2011 In Review

I don't really have a top ten list of films for 2011 because I don't feel like I saw a complete sample of things that came out - I missed A LOT of movies that I wanted to see.  But several things did come out that, if I had a top ten list, would most likely have made the cut:

X-Men: First Class and Captain America, both two of the finest super hero movies the genre has turned out since, well, ever.

Drive, which won't get nearly as much awards press as I want it to.

Hugo, which I liked a whole lot more than I expected to, due to an unfortunately misleading trailer.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, a movie which manages to be more exciting than both the original source material and the first adaptation.

Margin Call, which I tried to write about but had difficulties I can't really articulate; it's a wonderfully sharp piece of writing and acting that I maybe didn't really understand completely?  There's a lot of financial business that I didn't get, but it's a testament to the power of the actors that it didn't matter.  Check it out if you get the chance - I don't understand how it didn't get a wider release, with the surplus of powerhouse names in it (Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany).

Maybe Moneyball?  I didn't write about this one, either, because I have a problematic relationship with it.  I want to recognize the wonderful writing and excellent performances (especially by Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman), but...it didn't resonate with me the same way it seems to have with the rest of the world.  I just didn't feel like there was enough of a story to fill the whole time slot - all the bits about Pitt's family life felt like padding to me, and didn't really add anything in terms of emotional development.  I wish it had been a really tightly-focused 60 minute film, concentrating on the baseball aspects of Pitt's character's life rather than a weakly-written relationship with a daughter I didn't care about.  The fascinating moments of this movie are the negotiations and the game itself, not the private lives of the characters.

If I get the chance to see more 2011 films before the end of January, I'll do a list for you guys.  Otherwise, what's above is pretty much my greatest hits of things I actually saw.

My biggest hope for 2012 in terms of film is simple: MORE.  ANIMATED.  MOVIES.  Is it just me, or was 2011 COMPLETELY LACKING in good animation?  I'm not sure I realized it until I watched the Golden Globes on Sunday, but to follow 2010, a year which gave us Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, and Tangled with a spat of sequels and poorly reviewed items that disappeared almost as soon as they hit theaters seems...sad.  I hope Pixar delivers with BRAVE, is all I'm saying.

My favorite science fiction movies

I saw X-Men: First Class last Friday, and it was pretty great!  (Read my full review here.)  Watching it got me to thinking about how much I liked X2, which reminded me how much I love superhero/science fiction film, which reminded me of how much I loved putting that animated films list together, which led to this!

Science fiction is a pretty big component to my life - it's most of what I read, my friends are all nerds, I was president of the club in high school (no joke!  I also like going to conventions when I have the money.).  And since recently there has been a spat of TRULY EXCELLENT science fiction film produced, it made sense to me to do my top ten favorite sci-fi flicks.

Remember: this list and a (hypothetical) list of what I would consider the top ten BEST sci-fi movies are probably not the same!  But these are the ones I go back to over and over again - partially because they're really good movies, and partially because they're fun or enjoyable and I like watching them over and over.  (This is why there are no Star Wars films here - I do not deny their superiority in the genre, but when it comes to a movie I want to watch on an average Saturday night, Star Trek wins every time.)

Also, these are not ranked because I kept changing my mind.  So I just ordered them alphabetically.

District 9 (2009)

2009 was a wonderful year for science fiction film, and ALSO for summer movies, which are two of my favorite genres.  District 9 and Star Trek both opened to critical acclaim - expected for D9, less so for Star Trek (which you'll see further down the list), but both ended up being far better than anyone really thought.  And D9 does a lot of things incredibly well: yes, the apartheid metaphor is rather heavy-handed what with it being set in South Africa and all, but D9 starts obviously and works its way into the subtle, even while the movie becomes less mockumentary and more flat-out action.  By the end you don't know who to root for, because you've seen deplorable as well as sympathetic behavior from all the major parties involved.  It's too easy to hate the humans, and D9 doesn't ask you too - like Vickus, our main character, is forced to, it asks you to give everyone a fair hearing.  And it breaks your heart a little, too, and I'm a sucker for that.

Equilibrium (2002)

 

I think everything I love about Equilibrium can be summed up in a scene about a quarter of the way through the film, when Christian Bale rips the frosted sheet off his window and looks out at the city he lives in really for the first time.  It’s raining, but the view is also bathed in sunlight, and the whole thing is rich and emotional and beautiful.  It’s one of the first things to affect Bale’s character in an emotional way, and he makes you feel that with every heaving breath and wide-eyed stare.  He’s almost suffocating in beauty.  While Equilibrium can feel a little overwhelming at times (there are a lot things that are never explained, like where exactly this is all taking place), but the story at its root is deceptively simple and ultimately beautiful: it’s a movie that wants you to celebrate in the things that make you feel.

Also there is a puppy.

The Fifth Element (1997)

 

Of the two big sci-fi adventures that Bruce Willis is part of, this one is clearly superior (not that I don't love Armageddon, because I do, but let's be serious here).  Willis strikes just the right tone as our embittered, reluctant hero, getting dragged along to save the world despite his own preferences or his best interests.  Mila Jovovich has never been more charming, either before or after, and her character Leeloo has rightly become iconic.  The amount of asskicking this woman does is BREATHTAKING.  

But what I really love about Fifth Element is how COLORFUL it is.  It's a joy to watch, not just because of the wonderful characters and dialogue or the tense action, but because every shot is a neon beam of color against the outer space backdrop.  The visual style is akin to a Vegas light show, which is perfect for the pulpy feel and elemental themes of the whole adventure.

Inception (2010)

Is it a dream or reality?  If you really get bent out of shape over that very last image, you're missing the point.  And the point is an extraordinarily well-told and well-acted film with hyperactively memorable effects that excavates the depths of human imagination.  This is a movie that definitely rewards repeat viewings, as you're going to miss little background details the first time you see it while you're trying to process the story.  There are moments when it's a little too in love with its own cleverness, sure (the hospital scene springs immediately to mind), but overall this is going down in film history as the movie that pulled science fiction out of the "genre film" box and into the mainstream in a way that even Star Trek couldn't.  It also cements the notion that big summer blockbusters can *gasp* be Best Picture material; unfortunately, even though District 9 was nominated the year before, it didn't really have a chance at the title.  But Inception did, and hopefully people will remember that in Oscar seasons to come.

Independence Day (1996)

Yes, the science in this movie has problems.  But I fall firmly on the side of, "In a movie about an alien invasion, why are you worried about what kind of vehicles Will Smith can actually pilot?" and "They blew up the WHITE HOUSE, people.  WHO CARES if Jeff Goldblum wrote a fake virus on a Mac that somehow works on an alien computer system?"  In other words, if you're complaining about the realism of the hard science elements, you're probably thinking too hard.  I firmly support rollicking violent movies with lots of explosions, and Independence Day hands those out like candy.  Fortunately for us, the violence is side-by-side with  truly brilliant and sympathetic characters, and one of the best "We will survive!" speeches this side of Return of the King.  It's hard not to get a little teary when Bill Pullman is pulling out all the stops like that, and when you have actors as likeable as Pullman, Smith and Goldblum, it's impossible to resist pumping your fist in the air victoriously after the final confrontation.  Give in to the fist-pumping, my friends. 

Jurassic Park (1993)

I had originally intended to write a thing about how compared to any other movie that came out in 1993, Jurassic Park is still easily the best looking of the bunch, but then I looked at a list of everything released in 1993 and there were some supremely excellent releases then (Nightmare Before Christmas!  Dave!  True Romance!  Benny & Joon!).  SO.  New plan.  I would still like you to consider the effects in Jurassic Park, though, because movies are made NOW that don't look this good.  The tension in this movie is just so well done - never before has a single cup of water been so terrifying.  The way light and shadow are used to enhance the prey-like feeling of being stalked by dinosaurs, and the use of animatronics, still make this one a great late-night scare.  Plus, awesome performances from Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum, two of my favs.  There will LITERALLY never be a moment as breathtaking as when Neill sees the brachiosaurs for the first time, jaw open and fumbling with his sunglasses.  Even thinking about it recalls the swell of music and that soaring, breathless feeling you get with pure, cinematic joy.

The Matrix (1999)

why martha do you like dystopian future movies NO WHY DO YOU ASK.

If you asked me what I thought the defining film of my generation is, my answer would be The Matrix.  Not only is it a technical marvel wrapping up a fairly simple story that's saturated with intriguing philosophical questions, but it manages to capture the human/technology relationship in a captivating way.  From the beginning the machines are running the show - think about it, when's the last time you woke up in the morning and didn't check your e-mail first thing?  The Matrix makes all of those little decisions (checking your e-mail, updating Facebook, even punching in a Google search) a little bit chilly when you think about how much you rely on various tech to get through your day.  But instead of continuing this thesis on why The Matrix is RELEVANT, I can tell you short and sweetly why I love it so, so much: exciting action, empathetic characters, amazing effects.  Oh, and also its cultural relevancy.

Minority Report (2002)

Tom Cruise gets a lot of flak from people, and to be fair, dude is sort of nuts.  But he's definitely a brilliant actor and Minority Report showcases some of his best work.  One of the few cases where (in my honest opinion) the adaptation eclipses the original work, this film shows two sides of science fiction to great effect: you get the high-tech glossy side, with shiny technology and gleaming metal surfaces, and the seedy, dirty, dystopian worldview that remains so popular today.  While classism isn't necessarily the point of the movie, it is an integral part of the world the movie takes place in, and if there's one thing I love it's rich, complex world-building.  And heart-pounding chase scenes!  Also a good dose of clever cinematography, such as when Cruise and the pre-cog are on the run in the mall and she keeps foreseeing little details like the umbrella.  Sometimes I feel like I get a new detail every time I see this one, it's like a film that keeps on giving.

Star Trek (2009)

I confess to literally not caring AT ALL the first time I saw a teaser for this one.  I have never been a Star Trek fan; I'd seen a handful of episodes, mostly for an anthropology class I took in college (I know, right?), and I was not really impressed or charmed by Shatner or the kitschy feel of it all.  But then the release date was announced for my birthday, and we actually got to see bits of the footage in trailers, and I'm completely in love with Chris Pine, so you know.  These things happened.  And I saw it opening night, and I LOVED it.  Pine is the PERFECT Kirk, with all of Shatner's fratboy bravado but none of the scenery chewing, and Zachary Quinto encapsulated Spock's cool logic while bringing a good dose of human sensitivity to everything.  The only issue I had with it was that I wanted Eric Bana's Nero to be more...something, I don't know.  It's like, they try to make him a sympathetic villain, but then also try to cash in on the Kirk/Khan relationship, and both end up not quite getting there.  But otherwise this movie is one of the finest ensemble casts in years, and provides scads of entertainment every time I watch it.  Which is a whole lot.

X2: X-Men United (2003)

Technically, I suppose superhero movies are their own subgenre of film at this point, but X-Men has too many science fiction tropes going on for me to leave it off this list.  I also happen to consider X2 one of the best superhero movies to have been made this side of The Dark Knight.  It's pretty much the perfect sequel - it picks up a few loose threads from the first film but also has its own stand-alone story, and William Stryker makes a much better political foe than Senator Kelly does in X-Men.  I really enjoy watching Magneto and his Brotherhood circle warily with Professor X and his X-Men, as they figure out how to work together out of necessity; plus I have always been enamored with the relationship between Professor X and Magneto (which, as a side note, is mostly why I loved X-Men: First Class so much).  Finally, it's hard for me NOT to love this movie, since Nightcrawler is my very favorite X-Men character and in general I think the movie does a really good job with him.

X-Men: First Class

You may remember from my Trailer Talk for X-Men: First Class that I was a LITTLE excited about this film.  Well, I saw it on Friday, and it did not disappoint.

I have been an X-Men fan for a long time.  I loved the first two films - I think X2 is one of the best superhero movies this side of Batman.  I didn't even hate the third one so much, I thought it was fun and a decent way to end the trilogy.  (I never saw Wolverine.)  One of the reasons I can enjoy the movies so much is because I'm not a stickler for continuity - I don't think you can be, and stay a sane member of the X-Men fandom.  The writers have played with the timeline SO much and SO frequently, and there are SO many continuities at play, that to put it all into a movie basically requires a lot of cherry-picking while doing the best you can to preserve the spirit of the characters.  This is why X-Men: First Class succeeds so very, very well.

The obvious stars here are Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy.  As pre-supers Charles and Erik, they are electric together and bring so much life to the relationship between the two characters.  I was always sad that the only real allusions to this friendship, which I believe is one of the most important and far-reaching in comics, in the previous films were pretty brief.  So I was extremely happy that it got explored more fully and to great effect here.

The action sequences are superb, and for once the "side-line" mutants all get a pretty strong spotlight.  The training montage is extremely well done, so that it doesn't feel stale at all.  The cinematography overall is extremely clever, and makes parts of the film feel like classic James Bond - appropriate, considering the Bond Girl-esque ensemble January Jones sports for most of the movie.  The 60's aesthetic works well, and the styling and costumes feel period-appropriate without being derivative.  The whole thing looks completely great.

Kevin Bacon was an excellent Sebastien Shaw, and my only real complaint about the villains is that I think there should have been MORE of them.  Here, Shaw is ostensibly representing the Hellfire Club and also mongering World War III.  Except that the Hellfire Club is FULL of wealthy and politically influential people, and I wish the filmmakers had portrayed it that way.  Shaw is certainly a good leader figure, but I had a hard time believing he could exert as much influence as he does without any kind of additional evil backing.

I'd like to take a moment to address some concerns regarding Ms. Jones, as well as Jennifer Lawrence, who inhabits the role of adolescent-Mystique with verve and aplomb.  Many people on the internets (at least, that I have come across) feel as though these roles have been marginalized, and two of the most powerful female characters in the franchise reduced to arm candy and and frivolous teenager.  To which I reply: well, yes.  But that doesn't mean they're not ALSO powerful females.  Jones as the chilly Emma Frost certainly holds her own with the boys, proving to be even a force for Charles Xavier to reckon with.  I agree that Lawrence could have used a scene or two to stretch her muscles and show some kick-ass, but this is not the same Mystique we get in later films.  It is pretty well acknowledged that she does a hell of a lot of inward thinking between know and then, and we get intimations of her changing views throughout First Class.

You can't afford to get too picky when it comes to continuity in the X-Men universe, but this film certainly does its best to be an honest prequel to the older films.  I think it hits that without jumping the shark into "reboot" territory - this movie slots right in to the timeline of those movies.  Right down to Xavier's mansion, which looks a hell of a lot like the set used in the trilogy even if it's not the identical house (I think it is, though) and the look of Magneto's helmet.  It's clear they paid attention and it pays off.

In summary, if you're willing to let go of the comic continuity (any of them) and just have fun with it, First Class is an incredibly well-acted and well-set summer romp.  It is definitely a step in the right direction for the franchise.

Also, if Marvel would like to make either He Reads Minds, He Broods Broodsomely: Together They Fight Crime or Michael Fassbender: Nazi-Killing Super-Spy Ultimate Bad Ass, I will be first in line for my tickets.

My Summer Movie Schedule

I have a new banner! It is courtesy of my friend Adam, who also writes a movie blog that you should read! It's called Cinematically Yours, and you can find it over there in my sidebar.

Summer movie season is almost upon us, and I can safely say that big budget, high action popcorn flicks are my favorite part of summer (as if you couldn't tell). Invariably, I don't get to see as many of these as I want to (having a full time job really cuts into my movie watching, you guys. But without it, I couldn't afford the tickets. Conundrum!), but I get excited about them, nonetheless.

Let's see what I'm particularly looking forward to!

May 6th: Thor
Apparently my birthday or thereabouts (May 8) is the unofficial start of summer movie season, and it really couldn't make me happier. Speed Racer (2008), Iron Man (2009) and Iron Man 2 (2010) were all released on my birthday, and all of which I loved, so it's hard NOT to be excited about Thor, even though I was never attached to him as a comic character.

May 20: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
I am afraid of this movie. On the one hand, I remember how EXCELLENT the first one was... and then my other hand slaps me a little and reminds me how terrible the second two were. But we're starting over, kinda, with a new story and new characters. And it'll be big, and pretty, and tropical, and there will probably be rum jokes. So I'll be there.

May 26: Kung Fu Panda 2
GARY OLDMAN. IS AN EVIL PEACOCK. I CAN'T be the only one excited about this, can I? I mean, look how far Dreamworks has stepped their game up with How To Train Your Dragon. It'll be fun, right?

May 30: Hangover 2
Ennh. I'm concerned. But the first one was so, surprisingly hilarious that I have hope.

June 3: X-Men: First Class
You can see from my trailer writeup that I cannot WAIT for this one. X-Men is my comic specialty, and the Hellfire Club has always been one of my favorite villainous organizations. Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw? Yes please.

July 1: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Michael Bay calls this one "more sinister and frightening" without the "dorky humor" of Revenge of the Fallen. Which I can only take to mean the Nitwit Twins will not be featured, which I take to mean AWESOME. Also I got to watch them film bots on Wacker Drive, and let me tell you, the ravaged streets of Chicago will look fantastic in this. And let's be honest: this could look half as good and I'd still be salivating about it. I loved the first one just that much.

July 15: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
WAR IS COMING TO HOGWARTS AND I AM SO READY. I will probably cry all the tears, though.

July 22: Captain America
The Avengers franchise hinges on how good this one will be, and I think it looks super promising. My trailer impressions are over in my Super Bowl entry, but to sum up: visually it looks like they've struck just the right combination between a period piece and a superhero flick. Bring it ON.

July 29: Cowboys & Aliens
Is...is this based on a graphic novel? I just found an image (here) that leads me to believe that, and if so, I would like to read it. Probably not until after I see the movie, though. I've gotten weird about the order in which I expose myself to stories. But! Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, the wild west, and alien spacecraft. It's like Wild Wild West, only it looks actually good (I'm sorry, Kevin Kline. I love you, I really do).

August 12: Mr. Popper's Penguins
I never read the book, but Jim Carrey looks charming and I really do love penguins.

(Release dates provided by a combination of teaser-trailer.com and apple.com/trailers. All trailers provided by apple.com/trailers. Also note that this is not a comprehensive list of films being released this summer - just the ones I want to see.)

X-Men: First Class, Arthur, Prom

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
Good use of music, nice foreshadowing with the chair. Using footage from the first movies is a good call. Also re-using the mansion, it looks like. Really nice, subtle scenes with the different powers; the woman with insect wings, Mystique, a SUPER young looking Hank McCoy. I missed this the first time around, but I think we get to see Hank's transformation from Big Dude to Big Blue Hairy Guy, which is an interesting side story for them to pursue. James McAvoy has the grace and gentleman-quality to pull of Charles. I did feel like I was supposed to recognize some of the faces, but when they didn't show my powers I couldn't take a guess.

The visuals are great - shiny as befits a science fiction film, but with the retro feel they need since, you know, it takes place in the 60's. There's some great military bits, which feel a little weird, since the first X-Men film treats the political side of the mutant issue as rather new (as I recall). They are flubbing the timeline a little, since Emma Frost gets a moment where she goes all glittery and she doesn't actually get that power until much later in the X-Men timeline, but that's already been cross-wired so many times you won't hear me complain.

Also missed the first time around - NIGHTCRAWLER'S DAD, HOLY SHIT. Are they doing THAT? We see Mystique, and Azazel BAMF-ing around...that would be a little weird, if this movie is supposed to inhabit the same world as the first three films (which has been my assumption, based on my thoughts below).

What I really like about this trailer is that they seem to be constructing it as an honest-to-God prequel, rather than this "reboot" shit people keep tossing around. Charles' mansion looks almost identical to the set in the Trilogy, likewise the chair design and Magneto's helmet (unpainted, which I love) use the same designs. What this also does is gives the story a chance to explore the dynamic between Charles and Eric as the notion was introduced in X3 - that once upon a time, these two great and powerful men were friends, the remnants of which remain in the earlier films.

That relationship between the Professor and Magneto has always deeply intrigued me, and it's part of what makes them both fascinating characters - they're not just good guy/bad guy, they're idealists in their own way and both of their philosophies retain parts of what was originally a communal idea. I'm excited for this film.

ARTHUR
I hate Russell Brand, but I love Helen Mirren. Arthur dresses like a douche. Helen Mirren is a badass. Horrendously predictable, I think. The only wild card is Jennifer Garner as the arranged marriage proposition that Brand desperately hates - I can't tell if he's supposed to meet someone else, or if romance is just not A Thing in this movie. My money is on the latter, since Brand is such a show-horse it's hard for him to share the spotlight. This kind of man-baby comedy drives me CRAZY, I think I will probably miss this one.

It does have one great line: "What was that?" "French kiss." "Really? Because the French always surrender. That was decidedly German."

I don't have a whole lot more to say...it has the potential to surprise, I guess, but honestly? Helen Mirren is the only touch of class in a film that will probably end up being awkward and vulgar.

PROM
The number of cliches in this actually, physically hurt me. You know I would NEVER speak ill of Disney, but...the Rebel and the Class President Who Defy Convention and Fall In Love, the Nerd Who Can't Talk to Girls, The Prom King and Queen (who probably have Secret Problems)...the list goes on. Rebel has to help put prom together or he won't graduate, which infuriates Class President until she realizes he's got a heart of gold. But she wants to go with Oblivious Hottie! Who asked Cheerleader! And then there will be a dress montage. Maybe more than one.

Seriously, it looks like High School Musical crossbred with Lizzie McGuire, which then stole all the boring parts from that Brittany Snow movie about the stalker teacher. I'll probably see it (I do, after all, consider the two Princess Diaries movies to be AWESOME, although the second one might now count because it has Chris Pine in it and I'll literally see anything he's in), but seriously? Can we get some new cliches up in here? Some new high school archetypes? Or, even better, make them people rather than cut-outs?