Happy New Year! Time for my 2011 Movie lists…..
BEST PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM, RUNNER UP – The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Can’t believe I hadn’t seen this before!
BEST PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM – The Pawnbroker – A very powerful film that somehow slipped under my radar.
BEST NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM SEEN IN 2011, RUNNER UP – A Clockwork Orange – A bezoomny bit of sinny, but a very dobby one
BEST NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM SEEN IN 2011 – Lawrence of Arabia – Proved once again why it’s my favorite film of all time.
BEST NON-NFR VINTAGE FILM SEEN IN 2011, RUNNER UP – Andrei Rublev – Violent, yet vital and breathtaking. Criterion blu-ray needed pronto!
BEST NON-NFR VINTAGE FILM SEEN IN 2011 – The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Bittersweet but dazzling; makes me long for the age of musicals.
BEST UNRELEASED FILM SEEN IN 2011, RUNNER UP – Damsels in Distress – Whimsically sharp dialogue peppers this ultra-quirky comedy
BEST UNRELEASED FILM SEEN IN 2011 – I Wish – Utterly delightful Japanese film that captures the whimsical innocence of childhood.
MOST OVERLOOKED 2011 FILM, RUNNER UP – Super – This dark superhero comedy was one of my favorite unreleased films from 2010.
MOST OVERLOOKED 2011 FILM – Tyrannosaur – An ultralimited release didn’t do justice to this powerful film about violence and redemption.
MOST DISAPPOINTING 2011 FILM, RUNNER UP – Cowboys and Aliens – A great cast, and an intriguing premise fall flat on screen.
MOST DISAPPOINTING 2011 FILM – Battle: Los Angeles – What could have been The Hurt Locker meets ID4, instead opts to be Skyline 2.
WORST 2011 FILM, RUNNER UP – Season of the Witch – Yet another in a long line of bad decisions by poor Nicolas Cage.
WORST 2011 FILM – Sucker Punch – Purely abysmal. Proof that CGI visuals alone could no longer carry a film by 2011.
BEST 2011 MOVIE TRAILER, RUNNER UP – War Horse – Pure Spielberg. Manipulative as hell, but he’s got it down to a science.
BEST 2011 MOVIE TRAILER – Super 8 – Yet this trailer out-Spielbergs Spielberg; too bad the movie itself couldn’t live up to the nostalgia.
BEST 2011 HORROR FILM, RUNNER UP – You’re Next – A little uneven; but this home invasion horror flick has enough twists to stand out.
BEST 2011 HORROR FILM – Insidious – Still as creepy as when I saw it in 2010. Its strengths allow you to ignore the weak final act.
BEST 2011 COMEDY, RUNNER UP – Crazy. Stupid. Love. – This comedy shouldn’t work as well as it does, but it pushes all the right buttons.
BEST 2011 COMEDY – The Artist – Perhaps the most heartwarmingly enjoyable time I had at the movies all year.
BEST 2011 ACTION FILM, RUNNER UP – Hanna – A modern-day fairy tale that shows how to do the teen-girl-assassin genre right.
BEST 2011 ACTION FILM – Drive – The action is minimalist, sudden and shocking in this thriller with retro stylings.
BEST 2011 ANIMATED FILM, RUNNER UP – The Adventures of Tintin – Loads of fun action make up for the slightly glassy look of the eyes.
BEST 2011 ANIMATED FILM – Rango – A quirky ode to westerns past, with perhaps the ugliest menagerie ever to grace an animated film.
BEST 2011 FOREIGN FILM, RUNNER UP – Once Upon a Time in Anatolia – This Turkish police procedural is long and meditative, yet riveting.
BEST 2011 FOREIGN FILM – A Separation – Separations abound in this Iranian drama, most importantly the one splitting perspective & truth.
BEST 2011 SCENE, RUNNER UP – The Burj Khalifa climb in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Truly dizzying action.
BEST 2011 SCENE – The opening montage in Melancholia. Nearly worth the price of admission alone to see it and skip the dreary remainder.
BEST 2011 SCREENPLAY, RUNNER UP – Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen delivers plenty of gems in this charming comic look at nostalgia.
BEST 2011 SCREENPLAY – Young Adult – Maturing past Juno-isms, Diablo Cody creates an unflinchingly raw and funny character study.
BEST 2011 DOG IN FILM, RUNNER UP (tie) – Cosmo, Beginners – As the only dog with (translated) dialogue, he has a paw up on his competition.
BEST 2011 DOG IN FILM, RUNNER UP (tie) – Snowy, The Adventures of Tintin – A wire haired fox terrier with charm and wit to spare.
BEST 2011 DOG IN FILM – Uggie, The Artist – In a year full of strong dog roles, Uggie steals every scene he’s in, and steals this win too.
BEST 2011 ACTRESS, RUNNER UP – Jennifer Ehle, Contagion – Full of charm, warmth and bravado; a true standout in a strong ensemble cast.
BEST 2011 ACTRESS – Olivia Coleman, Tyrannosaur – She delivers an eloquent meditation on forgiveness in a brutal, violent film.
BEST 2011 ACTOR, RUNNER UP – Robert Forster, The Descendants – His handful of scenes as a cranky grandpa are packed with humor and emotion.
BEST 2011 ACTOR – Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Caesar the ape is the best performance, motion captured or not, of the year.
BEST 2011 FILM, RUNNER UP – The Artist – In a year filled with love notes to cinema past, this familiar charmer dances to the top.
BEST 2011 FILM – Tyrannosaur – Extremely hard to watch at times; but this film has stuck with me throughout the year like no other.