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:

The Golden Globe's Three Firsts

           It is almost a week past since the Golden Globes, and that means the Oscar nominations will be announced this weekend. And the final countdown towards the end of award season will begin. It also means, good movies will start getting re-released and whole bunch of blog (including us) will begin posting predictions, commenting, and arguing about the likely winners. And comment, complain, and accuse the Academy of bias afterwards. With so much fuss around them it is almost relaxing to watch the Golden Globes, a shorter, more relaxing, and somewhat more entertaining ceremony.

            The winners at the Globes will also end up being favorites at the Oscars, despite the fact that there will likely also be (as there is every year) a much-heated debate over which award show is fairer. All the members of the Academy decide the Oscars through a vote; this might be more democratic but it is also highly political. Meanwhile the Hollywood Foreign Press, a committee of 93 bribable journalists, decides who shall receive the Golden Globes. Nevertheless, they are also hosted by Ricky Gervais so they are quite a bit more entertaining, and shocking. Even after being toned down this year.

            Anyways, there wasn’t much surprise in the winners this year. The highest one being that Al Pacino, was not even nominated for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for TV” for his work in You Don’t Know Jack. However there were a few “firsts” in the Best Movie Categories. The Artist has become the first black & white, as well as the first silent movie to earn the Motion Picture Comedy Award, and The Adventures of Tintin became the first non-Pixar film to earn Animated Film. The Artist in particular has been placed in the fast track to win Best Picture at the Oscars. If it does, it will be the first silent film since the first awards, when Wings won, to receive the award. 

You can check our reviews for The Artist, and The Adventures Tintin as well as Wilder's review for The Descendants (winner of Motion Picture Drama).

Review: THE DESCENDANTS

This is my favorite of all of George Clooney's characters. In The Descendants, Clooney is not awesome. He is not a badass. He doesn't have a charming smile (mostly because I don't think he smiles once in this movie). In The Descendants, George Clooney plays a character. And for The Descendants, he deserves an Oscar.