Top 10 Films of 2011

The year is 2011, and a lot has happened in the movie world. To help take you back in time, here's a look back at some of the film-related events that took place:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 becomes the year's highest-grossing film, earning over $1.32 billion at the worldwide box office.

The world loses the likes of Anne Francis, Pete Postlethwaite, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Lumet and Frances Bay.

I've been able to see 101 films released in 2011, and from those, I've compiled my own top ten list. As one can imagine, some great films had to be left off the final list. Here's a look at some of the movies (listed alphabetically) that just missed the cut:

Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March
Warrior

But enough about the runners-up; here's the list you've been waiting to see! Counting down from number ten to number one, I've listed each film and have given the principal cast list as well as if and how fared at the Academy Awards. Also, I've listed the film's rank on my "Best Films of All-Time" list, if applicable. So without any further delay, here's my top ten movies of 2011!

*****

10. The Muppets
Rated: PG
Directed by: James Bobin
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones
Academy Awards: 1 nomination
All-Time Ranking: 123
***
I remember watching some of the older Muppets films as a child, but it wasn't until I started to grow in my Disney fanaticism that I truly began to enjoy all the Muppets had to offer. So when a new Muppets film was announced and slated for release, I knew I had to see it as soon as I could. We're getting a story about reunions and about fighting to reclaim something once held dear in the past, and the film manages to bring back the magic of the old with the social issues of today. And, with dozens of familiar faces along the way, the film holds a true sentimentality that makes it easy to love.

*****

9. 50/50
Rated: R
Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston
All-Time Ranking: 88
***
As Joseph Gordon-Levitt slowly makes his way further into the limelight, I am pleased to see that the general public is learning something I've known for years: he's an absolutely brilliant actor. With a desirable acting range, Gordon-Levitt is starting to become a big-time Hollywood force, and 50/50 marks the next step on his path. He takes the dramatic comedy genre and runs with it, offering a slew of laughs with his comedy but also breaking our hearts with deep, emotional scenes that cut us to the core. While the rest of the cast fills out wonderfully, this is really Gordon-Levitt's film, and boy does he do a fantastic job.

*****

8. Carnage
Rated: R
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet
All-Time Ranking: 87
***
I saw Carnage on a bit of a whim, having only heard little bits about it in the months leading up to its release. With a main cast of only four individuals, the film manages to create a legitimate amount of tension as it takes us through a roller coaster of emotions, all while remaining bitingly hilarious. Foster and Winslet are at the top of their games, and Waltz does well in his performance, too. Reilly is a little bit of an odd choice here, but he manages to at least keep up with the rest of the Academy Award-winning cast, so I suppose that says a lot. Polanski does a fine job directing, and although this film won't be for everyone, I personally thought it was the funnier movies I'd seen in recent years.

*****

7. The Tree of Life
Rated: PG-13
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn
Academy Awards: 3 nominations
***
It took me two viewings, but I finally found a way to garner a bit of respect for - and understanding of - this film. My first time through, all I could do was sit and scratch my head, wondering exactly what was going on. It took that second viewing to let the film sink into my head, and what I found was a beautiful piece about growing up with two drastically different forces driving you in different directions. We're getting parallel stories of the creation of life on Earth and the formation of a teenage boy being raised in the 1950s, and once it all comes together, there's something majestic and mysterious about this film that only heightens its beauty. This film probably stands the most chance to become a classic.

*****

6. Super 8
Rated: PG-13
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths
All-Time Ranking: 86
***
When I walked out of the movie theater after watching Super 8, all I could think was, "This is what movies are all about." Abrams thrust his audience back into a 1980s-type sci-fi adventure that hearkens quite a bit to E.T. more than anything else. However, he found a way to make Super 8 its own film, and although there are some holes and flaws here and there, it still manages to be something truly fantastic. Cemented by a strong cast, including an exceptional Elle Fanning, this movie manages to soar.

*****

5. Drive
Rated: R
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac
Academy Awards: 1 nomination
All-Time Ranking: 83
***
It takes a little while for this movie to get to you, but once it finally grabs hold, it's not going to let go. It's effectively an action film, but it's an arthouse film as well, and the blend of the two is going to turn a lot of people away. It has action, but it's not action in the manner of these big budget, over-the-top adventures where everything blows up and shoot-outs last for ages. Instead, Drive is real-world and gritty and offers a believable story that's executed perfectly. Gosling is a revelation in the lead, and how he hasn't received more accolades for the performance is a travesty. The rest of the cast fills out nicely, with special mention of Brooks and Cranston who both steal every scene in which they appear.

*****

4. The Adventures of Tintin
Rated: PG
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toby Jones
Academy Awards: 1 nomination
***
Since I saw and reviewed Tintin, I've been swaying back and forth as to whether it's really this good, but for the time being, it's going to stay in its number four slot. Spielberg takes his audience back into 1930s serial mode, so it's no wonder that this film feels like an animated incarnation of an Indiana Jones flick. We're getting a decent mystery from the screenplay, and the animation is so stellar that it's going to suck in you in from the start. At the very least, The Adventures of Tintin is a beautifully-crafted film that's going to wow you visually regardless of how you feel about the rest of the film.

*****

3. Rango
Rated: PG
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton, Timothy Olyphant, Ray Winstone
Academy Awards: 1 nomination
All-Time Ranking: 66
***
I had been excited to see the first reunion of Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp since 2007's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, even if it going to be an animated film. The trailers made Rango look trippier than it actually was, but the final result of a film is something truly outstanding. I remember seeing a billboard for the film with the review, "Some kind of miracle," and I couldn't agree more. It brings a bit of twenty-first century ideology to the classic westerns of years past, mashing them together in a brilliant display of animation.

*****

2. The Artist
Rated: PG-13
Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle
Academy Awards: 10 nominations
***
The Artist has been the awards darling over the past month, and it looks like it should fare well at this year's Academy Awards. Director Hazanavicius does well with the silent film, bringing the best out of his cast while maintaining the tone and feel of a silent film. Dujardin is simply fantastic as our lead, showing why silent film actors had such a difficult job of "acting" when they were not allowed to be heard. The Artist is a timely film, but can we already call it "timeless?" I think the jury's still a bit out on that one, but one thing's for sure: it's definitely a very strong film that's worthy of your attention.

*****

1. Hugo
Rated: PG
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Helen McCrory, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Blunt
Academy Awards: 11 nominations
All-Time Ranking: 27
***
If any film completely blew me out of the water in 2011, it was Hugo. The trailers purport a story of a boy who is trying to find his place in the world, all the while struggling to find someone who will love him and care for him. What the trailers don't tell you is that they only really give you the first half of the film. Right around the midway point, the storyline shifts from the boy and starts to focus on an old man named Georges Méliès, one of the grandfathers of cinema. We're then whisked through the man's life, showing a number of his former creations as he himself starts to re-live those past memories. One of the people following this page called Hugo "a love letter to cinema," and I couldn't agree more. This is a film that any cinephile absolutely needs to see. Simply beautiful.

Movie Review: THE MUPPETS

THE MUPPETS

2011
PG


"No drums! No drums! Jack Black said no drums!"
-- Animal

The Muppets is a 2011 comedy film directed by James Bobin that serves as the first theatrically-released Muppets film in twelve years. This film tells the story of a young man/Muppet named Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) who dreams of one day making his way to the Muppet Studios to meet his heroes and idols from "The Muppet Show." When his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary's longtime girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) decide to make their way to Los Angeles for their tenth anniversary, they allow Walter to tag along as they plan to visit the Muppet Studios. When they arrive, however, they find the Studios broken down and deserted, and Walter unwittingly hears of a nefarious plot for oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to tear down the Studios so that he can drill for oil beneath it. The only way to stop him is to raise ten million dollars before the Muppets' contract expires, so, with the help of Kermit the Frog (voiced by Steve Whitmire), the group rounds up the old gang to put on one last show in an attempt to save their old studio from total destruction.

I have to say that when I first heard about a new Muppets film, I wasn't quite sure exactly what I should be expecting. It had been so long since their last theatrical endeavor (1999's Muppets from Space) that it almost felt as though the idea of the Muppets had grown a little stale. However, with a fantastic ad campaign that saw the Muppets filmmakers ripping on trailers from other films this year, I started to get a little bit excited about the prospect. Then the film opened to universally positive reviews - it currently holds a 97% approval rating on Rottentomatoes.com - so it was only a matter of time until I could find myself sitting in a theater waiting to see the movie.

(On a quick side note, I do have to mention the short film - Small Fry - that plays just before the feature-length film. It uses the characters from the Toy Story films and gives us a little glimpse at one of their most recent escapades. It's a fun little film that sets the mood quite well going into our Muppet adventure.)

And now for my actual review. I honestly don't know exactly where to start, so I suppose I'll start with the screenplay, as I often do. Segel partnered with Nicholas Stoller to bring this Muppet adventure to life, and boy, what a doozy did they create. They gave us a Muppet film that pulls at the heartstrings and brings a certain level of drama to the comedy-centric characters we've already grown to know and love. Had they simply made the story about the Muppets attempting to save their old studio, I think the level of nostalgia audiences would have felt would have been enough to make this movie succeed; however, there's so much more working on an even deeper level in this particular film. With the introduction of the new Muppet Walter, we also have to learn about his backstory, and his entire character arc alone is enough to make this movie a sentimental favorite. Add the fact that Segel's character Gary as well as Kermit the Frog also undergo massive arcs, and you've got the makings of a heavy-handed weep-fest that's going to leave you emotionally drained. Fortunately, the comedy comes in droves as well, and the balance that the filmmakers have created between the comedy and the drama is so well-placed that the audience is able to be thoroughly entertained all while going through the necessary emotions. For the comedy, we do have quite a bit of slapstick and gag humor (it wouldn't be a Muppet movie without it), but the dialogue is also crisp and refreshingly original, making this an all-together great screenplay that, although a tad bit predictable, still managed to hook me into the overlapping storylines. But I think what's best about the screenplay is that it's the Muppets taking a serious look at themselves. It's been a long time since they've been in the limelight, and that's the problem they find themselves facing in this film. It's all very metatheatrical, and it plays off surprisingly well considering the type of fare we're used to seeing from these guys. Kudos, Segel and Stoller. You've created a fantastic screenplay here.

And now, for the acting. Let's start with the Muppets themselves, shall we? The Muppets themselves are the same characters they've been for years, and having them on-screen brings so much nostalgia that you can forgive the fact that most of the main Muppets don't really sound the way they once did. To be fair, you could always chalk that up to the fact that they're "aging," but the change in the sound of some of their voices is rather blatant. The addition of Walter is a pleasant surprise, and he and Jason Segel play off one another well. Walter is a Muppet raised in a human environment, so you can imagine where his character arc is going to lie. Segel and Adams are fantastic, playing their parts to an absolute tee, and I even have to give Chris Cooper a lot of credit for the work he did as our villain. I can't imagine anyone truly wanting to play the villain in a Muppet movie (unless you're Tim Curry in 1996's Muppet Treasure Island), but he pulled it off exceptionally well.

However, the real thing you're going to notice in terms of acting is the massive amount of cameo appearances we're getting throughout the film. While some are longer than others, it's a little bit astounding at the caliber of people they got to be in this flick. Jack Black plays a larger, and ultimately rather important, part of the story, but I would still consider his performance more of a cameo than anything else. Rashida Jones plays the television executive who gives the Muppets the opportunity to put on their telethon, and like Black, her role is a bit larger but still nothing more than an extended cameo. Also be on the lookout for the likes of Alan Arkin, Ken Jeong, Jim Parsons, Kristen Schaal, Sarah Silverman, Donald Glover, Emily Blunt, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Dave Grohl, Neil Patrick Harris, John Krasinski, Judd Hirsch, Mickey Rooney, and Zach Galifianakis.

One other reason this film proves to be so fantastic is the fact that we're getting an absolutely stellar soundtrack to set the tone of the film. While we're getting some fantastic '80s music (such as the "We Built This City" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" and some classic Muppets fare like their theme song and "Rainbow Connection," we're also getting some fantastic original music. Of the new music, I'd have to say my personal favorites are "Life's a Happy Song," "Pictures in My Head" and "Man or Muppet," which you can listen to below. I'd be shocked if this film doesn't score at least one Academy Award nomination for one of these songs, but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.

To put it plainly, The Muppets is fantastic. It's a return to the glory days of Muppet films old, and it returns in such a manner that it should only be a matter of time until we see another Muppet film, be it a sequel or another Muppet-centric work. I'd just be shocked if this, their most shining moment, proved to be their last. This is easily one of the most entertaining films you're bound to see this holiday season, so if you haven't had a chance to see it yet, drop what you're doing and head to a theater. I know I'll be taking it in again sometime very soon.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A
2 Thumbs Up