Friday, January 6, 2012
Karen's Top Ten Movies of 2011
Because, it's that time again. Time for my Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2011.
I know. You've been pacing the floors, frantically hitting the 'refresh' button, waiting in anxious anticipation for this moment.
Well, the wait is over.
After giving it a LOT of thought, and honestly agonizing over where to put some of these on my countdown, I finally have a Top Ten for you.
Some people go to movies to be entertained or to see something new and innovative. My main purpose of watching movies is to feel something. To connect with a character or a plot or some element that makes me identify with what's happening on the screen. Sometimes I walk away feeling transformed. Sometimes I find myself in self-reflection. Sometimes I just walk away trying to hide the fact that I've just spent the last two hours crying.
And that is the basis for selecting the movies I chose this year. Some made me laugh. Some made me think. But they all made me feel.
(Oh, and my typical disclaimer: Please remember that I saw 26 movies in the theater, but only 22 that were released in 2011. There are still several more I really want to see and if I'd had a chance, I suspect this list would look somewhat different. But until I get one of those magical movie passes they give to critics, I just have to keep making do.)
And with that said...
TEN. Jane Eyre
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| (Focus Features, 2011) |
This understated, stark film was the best adaptation of a Brontë novel I've seen. Mia Wasikowska was well-cast as shy Jane Eyre, and Michael Fassbender couldn't have been a more perfect Mr. Rochester. The bleak, colorless landscape and the isolation of the Rochester Manor and the characters fit the story well. This was a very small but powerful movie that fans of the novel are sure to enjoy.
TEN. Captain America: The First Avenger
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| (Marvel Studios, 2011) |
I'm not a fan of Chris Evans. In fact, I was pretty mad when I found out he'd won the coveted role of Steve Rogers. The only reason I even saw the movie was in anticipation of The Avengers, which is due in theaters this summer. But I saw Captain America. I loved Captain America. And I don't even hate Chris Evans anymore.
NINE. The Muppets
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| (Walt Disney Studios, 2011) |
Hilarious. Charming. Made me really miss the old Muppet Show. Jason Segal was fantastic, and I loved him even more when I found out he wrote it. It's pretty much a crime that this wasn't nominated for a Golden Globe. After I left the theater, I drove home, downloaded the soundtrack from iTunes and listened to it non-stop for a week. I loved The Muppets.
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| (Paramount Pictures, 2011) |
This is not a happy movie. Not even a little bit. It's the dark, pathetic story of ghostwriter, Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron), returning to her home town to win back the love of her life, Buddy (Patrick Wilson), from what she has decided is utter dreariness. Buddy, of course, is a happily married new father. Mavis chugs Diet Coke straight from the 2-liter bottle, constantly forgets to take care of her perpetually happy Pomeranian, and mopes around mourning the life she could have had while everyone around her is in awe of the life they think she has. Screenwriter Diablo Cody and Director Jason Reitman (who previously worked together on Academy Award nominated Juno) put together a really good film about a 37-year-old woman who finally learns she needs to grow up.
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| (Warner Bros., 2011) |
I want Robert Downey, Jr. to live forever and to keep making movies with Jude Law. Those two are magical together. Hilarious. Endearing. And the rivalry between Holmes and Dr. Moriarty is simply brilliant. The two are so perfectly matched, and Guy Ritchie did a fantastic job of bringing that dynamic to life through one of my very favorite scenes in any movie this year.
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| (Paramount Pictures, 2011) |
What kid didn't want to make a movie with Dad's borrowed camera? Super 8 was a beautiful throwback to the movies I loved as a kid. The Goonies, Stand By Me, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A fun story. Great performances all around. And I know I've said this before, but I'll say again that I will watch every movie JJ Abrams directs until the end of time. Because he is brilliant. Although I really wish he'd cut it out with the screen flares...
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| (Warner Bros., 2011) |
I haven't loved all of the Harry Potter adaptations, but I did love The Deathly Hallows. Both parts. Splitting the book into two movies turned out to be a pretty brilliant move because it meant that we didn't lose much of anything in the story. There were little touches I would like to have seen, but overall I was very pleased with the conclusion of one of the biggest movie franchises in history.
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| (20th Century Fox, 2011) |
Apparently, some people didn't like this movie, but I loved it. From the adorable little girl to the beautiful animals. A truly special film about a family that has to start over after tragedy. One of my favorite things about this, though, is that it started 6 months after the tragedy, instead of opening on what could have been the most depressing scene ever.
We Bought a Zoo is based on a true story, although the film is highly fictionalized. So I got home from the theater and looked up the real story of Benjamin Mee, his family, and the Dartmoor Zoological Park. Click here to read the a little about how it really happened.
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| (Dreamworks, 2011) |
It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me horrified to know that my own parents grew up in a generation where they knew people whose grandparents were slaves. Somehow, I never had realized just how recent that was in our history. Brilliant performances. Beautiful writing and cinematography and a great adaptation of a fantastic novel. And I smell Oscars for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.
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| (Paramount Pictures, 2011) |
One thing you have to know about me is that if Tom Cruise is in a movie, there is about a 99.99999% likelihood that it will end up in my Top Ten list. But this one really, truly, 100% deserves to be here. Because it is AWESOME. Great story. Good humor. Good, realistic emotional depth. Really great action and especially stunts. Definitely worth watching.
ONE. Crazy Stupid Love
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| (Carousel Pictures, 2011) |
It really was so close between my top 3, but only one could be #1. Ultimately, I chose Crazy Stupid Love because it was funny and heartbreaking and sad and happy and anxious and just perfect. And by perfect I am not referring only to Ryan Gosling's perfectly sculpted torso. There are laughs and surprises and except for one very unrealistic (but perfectly reasonable for the character) scene at the end, the movie was totally believable.
Honorable Mentions: Thor, Horrible Bosses
Worst Movie of 2011: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
I would LOVE to hear your thoughts. Which movies do you think should be off my list? Which ones should be added? And what was YOUR Favorite Movie of 2011??
You are awesome. And if you share this post, you'll be even awesomer!
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You have good taste in films! Super 8 definitely hits my top ten because I was about the same age as those kids in the late 70's, so it was very nostalgic. So was The Muppets.
ReplyDeleteI loved Young Adult. It was very depressing, but laugh out loud funny at the same time. I also have The Help, Harry Potter and Crazy Stupid Love on my list of favorites!
ReplyDeleteI've only seen three of those. MI: 4, Crazy Stupid Love, and Harry Potter. I really liked Mission Impossible. You have to give Tom Cruise credit for really doing all those stunts on the tower. That takes balls.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or did you have two number 10s?
ReplyDeleteGood list!
Yay for Crazy Stupid Love! I heart that movie so much, maybe even more so because I didn't expect to like it. And Jane Eyre was just beautiful. Great list!
ReplyDeleteEveryone I know who saw Captain America hated it. Glad to know you loved Mission Impossible. That Tom Cruise may be a little cooky, but he's a fabulous actor. And I love the MI films! Can't wait to see the new Sherlock Holmes. I'm hoping we can go Saturday night because we have a sitter. :)
ReplyDeleteYou've definitely picked some of my faves, too. Sherlock Holmes was MOST excellent; Super 8 made me want to be an adventurous kid again only smarter; The Help left me eagerly questioning my own upbringing in the south even though we didn't have a nanny; and I'm still dying to go see The Muppets... it's on my list of movies to see. Did you see Hugo?
ReplyDeleteSadly, I haven't seen any of these movies. They're on my list though! Maybe I'll get around to watching them sooner than later!
ReplyDeleteFINALLY!!!! I've biting my nails, chewing on my hair, and I haven't slept for 3 days because I've been waiting for this list! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm bummed that I haven't gotten to see most of these, especially MI4. I did see Crazy Stupid Love yesterday and I loved it! It solidified Ryan Gosling standing on my favorite hotties list.
I'm not in love with the Muppets movie. I wanted to be, and I still can't figure out why I'm not. That whole "Man or a Muppet" song, travelling by map, and Jack Black in the anger management class were golden. But yet I still didn't love it. Must've been an off day for me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I must admit....I want to see MI3. Not because of Tom Cruise, but because of Simon Pegg.
I couldn't wait to read this post! Looks like I have a lot of movies to watch to see the top 10 (or 11, whose counting:). But at least this way I don't have to waste my time on the dumb ones. Maybe I'll always wait for your top 10 to come out and rent them:-) Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI only saw a few of these, but overall, good picks!
ReplyDeleteI did make it to see "Young Adult" over the holidays. I'm not sure whether Mavis really learned anything. Did she grow as a person? I don't know.
I LOVED this adaptation of "Jane Eyre." So satisfying.
"Crazy Stupid Love" was terrific.
I've only seen about half of those. And I actually really loved Breaking Dawn, but then I'm a fan of the books, the movies, all that nonsense.
ReplyDeleteYou are going to laugh at me...or cry, but I have not seen any of those! Actually I think the only movie I watched this year was Thor! I will star this post for future rentals!
ReplyDeleteOk I know most people will scream at me for this....
ReplyDeleteI HATED super 8.
There I said it.
the monster I had no compassion for and I wanted it to be more organic. the second I got a glimpse of it I was ready to walk out.
I wish It was big foot. OR an alien the way they traditionally look on movie.
Or that any of the metal collecting made sense. I just didn't like it one bit.
Thought, the kids were incredible.
I did love We bought a zoo!!!! AMAZING.
♥ Celina
I've been hearing lots of good things about Crazy Stupid Love. I might just have to see it when it comes out on video. My mom loved The Help.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree on number 1! No contest! And oh man did I love We bought a Zoo too! LOVED!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you've got a few here that I'm going to need to add to my queue now though! ;)
Great picks! I've seen most of these and enjoyed them all.
ReplyDeleteI'm dying to see the Charlese Theron flick. I love her! I thought it was supposed to be a comedy. Guess not.
I was so worried I was going to make it through your list without having seen anything on it but fortunately, I went to see Super 8. I didn't care for the end (felt too easy to me), but the rest of it was good.
ReplyDeleteAlso loved Harry Potter and Crazy Stupid Love. I'm hoping to see Young Adult, Sherlock Holes and MI4 very soon.
Oh, and I love that Breaking Dawn got a worst movie mention. Because it really was.
I totally knew what #1 would be. Ha. And I did NOT love Young Adult, I must say. I hate it when there's no character redemption.
ReplyDelete