Review of the Year

The Gems, Duds and Heroes of Cinema in 2011

And so another year rolls by and so another list is compiled. I don't know about you dear reader but I enjoy this time of year to look back, evaluate and rejoice/cringe at the last 12 months of film. I like to read all the periodicals and magazines' takes on the movie winners of the year then I usually get angry that one of my favourite has been left out of the list, thereby I then create my own. So here goes.....

The top ten gems of the year

10) Crazy Stupid Love

The best example of the non rom-com, rom-com of the year, Crazy Stupid Love was the surprise unexpected treat of the year for me. Not one for chick flicks, this film managed to be romantic and funny but with pathos and honesty to boot, elevating it from the usual humdrum fluff of Hollywood onscreen relationships. Dealing with a myriad of characters, circling within each others narrative strands, the film manages to make each storyline, whether heartbreaking, funny or

cringe worthy, worth the screen time from Steve Carrell's sad sack dumped husband to Ryan Gosling's womaniser to the awkward teenage babysitter with the improbable crush. Carrell is particularly affecting when trading off the laughs and instead using those sad puppy dog eyes to bittersweet effect, much like his performance in Little Miss Sunshine. Crazy Stupid Love should be seen by more people as a refreshing antidote to the usual bland, over sugary romantic comedies.

9) Meeks Cutoff

Kelly Reichardt continues her ascendancy as one of the most visionary female directors in cinema with her fifth feature Meeks Cutoff. The film is set in 1845 as a band of settlers try to traverse the Oregon desert but find themselves lost and at the misguided mercy of their inept guide Meek as they try to find their way and survive the harsh conditions. Full of stunning cinematography and brooding ethereal long shots, Meeks Cutoff is a beautifully brutal film of the importance of choices and consequences in a simpler yet tougher time. Those familiar with Reichardt's work will know she is concerned with the minor details, with extracting significance from the minimal, leading to a slow pace, but one that is hypnotic, reflective and discerning. Though the final scene will infuriate many who like a clear resolution, it is an ending that resonates true and will stay with the viewer for days.

8) Warrior

The reasons that I liked Warrior so much is all the reasons why I shouldn't have liked Warrior so much. It is contrived, predictable, sentimental and overtly manipulative, the very things that usually have me running for the aisle and then for the exit. Yet this film managed to take all the bad cinematic plot devices and make them into an unashamedly rousing entertaining air punching joy of a movie. Like its character's Warrior speaks to our most primal instincts within film and sometimes you just have to give in and go with your gut feeling. That and any film that features songs by The National can't go wrong in my books.

7) Tree of Life

A film to confound, astound and divide opinion like no other. By now if you have seen The Tree of Life you will no doubt know which camp you fall into, however there is no denying the beauty of this film, that it co exists in the same cinematic timeline as Transformers ans The Chipmunks (though not likely in the same cinema complex) is both bewildering and inspiring. Terrence Malick's existential, artistic tour de force is a compelling, enriching experience, one that may not want to be repeated but will never be forgotten.

6) Drive

Undoubtedly the coolest film of the year (this sounds like a bad thing but hey we need to acknowledge the cool sometimes), Drive burst onto cinema screens with its 80s pulp aesthetic and with the hippest soundtrack of 2011. Adapted from the novel by James Sallis and directed by Danish auteur Nicholas Winding Refn, Drive created a violent sucker punch for film goers and also provided the perfect vehicle (ahem) for Ryan Gosling to cement his status as the intense leading man of choice for the discerning creative director. A tale of softly blossoming romance then ferocious disruptive vengeance, the film was a deafening showcase of style and substance.

Expect more euro cool from the dynamic duo of Refn and Gosling in their next project when they take on sci fi classic Logan's Run.

5) Bridesmaids

The mammoth hit that no one really say coming. What sounded like a nightmare to many on paper and those unfortunate enough to still be carrying the scars of Bride Wars, turned out to be funniest film of the year. Some critics have complained about the film's championing of women actually being funny when us intelligent/feminist/open minded people have known this all along, but any film that makes Hollywood sit up and taste the sugared almonds should be cause for celebration in my eyes. That a film with all female leads that are not defined by their need for a

love interest (ok there is a love interest in this film but the main arch is the women's friendship) is a step forward in an often stereotypical movie landscape.

The infamous Bridal shop scene is cited as the funniest moment of the film and whilst this is hilarious, for me the best and most cringe worthy of the film is that of the engagement party speech. It encompasses and highlights the main themes of Bridesmaids and actually shows that female friendship can be fraught with rivalry and jealousy in a time when you should be happiest for your best friend.

4) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

And now for some class. Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of John le Carre's famous novel brought to the screen the most elegant and impressive cast of 2011 all working at the top of their game to recreate the murky, smoky world of 1970s espionage. A pitch perfect Gary Oldman plays George Smiley, coaxed out of semi retirement to uncover a Soviet spy within MI6's ranks and so leads to a tangled web of deception, deceit and murder. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the kind of grown up film making that is sadly largely absent from cinema screens in present times, amidst an age of 3D gimmickry and sloppy sequels. The film demands your attention to piece together its intricate interweaving plot but also commands your respect by accomplishing a taut intelligent thriller that many cinema viewers want and so sorely miss in the often overrun dumbing down multiplexes of today.

3) We need to talk about Kevin

Lynne Ramsay's astonishing adaptation of Lionel Shriver's controversial novel brought to the screen two of the best performances of the year and one of the best films of the year. Tilda Swinton excels as the post natally depressed mother of the son from hell, while newcomer Ezra Miller is repulsively mesmerising as Kevin, the 'context' of the movie. Often shot like a dream which then cruelly yields to a nightmare We need to talk about Kevin is a harrowing masterful piece of film making, tackling subjects which are still taboo in our society. Ramsay's direction is intense, at times shot like a horror movie, but also composed and ethereal, lingering on the smallest details and highlighting the fragility of life and how easily this can be ruined in a heartbeat. Uncompromising and afflicting beautiful, this is thought provoking cinema at its best.

Joint 1) Blue Valentine

When it came to choosing between my top 2 films of the year, I couldn't decide whether to go with my head or my heart? Then I remembered it was my list so to hell with it, the 2 would hold the position together. So first comes the film that had my heart, Blue Valentine, Derek Cianfrance's achy breaky love story of Ryan Gosling and Michelle William's couple on the verge of relationship ruin. Filmed in heartbreaking fashion, we see the couple in the worst part of their romance and through flashbacks see the tender beginnings of their love story. Shot through with honesty and a biting edge absent from most romantic dramas, Blue Valentine depicts the subtle anguish that befalls many relationships with Gosling and Williams on achingly raw form. It also boasts a beautifully fitting score from Grizzly Bear that enhances Cianfrances dreamy yet melancholy aesthetic. The film may be too real for some used to the more saccharine version of romance but its sincere nature is what makes it all the more devastating. Sad swooning cinema to die for.

Joint 1) The Skin I Live In

Wow is all that can be said about The Skin I Live In. No other film this year shocked, entranced and repulsed me more than Pedro Almodovar's latest. A heady concoction of Horror, Science Fiction and romantic obsession, The Skin I Live In took body manipulation to a whole other level with the twisted tale of Antonio Banderas' controversial surgeon and the women he holds captive in his mansion whilst perfecting a new form of skin. From this opening gambit comes a twisty tale of serpentine proportions that is repellent yet entirely entrancing, the deeper the rabbit hole goes, the more compelling it becomes. Almodovar is a director working at the top of his game, able to weave through genres with deft skill and playful creative abandonment. Banderas meanwhile has never been better or more dangerously brooding whilst newcomer Elena Anaya is a beautiful beguiling presence. The Skin I Live In is an extreme experience, one that disorientates and bewitches, one to get under your very own skin and literally stay there for days to come.

The Duds of the Year

Your Highness- I expected good things from this, since I enjoyed Pineapple Express and it starred the goofy but pretty James Franco. Ok so it was never going to compete with fellow fantasy adventure comedy The Princess Bride but still I was unprepared for the heap of crap that Your Highness turned out to be. Unfunny, extremely sexist (but doesn't Portman play an ass kicking warrior I hear you cry- why yes she does, one with an inflated cleavage and a bum she likes flashing) and most painful of all, a waste of good talent. It is like they let Danny McBride ad lib all the way through and the director didn't have the heart to tell him the jokes were not hitting the mark. An extreme low point.

Paul- Bloated, self indulgent film making starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who follow Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz with this painful miss fire. Perhaps director Edgar Wright, absent from this film, is the missing ingredient to making this duo funny because left to their own devices in this fan boys wet dream of a movie, they are irritating and bland.

Unknown- Liam Neeson continues his career as the thinking woman's muscle for hire in this latest slice of action/thriller tomfoolery. We all know Taken was a guilty pleasure that first showcased Neeson's ability to kick ass however trying to recreate that act with a lazy Bourne style rip off was a mistake. Neeson screams paycheck, January Jones sleepwalks through her role and the lovely Diana Kruger really deserves better.

The Adjustment Bureau- Based on a Phillip K Dick story, this Matt Damon vehicle could have good with its interesting central premise. However it turned out to be a completely pointless

dull film that could not execute its initial set up. Damon seemed to be on auto pilot and again in a year that contained quite a few lazy lady performances, Emily Blunt looks comatose despite being cast as a dancer. There is little chemistry between the leads which means you care little about the romance and the fate of their relationship and even less about the botched attempt at thoughtful Sci-fi. File under wasted opportunity.

Women of the Year

Kristen Wiig

Bubbling under the cinematic surface for a while after her regular stints on Saturday Night Live, with kooky roles in Whip It! and Adventureland and consistently stealing scenes in a number of cameos (Ghost Town, Knocked Up) Wiig hit the big time with Bridesmaids.

Funny, pretty, but not in an overtly sexy way, and talented (co-writing Bridesmaids), she is the new girl crush for many women. A defiant knack for comedy timing but also to deliver fragile humility, Wiig has a bucket load of skill and is not afraid to be self deprecating for the cause. Expect a lot more for this lady.

Tilda Swinton

People who know me, know I have been championing the actress for some time but my love affair with Tilda hasn't always been an easy one. When I first saw her in Orlando I was unsure of her, her distinctive looks and androgynous demeanour was something I wasn't used to but these are the reasons I love her now. That and her unflinching character portrayals and her no nonsense attitude to fame and pretty much everything else. In 2011 for me she gave the best female performance of the year in We need to talk about Kevin, a brave, unglamourous depiction of a reluctant mother who ends up losing everything. Swinton is incredible, allowing herself to be drab and at times highly unsympathetic, her face can hold a thousand emotions without saying a word. Having already won a best supporting actress Oscar for her brilliant performance in Michael Clayton, if she doesnt at least get a nod for Best Actress for Kevin, then serious fingers will be pointed at Hollywood. Yet knowing Swinton, she doesnt care much for these things anyway.

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams has been on my radar for the past few years. Managing to break away from the binds of Dawsons Creek with her perfomance in Brokeback Mountain, she continued to traverse through films, finding herself more attuned to Independent films where she excels. Still reeling from her intensely naturalistic turn in Wendy and Lucy, this year she gave two of the best performances of the year. In Meeks Cutoff she combined tangible humanity with instinctual determination, showing girl power was alive and kicking in 1845. But it was her turn in Blue Valentine that really stole my heart this year, again like Swinton, she finds herself at times in an unsympathic role (after all who could fall out of love with Ryan Gosling?) being the half of the couple who seems more resilent to fighting for their doomed relationship. But she is also tender, adorable, vunerable and entirely human, her sad expressive eyes conveying what a thousand love up/out of love women have felt. Williams is now courting the mainstream more, most recently in My Week with Marilyn and though I will probably pretty much watch anything she is in (she is THAT good) I hope she stays true to her indie roots for which she can shine in brave roles.