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Top 10 Movies of 2011
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This film was incredible. it was also one of the most realistic and frightening things I have ever seen. I was so disturbed by the violence against the apes, and the plausibility of apes evolving that I almost had to leave the theater. Which I think is good. Movies should move you to the extreme. It was amazingly done, Serkis and Franco did incredible jobs, as did the director, Rupert Wyatt.
2. Drive
Drive almost made #1. It was so incredible. The cinematography was astounding, the soundtrack was phenomenal, and Ryan Gosling’s minimalistic performance was perfection. Originally I expected it to be a Fast and Furious rip off with a lot of shirtless Gosling. but director Nicolas Refn delivered so much more.
3. Captain America: The First Avenger
I was so scared this film was going to suck. after Joe Johnston’s abominable Wolfman, I was skeptical this movie would be all that I hoped. Luckily I was hit with a stunning performance by pretty boy Chris Evans, the lovely Hayley Atwell, and amazing supporting characters played by Stan Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones. I did not like Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull though. He sounded like a bad Christopher Waltz impression. which is tragic, since Weaving is such an impressive actor. Overall this movie was fun with some very serious tones. but it didn’t take itself to seriously. Also, lead up to the avengers, which I am so excited for.
4. Another Earth
This movie is two things at once: A realistic-sci-fi and an intense drama. I started out the film wishing for more of the sci fi element as there isn’t much as I was led to believe. but I was instantly in love with the characters. much of Mike Cahill’s directorial debut was filmed in close ups of characters in their most intimate settings (bedrooms, offices) and with handy cams. I felt like I knew these people. It peaks at a nervewrecking climax with explosive results. Not only did it make me think, it made me cry, and it made me smile.
5. One Day
Movie’s that catalog relationships are a dime a dozen. but this felt uniquely beautiful and refreshing. It showed one day of every year in the friendship of two people. It showed the good, the bad, the mundane, and the extraordinary. Not only was it realistic enough to crush your heart, it was beautiful enough to put it back together. Anne Hathaway truly carried this film.
6. Contagion
Frightening realism made this film phenomenal. The snap shots into the lives of all sorts of people dealing with a global collapse due to a pandemic was truly frightening. My one problem was that the film showed everything collapsing in three weeks, to like total post apocalyptic state. That irked me. if it had been three months before people started rioting over food I would have believed it. besides that, this film was a great wake up call for preparedness.
7. Immortals
The imagery in this film was stunning. It was everything Clash of the Titans should have been. Henry Cavill played an amazing hero, in what I believe is a good character glimpse into his next roll as Superman in Man of Steel. Director Tarsem Singh managed to make things that could have easily been garish and easily messed up look beautiful and equally brutal at the same time. and dont even get me started on those incredible slow mo scenes!
8. In Time
The acting wasn’t all that great, the plot was typical, but cleverly concealed in this film is an amazing message about wealth and the class system. I thought about it for weeks after seeing it. A memorable film despite the lack luster acting.
9. Paul
a truly hilarious Simon Pegg, Nick Frost film with Seth Rogan playing a vulgar alien. this is like The Hangover for geeks. So many hilarious references, crazy theories, and incredible adventures.
10. Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides
The fourth installation of this series was surprisingly wonderful, it equaled in wonderfulness to the rest of the films, and didn’t feel lacking without Knightly or Bloom.
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Superheroes Anonymous
this is what I have been working on for the past six weeks. enjoy.
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Movie Clip of the Week: “Grenade” Scene from Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Steve Rogers. ‘nuff said.
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[Flash 10 is required to watch video]
here’s a fun clip from Superheroes Anonymous.
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Some stills from my upcoming stop motion project “Superheroes Anonymous”
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Scene of the Week: Mike O’Connell’s song in The Living Wake
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Total Film: The Top 50 Movie Ruining Performances
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Joss Whedon’s Company Prepping ‘In Your Eyes,’ Scripted by Whedon
Joss Whedon surprised us last week with the announcement that, in addition to making a little movie for Marvel Studios called The Avengers, he has already shot a film based on the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing.
The formal announcement of that small film project went hand in hand with the debut of Whedon’s company Bellwether Pictures. That company, created by Whedon and Kai Cole, is a micro-studio meant to create small indies for all media, “embracing a DIY ethos and newer technologies.” Now Bellwether has announced its second film, In Your Eyes, which Whedon scripted and Brin Hill will direct.
Deadline has the announcement of the film, and therefore gets to be first out of the gate with this description of the film:
a metaphysical love story about two seemingly polar opposites who are deeply connected in ways neither could have ever imagined.
Joss Whedon said in a statement,
When I wrote In Your Eyes, I didn’t have the wherewithal (or the moxie) to make it without an established production house. I believe, as I did then, that it’s a pretty timeless romance, and now, with the creation of Bellwether Pictures (and Brin Hill’s elegant, passionate take on the piece), I have the opportunity to prove it. (I also have a 37% increase in moxie.) I love this team and I can’t wait to see them bring In Your Eyes to life.
The King reigns supreme.
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“In Time” Review
I was interested by the prospect of this film after seeing a trailer, but didn’t know much else about this film before I saw it. In Time directed and written by Andrew Niccol turned out to be much more than a simple movie about stealing currency and attractive people like the trailer made it out to be. it turned out to be a robin hoodesque comment on poverty and wealth and its distribution, with particularly rousing performances by the cast.
The world of In Time is similar to our own, not too futuristic to be off putting, but clearly set in the future. Humans have been genetically engineered to stop aging at 25, but after that your clock starts ticking down and you only have a year of time on that clock. Time is the currency in this world. A cup of coffee costs you four minutes. You work for time, you pay your bills in time, everything revolves around time, and its constantly ticking down. If you have power, it’s possible to be nearly immortal, always being able to get more time. but if you’re poor, you’re literally living day to day, and sometimes, minute-to-minute. Something as simple and small as a bus fare can cost you your last minutes, and then you suddenly die, or “time out” as they say. The world is set up by time zones, though not how we think of them. Different zones represent different class levels, ranging from the ghetto, where a big part of the story takes place and many of the people in the ghetto live day to day and there are frequently people that time out in the streets, to the top rung of society, New Greenwich where people have centuries on their clocks and live a leisurely life style.
The movie follows Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) who meets a wealthy man Henery Hamilton (played by the handsome Matt Bomer). Hamilton gives Will a generous gift, all of his time, and tells him not to waste it. Before Hamilton clocks out, he remakes “for a few to be immortal, many must die.” A sentiment repeated a couple times throughout the film. With nothing left for him int the ghetto, Will Salas heads to New Greenwich to experience something he’s never had, leisure. the police, in this world called Time Keepers, soon catch on that someone new had crossed time zones following the death of a prominent man, assume that Salas has stolen the time. Cillian Murphy plays a head Time Keeper named Raymond Leon, tracks down Salas to arrest him. Salas panics and takes a wealthy heiress to a loan and banking corporation, Sylvia Wies (Amanda Seyfried) hostage and runs back to the ghetto. After seeing how the other side lives Sylvia joins Will in a string or robberies of her father’s banks and personal vaults and giving the time to the poor, remarking that their time was stolen from them, they are just giving them back their right to live.
This movie uses the extremes of time on the fine line of living and dying as a metaphor for wealth and poverty. it is remarked throughout the film several times, people rarely leave their rung in society, you generally stay in the class you are born into. it uses the extremes of the over stuffed ghetto to show that there are many more poor than there are rich, and it is slowly but surely killing them. The rich fear the poor getting the time, because they are afraid of basically an economy collapse, and loss of their way of life and the things separating them from the poor.
Murphy’s portrayal of a rather cliche raised-from-the-hood-but-trying-to-keep-the-balance cop was taken to a new level, I’ve always enjoyed his work, but he did a particularly good job playing a jaded yet conflicted cop, as did his partner played by Collins Pennies, whom I look forward to seeing more from.
This movie was good both as a crowd pleaser and as a movie snob pleaser. It actually left out what most movies put in nowadays, gratuitous sex and unneeded violence. which made me incredibly happy. I was bothered by the prominent billing of Matt Bomer and his relatively little screentime. Also this idyllic world had no woman over a size four, and no man who wasn’t fit and attractive. I don’t like the idea of a perfect human being “thin and beautiful” and this just reinforces the message that the media sends to us daily. I found this problematic. There were also references to Salas’ fathers back story, but it was not explained to its full extent.
Overall, I would give the movie a solid B rating.
Similar films: TiMER , Daybreakers
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Five Extremely Underrated Movies You Probably Haven’t Seen
Artist K. Roth Birnew (Mike O’Connell) is dying of a vague, grave disease that is as almost as grave in it’s vagueness as it is vague in it’s graveness. He spends his last day with his man servant, Mills (Jesse Eisenberg) planning his wake, tying up all the relationships in his life, and trying to find the meaning of life which according to his father is a brief but powerful monologue. A black comedy with intensely brilliant dialogue.
Available on Netflix Instant WatchJason Ritter co-stars as a man who works at a video store and falls in love with an emotionally ruined woman (Marianna Palkan, also the writer and director) who has a habit of renting softcore porn from his shop everyday. The movie show cases the unique and tragic dynamics of their relationship, her reluctance to embrace it and his reluctance to give up on it.
Available on Netflix Instant Watch
This black comedy stars Robin Williams as Lance Clayton, a failed writer and high school teacher as a single father of his perverted and rude son. After his son dies, he finds away to live vicariously through his son, becoming the accomplished writer he always dreamed about; The adage ”Be careful what you wish for” soon comes into play, as things get out of hand.
It’s like Lassie, but with zombies.
In a world where you can get a device that counts done to the day you will meet your soul mate Oona (Emma Caulfield) struggles with the fact hers hasnt turned on yet after years of waiting, meaning she may not have a soul mate, her sisters counting down, but not until she’s old, and her fifteen year old brother’s going off two days after it’s installed. It’s a movie that traverses the tricky world of love in a very interesting way.
honorable mention: Synecdoche, New York (2008), Fanboys (2008)
Hannah Writes Reviews.
Who am I?
*SPOILER ALERT*
19-year-old, bored college student with a passion for quality films, finely crafted TV shows, and exceptional books.
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