Review: 2011 A YEAR IN REVIEW & THE TOP TEN AND A HALF

           2011 is one of the best, and oddest film years in recent memory. On one hand, while there were numerous great films year round, none of them particularly sticks out the way something like Slumdog Millionaire, Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, Inception, Toy Story 3, all did in the last few years. In terms of big movies it was actually a very poor year; there was a record number of sequels, threequels, fourthquels, fifthquels and prequels; 27 in total, not including remakes. There was even an octoquel. But besides that said eighth Harry Potter Film that we waited a decade for none were memorable, and at least two were essentially a remake of the previous installment (Hangover 2 and Transformers 3).

            And yet at the same time there was a major breakthrough in independent filmmaking. For the past few years online movie watching, particularly Netflix, has brought the realization that the market for such films is huge; it is just not as big as the market for Avatar. Nevertheless Indie films can use a limited release as a form of promotion, and earn their money back, off theaters. Either on iTunes, Redbox, Netflix, DVD sales, whatever. And thus the public’s legal accessibility to such films has greatly increased.

            It has been an interesting year; and to top it off it might be the first time that a silent movie takes Best Picture, since the first Academy Awards were held. Anyways, here is our Top Ten and a half for 2011, presented in no particular order besides alphabetical:

Review: SUMMER 2011

            Labor Day weekend, movie wise this means the summer season has officially ended, even if there are still a few blockbusters to be seen. Over the weekend The Toronto Film Festival will kick up the award movie season, movies will slowly raise their IQ, with an obvious break for Halloween when they tend to plummet into the negatives. But let’s take a look at what the summer of 2011 had to offer.

 

            Overall summer is the highest grossing times for movies. It is the time the studios bring out the big guns and release their 200 million dollar + movies. It is the time of superheroes, loud explosions, and gross amounts of CGI. It is also the time in which actors and filmmakers get the most exposure, so it is not uncommon to see a capable actor like Neil Patrick Harris in a movie like The Smurfs selling his soul.

            Above all things, summer is the time of the year when money talks.

Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was certainly the best Harry Potter movie up to this point. The only Harry Potter movie that could be called a good movie actually, and it wasn’t even an entire movie, just the first half. Now, after a six-month wait, we get to see Part 2; and, thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint. This is, perhaps, the best two-and-a-half hour third act of any movie I have seen. Generally third acts of movies like Harry Potter and other summer blockbusters, tend to be simplistic, action-packed, low on development, and rushed. That this movie happens to be just a third act, and a full movie at the same time, says a lot about the talent, from J.K. Rowling, author of the books, to screenwriter, Steve Kloves and director David Yates, to the plucky trio of lead actors: Radcliff, Watson, and Grint (sounds like the name of an accounting firm doesn’t it).

New Trailer and Poster for DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2.

Way, way back in 2001 the first Harry Potter film came out. That same year the first Lord of the Rings film also premiered. It sparked a rather large debate across every middle school over which one was the better franchise. At the time the LOTR defenders had the upper hand by simply stating that the Harry Potter film was meant for little kids. Seven movies later they can no longer hold on to that argument. Hopefully they have also matured, unlike me, and moved on to debate more important things in life.

Honestly, this looks more epic than the final battle in Return of the King. And without the boring Frodo and Sam side plot.

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New Trailer for DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 surfaces.

So, lately we have been posting ads by famous filmmakers with the argument that an ad is basically a short movie with a lot of product placement. And that craft-wise (perhaps even artistically) some deserve to be praised as a filmic achievement on their own. The same goes for movie trailers; it is not even that rare when one ends up being better than the movie. I doubt this will be the case. Nevertheless it is one hell of an epic trailer.

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Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1

In full honestly it would be difficult to admit that all the Harry Potter movies one through six were not particularly good movies. But they weren’t; that is the truth. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is by far the best Harry Potter movie; it is also the first in the franchise that you could legitimately call a good movie; it is also just half of a movie.

New Harry Potter VII Trailer

I hope you're not wearing socks, because they're about to get knocked off.

Full Deathly Hallows Trailer Apparates

This looks great.


But the fact that it's in 3D makes me want to strangle someone.

Deathly Hallows Teaser Arrives

Jeeeeeeeeeeeeez.