I don’t think I have ever spent more time in movie theaters than I did this year. Going at least once a week I feel that I can be a good critic of seating & back support provided by each theater but that list would be boring to most. Instead I am giving you my ‘Top 11 of 2011: Film’ edition. This year marked my first time attending the Chicago International Film Festival & I know it won’t be my last.
11.
Bellflower
As soon as I watched the trailer for
Bellflower I knew I had to witness its awesomeness. Like a Ratatouille-esque food memory I was brought back to my childhood pretending with my friends that the world had turned into a wasteland & we were a gang of ruff & tumble ruffians roaming the woods across the street. Mumblecore has grown with the years & launched careers like that of the Duplass brothers & Greta Gerwig so it is great to see its expansion into other genre’s with last year’s mystery
Cold Weather & now a jump into the action scene. At the start of the movie we are introduced to the insanity to follow with main characters Woodrow & Aiden blowing up a propane tank as a test to see if it could be a viable source of fuel in their apocalyptic wasteland. The movie then takes us on a journey of how this set of youth have become disenchanted with their world & while cute & charming early on to attract & intrigue characters Milly & Courtney things only take a turn for the worse. Evan Glodell has really established himself as a multi-threat force to be watched with
Bellfower.
10.
Hesher
For a while I had brushed off Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a viable main character actor. I was blown away by his performance in
Brick but never saw him follow up any role with that same type of intensity. While his star seemed to rise he would comment about his roles like that of Cobra Commander being some of the toughest challenges he faced. In some part that is why his performance as Hesher in
Hesher was almost like a left hook out of nowhere. As soon as we are introduced to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character of Hesher we know he is a force not to be reckoned with as his immediate introduction also includes a heavy metal power chord. Levitt carries this movie on his shoulders most of the time as everyone besides the grandmother character & Natalie Portman’s checkout girl come off as one-note sad-sacks like that of Rainn Wilson’s father character. Its great to see Levitt expand from just becoming the male Zooey Deschanel & continually tackle some meatier roles like that of Hesher & his turn to action in Christopher Nolan’s films.
8.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
An all star cast of british actors in a Cold War spy movie is all one can ask for at times & that is exactly what
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy delivers. Headed by Gary Oldman as lead George Smiley a semi-retired MI6 agent who is called out of retirement to find a spy in the top tiers of their agency known as The Circus. Rich performances are given all around by Oldman, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch & the rest. Very much a British film little action is given but incredibly tense scenes are developed just on the littles acts of espionage.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy delivers an incredibly enjoyable story without having to blow everything up.
8.
The Future
Miranda July can be seen undoubtedly as the master of cute but also deep & thought provoking. Her first major work in film,
You and Me and Everyone We Know, really launched her awareness for creating a great look at how people interact in not just a crazy drama filled deep meaning life. This second adventure in film has her taking a look into a 30-something couples stagnant relationship as somewhat narrated by a cat they are meaning to adopt. July isn’t afraid to take risks as she voices Paw-Paw, our stray cat narrator who is filmed mostly through first person & a focus being on her broken paw. She mirrors at times the risks that this couple takes with her own filmmaking having one character having the power to freeze time but only for himself. There is no doubt that July continues to grow as a filmmaker but also as a vivid & thought provoking storyteller. For a further look one only needs to take a look at her expansive tome of published works & a peek at her new collection of stories,
It Chooses You.
7.
Attack the Block
2011 has really become a big year for Joe Cornish. Joe not only worked on the screenplay for the highly anticipated & amazing big screen debut of Tintin but also made his directorial debut with
Attack the Block. The film follows a group of kids defending their block in South London from an alien invasion. It harks the fun of the gang of kids on a crazy adventure seen so much in the 80’s & early 90’s. While I personally cannot stand
The Goonies I fell in love with
Attack the Block & its gang of kids. John Boyega owns the film with his stoic performance as leader Moses & faces like Nick Frost add that feel of familiarity in this hilarious & action filled movie. One could easily dismiss the film from its wacky tagline of “Inner City vs. Outer Space” but one would also be missing out on one of the most fun & hilarious movies of the year.
6.
Super 8
Nostalgia did seem to run rampant a bit in 2011 & there is no doubt that JJ Abrams knocked it out of the park with his take on the classic 80’s ‘group of kids discovering an alien coverup conspiracy that threatens to destroy their whole town’ story.
Super 8 does contain that famous JJ Abrams lens flare but also contains that same dedication to cinematography & vibrant/pulse pounding scores that Abrams is also known for. Teaming up with Steven Spielberg also lent itself in creating the best blockbuster of the summer. Kyle Chandler gives one of his best performances as Sheriff Jackson Lamb since his character of Coach Eric Taylor on
Friday Night Lights but it is Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota Fanning, who lights up the screen as Alice the love interest of Joe Lamb, Jackson’s only son. The sheer scope & adventure of the film takes you back to that special time in film as a child when anything was possible & if you in any way love film & the awe it can bring there is not way you will not fall in love with
Super 8.
5.
Submarine
Richard Ayoade is no stranger to fans of british comedy starring in such things as
The IT Crowd,
The Mighty Boosh,
Man to Man with Dean Learner, &
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. While he is no stranger to directing or writing as well,
Submarine is Richard’s first shot at the big screen adapting the novel of the same name. The journey of a somewhat sidelined kid,
Submarine follows 15 year old Oliver Tate & his foray into romance while he watches his parents marriage go through its rockiest period. Ayoade captures the beauty & spirit of what it s like having your first major girlfriend & all the adventures & turmoil that come with it. One can only hope that this marks the beginning of Ayoade’s career as a big screen director & writer.
4.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
One thing that brought a lot of peoples attention to
Martha Marcy May Marlene was the fact that it starred an until now unknown, third, Olsen sister as its lead. After walking away from the film I, probably like most, was floored by the performance that Elizabeth Olsen delivered as Martha or at time Marcy May and that rare time as Marlene. Yes, this movie is as confusing at times as its title but only because one feels the paranoia that Elizabeth Olsen’s Martha is facing after escaping a cult led by John Hawkes’ Patrick. The fear & paranoia that Olsen goes through only seems to progress & get worse as we see deeper into her past as Marcy May & just exactly the type of person Hawkes’ Patrick was & the actions he & his followers committed under his guidance. It is clear even the simplest things have become embedded into Olsen’s Martha as she begins to revert to her teaching’s as Marcy May as a type of defense with repeating phrases like how she is ‘a teacher & a leader’. Olsen really holds her own a strives to show that she is a talent far beyond that of her older sisters.
3.
Take Shelter
There is no doubt that Michael Shannon can chew a scene & it is a delight to see him do it as a leading man in
Take Shelter. The film centers around Shannon’s character Curtis an everyday guy who starts having somewhat apocalyptic visions about an impending mega-storm. These dreams start straining his relationships starting with his dog & only progressing to his work buddy Dewart, played by Shea Whigham,another
Boardwalk Empire alum, & his wife Samantha. Curtis starts seeing a psychologist & preps his house with an additional bunker to prepare for the storm which create strain on his family’s monetary situation since his daughter is deaf & they are looking to have her receive a cochlear implant.
Take Shelter delivers nail-biting, edge of your seat scenes by Curtis’ dreams & hallucinations but it is Shannon who really delivers a tension like no one else can that gets your heart racing. Michael Shannon is able to prove that he can hold a movie alone & that intensity that he brings to roles can have a larger nuance than just a federal agent seen on television.
2.
Shame
When one just looks at the poster for
Shame & its NC-17 rating one can only expect the worse to happen. The thing about the film & the way director Steve McQueen works is that this film, somewhat like his previous
Hunger again with Michael Fassbender, is that he loves the slow burn.
Shame is a descent into 21st century life with a look at how introversion & desensitization to pornography is almost a norm in life now. McQueen shines a light on this overlooked & under-discussed subset of people & Fassbender delivers a dedication & intensity to Brandon’s routine of almost constant fear & uncontrollable desire. There are no rainbows but there are no apocalyptic stakes either & in many ways this movie can be looked over just like the type of person it represents but that would just be another missed opportunity.
1.
Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn is no doubt an intense director just from the bloody & painful scenes he creates in his films. He is also an amazing storyteller & his adaptation of the
Drive story to the big screen is as beautiful, masterful, & delicately laid out as its amazing score/soundtrack. From Gosling to Mulligan to Cranston to Brooks, every performance is crafted amazingly & each character works so well.
Drive is a look at the archetypal hero & his outdated/un-needed ways to modern times. Like a modern day Don Quixote, Gosling’s driver has no real place outside of taking driving jobs & when he attempts to rescue his princess things seemingly go wrong because people are not basic story characters. The result is a beautiful film that is at times a revenge piece, a love story & a knights tale all in one.
