Movies: 2011 Review

Now that it's almost February, it's time for my review of the last year in movies. Like last year, I will post my top 10 of the year with short explanations of why. Then I'll do some other random awards/thoughts. Before I begin, I have to say that comparing the films I saw in 2010 to 2011, I'd say that 2011 was a significantly better year. There are some interesting parallels in my top 10 from both years, though. Anyway, on to the list.

10. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (directed by Brad Bird; starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, et. al.)

Skyscraper scene. I just can't overstate the greatness of this tense, realistic action set. Ethan Hunt is at it again in this fourth installment of the series, and overall it's about as good as the third. The supporting cast isn't nearly as good (or well-written) as last time, but that Dubai scene, plus the missions in Russia, made this a great time in the theater.

9. Sucker Punch (directed by Zack Snyder; starring Emily Browning, et. al.)

Much like last year's Kick-Ass, this one isn't for everyone. Yes, it did have the potential to cross the line into misogyny, but - from this reviewer's point of view - it doesn't. Think The Matrix meets "Life of Pi" meets Shutter Island. If that strikes you as a bit strange, you're right, but it has a unique mix of striking, imaginative action scenes with brutal, hard realism.

8. X-Men: First Class (directed by Matthew Vaughn; starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, et. al.)

Speaking of Kick-Ass (same director), Vaughn reboots the successful X-Men film franchise with this slick origin story. McAvoy and Fassbender are the best parts of the film: both do fantastic jobs as the very different yet close mutant friends. I only wish that they had focused on these two even more than they did, and delved into the alternate history (mutants involved in Cuban Missile Crisis) rather than rushing into forming the X-Men team.

7. The Ides of March (directed by George Clooney; starring Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, et. al.)

Released about one year before the 2012 presidential election, this is a disturbing yet riveting portrait of the ruthlessness of politics. The cast, with the four stars seen above plus some, is obviously fantastic, effectively portraying regular, flawed, very un-starlike people. Although many won't be caught off guard by the twists like I was, it's still a powerful story.

6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (directed by Rupert Wyatt; starring Andy Serkis, James Franco, et. al.)

The most important thing to keep in mind if you haven't seen this yet: don't trust the trailers and TV commercials for this. Completely misleading. This film is primarily about the unique chimp Caesar (Serkis) and the way his animal nature competes with his unnatural intelligence, one that makes him a person, just not a human. Recommended for all.

5. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (directed by Guy Ritchie; starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, et. al.)

Having been a big fan of the first film, I eagerly awaited this sequel and I wasn't disappointed. To me, RDJ does a phenomenal job as the wily Sherlock, and his performance alone is enough to get me in the theater. This one loses some of the clever mystery-solving elements, but picks up some of the most creative action scenes, a brilliant villain, and a near-perfect ending.

4. Super 8 (directed by J.J. Abrams; starring Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, et. al.)

This film takes you back to '80s-style filmmaking, and utilizes modern techniques only to enhance some elements. It's really a coming-of-age story, like so many of that era, and the lead actor does a fine job (Fanning is a scene-stealer, too). It's hard to recreate classic monster suspense in today's films, but this one manages it, and so the special effects, when employed, carry much more weight than audiences are used to.

3. War Horse (directed by Steven Spielberg; starring Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, et. al.)

Another film that brings cinema back in time, this one goes even further with its storytelling approach. Joey the horse is the emotional core of the film (enhanced by incredible filming technique), and the narrative introduces a wide array of WWI settings brought to life by an impressive array of great supporting actors. This one is for everybody, and if you happen to be an animal lover and/or historian (like me), you'll like it even more.

2. Moneyball (directed by Bennett Miller; starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, et. al.)

This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the year for me. It's basically The Social Network for baseball, except better in every way (and I thought Network was very good, too). Pitt manages to create a very relatable, flawed yet hardworking main character, and it gives the film the emotional core Network lacked. Throw in fantastic, hilarious dialogue and here's a sports movie I can fully endorse.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part Two (directed by David Yates; starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, et. al.)

A bit like Toy Story 3 from last year, this top spot was Potter's for the taking, and it stepped up to the challenge. It's not really fair, since I had gotten to know and love the characters from seven different books and the movie adaptations using (almost) all the same actors. I still don't think it's a perfect adaptation of the books (I'm doubtful it's possible, anyway), but the final film embraces the style (its pros and its cons) that has characterized this particular series of films. This final entry does the series, a favorite of mine, justice.

Other Awards:

Honorable Mentions: Contagion (really frightening yet entertaining, almost documentary-like portrait of a global pandemic), The Green Hornet (like last year's Kick-Ass, a wildly fun and original take on the comic book genre), Captain America: The First Avenger (formulaic comic book film, but done surprisingly well).

Worst Movie of the Year: Battle: LA (the trailers made this look like a potentially original, highly suspenseful and realistic action movie. I want my money and two hours back, please).

Most Overrated Movie of the Year: Thor (this was an OK comic book film, but it was lazily made in so many different aspects. Captain America: The First Avenger later in the summer completely outdid it in every possible way).

Most Disappointing Movie of the Year: Cowboys and Aliens (this actually qualifies for the all-century most disappointing movie list. I mean, come on. You get both Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and James Bond (Daniel Craig) signed on, and a potentially wacky and humorous idea (the title says it all). Then you completely waste it all by having Hollywood producers think tank the "safest" most "marketable" story and script imaginable. I need to forget this movie ever happened).

Movies I Saw on DVD from 2011: Bridesmaids (I liked it a lot - especially dress fitting scene - although I didn't feel it was quite as good as many people raved), Source Code (College of Wooster grad directed! Very entertaining and a unique plot), Rango (the only animated film I saw all year; very bizarre with some good spots; overall pretty good), The Adjustment Bureau (I don't know what the hell Matt Damon was thinking... a neat concept utterly wasted), Fast Five (why exactly does this have such a high Rotten Tomatoes score? Skip it).

So, now it's on to 2012. I am bursting with excitement for The Big Three: The Dark Knight Rises (part three of Nolan's brilliant Batman trilogy), Skyfall (Craig's third Bond film), and The Hobbit Part One (*hums the Lord of the Rings theme*). Let's hope 2012 can match or even beat an impressive 2011 in film.

Movies War Horse

Score: ****1/2 out of *****

Long Story Short: Get ready to use some tissues in War Horse, a touching adventure story yet also at times a gritty, effective tale of World War I. Joey the horse carries the emotional torch admirably, while an impressive string of great human performances along the way gives it a compelling narrative flow as well. Another home run for Steven Spielberg.

War Horse marks the third holiday-season film I've now seen in theaters (I'm going to see one, possibly two more, then write my 2011 movie review wrap up). The main appeal in this movie was my favorite director, Steven Spielberg, and his usual musical sidekick, John Williams. Since Saving Private Ryan is the best war film I've ever seen, I also thought Spielberg would do a great job with another one, this time set in World War I. The film has no big stars, although you'll likely recognize a few people here and there.

War Horse begins with a brief prologue showing the title horse in question, Joey, being raised from birth, always under the fascinated watch of young adult man Albert. The day comes when Joey's owner is ready to auction him off, and Albert's drunken father overpays for him to Albert's delight. The family needed a work horse but Joey is a thoroughbred; Albert loves him so much, though, that he pledges to train Joey anyway. Even as Joey and Albert enjoy success, war strikes England and Albert's father sells Joey off for the war effort.

With Joey on the Continent, the film follows him over many miles and many various people that pick him up. Each encounter shows a different aspect of life during World War I, and how a faithful animal like Joey could change things dramatically. As you might expect, Albert joins the army in order to find his old friend, and he also becomes another link in the larger war story. You'll probably be able to predict many of the plot developments as you watch this, so I won't bother spoiling any more details about it.

War Horse is, oddly, rather like Rise of the Planet of the Apes from earlier this year, at least in that the main character is an animal. There is, of course, a big difference in that Apes' Caesar was simply the motion capture image of a real actor, while War Horse used real horses (eight different adult horses for Joey, according to Wikipedia). I have no idea to what extent you can train a horse to "act," but scene by scene, a combination of filming techniques and the horses' own movements create incredibly moving yet not over the top "performances." Joey really is a horse the audience "gets to know." Jeremy Irvine, Albert, is the main human character; he does an OK job, I suppose, but entirely forgettable (his role isn't that big anyway, fortunately).

There's a whole host of supporting actors, as Joey goes from place to place - and they all do far better than Irvine, fortunately. For the England scenes, Albert's parents (Emily Watson and Peter Mullan) are superb, as is landlord Lyons (David Thewlis - Lupin from Potter films). Tom Hiddleston has a brief but striking role as Captain Nicholls; Celine Buckens and Niels Arestrup have great chemistry as a young French girl and her grandfather; and there are several fun foot soldier roles later in the film, such as those by Toby Kebbell and Hinnerk Schonemann. Really a great, if largely unknown, cast.

War Horse has often been described as "old-fashioned" storytelling; take that as you will. To me, it's an interesting hybrid of serious historical fiction with sentimental individual journey. Thus, it's important for the film to achieve a reasonably accurate and interesting picture of the times and match that with a good arc of emotional development. Spielberg made sure to give his film the same authentic feeling that is in Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, and it is perhaps even more effective here in some ways since there aren't nearly as many WWI films as WWII films. War Horse is also known as a tearjerker, and that is quite true - from beginning to end, in fact (especially, of course, if you love animals). The film does a neat job of using Joey's development as the emotional structure, but also seamlessly introducing the steady diet of supporting (human) characters that parallel Joey's journey. There are a few special effects, but it is mostly the vivid landscape that catches the eye. For the ear, John Williams' score is particularly effective at the beginning before there's much dialogue; after that, I admit I was too swallowed up in the story to really notice the score much.

***

For a final comparison, War Horse reminds me of True Grit from last winter; two somewhat straightforward adventures that focus on their emotive leads and succeed with great casts and terrific execution. You may find that War Horse tries too hard to get the tears flowing in some parts; on the other hand, the film is not afraid at all to reveal the brutality of the war and the instant coldness of its deadly consequences. I guess, then, that perhaps a little over-the-top sentimentality at times would be necessary to get through such a violent yet pointless war. The film also includes Spielberg's underrated sense of humor, at the appropriate times. Well-done all around, from Joey to the stench of the trenches, and War Horse is certainly one of the best of the year.

Movies: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Score: **** out of *****

Long Story Short: For a high-octane early-2012 time at the theater, check out Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol. There are flaws, but the pros outweigh the cons; Cruise is still fun despite a wooden supporting cast. Some fantastic scenes, most notably the Dubai skyscraper, will make you forget about the pitiful attempts to inject emotion into the story. If you're only going to see one film, I recommend Sherlock, but this one's good, too.

On my own mission: possible to check out a bunch of interesting holiday-season films in the theater, the new Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol turned out to be second in line. After thoroughly enjoying 2006's Mission: Impossible III, I was pleased when I found out about this one. After seeing it get such a high score on Rotten Tomatoes (currently 93% positive reviews), I was even more keen to see it. This fourth installment in the series was directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) and brought in Jeremy Renner to co-star with Tom Cruise.

The IMF (super-secret American spy agency) is already at work on their first mission as the film opens - breaking out a prisoner from a Russian jail. The prisoner is none other than Ethan Hunt (Cruise). Hunt gets no rest, though, immediately receiving a mission to break into the Kremlin in order to discover the identity of a shadowy villain. Assisted by newbies Agent Carter (Patton) and Dunn (Pegg), Hunt has to improvise. To make matters worse, Hunt and his team find themselves on their own afterwards, even as they begin to understand the enemy's catastrophic scheming.

Using their few remaining resources, Hunt and Co. fly to Dubai to intercept a transfer of nuclear launch codes to the enemy. With a mix of success and failure, they have to scramble across the globe yet again to India in a desperate bid to stop a cunning foe from unleashing massive, worldwide destruction.

Tom Cruise once again leads the cast in this latest Mission, one that is notably weaker than the one from the last film. Cruise is great in this kind of action film, fitting the part of a strong, capable hero and leader with great energy. He also has underrated comic timing which is enhanced by but also fitting in with the intensity of his character. I mostly blame the script, rather than his performance, when the film's handful of attempts to draw emotion fall flat. His first two partners, Agents Carter (Paula Patton) and Dunn (Simon Pegg) are flat, one-note co-stars, although Pegg at least adds a good bit of welcome humor. Renner is rather disappointing in his role; he's good at the action, but his performance in the "emotional" bits is painful to watch. Villain Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) gets relatively little screen time but does a good job. It was nice to see Lost-alum Josh Holloway (Sawyer) get a brief but entertaining part.

Fortunately, you probably won't go see Mission: Impossible for the acting. You go for the action set pieces. The key scene in this film is the Dubai skyscraper (I'm sure you've seen it in commercials). Wow. Now, I'm afraid of heights, which is significant, but this scene is shot so well and with so much tension, I think anyone seeing it in the theater would be gripping their seats for at least half of it. It's one of the most exciting scenes I've seen in a film in years. The opening scene with the prison break is also great, more so for its creativity and sense of humor. The break-in at the Kremlin also offers a fun ride. The effects (with a few exceptions) are fantastic, as is the general cinematography. These action films try to incorporate crowd-pleasing humor and varying amounts of emotional sideshow. As you probably have figured out by now, Mission handles the humor part of this MUCH better than the emotional. Finally, the score is a lot of fun, combining the classic Mission theme which is almost up there with the Bond theme, and the great film composer Michael Giacchino's clever modern variations.

***

Whereas the last film I reviewed, the new Sherlock, qualified as about the best possible 4 star film I can think of, this one just barely qualifies as a 4 star. The first two-thirds (ie: up until going to India) of the film would have easily put it up their with Sherlock. But the last third becomes a pretty formulaic affair; and to make it worse, the very last scene is drawn out way too long and tries really hard to get a tear out of the audience when it really just got a tired sigh from me. What gets this to 4 stars is 1) well, most of the movie is very well made, and 2) the Dubai scene. Yeah, it's that good. Plus, Cruise is still a charismatic, effective action star, and the humor and score are great. I think it's enough to make up for the film's flaws, even if I believe that critics overall are nuts to give Mission (93% on RT) a better reception that the new Sherlock (59%).