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The year's film draw fans, flop in theaters
Best Films of 2011
5. "War Horse"
Admittedly, I didn’t expect to like “War Horse” due to its seemingly cheesy, sentimental take on the “boy and his horse” animal story. But “War Horse” is the best kind of schmaltz, giving viewers an emotional experience with delightfully dramatic sequences and great performances. One of the greater aspects of “War Horse” is how Steven Spielberg gives Joey, the horse, somewhat human qualities, allowing the audience to become more entranced with his story. As we continue to view the events of World War I through Joey’s point of view, the audience is taken through an inspirational tearjerker that features people putting aside their differences for the greater good and reminds us of how there is still hope in the darkest of places.
4. "Midnight in Paris"
Owen Wilson gives his best performance as Gil, a failing writer who takes a joyless trip to Paris with his fiancé and future in-laws. While wandering the streets alone at night, Gil magically stumbles upon the 1920s and begins drinking and dancing with famous literary figures like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Earnest Hemingway. Sure, this magic isn’t fully explained, but the movie isn’t as about the magic as it is about emotion, tone and mood. With a witty screenplay and a boastful cast, “Midnight in Paris” can best be described as a loving embrace for literature lovers, the city of Paris and its inspiring romance.
3. "Moneyball"
It’s difficult to make an inspiring sports film featuring a baseball team that doesn’t take home the trophy, much less make it through the first round of postseason. But this serves to strengthen the message “Moneyball” sends about how the game is met with its successes and failures. Despite the team’s overall failure in the end, the film’s cleverly-written screenplay and the dynamic duo of Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill will have you wanting the Oakland Athletics to succeed. Pitt gives one of the best performances of his career as Billy Beane, the Athletics general manager who assembled a team using a sabermetric theory. “Moneyball” is one ball game you want someone to take you out to.
2. "Tree of Life"
When it comes to Terrence Malick’s films, the audience’s enjoyment basically depends whether they buy into Malick’s very singular vision. Nonetheless, Malick’s latest film, “The Tree of Life,” is a disorienting, inventive, dazzling and graceful experience that flourishes surrealism and experimental elements. Within its two-and-a-half hours, Malick tackles many questions about God and the existence of both man and faith through a story featuring a boy’s coming of age and loss of innocence, heavenly voice-overs, long shots of the natural world and, you guessed it, dinosaurs. With its stunning sequences, thought-provoking story and near-perfect cast, “The Tree of Life” is a spiritual epic that forces audiences to ponder at the biggest questions of our existence.
1. "Hugo"
Who would have thought that acclaimed director Martin Scorsese would present a celebration of classic films and storytelling in the form of a glorious, 3-D, family-appropriate masterpiece? Stepping away from his usual gritty dramas and urban crime thrillers, Scorsese recreates the early days of cinema in “Hugo” while telling a personal story with biographical details of legendary filmmaker George Melies. These details express Scorsese’s deep love for film and help remind us of why we love movies. Featuring colorful characters, a rare innocence from modern day family films and an outstanding use of 3-D, “Hugo” is a wondrous, cinematic treat that will take the breath away of all of its viewers, ages 10 through 100 alike.
Worst Films of 2011
5. "Red Riding Hood"
Arguably the worst telling of a fairy tale to appear on screen, “Red Riding Hood” turns a lovable children’s tale into a messy “Twilight” imitator. In fact, this movie tries its hardest to follow “Twilight” in the fantasy drama/supernatural thriller category and fails in both genres. Absolutely nothing in this film works: Honestly, if I wanted to watch two young lovers frolic together in a dreamlike forest, I would’ve watched a Giorgio Armani cologne commercial instead of paying $8.
4. "Abduction"
“Abduction” was horrendous to watch, mostly due the ill-advised casting of the talentless Taylor Lautner and its laughable screenplay filled with plot holes and unintentionally hilarious dialogue. That marks two terrible films in 2011 for the “tween” sex symbol, the second being “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 1.” The action is unenjoyable, the story refuses to give needed explanations, the characters are one-dimensional and the script is too asinine to be entertaining for one minute.
3. "Sucker Punch"
Not only is “Sucker Punch” one of the worst films of the year, but it’s also one of the biggest misfires. Zack Snyder is an impressive visual stylist and I deeply enjoyed “300” and “Watchman,” but every director has to have a disappointing movie now and then. I mean, you have to screw up immensely to make a movie about scantily-clad babes with swords and machine guns fighting zombies, giant stone statues and dragons in battles that only turn out to be boring. The film’s completely cluttered plot doesn’t help either, making “Sucker Punch” only enjoyable to nerds with an Anime sex fantasy.
2. "Jack and Jill"
Remember when Adam Sandler did the movie “Funny People” and openly mocked all of the terrible films that he has made? Well, “Jack and Jill” may very well be the worst of them all. Sandler may not mind that he has hit an all-time low with this film, but did he have to bring Al Pacino down with him? One more thing: crossdressing may have been funny when “Looney Tunes” was popular, but not so much these days when done for comedic purposes.
1. "Your Highness"
2011 hasn’t been a great year for director David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”). He directed two incredibly terrible films last year, “The Sitter” and this year, one of the worst films I have ever seen, “Your Highness.” A stoner comedy set in medieval times may have sounded like an interesting movie if the result wasn’t so poorly executed and humorless. This movie looks and feels like it came from the mind of potty-mouthed, Dungeons and Dragons-playing shut-in, giggling at jokes about boobs, farts and penises. I can see James Franco doing a movie like this, but why did Natalie Portman sign on to this juvenile, misguided piece of garbage?