Let The Listing Begin

People think listing things is a waste of time. Sometime I agree, but for a someone who obsessively lists things on a day to day basis (if you know me in person, you hear “top 5” at a High Fidelity like rate) I find it fun. And plus, it’s my blog. 

Disclaimer: I do not take these very seriously, and this is primarily my opinion, thus making them “_______ I enjoyed most in 2011” as opposed to “Best ______ in 2011”, although I will defend anything listed with quick wit and no mercy. Come at me bro.

FILMS IN 2011 I ENJOYED, IN, YES, A PARTICULAR ORDER:

14. The Help- This is not an expression of my opinion about the portrayl of the racial climate of the early 1960’s in the film. I do not necessarily believe this film to be the best depiction of race relations during the time period, however, it was not completely innaccurate and proved to be a film of great heart, great acting, and some of the best balance between drama and comedy I saw all year (Dramedy ties with Political-Thriller for my favorite sub-genre of film). I greatly enjoyed it.

13. Friends With Benefits- “No Strings Attached- Round 2” (as I called it before it came out) turned out the be the real thing. JT is charming and Mila Kunis thankfully has not had all the fun sucked out of her by way of Black Swan. 

12. We Bought A Zoo- Come for the smiles and leave to buy the soundtrack.

11. Paul- Underrated. My personal bias always interferes with my objectivity with Simon Pegg/Nick Frost films, but I laughed a lot.

10. Bridesmaids- The female Hangover? That may be the case, but Bridesmaids improved exponentially on the formula, adding great character oriented comedy along with schtick.

9. Cedar Rapids- Ed Helms’ sweet persona and general naivety carried over from Andrew Bernard is not played out (as I have heard many say) and this film is evidence.

8. Insidious

7. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows- Guy Ritchie is the quintessential British Action director. The climate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels have not been properly shown in the film depictions, until now (in my opinion, of course). It may not have topped the original, but I found Game of Shadows to be compelling and engrossing, pulling me into it’s hip-hop montage ridden, slow motion action scene, homo-erotic (come on Jude, come on RDJ, you love each other, and we all think it is precious) world with great ease.

6. The Ides of March- Political thriller of the year (sorry J.Edgar). I was thrust into the Gosling-Clooney world of backwards campaigning, true politics and verbal warfare almost immediately. 

5. Drive- This was Gosling’s year.

4. Hobo With A Shotgun- Well done Canada.

3. Horrible Bosses- I am almost sure to be alone on this, but this was the comedy of the year showing comebacks (as far as I’m concerned) to be a possibility (Aniston, Spacey, Farrell). It also does not hurt that the three leading men are stars of some of the best television around (or no long around, and yes, that means It’s Always Sunny … too, damn I used to love that show). Charlie Day breaking out of his (now, as opposed to the first and second season of It’s Always Sunny…) overly dope-ish role to play a reasonable human being, as well and Jason Bateman (big fan) and Jason Sudeikis (even bigger fan) continuing to perfect their strong comedic timing and ensemble magic made Horrible Bosses a film I saw twice in theaters, and laughed my ass off both times. 

2. Midnight In Paris- Owen Wilson’s charm and likability continue to propel films from well made into well received. Many of my favorite artists, debutantes and writers appear, which does not hurt

1. The Tree of Life- A visual depiction of the big questions regarding the origin of the universe, who God is, and what this God wants of us. “Are you listening?” has never been a heavier question. This is by far the most stunning film created in the past 5 years, and possible the most visually stimulating film I have ever seen. It is not for the faint of heart (or the heavily ADD), as it’s two and a half hour length left this movie viewer flabbergasted once the credits rolled. A film of profound depth.