A Final 2011 Movie Addendum

In an effort to not be at a complete loss during awards season, I’ve made a concerted effort to catch some of the late 2011 releases, and I’m filing this addendum to 2011 before I do my 2011 ranking.

Here are the 2011 Movies I’ll have to see later: The Artist, The Ides of March, and 50/50 among others

Crazy, Stupid Love – 9
In reviewing the 50 or so movies I saw this year, I realized I never wrote about this one, and yet it has stuck in my mind as the best comedy of the year. Steve Carell is at his best as the suddenly separated and thus lost husband. Ryan Gosling is terrific as his life coach, as Steve tries to navigate the dating scene. There’s a terrific twist at the end. Loved it, see it.

My Week with Marilyn – 10
You’ll like this movie if you
a. like Incredible performances
b. are over 50
c. know anything about Marilyn Monroe

Michelle Williams gives a mesmerizing performance as Marilyn Monroe in this wonderful movie. I had no idea Michelle Williams could do this. I had no idea anyone could do this. Not only does she capture Marilyn in all her insecure glory, but she does the impossible – she somehow also captures the glow, the sex appeal that America fell in love with in the theaters of the 50’s.

For 99 magical minutes this movie tells the story of the making of a movie – The Prince and the Showgirl, in England in 1956. Marilyn travelled to England to be directed by, and star with Sir Laurence Olivier, excellently portrayed by Kenneth Branagh. Olivier has no patience for the habitually late Marilyn and is a little peeved that he can’t get her sexual attention either. Colin, a young 3rd assistant director, on whose memoir this movie is based, is able to step into the fray and develop a relationship with Marilyn that allows him to coax her through the making of the movie.

Some movies just tell a nice story at a perfect pace, and the director has pulled off that feat here. While most of America knows who Marilyn Monroe was, I’m guessing you have to be over 50 to fully understand her hold on the American imagination. If you’re under 50, take all the pseudo celebrities we have now, roll them up into one person. Marilyn was bigger than that. This movie is not going to be a great hit, but it’s the Best Picture for over 50 year olds for 2011. If you’re under 50, give it a chance and you may come away with a new meaning for bringing sexy back.

The Descendants - 8
You’ll like this movie if you like:
a. George Clooney
b. His stubble
c. Family Drama

This is a star vehicle for George Clooney who plays the schlub of a man dealing with the impending death of his wife as he tries to handle his young incorrigible daughters and the realization that his comatose wife was unfaithful to him. He’s also dealing with his decision as trustee of a huge royal estate. In other words, it’s time to grow up. Clooney pulls it off in a masterful acting job that will probably land him an Oscar. His growth as the story progresses is subtle, believable, and palpable.

Here’s the problem, and this is a little bit of a spoiler in that it may ruin your viewing, but as I watched I became obsessed with Clooney’s beard. He’d be clean shaven in one scene, then an 8 hour stubble, then a 4 hour stubble, all at random. His growth was not chronologically correct, and I began to watch it very closely. Oh well, can’t have everything.

War Horse – 8
You’ll like this movie if you like
a. Steven Speilberg
b. Animals
c. Soaring Music
Subtle Steven Spielberg finally gets to World War I and horses in his latest epic. There’s nothing like a horse running through a battlefield to the soaring music of John Williams. Nobody does a better job of tugging at the heartstrings then Steven Spielberg, who will use a crowbar, a wrench, pliers, and any other utensil available to yank the tears out of your tear ducts.
He’s got the vehicle here. This story of a man and his nearly indestructible horse is a natural. In rural England before World War 1, a young man comes into possession of an incredible horse he names Joey. Joey gets confiscated by the British army and begins an incredible adventure throughout the war. Of course the battle scenes are thrilling and soaring (music-wise) and Joey performs the physical and inspirational heroics you would expect. You know where the story is going, but it’s still one hell of a ride, even if at two and half hours (standard epic running time) it’s a little long.

Contagion – 8
You’ll like this movie if you like:
a. disease mysteries
b. star-studded casts
c. stars dying off

Stephen Soderbergh directed in his usual methodical and straightforward style this story of a virus rapidly spreading worldwide. There’s no new ground here in how the various players in the medical establishment deal with the crisis, but it’s detailed enough to hold the interest of even those who’ve never missed a CSI episode. The panic that ensues as the virus spreads is interesting and graphic. There are heroes and villains and most importantly the prediction of how things would go seems plausible.

That “humans backed into a corner” aspect is what makes this a pretty scary movie. When we’re watching horror movies, we know that in our lifetime it’s unlikely that anyone’s going to come after us with a chainsaw, or that we’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting a zombie, except for of course a (insert the political party you hate here.) We’ll probably never get bitten by a vampire thanks to Buffy. But this, this could happen. Anyone who travels by airplane knows that it’s a cesspool of airborne germs. The germs are out there. They have us surrounded. Can medicine keep up?

Fascinating, isn’t it that we’ve always heard there’s no cure for the common cold, but we’ve actually become pretty adept at avoiding colds. Washing hands, hand sanitizers, and isolation when we’re sick help now that we know how colds are passed around. All we have to do now is just stop touching and breathing and we’ll be safe. This movie will make you feel like doing just that.

Young Adult – 8
You’ll like this movie if you like
a. Dark Comedy
b. Charlize Theron
c. Reunions with long lost love

This was a surprising treat. Charlize Theron shines as the alcoholic writer (is there any other kind?) who decides to return to her hometown and try to recapture her high school sweetheart by using every trick in the book. One little problem is that he’s married with a new child and while happy to see her is not THAT happy. Patton Oswald provides some moralizing and great comic relief as one of their former classmates. He’s physically damaged from high school, and has never really grown up, so he’s a perfect foil for Charlize, who’s trying to go backward without a time machine.

I didn’t expect much, but both I and the audience laughed out loud on numerous occasions. This is a showcase for Theron, who artfully underplays the addiction issues. It’s great work and a great script and there was not a single moment that didn’t ring true, even in the difficult-to-watch moments.

Shameless – 6
You’ll like this movie if you like
a. addiction
b. Carey Mulligan
c. character studies

In another movie that will never make it to Mississippi, (NC-17 movies rarely do) Michael Fassbender stars as a sex addict, and it ain’t a pretty picture. Fassbender plays Brandon, a New York ad executive whose number one priority is to be sexually satisfied 2 or 3 times a day. He’s in the shower, he’s in the bathroom, he’s in the bars, he’s in the hotels, he’s in the alleys, he’s on his computer, he’s on the subway. He prowls, he hunts, he buys, he self-gratifies. It’s graphic but not the least bit sexy. His addiction consumes his every waking hour and it’s a bleak existence - a joyless existence in a joyless city. Ironically, when he finds someone he cares about, he can’t perform. Sex has nothing to do with love in his eyes, it’s like eating. Gotta have three meals a day, plus snacks.

His routine gets upset when his damaged sister freeloads her way into his small apartment, and brings her own set of problems to the party, except there is no party. Carey Mulligan is terrific in her portrayal of the sister, Sissy. There’s one incredible scene of Brandon and Sissy sitting on his couch confronting their relationship, and it’s the scene I’ll remember. The director, Steve McQueen, has removed any sense of enjoyment from these lives, and he punctuates it with some of the longest single camera shots I’ve seen in movies. They linger painfully and serve to increase the squirm factor. There’s a lot of pain in their lives, but we only scratch the surface as to why.

This is a worthwhile movie to make, but I’m not sure it’s worthwhile to see. It’s so unpleasant, you’ll want to go get an ice cream cone or something to break the mood when you exit.

Scanning the Satellite

Hall Pass – 8
This is a 2011 comedy by the Farrelly Brothers, and it is in their grand tradition of being grossly hysterical. There were some raunchy, filthy things I thought I’d never see on screen. I was wrong. Here they are served up by the brothers. If you can stomach it, you will laugh until your lungs feel like they’re on fire. Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis star as two schmos given a week off from their marriage by their fed-up wives. It doesn’t go exactly as planned. If you can last through your time spent knee deep in the poopla, it’s worth it.

Blue Valentine – 7
This is a 2010 vehicle for Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. They chronicle a relationship as it transitions from infatuation to marriage to disillusion. It underscores the real challenges of relationships. We don’t mature at the same rate; we don’t grow at the same rate, and we don’t age at the same rate. I just heard someone quoted as saying that we all eventually lose our battle with mortality. This shows a relationship losing its battle with maturity.