The end of year push for Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and other nominations will be upon us soon. To that end, I have decided to recognize the best movies in the first half of 2011. Many of the movies that release early in the year don't get the recognition that they deserve because studios try to strategically release their movies at the optimum time to garner as many votes for different nominations as possible. You may agree, you may not agree but these are my top 5 movies of this year.
5. Beginners. Directed by Mike Mills and starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent. This was a touching movie about the relationship between father and son and boy and girl. I think one of the reasons that this movie touched me so much is that Ewan McGregor's character lost his father played by Christopher Plummer. I still have strong feelings of grief and sadness even three years after the loss of my father and this movie stirred many of those emotions.
4. Super 8. Directed by JJ Abrams and starring Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler. In true JJ Abrams fashion we were introduced to a menace that remains unseen until very late into the movie. The story was told through a group of middle school kids in 1979trying to film a movie for a youth film festival. You guessed it, I was in middle school in 1979 and although I never attempted to make a movie for a film festival I did try to make my own movies with my grandfather's super 8 camera. The ELO, Blondie and The Commodores music clinched it for me.
3. Midnight In Paris. Directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. This movie had three of my favorite topics 1. Comedy 2. Time Travel 3. Authors. It's been a long time since I have seen a Woody Allen movie that I truly enjoyed. I think it's been since Crimes and Misdemeaners (1989) that I really enjoyed one of his movies. This one was great though and had a very interesting means of telling the story.
2. Bridesmaids. Directed by Paul Feig and starring Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. A female version of The Hangover? Well, one of the most funny movies I have seen in the past 5 years was The Hangover and Bridesmaids is a close second. Kristen Wiig is her normal brilliant self and fellow SNL partner, Maya Rudolph does just as well. The cast was filled with great characters and the comedy writing was hilarious.
1. Win Win. Directed by Thomas McCarthy and starring Paul Giamatti, Melanie Lynskey, and Amy Ryan. What can you say about another great movie starring Paul Giamatti. They guy just keeps putting out great performance after great performance. Melanie Lynskey is also one of the great supporting actresses out there and I think deserves a chance to get some leading lady nods (see her in Away We Go, The Informant, and her debut Heavenly Creatures. All of which can be seen on DVD or streamed on the internet.) This movie was a great story of redemption from so many characters. I won't ruin the plot because I truly hope everyone that reads this blog will see this movie. When you do, please provide feedback.
So that is my top five so far in 2011. I am excited about the list of movies that will be hitting theatres soon and I will be writing about many of those when they do. Until then please feel free to send me requests for review or to post your own review!!
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