Compiling “Best of” movie lists at this time of the year defines “fool’s errand.”
The first few months of any movie year are usually its weakest, and the best summer blockbusters rarely aspire to more than fast food entertainment.
“The Dark Knight” remains a joyous exception.
So far, 2011 feels different. We’ve already seen a number of films which wouldn’t look odd rubbing elbows with the Oscar bait heading our way this Fall. A few others brought the spectacle in ways that didn’t insult our intelligence.
Let’s all savor that for a moment.
So, in no particular order, here are my picks for the year’s best movies so far:
- “Rango” – This one comes with a disclaimer. My son has made me watch the Blu-ray version, out July 15, again and again. And each time I marvel at the artistry involved and Johnny Depp’s brilliantly off-kilter line readings. It’s not Pixar. But at times, it’s just as good in its own way, Rango’s perfect comic timing is something to savor.
- “X-Men: First Class” – What began as a frantic franchise extender became a smart, sophisticated superhero yarn in the hands of director Matthew Vaughn. And casting the great James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as the lead mutants only sweetened the deal.
- “Barney’s Version” – Paul Giamatti plays the kind of guy who flirts with a strange woman during his own wedding ceremony. And you can’t help but love the big lug all the same. That’s the power of Giamatti in his prime, and it’s precisely what you see in one man’s road to what passes for redemption.
- “Win Win” – Giamatti, again, shines as a small-town wrestling coach who tweaks his own moral compass to pay the bills. When he stumbles across a wrestling prodigy (played by newcomer Alex Shaffer) his life seems complete. His deceit backfires in a big way, letting us watch a man scramble to save his marriage and himself. “Win Win” offers poignant moments and a gaggle of great one-liners, many delivered by Bobby Cannavale in a role deserving of Best Supporting Actor consideration.
- “Insidious” – I spoke with the film’s director, James Wan, prior to its release. He promised me his film wasn’t another gore-fest, and that it held fast to old-school horror movie principles. And, by golly, he wasn’t lying. The final act feels incomplete, but the rest reminded me why the horror genre remains a personal favorite. The film’s micro-budget made its success even sweeter.
- “Bellflower” – It’s twisted, romantic and dark to its core. But “Bellflower’ is the most original film of the year, a journey through the broken heart of a man whose angst burns brighter than his homemade flamethrower.
- “Super 8” – Director J.J. Abrams is not Steven Spielberg. But he’s the closest thing we have to the man behind “Jaws” and “E.T.,” and Abrams proved it with this loving mashup of coming of age movie and action romp. Now, about that ending …
Welcome Big Hollywood and KyleSmithOnline readers! Please let me know your thoughts on this list, the site in toto and anything else movie related. And, please know, your first comment here needs to be “approved” by me. After that, everything you write goes live instantly.
(Photo: Johnny Depp provides the voice of “Rango,” an existential kiddie movie about a lizard trying to save a water-deprived town. Paramount Pictures)
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
You know, I still disagree about the ending. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it felt natural afterwards. Still have to see Insidious…
Oh, and I was referring to Super 8, in case there was any question
Isn’t Barney’s Version 2010 material?
No Bridesmaids on this list? What about Incendies? Beginners? Three of the best films I’ve seen this year!
Hunter – Barney’s Version hit most theaters in 2011 … it may have slipped in oh, so briefly in 2010 since it got a Golden Globe. But I thought it was fair to include it here since that’s when the vast majority of people had the chance to see it.
Sebastian – Bridesmaids nearly made my cut. Big, big laughs. The other two films I haven’t seen yet. Beginners just opened here in Denver and I’m looking forward to it.
I must strongly disagree with the props you give JJ Abrams. Super 8 was a mish-mash sald bar of a movie that left me wanting real cinematic food. Btw, I was 19 in 1979 and never heard such foul-mouthed profanity anywhere from any child of these character’s ages. If some kid said Jesus once, let alone the six or seven times the chubby boy does we would have been shocked and turned off, and not hung around him for very long.
Rango, while visually stunning, was incredibly weak int he story department, violated several rules of its own universe, and ultimately just wasn’t very funny (I laughed once – at the “circle of life” joke).
Super 8 was flat out horrible. Inconsistencies, flaws, anti-intellectual humor, and an ending that fell not just flat, but crashed and burned. This movie was the biggest disappointment of the Summer.
“X-Men First Class” was an above average “actioner” yet many people didn’t turn out to see it. A shame. “Super 8″ was OK but could have and should have being much better. I liked “Insidious” a well made supernatural flick as well. I would add “Company Men” and “Soul Surfer” to the list as my favorites thus far.
What? No Tree of Life?! Best film I’ve seen this year and most important movie of the last 10 years, IMO.
Just watched “Insidious” tonight. Wow. Good horror yarn. I even enjoyed the last half (which most of you professional critics found weak). Not being a sophisticated viewer like many of the folks here, all I know is what works for me, and a bloodless horror film that delivers the shivvers does the trick.
Spoiler Alert!(?): I don’t think the hand prints were in blood…but lipstick (clue from the spooky character end-credits)
Forty somethings here…after seeing Super 8 recently and all of the alien/transformer/comic book trailers preceeding same…we’ve come to the mutual conclusion that we must move our butts to the indie house to see anything of interest to us. And we’re not the artsy type. Case in point, The Devil’s Double looks good.
I think they make motion pictures in places other than Hollywood, or even America, for that matter. Here’s a list of better films than the ones above:
1. To Die Like a Man, directed by João Pedro Rodrigues
2. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
3. Le Havre, directed by Aki Kaurismaki
4. I Saw the Devil, directed by Kim Jee-woon
5. Like Crazy, directed by Drake Doremus
6. Buddah Mountain, directed by Li Yu
7. Shaolin (aka Xin Shao Lin Si), directed by Benny Chan
Thor was much better than Rango. I’m not sure what movie you watched, but I have no interest in ever seeing the mediocre, moderately amusing cartoon again, while I can’t wait for the DVD release of the Thunder God. I’m with you on Super 8 and X-Men though. Outstanding films!
Shame only three of them were released in 2011.