars.  Stanton may very well be the best director at Pixar, making three great films and it will be interesting to see how he can transfer himself to life action.  Brad Bird did well with Mission Impossible 4 and we'll see if Stanton can follow.

Release Date: March 9th, Wide

#7 The Pirates! Band of Misfits 

Aardman Animation's last two films have been computer animated (Arthur Christmas and Flushed Away), but in The Pirates! Band of Misfits, they return to their more acclaimed claymation- stop motion animation.  The previews for the movie look great and funny and the movie looks to be all around fun.

Release Date: March 30th, Wide

#6 The Kid With a Bike

The Dardennes Brothers new film premiered at Cannes last year.  I originally had it on my most anticipated of last year's Oscar season, but the film has been pushed to a 2012 US release.  Again, I'm mostly anticipating the film because of the directors and their history.  The film should not disappoint.

Release Date: March 16th, Limited

#5 Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

The new film from Nuri Bilge Ceylan was released last year at Cannes and received a great response.  It tied for the #2 spot at the festival (The Grand Prix award) with none other than The Kid With a Bike.  The film is getting a small US release by a small distributor (The Cinema Guild).  If I don't get a chance to see it in theaters, I will try to see it once it hits DVD.  The film could also be a surprise nominee for the Oscars Best Foreign Film Category this year. 

Release Date: January 4th, Limited

#4 Kill List

I don't know much about Kill List, except that it is a hit-man thriller that turns into a horror film.  The movie was released in 2011 in the UK, but will be getting a 2012 release in the US.  It did very well at the British Independent Film Awards.  It looks pretty cool.  It is getting a video on demand release by IFC on January 4th and I'm not sure if it will be getting a real theatrical release in weeks to follow or not.

Release Date: January 4th, Video on Demand; Limited- TBA?

#3 Wettest County

Wettest County is the newest film from director John Hillcoat (The Proposition, The Road).  The film is written by Nick Cave and stars Jessica Chastain, Tom Hardy, and Shia LaBouf.  The movie is set during the prohibition period as bootlegging gangs are being threatened by the government.  No trailer is currently available for the film.  The talent involved (Hillcoat, Hardy, Cave, and Chastain) is enough for anyone to want to see the movie. 


Release Date: April 20th, Wide


#2 Haywire

Steven Soderbergh has been on a roll lately, putting out film after film.  Haywire is one of his final films before he retires or goes on a sabatical, or whatever you want to call it.  Early word of the film signals it is one of his best and who could expect less with one of cinema's rising acting geniuses of Michael Fassbender playing a supporting role?

Release Date: January 20th, Wide 

#1 The Secret World of Arrietty 

 


Arrietty is the newest film by the greatest animation studio in the world, Studio Ghibli.  The film itself is directed by a new director, Hiromasa Yonebayashi.  The studio has chosen some new directors recently because its two landmark directors, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, are rather old and may not make many more films.   Miyazaki however did write the screenplay for the new film and it has opened to great reviews. 

Release Date: February 17th, Wide

Christmastime Oscar Predictions Updated- 12/27/11

The Weeks leading up to Christmas were full of award nominations by the top critic groups (The New York Film Critics- NYFCC, the Las Angeles Films Critics-LAFCA, the National Board of Review-NBR, and the American Film Institute- AFI).  Also announcing their favorite films of the year were the Broadcast Film Critics (BFCA), the Hollywood Foreign Press/The Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).  All these early awards and nominations have made the Oscar race much clearer and we now see who are the real contenders and which films and performances are dead.  Doing well in the last few weeks as projected were The Artist, Hugo, The Descendants, The Help, and War Horse.  All five seem poised for Best Picture nominations.  Also doing well were Moneyball and Midnight in Paris.  While these two films may not have enough passion in the Academy, they are still strong contenders for the Best Picture spot.  With somewhere between 5 and ten nominees for Best Picture under the new Academy rules, we could see both of them get in.  Alongside them, The Tree of Life, could pop up on Academy day.  Right now I'm just predicting 7 nominees for Best Picture.  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is an interesting case.  It hasn't been doing the greatest in nominations with precursor groups, but it was released late and maybe too late for these voting bodies.  Some reviews for the film have been highly negative though.  Maybe it won't get in at all in any categories.  The Ides of March managed to get some help with a Golden Globe nomination, but it seems that that alone will not save it.  Maybe Bridesmaids will surprise up on Oscar nomination morning, but I doubt it.  Lastly, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has failed to get any early recognition, besides from the British Indie Awards.  It seems dead on arrival.    

Upcoming in the next few weeks will be the final major indicators of the awards race, the Writers Guild (WGA), the Directors Guild (DGA), and the Producers Guild (PGA).  Also the Brits will mix things up with the BAFTAs.  Not to be forgotten are the ever becoming less important critics group (to the Oscar season), the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC).
 
Green: Locks
Blue: Strong Bets
Violet: Contenders/Potential Nominees
Red: Longshot

Best Picture 

1. The Artist- NYFCC, NBR Top 10, BFCA, SAG Ensemble, GG Comedy

2. Hugo- NBR Best Film, BFCA, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

3. The Descendants- NBR Top 10, LAFCA, BFCA, SAG Ensemble, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

4. The Help- BFCA, SAG Ensemble, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

5. War Horse- NBR Top 10, BFCA, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

6. Moneyball- BFCA, GG Drama, AFI Top 10

7. Midnight in Paris- BFCA, SAG Ensemble, GG Comedy, AFI Top 10

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8. The Tree of Life- NBR Top 10, BFCA, AFI Top 10

9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- BFCA

10. The Ides of March- NBR Top 10, GG Drama

11. Bridesmaids- SAG Ensemble, GG Comedy, AFI Top 10

12. Drive- NBR Top 10, BFCA

13. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- NBR Top 10, AFI Top 10

14. J Edgar- NBR Top 10, AFI Top 10

15. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II- NBR Top 10

Best Director

1. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)- NYFCC, BFCA, GG

2. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)- NBR, BFCA, GG

3. Alexander Payne (The Descendants)- BFCA , GG

4. Steven Spielberg (War Horse)- BFCA

5. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)- NYFCC

6. Bennett Miller (Moneyball)

7. Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)- BFCA 

8. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)- GG

9. Tate Taylor (The Help)

10. Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive)- BFCA

11. George Clooney (The Ides of March)- GG

12.  David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) 

13. Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar)

14. Thomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

15. Jason Reitman (Young Adult)

Best Actor 

1. Brad Pitt (Moneyball)- NYFCC, BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

2. George Clooney (The Descendants)- NBR, BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

3. Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)- BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

4. Jean DuJardin (The Artist)- BFCA, SAG, GG Comedy

5.  Demian Bichir (A Better Life)- SAG

6. Michael Fassbender (Shame)- LAFCA, BFCA, GG Drama

7. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

8. Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) 

9. Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March)- GG Drama

10. Ryan Gosling (Drive)- BFCA

11. Woody Harrelson (Rampart)

12. Joseph Gordon Levitt (50/50)- GG Comedy

13. Brendan Gleeson (The Guard)- GG Comedy

15. Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris)- GG Comedy

15. Ryan Gosling (Crazy, Stupid, Love)- GG Comedy

Best Actress

1. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)- NYFCC, BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

2. Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)- BFCA, SAG, GG Comedy

3. Viola Davis (The Help)- BFCA, SAG, GG Drama
4. Glenn Close (Alfred Nobbs)- SAG, GG Drama

5. Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) – NBR, BFCA, SAG, GG Drama

6. Charlize Theron (Young Adult)- BFCA, GG Comedy

7. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo)- GG Drama

8. Elizabeth Olson (Martha Marcy May Marlene)- BFCA
9. Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)

10. Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)

11. Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)- GG Comedy
12. Jodie Foster (Carnage)- GG Comedy

13. Kate Winslet (Carnage)- GG Comedy
14. Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur)

15. Yun Jung-hee (Poetry)- LAFCA

Best Supporting Actor


1. Christopher Plummer (Beginners) – NBR, LAFCA, BFCA, SAG, GG

2. Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)- BFCA, SAG, GG

3. Nick Nolte (Warrior) – BFCA, SAG

4. Jonah Hill (Moneyball)- SAG, GG

5. Albert Brooks (Drive)- NYFCC, BFCA, GG

6. Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)- SAG

7. Ben Kingsley (Hugo)

8. Viggo Mortensen  (A Dangerous Method)- GG

9. Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)- BFCA

10. Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

11. Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life)- NYFCC

12. Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)- BFCA

13. Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris)

14. John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)  

15. Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Ides of March)

Supporting Actress 

1. Jessica Chastain (The Help)- LAFCA, BFCA, SAG, GG

2. Octavia Spencer (The Help)- BFCA, SAG, GG

3. Bérénice Bejo (The Artist)- BFCA, SAG, GG

4. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)- SAG, GG

5. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)- BFCA, SAG

6. Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)- NBR, BFCA, GG

7. Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)

8. Carey Mulligan (Shame)- BFCA
9. Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life)- NYFCC, LAFCA

10. Jodie Foster (Carnage)- GG Comedy

11. Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter)- NYFCC

12. Kate Winslet (Carnage)- GG Comedy
13. Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

14. Judy Greer (The Descendants)
15. Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help)