My Top Ten Movies of 2011: Part One

Note: I originally planned to do one post detailing my picks for my favorite movies of 2011, but as I was writing the first part of the post it began to get bloated and long-winded, plus it was taking awhile to write.  In order to produce a more manageable and readable post that I could publish in a reasonable time frame, I decided to chop my list in half and split it into two parts.  This is the bottom half.  Enjoy.

Hey.  It is that time of year again when we take a moment to pause, look back on the previous year, and evaluate.  For many people, including me, this year-end evaluation often gives leads to the creation of self-indulgent lists of faves which we then post online for the world to see.  It's fun.

I meant to post my top ten list of favorite films from the past year a while back, but I was distracted by various things.  But I'm here now and I'm ready to unveil my picks.  That being said, a few disclaimers/comments are necessary before we proceed.  First thing is that you should check out my friend El Lobo's top ten list on his blog before, after, and/or while reading my list.  Between our two blogs El Lobo was the pioneer in end of the year list making, so I need to give him credit where credit is due.  I probably wouldn't have thought to do this post without him, so props to thee Senor Lobo.  Next thing I want to address is the rather obvious fact that I didn't see every movie I wanted to see this year.  This is unfortunate, but with so much to see and limited release schedules and the like it's pretty much inevitable.  Some notable high profile titles that I missed out on include Drive and Hanna.  I also skipped out on seeing some of this year's most critically acclaimed films simply out of a lack of interest (the most notable examples of this are The Tree of Life and The Descendants).  So yeah, there's that.  Also before we start I just wanted to emphasize how shitty I thought this year was.  So many new entries to franchises that nobody in the right mind actually gives a shit about (examples include the new entries in the Twilight, Transformers, Happy Feet, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Cars franchises).  And yet, when I look over my list I think I was able to assemble a pretty solid top ten.  I even had to cut some stuff I loved out of my list simply because there wasn't enough space.  Now don't get me wrong I'm not a 2011 apologist, I just want to emphasize that while this year was bad, it wasn't all bad.

Anyway, I've rambled on way more than I intended to, so let's start this.  In reverse order my picks are:

10.  Love in Space

You might assume from my ardent love of Japanese gore movies that I'd be opposed to romantic comedies, but that wouldn't be completely accurate.  Yes I'm often quick to talk shit about Hollywood's contemporary romcom output (with the vast majority of my ire being directed toward Katherine Heigl's filmography), but I'm not fundamentally against silly, cutesy, popcorn movies.  Which is why I adored Love in Space.  It's a straight-up slice of romantic cuteness with all the boring extraneous drama cut out.  Love in Space is a Chinese romcom that tells the story of a widow and her three single daughters as they all enter into and progress through unlikely romances.  One of the things I loved most about Love in Space was how its sense of whimsy influenced everything from the plot to the costume design (see image).  The film's candy-colored visuals and fantastic elements (for example, a romance that blossoms between astronauts in space) add a strong sense of fantasy to the film and lower your defenses against the movie's saccharine cuteness.  Love in Space is this year's most delightful bit of romantic comedy.

9.  My Week With Marilyn

Despite my aversion to the film's male lead (who was given a rather dull, shallow characterization), I still thoroughly loved this movie.  It's hard not to fall for Michelle Williams' portrayal of Monroe as a charismatic enigma plagued by insecurities.  Add to this a rock solid cast (including Judi Dench and Hermione Granger) and gentle comic moments and you've got a charming film worthy of its admission price.

8.  Project Nim

I am no documentary aficionado, but I found this documentation of the life of a chimpanzee to be a rather gripping, and oftentimes tragic, tale.  Nim was the chimp selected for a 1970's experiment which sought to discover if a chimpanzee would be capable of communicating with humans via sign language if it was given the proper training.  Like a train wreck, this experiment would prove disastrous and damaging, yet it's still fascinating to watch the story of ineptitude play out.  Project Nim is also notable for the uncanny ways in which its story mirrors that of the summer blockbuster Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Sometimes truth is stranger, and infinitely more tragic, than fiction.

7.  Young Adult

This Diablo Cody penned film probably won't be for everybody, but I loved it for its strong characterization and exquisite moments of dark humor.  The film stars Charlize Theron as an ex-high school it girl, now living out an emotionally stunted life in Minneapolis as a ghostwriter for a popular series of teen novels.  I liked the movie for its sympathetic approach to its characters.  I loved that the film allowed us to both laugh at and sympathize with both the high school prom queen and the class outcast (Patton Oswalt).  We all have emotional baggage, and the most interesting stories recognize this.  The film is also commendable for the way in which it so perfectly captures the intricacies of humdrum suburban life (the girl at the hotel desk was a hilarious, spot-on characterization).

6.  Rango

In a year in which Pixar's only output was another entry in the abysmal Cars series, Rango did an excellent job of filling the void.  With stunning character design, intelligent and mature dialogue, loving shout outs to the westerns of old, and some eye-popping action sequences, Rango was easily the highest quality computer animated film to hit theaters this year. To characterize this as a children's film would be almost unfair, as it feels way too visually accomplished to be reduced to strictly children's fare.  Though that isn't to say that it holds no appeal to kids, because I feel like I would have gotten a huge kick out of the film's vivid visuals and eccentric characters if I had seen it as a child.

5.  Winnie the Pooh
Another immensely entertaining animated film, albeit in an entirely different vein that Rango.  Whereas Rango possessed thrills and a bottomless wellspring of coolness, Pooh delights its audience with gentle humor and quiet odes to the imagination of childhood.  Again, while this film is sure to entertain the pre-school set, its appeal is not limited to this demographic.  Any adult possessing any sort of nostalgia for the Hundred Acre Wood posse will surely find much to celebrate here.  For more on my opinion of this title, you can check out the post I wrote last summer.

And there you have it.  Stick around for Part Two, in which I reveal my absolute faves, the creme de la creme of last year's output.