Pictures: My Top Dozen Favourite 2011 Films

So here it is, finally. My top dozen favourites of 2011. I wanted to dedicate a post to each of the films and write about them in detail, but this has taken long enough (3 months!) and school work never seems to be over. I’ll just go ahead with a small list for now, and hopefully in the future, I’ll get to give some space to each of them separately.

Though I’d like to think that I have a pretty good taste and my favourite film equates the best film, I’m not confident enough in my academic knowledge of cinema to claim such a thing – and generally, I don’t think anyone should be. So what I’ve written here is a list of my favourite films of 2011. A film like Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life, which I respect much more than I love, couldn’t find a place here, for example, because having seen it twice now and despite absolutely,wholeheartedly being floored by its central performance, I can’t say the film as a whole touches me in any way.

There are a few titles I wish I hadn’t missed but as I said, it’s already late March and definitely time to move on to the new year. Ultimately, the entire year can be summarized in 18 films for me. As per tradition – and by that I mean an arbitrary rule I made up just last year – this blog only awards a Top Dozen so as much as it pains me to do so, I’ll have to leave six films off the list. Ask me on a different day and these honourable mentions can swap places with any of the films in the bottom six of my top dozen. No matter the placement, I love all these films and I’ll be going back to them in the future. And if you haven’t had the chance to see any of them yet, I really hope I can encourage you to do so.

Honourable Mentions
Miss Bala (dir. Gerardo Naranjo), Young Adult (dir. Jason Reitman), Weekend (dir. Andrew Haigh), The Skin I Live in (dir. Pedro Almodovar), Attack the Block (dir. Joe Cornish), Tomboy (dir. Celine Sciamma)

12. Moneyball (dir. Miller)

There are rich teams and there are poor teams. Then there’s fifty feet of crap. And then there’s us.

11. Sleeping Beauty (dir. Leigh)

You are very beautiful, very talented. But we are going to make you even more beautiful, even more talented.

Visionaries: 2011's Best in Writing and Directing

Screenwriters

6. We Need to Talk About Kevin

by Lynne Ramsey and Rory Stewart Kinnear based on the novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver

5. Young Adult

written by Diablo Cody

4. Moneyball

written by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian based on the novel Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

3. ALPS

written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou

2. Oslo, August 31st

written by Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt based on the novel Le feu follet by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle

1. A Separation

written by Asghar Farhadi

The writers of Kevin did the undoable by completely reshaping the tone and structure of such an unadaptable book to create a visual narrative. In Young Adult, Cody gave us a refreshingly uncompromising character with no redemptive qualities and left us with memorable quotables like psychotic prom queen bitch. In Moneyball, Zailian and Sorkin added emotional depth and charm to the layered texture of their sport story and gave us an abundance of terrific lines like fifty feet of crap. ALPS is another uniquely humorous and conceptually original entry in Lanthimos’s resume and doesn’t shy away from examining our deepest fears. Oslo, August 31st treated its hopeless protagonist with grace and told a universal story with such spatial and temporal specificity. Finally, A Separation has a focused but multi-faceted narrative that illuminates the social constructs of Iran with utmost subtlety. It also features an ensemble of characters that deserve their own full feature. Wouldn’t one about the judge be most interesting?

Directors

Honourable Mentions
Terrence Malick (Tree of Life), Andrew Haigh (Weekend), Pedro Almodovar (The Skin I Live in)

6. Sleeping Beauty

directed by Julia Leigh

5. Melancholia

directed by Lars von Trier

4. ALPS

directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

3. A Separation

directed by Asghar Farhadi

2. Martha Marcy May Marlene

directed by Sean Durkin

1. Drive

directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

In Sleeping Beauty, Leigh shows an impeccable understanding of colours and spaces and creates tension by manipulating her elaborate mise-en-scene. Lars von Trier universalizes his internal feelings, and brings together the grandiosity of earth’s destruction and the intimacy of a wedding in his allegorical take on depression in Melancholia. Lanthimos’s formal control and confidence in ALPS reaffirm his position as an auteur with a visually distinctive voice. In A Separation, Farhadi shows once more that he is one of the world’s most capable hands in directing ensembles. That in the maze-like structure of his film, the pacing never falters is a miracle. In Martha Marcy May Marlene, there were no signs of naiveté as newcomer Sean Durkin held on tight to his careful framings and seamless transitions between past and present, and dream and reality to keep us on the edge of our seats. Finally, Nicolas Winding Refn’s pulpy, tacky, hot pink ode to Los Angeles and the cinema of the 80s in Drive has to top the list because as I wrote in my original review, the film has his fingerprints on every frame. And what a stylish film this is to have your mark on!


Previously on Best of 2011

Thespians: 2011's Best Performances

Honourable Mentions
Tom Cullen and Chris New (Weekend), who gave us the year’s most believably romantic pas de deux, and Michael Fassbender (Shame), whose raw emotional turn marked yet another intriguing collaboration with Steve McQueen, came really close to making the final list. Similarly, Ryan Gosling (Drive) and Stephanie Sigman (Miss Bala) as two semi-silent anti-heroes gave perhaps the most iconic performances of the year that deserve to show up on every such list. On a related note, Juliette Binoche (Certified Copy) would have been on this list (all the way at number 2) had she not been mentioned on the list last year. I got around to the film on the festival circuit so I count it as a 2010 film.

12. Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)

For conveying terror, helplessness, misery and confusion, all without words; for her thoughtful and balanced examination of a flawed character; and for continuing her streak of challenging performances in auteur pieces

11. Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead)

For his commitment; for gradually opening up years of pent up tension, inferiority and vengeance; and for an uncompromising portrayal of bruised virility and pride

Craftsmen: 2011's Best Technical Achievements

Honourable Mentions
Costume Design and Visual Effects of Immortals, Cinematography of Jane Eyre, Production Design of Pa Negre, Editing of Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Production Design of Hugo

12. The effects team behind the Visual Effect of Attack the Block

For compensating for the tight budget with creativity, for creating memorable monsters, and for serving the story without being gimmicky

11. Jacqueline Durran for the Costume Design of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

(also noteworthy: Production Design)
For understanding the intricacy of men’s clothing, for building character from the threads, for conveying the different classes of MI6 agents, and for working beautifully in tandem with the production design team

10. Dana Glauberman for the Editing of Young Adult

For the impeccable comic timing, and for perfectly balancing the laughs with the drama

9. Udo Kramer and Bernhard Henrich for the Production Design of Chicken with Plums

(also noteworthy: Costume Design)
For nailing every aspect of the period in Iran without losing the directors’ playful vision, for using colours and shadows to perfection, and for the broken violin

8. Alberto Iglesias for the Original Score of The Skin I Live In

(also noteworthy: Production Design)
For the thrill in every pulsating moment, for working within the atmosphere to create mood, for the range, and for continuing his collaboration with one of the world’s most exciting directors

7. Robbie Ryan for the Cinematography of Wuthering Heights

For capturing the beauty of a butterfly on the ledge of a window and the mane of a horse in the field, for the intimacy, and for shaping the story with image

6. Hayedeh Safiyari for the Editing of A Separation

For creating a maze without getting lost, for taking the audience right to the edge of discovery and pulling back, and for shaping the narrative and visual structure of the film through her cuts

5. Emmanuel Lubezki for the Cinematography of Tree of Life

(also noteworthy: Visual Effects)
For the picturesque imagery, for capturing the intimacy of a mother’s affection for his son with as much mastery as he does the grandiosity of genesis, and for giving us thousands of postcard perfect images

4. Matthew Newman for the Editing of Drive

(also noteworthy: Costume Design)
For heightening our tension, for releasing that tension with explosive bursts of violence, and for allowing the subtleties of the performances and Gosling’s cool charisma to sink in

3. Gokhan Tiryaki for the Cinematography of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

For endlessly broadening his range with a limited palette, for continuing to intrigue in the most monotonous locale, and for crafting a beautiful film out of an excruciating lighting exercise

2. Chris King and Gregers Sall for the Editing of Senna

For producing a coherent narrative entirely from existing footage, for transitioning between family videos and racing footage with ease, and for controlling our heartbeats and tear glands at once

1. Manuel Alberto Claro for the Cinematography of Melancholia

(also noteworthy: Visual Effects and Production Design)
For the complexity of the relationship established between scenes, for the thematic significance of every shot, and for the striking beauty of every frame

Previously on Best of 2011

Highlights: 2011’s Most Depressing Truth...

...is the year’s Box Office!

Taylor Lautner in Twilight: genuine mediocrity earning gazillions in theatres

30 years ago, On Golden Pond - a drama that won three Oscars and was nominated for another seven, and more importantly, was adapted from a play entirely revolving around an old couple – came second on the year’s list of best selling films. Further down the top twenty, films like Chariots of Fire and Reds appeared.

20 years ago, Silence of the Lambs, the film that won best picture at the Oscars, came fourth on the list. Immediately above it was Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s original take on an old tale (and an all-time favourite of mine) and the only animated film to ever be nominated for best picture in a field of five. Also among the top twenty were films like Cape Fear and JFK.

10 Years ago, Monsters, Inc., Shrek (the original), Ocean’s Eleven (the first one), A Beautiful Mind (best picture winner at the Oscars) and Black Hawk Down made enough money to make the top twenty.

The glorious Monsters, Inc. Even Pixar produced a cash-grab this year in the shape of Cars 2.

If those years seem like a long while ago, let’s look at 2009, when Avatar, Up, The Hangover and The Blind Side – all originals – made the top TEN list. Heck, even one year ago, just one freakin’ year ago, Inception, Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon and The King’s Speech (best picture winner at the Oscars) were all in the top twenty.

In 2011, the top 9 films are all sequels. In fact, among the top twenty films at the box office, only two are not based on some sort of previously existing commodity: Bridesmaids and a mediocre animated film called Rio. The Help, a film that a lot of people have deemed a box office success story, is based on a book of equal popularity. This is the state of cinema today. When are the days when people used to watch foreign films? Where did they days go when originality was a virtue? What are the chances that next year’s list isn’t occupied by The Dark Knight Rises, Spiderman, Avengers, and another disposable Twilight sequel?

I’m not expecting the public to rush to the theatres for A Separation or Senna (though I wish they would) but couldn’t we at least get a star vehicle like Drive up there? A quality comedy like Win Win? A star-driven sports film like Moneyball? Even a teen-targeted effects-driven piece like Attack the Block?

Is it time to give up all hope?

*This concludes my 11 highlights of '11 series. Next week, we'll get the ball rolling with traditional awards categories and final Oscar predictions!

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year
Dog of the Year
Best Andy Serkis of the Year
Most Overrated Film of the Year
Alpha Male of the Year
City of the Year
Sexiest Actress of the Year
Best Scene of the Year
Best Physical Work of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Best Body/Physical Work...

...is the choreography of ALPS.

(This is awarded to the team behind the best stunt work or choreography or motion-capture, based on the suggestion of fellow bloggers, Craig and Andrew)

Anyone who’s seen Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth surely remembers the iconic dance sequence. If you think that was absurd, wait till you get a chance to see ALPS. The choreography in this film is much more diverse and pivotal since one of the leading characters is a ballerina. You’ll get to see her improve through her practice routines, but you’ll also see plenty of mad people flailing their arms around aimlessly and octogenarians slow-dancing. Whoever is in charge of designing these sequences is a bona fide genius.

Personal story: During the Q&A session after the screening of the film at TIFF, I moved up to sit in the first row and asked Aggeliki Papoulia, the lead actress, a question about these dances. “Does Mr. Lanthimos make you dance like that, or are the dances so absurd because you can’t dance better?” I was trying to be cheeky of course, and the theatre obviously got the idea and laughed out loud. She responded, laughingly, with “Are you calling me a bad dancer?” and the director jokingly said that I’d insulted them. Though they obviously knew I was joking, I had an uneasy feeling that something might have gotten lost in translation and that I might have actually offended them. Luckily, as I was telling my friend about this suspicion outside the theatre, they came out the building. So I tapped Aggeliki on the shoulder and told her that I loved the dances and I was obviously kidding about their being bad. She, and her co-star Ariane Labed, were good sports and I felt a fool for doubting their English skills. And then, this happened.

One of my fondest memories from TIFF.
Anyway, once I start dishing out my awards, you’ll see that the film features on the lists prominently, so if you get a chance to check it out, do not pass it up.

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year
Dog of the Year
Best Andy Serkis of the Year
Most Overrated Film of the Year
Alpha Male of the Year
City of the Year
Sexiest Actress of the Year
Best Scene of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Best Scene...

...is “New York, New York” from Shame.

Steve McQueen can sustain a static frame like no other director. But such scenes also depend heavily on the consistency and focus of his actors. Like Liam Cunningham and Michael Fassbender’s astonishing conversation in Hunger, Carey Mulligan brings on her A-Game here. With melancholy eyes and a rich, searing voice, she sings a pitch-perfect rendition of this classic tune, and makes it impossible for us to take our gaze away from the screen. What makes the scene so powerful is the way Fassbender and Mulligan communicate their mutual emotions without words. Though never seen together in the frame as she sings, their chemistry is as intense as any shot they share. Their eyes really speak a thousand words.


Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year
Dog of the Year
Best Andy Serkis of the Year
Most Overrated Film of the Year
Alpha Male of the Year
City of the Year
Sexiest Actress of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Sexiest Actress...

...is Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol)

Unlike many men I know, “kicking ass” is not a quality that particularly attracts me to women. Yet, from the moment she steps on the screen, there’s a striking quality to her presence that makes kicking and shooting sexy. “What if I still don’t find action sexy?” I hear you ask. That question only goes unanswered until the party scene. As soon as she steps out of the car in that green dress, everyone’s bound to think “Halle...who?” Paula Patton’s where it’s at.

Now, can we get this woman a leading role please?

Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year
Dog of the Year
Best Andy Serkis of the Year
Most Overrated Film of the Year
Alpha Male of the Year
City of the Year

Highlights: 2011's City of the Year...

...is Paris.

The city of light has always been prominent in cinema. In fact, New York is probably the only city that rivals it in terms of the number of memorable portrayals on the silver screen. This year, though, Paris was exceptionally ubiquitous. Midnight in Paris is of course the first film that comes to mind. Woody Allen carved a character from the city and examined it at a specific time period with specific residents. The film’s opening sequence, with Darius Khondji’s postcard-ready cinematography is as explicit a love letter to a city as I’ve ever seen on film. Then there’s Hugo. Like Allen, Martin Scorsese’s also renowned for his depictions of New York, but he, too, packed his stuff and picnicked with the French. Hugo also looked at Paris in an earlier period and centred its story on the city and one of its famous residents. There’s also the Oscar nominated French animation A Cat in Paris, which is a children’s adventure that, as the title suggests, happens in Paris (and involves a cat!)

If all that is not enough, the year’s biggest awards behemoth, The Artist, despite being set in Hollywood, adds even more Gallic flavour. Having seen these four films a total of seven times, it almost feels like I’ve taken a week-long vacation in Paris this year. The magic of the movies, people... the magic of the movies...


Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year
Dog of the Year
Best Andy Serkis of the Year
Most Overrated Film of the Year
Alpha Male of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Alpha Male of the Year...

...is Ryan Gosling.

From his perfect chemistry with three of Hollywood’s most attractive young actresses (Stone, Mulligan and Wood) to swinging his “equipment” in Steve Carrel’s face with utmost confidence, from the ladies' man of Crazy, Stupid Love to the dapper politician of Ides of March, from the Scorpion Jacket and the leather gloves to the toothpick and shades of the mystery man in Drive, Gosling has covered a whole lotta range to deserve this award.

Stardom always seemed only a step away from this promising actor. Not anymore.


Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year
Dog of the Year
Best Andy Serkis of the Year
Most Overrated Film of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Most Overrated Film...

...is The Descendants.

Generally, I don't use the "overrated" distinction. Just because I don't like a film doesn't mean others shouldn't. I've talked about who and what I think is underrated often enough, but not the opposite. This time around, I'm allowing for an exception. Because for my money, except for brief moments in Shailene Woodley’s performance, and even briefer ones in George Clooney’s, The Descendants doesn’t really get anything right.

I’m not really sure what critics found between the redundant character of douchebag par excellence Sid, the implausible character arc of Woodley whose entire adolescent crisis is reduced to an about face after she jumps and cries in the pool, the obnoxious treatment of the film's defenceless antagonist, Judy Greer’s over-the-top anti-climactic visit to the hospital, the on and off narration, and worst of all, the ineffective incongruous Hawaiian melodies that reflect not mood (or atmosphere) but merely location. Whatever it was, I never found it. But the film’s success, sadly, did not end after the critics’ awards. The academy saw fit to nominate the film for five major awards (including freakin’ editing!) and will likely get George Clooney to the podium ahead of the infinitely more deserving Brad Pitt.

I’ve already forgotten about this film. I’ll re-watch Election whenever I need a Payne fix.


Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year
Dog of the Year
Best Andy Serkis of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Andy Serkis Award for Best Andy Serkis...

...goes to Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

No one can do mo-cap acting as well as he does. It becomes evident every time we watch any film that uses the technology without him. So, here's to more of his awesomeness in The Hobbit.


Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year
Dog of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Dog of the Year...

...is Snowy in The Adventures of Tintin.

This award is not an annual citation but 2011 was unusually fruitful for the canine community. The puppies in Bridesmaids were the cutest of the bunch and contributed to one of the funniest scenes in the film. Arthur (played by Cosmo) was as significant in the emotional arc of Ewan McGregor’s character in Beginners as his human co-stars. Jack (played by Uggie in The Artist) was life-saving, both for the film’s leading character and the film itself when that third act was falling completely apart. And Blackie, whose character isn’t really integral to the narrative, was quite marvellous in Hugo. Yet, none of these dogs can win the top award. The puppies’ work is too much of an ensemble for any of them to shine through. Cosmo’s screen time is his biggest constraint. Uggie is too cute for his own good off-screen so my affection for him has gone considerably down since I watched the film. And Blackie is too vicious and freaks me out a little bit.

Snowy, however, is just my type of dog. He’s loyal till his last breath. He’s adventurous enough to follow Tintin anywhere. He’s powerful and smart enough to save Tintin’s life. And most importantly, he looks cute as hell all the while. A better companion than Captain Haddock even? Definitely!


Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year
Most Underracted Actor of the Year

Highlights: 2011's Most Underrated Actor...

...is Ewan McGregor in Beginners.

But isn’t he always? I mean, how does anyone manage to win no awards for performances as strong as the ones he gave in Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge!, The Ghost Writer, and I Love You, Phillip Morris?

McGregor’s charming presence and genial face has been taken for granted long before 2011, but this year it particularly stings because his film is in the thick of the conversation. Beginners’ case is like Moulin Rouge! all over again. Like Nicole Kidman, Christopher Plummer’s performance has gained so much attention – deservedly so, I must add – but few people seem to attribute their seamless chemistry to McGregor’s subtle work. That is also true of Melanie Laurent and many other actors who have shared scenes with him in the past.

McGregor might just be the most generous actor working today. Will he ever get his due?


Previously on 11 Highlights of '11
Sex Scene of the Year

Highlights: 2011’s Hottest Sex Scene...

... (SPOILER ALERT)
is Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig’s intimate moment in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

By the time this scene rolls around – at least for those of us who are unfamiliar with the story – the film is in dire need of any human contact that does not end in rape, murder, or some other type of disgusting circumstance. This encounter, so wonderfully performed by Craig and Mara, is both expected and totally out of the blue, but it's bound to get your heart racing. It also forms the bedrock for the film’s emotional finale.
I’m not the biggest fan of this icy thriller, but every time I think about it in retrospect, this is the scene that first pops up in my head. And I assure you, I don’t mean that in a creepy way!