- Kawasaki’s Rose (directed by Jan Hrebejk) A renowned psychiatrist is chosen to receive a significant Czech medal for his exemplary life. However, his son-in-law discovers that he once collaborated with state security agencies, informing on a former friend of his wife and bearing responsibility for the latter's forced emigration.
- Of God and Men (directed by Xavier Beauvois,) a group of French Trappist monks, assigned to a station in Algeria, must decide whether to stay or go when they are threatened by terrorists.
- Poetry (directed by Chang Long Lee) Jeong-Lu Yun stars as a woman who discovers she has Alzheimers at the same moment she discovers her grandson has committed a heinous crime. Her enrollment in a poetry class brings her a momentary peace.
- Incendies (directed by Denis Villeneuve) a brother and sister, now living in Montreal, follow the wishes of their deceased mother, and travel to the Middle East to discover what secrets her past held.
- Blue Valentine (directed by Derek Cianfrance) Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in the saddest love story of the last decade. This film is helped immensely by the caliber of acting and the director’s unwillingness to tack on a happy ending.
- Take Shelter (directed by Jeff Nichols) Michael Shannon plays a man wrestling with an apocalyptic vision that is either precognizant or the onset of mental illness. An amazing performance and Nichols nails the small town and its residents.
- The Artist (directed by Michael Hazanavicius )Jean Dijardin stars as a silent movie star who can’t make the transition to talkies despite the love of a good woman. Silent, black and white, and haunting with a mesmerizing performance.
- Drive (directed by Nicholas Refri) Ryan Gosling stars as the unnamed wheelman, whose hole becomes deeper after a heist gone wrong.
- Even the Rain (directed by Icíar Bollaín)A film crew, making a movie about Columbus, becomes embroiled in local politics and inadvertently commit the same atrocities the movie purports to critique.
- The Guard (directed by John Michael McDonough) One of the few good comedies I saw this year (although second place would go to THE TRIP). Brendan Gleeson, a small-town cop and Don Cheedle, an FBI agent, knock heads as they try to make sense of some goings-on in a small Irish town.
- Moneyball (directed by Bennett Hill) Brad Pitt does an outstanding job of playing Billy Beane, a baseball general manager who comes up with a new way of looking at baseball stats.
- Margin Call (directed by J.C. Chandor) a team of good actors actually make sense and art of the factors leading to the collapse of 2008.
- Source Code (directed by Duncan Jones) Jake Gyllenhal is our hero in a story of a man on a train who gets to repeat the last eight minutes before a crash until he gets it right.
Best Actor: Brad Pitt for both Moneyball and Tree of Life.
Best Actress, Jeong-Lu Yun for Poetry
Most movies on this list have a crime in it despite its best intentions. Perhaps all good movies do.
10 comments:
Source code is the only one I saw. I did want to see Driver though and will eventually.
I must admit I haven't seen any of them yet. The best movies we've seen this year were the 3 Swedish DRAGON TATTOO movies and Woody Allen's MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, WIN WIN (which you missed because Phil hates Paul Giamatti) and BEGINNERS. We do intend to see DRIVE, THE ARTIST and TAKE SHELTER at least, plus probably MONEYBALL and MARGIN CALL, and THE GUARD if we can find it.
Jeff M.
my fave 10 that I have seen from 2011 so far:
Drive
The Guard
Midnight in Paris
Source Code
Super 8
Tree of Life
Terri
Win Win
Young Adult
Fave of the year: Hanna - there were others that were better scripted, directed and acted, but I liked this one best. I think it was the fact that it dealt with the
I've only even heard of three of them, which I suppose only shows how out of the loop I have gotten. Hugo and Tintin may be the only ones I se this year, unless I'm tempted enough to go to John Carter. As you see, it's the big SX films I'm drawn by, not the thoughtful ones you prefer.
My son Patrick considers DRIVE as the best movie of 2011. I hope to see it soon. THE ARTIST hasn't opened here yet. Loved MONEYBALL. I had some reservations about MARGIN CALL. Like Jeff, I enjoyed WIN WIN even though it didn't make my top three list.
Dying to see Hanna which Phil loved and I missed. We did see WIN WIN and liked it but not quite as much.
HANNA is very good. I'm hoping for a sequel. According to the HUFFINGTON POST, Sony has "green lighted" the next two Stieg Larsson films despite disappointing box office numbers for the U.S. version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.
we saw the new one last night and liked it a lot. Maybe more than the swedish version.
Alice won't see such films as THE DESCENDENTS with me for fear of being depressed, but is champing at the bit to see the remake of MEN WHO HATE WOMEN. ("She gets revenge!")
I wonder how good Brad Pitt will have to be in those films to make me forget how bad he's been in the past, particularly in the likes of TWELVE MONKEYS...
Only saw one of these Patti, SOURCE CODE. I enjoyed it.
The one I can't wait to see is THE ARTIST.
I think I'll see MARGIN CALL as well.
Post a Comment