New Movies Jan. 27 2012

Can it be? Posts from Sir Critic three days in a row??

Well, yes, it can, because one thing I'm going to start doing again in this cyberspace is offering sharp but pithy thoughts on the new releases Friday. So that established ....

The title links go to Metacritic, which I find to be a more helpful barometer of critical opinion then Rotten Tomatoes (ducks fried green one).

A Dangerous Method: Cronenberg's latest hasn't gotten as much attention as one might guess, considering the subject matter (Jung v Freud) and the cast, but I'll check it out because Cronenberg has never bored me.

The Descendants: Goes wider after getting a bevy of Oscar nominations. See it. You must.  My review.

The Grey - No matter how good or bad it is, this will forever be known as the movie wherein Liam Neeson punches a werewolf - truly a strange turn in his late career as an action star. Reviews for this are actually pretty decent, but I'll probably still avoid it because I'm not a fan of director Joe Carnahan. I thought Narc was good but overrated, and the dreary, dull Smokin' Aces still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Man on a Ledge: At first I was kind of interested in seeing this, mainly because it had a decent trailer and Elizabeth Banks. Regrettably, the negative reviews are scaring me away. However, the lovely and witty Ms. Banks did a very amusing trailer commentary. If she could do this for the entire movie, I might actually check it out.



One for the Money: Katherine Heigl is in it. Sorry, but by now that's an automatic no.

Ah, January.

Oscar reax part deux

Continuing from where I left off with Oscar ...

Best Original Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

Clearly this is a two-film race between two odes to the past: The Artist and Midnight in Paris. I'm leaning toward The Artist because it has the ingenious factor going for it, and I think the overall affection for the film will carry the day.
 
Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, and Nat Faxon, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon, The Ides of March
Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian, Moneyball
Peter Straughan and Bridget O’Connor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

 Here's another two-film race, between The Descendants and Moneyball. Moneyball has a good shot because it has two A-list writers adapting a book that people said couldn't be a movie. Still, The Desecendants seems to be better liked to me, and it's a more emotional piece. Emotionalism tends to carry the day.


Best Animated Film
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango 

So Pixar gets snubbed for the first time in this category. but that wasn't a great surprise. Does Cars 2 deserve all the scorn it got? No. Does it merit an Oscar nomination? No. I'm willing to bet it's better than the two nominated DreamWorks sequels, but Rango's quirkiness gives it an edge. I'm at a disadvantage in this category because I haven't seen A Cat in Paris or Chico & Rita. Then again, few people have.


Best Foreign Language Film
Bullhead (Belgium)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)

A Separation has all kinds of acclaim, so that's my best guess.


Best Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse


OK, OK, so A  lot of people didn't "get" Tree of Life. But no matter how much that film makes you feel like saying "Derp," if you deny the cinematography, you are willfully blind. Hugo's lush 3D photography could take the prize, though.

Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
War Horse

The Artist could win in a sweep. but I think Dante Ferretti's electorate, resplendent sets for Hugo will stick the most with viewers.


Costume Design
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Hey, the film directed by Madonna got nominated! (rolls eyes). Most likely The Artist (again).


Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated


I'm guessing the movie that helped free murder suspects from prison (Paradise Lost 3) gets the nod.



Film Editing
The Artist, Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants, Kevin Tent
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo, Thelma Schoonmaker 
Moneyball, Christopher Tellefsen 

Hugo or The Artist. I lean toward Hugo, which is flashier.

Makeup
Albert Nobbs, Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston, and Matthew W. Mungle
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk, and Yolanda Toussieng 
The Iron Lady, Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Hey Harry. here's your Oscar!

Music (Original Score)
The Adventures of Tintin, John Williams
The Artist, Ludovic Bource
Hugo, Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alberto Iglesias
War Horse, John Williams

Most likely The Artist (again), although I could see Hugo taking this too.

Music (Original Song)
“Man or Muppet” from The Muppets, Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from Rio, Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, and Siedah Garrett

Sheeeez. Sometimes I think this category ought to go the way of Best Dance Direction.  Muppets easy.



Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse
Sound Mixing
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Monyeball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

These tend to be hard to predict. Hell, The Ghost and the Darkness won this award. I'll guess Hugo for both, since it's a Best Picture nominee. BTW, why couldn't Super 8 have been nominated instead of the robots?



Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

It took forever for the Academy to recognize an animated film could be a Best Picture nominee; I'm not sure why people seriously thought Andy Serkis would get a nomination for motion capture work. However, an Oscar for the people who helped turn him into an ape? It's been done before (King Kong), it can be done again.

Oscar (not) the Grouch

Over the past couple of days I had been feeling rather guilty about never putting together an Oscar nominations predictions piece. This is the first time since the mid-90s I've not done it. As it has so often done in the recent past, life happened to me while I was busy making other plans.

Well, thanks a million, life! I'm kinda glad I didn't do a predictions piece this year, because it would contain several variations of "Whoops! Got THAT wrong!"  So embarrassment spared, I will simply react to the nominees as presented Tuesday morning.

BEST PICTURE

Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo 
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse 

The only major surprise here was Extremely Loud getting tapped after all of the precursors had ignored it. Personally, I'm terrified of the film, since the trailer makes it look like precious schmaltz, and I loathe most of the movies by Stephen Daldry (The Hours, The Reader). No matter, however. The film has zero chance of winning, although I think The Artist has probably got it for turning a gimmick into something, well, artistic. More to the point, it's delightful. But The Descendants is probably a strong second, and Hugo a decent third.

BEST DIIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris 
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Malick took what some people said should have been Fincher's slot, and while I would have preferred Fincher myself,  I understand the thinking. Among directors, Malick is a legend. Fincher isn't quite there yet. This is a race between another legend (Marty) and a newcomer (Michel), both of whom made loving homages to the early history of movies. Since he's Scorsese, and because he gave his picture such a wondrous 3D visual style, I tend to tap him for director, since Hazanavicius' movie will probably win picture and screenplay.

BEST ACTOR

Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

 Some people favor Clooney, and while he ran an impressive emotional gamut, he won fairly recently, for Syriana. I favor the boundless charm of Dujardin, with Pitt as a possible spoiler. Finally, while I have great respect for Gary Oldman, I'm lukewarm on his Tinker Tailor perf. As a friend of mine facetiously said, "Gary Oldmann should get an Oscar for being able to hold a completely emotionless look on his face for 2.5 hours."

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

I am absolutely DELIGHTED Ms. Mara made the cut here when many said she wouldn't - it made up for Dragon Tattoo not scoring any other major nominations. She would be my vote to win, but she won't - I think that honor will most likely go to Davis, who's an emotional powerhouse in The Help, and who has been so good in so many movies that it's well nigh time for her ship to come in.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Like many others, I was sorry, although not altogether surprised to see AMPAS snub Albert Brooks for his great work in Drive. As Mr. Brooks himself put it before the nominations, "Tomorrow I find out if I have to go to any more events that Christopher Plummer wins." This is Plummer in a walk. If someone is second, it ain't even close.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

I was very sad to see Shailene Woodley's sassy and touching performance in The Descendants get overlooked; my guess is McTeer took her slot, and as it happens, I think McTeer is the only one who's a long shot. I could see any of the other four getting it. AMPAS might pair up Spencer with Davis. Or they might pair Bejo with Duajardin. Or they might reward Chastain for being great not only in The Help but in 62 other movies last year. The toughest race to call. I'll get back to you on that one, and I'll get back to you soon on the other Oscar categories.

For now, for people lamenting the lack of nominations for Drive, Dragon Tattoo et al, it's important to remember that the Academy likes its films to be happy or tear-jerking, not in-your-face antisocial. As In Contention astutely observed,

"...no nominations for "Shame" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" -- including snubs for two of the top performances of the year -- combined with somewhat unexpected major nominations for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" and "War Horse" to go along with the expected inclusions of "The Artist," "The Help" and "Midnight in Paris," as well as a Best Picture miss for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," all adds up to one thing: the Academy likes its collective heart warmed, not disturbed. We already knew that, of course, so it's a point less learned than solidified. And very important to keep in mind."

 In other words, Oscar is many things, but on Hollywood Boulevard, he's not a grouch.

BEST OF THE YEAR: The Descendants

Choosing the best film of the year is no easy task. Sometimes the best film of the year can be sitting there staring you in the face, and yet you overlook it.

That's not to say that there was ever any doubt about The Descendants being a great film. As soon as I saw it, I knew it to be one of only a handful of movies to get an A+ grade.

And yet, I vacillated. Did I go with Midnight in Paris, which made me happier because I identified with being more into old things than new things? Did I go with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I found so hypnotic that I saw it three times in three weeks? More obviously, did I go with Martin Scorsese's Hugo, a joyous film from my favorite director about the formation of movies themselves?

Then I saw The Descendants a second time. And it surprised me. In some ways I shouldn't be able to relate to it. I tend to prefer visually driven films, and as smart as Alexander Payne is, he's not what you would call a visual stylist. I'm not a father, so I can't identify with struggling to raise two kids like George Clooney's character does.  Heaven forbid I've never had to deal with a living will, as Clooney has to when his estranged wife clings to life support after a boating accident. And I'm certainly not an outdoorsman of any stripe, so Hawaii doesn't appeal as much to me as it does to many people.

Then Clooney's voice over started: "Paradise can go fuck itself."

And right away the movie grabbed me again, not because it slams the outdoors, but because more than any other movie in recent memory, The Descendants makes it plain that paradise is in the things you can't see.  And paradise evidences itself over and over again in this film, filled with so many moments that feel exactly right. I could nitpick  Midnight in Paris (some thin, abrasive characters)  Hugo (too many subplots) or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (ending too long). I can't nitpick The Descendants. And it moved me even more than those great films did.

What I saw in The Descendants was a lot of what I saw in Young Adult. Both films show that people and situations are never what they seem at first glance. We make snap, superficial judgments all the time but such judgments never tell the whole story.

Clooney's Matt King is at heart a decent guy, but it could be said he gets a little too obsessed with tracking down the man who had an affair with Clooney's wife. One of the most revealing moments of the film comes when Matt rages at his unresponsive wife in the hospital  - but reacts very interestingly when his older daughter (Shailene Woodley) does the same thing.

Among the supporting characters, many people have focused on Matt's daughters, but upon a second viewing, I found one of the most interesting characters to be Sid (Nick Krause), the daughter's stoner boyfriend. At first glance, he seems to be about as deep as a birdbath, but a heart-to-heart talk with the kid shows Matt that maybe the kid knows more than he lets on.

What I most strongly related to was Matt's conflicting feelings for his wife. As was the case in Young Adult, it's easy to rail against an unsympathetic character like the wife who cheated on Matt. But damn it all, Matt still has feelings for her, and it's not wrong for him to do so. Sometimes you can love someone in spite of the horrible things they do to you.

And it may not even be that simple. As one friend of mine astutely pointed out, Matt's feelings toward his dying wife probably aren't all forgiving. He told me: "On some level, he probably knows that he's not the love of (his wife's) life, and he's probably not the person she would've preferred to have been at her side when they pulled the plug. But Clooney's character on some level is saying, "You know what? Fuck you. It's not about you right now - *I* need this. *I* need a moment to tell you I love you and say goodbye and be there for you one last time, and after all you've done to me, I'm going to take that moment, whether you like it or not."

That's what makes The Descenedants so rewarding - that scenes can be read in more than one way, and both readings can be right. Howard Hawks once said a successful movie has three great scenes and no bad scenes. The Descendants outranks and transcends that rule.

GRADE: A+

The 2012 Movie Forecast

Now that I've looked back at 2011's films, it's time to look forward to 2012's films, though truth be told, I'm not looking forward to ALL of them.

What I'll do here is look at all of this Friday's releases and then pick out highlights and maybe a few lowlights from the 2012 schedule. As ever, release dates are subject to change, so don't come cryin' to me if a movie comes out when I say it does.


FRIDAY

The Artist: This doesn't open in Dayton this weekend, but it does open in Columbus. I want to see this silent homage to yesteryear yesterday, so I'm going Saturday.

Beauty and the Beast: My absolute favorite film of the Disney renaissance, but I'm on the fence about whether to see it. I just don't think 2D animation renders well in 3D.

Contraband: I like Mark Wahlberg, but low-rent actioners like this one are really beneath him.  Looks like a direct-to-video release that escaped into theaters.

The Iron Lady: What I keep hearing is, "Sure, Meryl's great. The film? Not so much." 

Joyful Noise: Nice to see Dolly Parton on the big screen again, but like Contraband, this also looks like a low-grade movie that escaped to theaters. Only this one would be on Hallmark instead of Spike.

JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS (Yep, just one)

Haywire: How do you make a deadly female mixed martial arts flick and make it look classy and kick-ass? Hire Steven Soderbergh to direct.

FEBRUARY

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance: Nicolas Cage jokes that he has "personal problems" in this movie. I think it's more a matter of personal FINANCE problems, since the man seemingly never turns down any script, no matter how trashy.

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace: I'm on the record as saying this movie isn't nearly as bad as most people say it is. However, because many people think it's bad, I foresee this reissue falling flat, even if it is in 3D. In fact, for some, that may be a deterrrent.

MARCH

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax: Dr. Seuss books have a very mixed track record at the box office, but this one actually holds some promise because it builds a story around the core of the book. Plus it's by the folks who made the vcry entertaining Despicable Me.

John Carter: This sci-fi action take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs' character baffles me. On the one hand, I'd like to see Pixar director Andrew Stanton succeed in live action features, just like his colleague Brad Bird did with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. But the more I see the trailer, the more it feels like a bloated mess. And can we PLEASE have a moratorium on Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" in movie trailers?

Mirror Mirror: The Snow White movie of 2012 I have no interest in seeing, since Julia Roberts' queen is looks to be a truly poisoned apple. Ptooey.

The Hunger Games: Haven't read a word of the books, but I even I can tell this is going to be the monster hit of the spring - partly because I'm a big fan of both Jennifer Lawrence and Elizabeth Banks. I'm also curious to see how Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit) handles a big action spectacle.

APRIL

The Three Stooges: I like the Stooges. I like the Farrelly brothers. But ye gods, this looks awful. And stick a finger in its eye for casting Snooki.

MAY

The Avengers: One would think that I would be all over this one, since I'm generally a fan of superhero movies, but here's the thing: Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America were all good movies, not great movies. And a big reason those movies aren't as good as they ought to be, is because they spent WAY too much time setting up The Avengers and not enough concentrating on their own stories.  I smell overkill, but I hope I'm wrong.

Battleship: Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Hancock) is a talented director. So why is he serving up what looks like Michael Bay's sloppy seconds?

MIB 3: No one was too enthused about Men in Black 2, but introducing time travel looks like fun - and introudcing Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones looks like even more fun.

JUNE

Rock of Ages: I really enjoyed Hairspray by the same director, but I'm wary of the heavy dose of 80s nostalgia. I'm not as enamored of the music of that decade as most of my generation, and this movie gets instant demerits for trying to use "We Built This City" as one of the numbers.  That song's terrible in any decade.

Snow White and the Huntsman: Just as Julia Roberts is the downfall of Mirror, Mirror, Charlize Theron looks to be the best thing about this more action-oriented Snow White movie.

Prometheus: Ridley Scott's output of late has been extremely uneven, but I have a good feeling about this one. The trailer for this Alien prequel is drool-worthy. 



Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: I've only read a little bit of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by the same author. If this is half as entertaining, it's going to be fun.

Brave: Pixar, so it's automatic, even if the trailer has more of a comedic bent than I hoped. PS - Please stop giving the studio a hard time for Cars 2. Not every movie the studio makes has to be transcendent.  

GI Joe: Retaliation - Wait - don't you make a sequel only if people LIKED the first movie?

JULY

The Amazing Spider-Man: The decision to reboot this franchise still puzzles me. And yet the casting is solid from Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker to Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.

The Dark Knight Rises: Duh.

AUGUST

The Bourne Legacy: A Bourne movie without Matt Damon may seem like sacrilege, but Jeremy Renner's no slouch, and neither is director Tony Gilroy, who had a had in writing all three movies.

Paranorman: From the folks who made the wonderful Coraline. The trailer looks delightfully trippy.

OCTOBER (Skipped September on purpose, since it looks dull for now)

Frankenweenie: Tim Burton is also making Dark Shadows this year, but honestly, I think he and Johnny Depp have grown stale. I'm much more interested in this animated take on his early film.

NOVEMBER

Wreck it Ralph: Disney makes a forary into 8-bit video game style animation. Now there's 80s nostalgia I can buy.



Skyfall: A Bond movie directed by an Oscar winner (Sam Mendes), shot by Roger Deakins and scored by Thomas Newman. How can it NOT be better than Quantum of Solace?

DECEMBER

Les Miserables: Yay for the casting of Anne Hathaway, meh on the casting of Taylor Swift. Still, I'm curious to see how Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) fares with a big, splashy musical.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: I remain suspicious of the need to split this story into two films, but one can only trust Peter Jackson.

The Great Gatsby: Shooting this story in 3D may seem like a fool's errand, but if anyone can make a fool's errand work, it's Baz Luhrmann.

Lincoln: If only we could see Spielberg's biopic as a double bill with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

The Best Films of 2011 - Take 1

Why do I say take 1? Well, because this list is far from finalized. Normally I would have published my 10 Best List by now, but in real life I've been adjusting to a new beat at the newspaper. In movie life, I've actually had a bit of a hard time narrowing the list down just to 20. As lackluster as 2011 was for movies, sifting through the very best is very tough. Usually is. By the time this list is done, I may go through as many takes as David Fincher usually does.

As things stand, here is my list of the 20 movies that have stayed with me the most in 2011. They are presented strictly in alphabetical order and without comment on each individual film. By the end of this month, I hope to finalize the list and say a little something about the best 10.

Until then, you can have fun guessing at my running order.  In fact, when I'm done guessing, maybe you can tell me! Feel free to castigate/compliment me on what I did/did not include. Better yet, watch the movies.

    Arthur Christmas
    Beginners
    Bridesmaids
    Blue Valentine
    The Descendants
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
    Horrible Bosses
    Hugo
    Jane Eyre
    Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Midnight in Paris
    Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
    Moneyball
    My Week with Marilyn
    Super 8
    The Tree of Life
    Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
    Win Win   
    Young Adult

Holiday movie round-up catch-up

This year I'm going to try to treat this blog more like a film diary again, chronicling my near-daily movie-watching experiences. Before I do that, though, I'll catch you up quickly on movies I've seen since my last review of the underrated Young Adult.

 The Adventures of Tintin: Steven Spielberg's first foray in directing animation is a fun thrill ride, but not much more than that. It has some great action sequence, including a breathtaking sequence done in one long shot that ups the ante of the "flying ticket" scene in The Polar Express. Unfortunately, the movie is missing an emotional underpinning because it doesn't spend enough time introducing us to the main character. GRADE: B

Arthur Christmas: Just because it's not Christmas anymore, don't let that stop you from seeing this wonderful film. I saw it after the holiday and was treated to the best animated film of the year, a delightful look at old school vs. new school Santa, in Aardman's inimitable style. GRADE: A-

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Some critics have complained that this is just the foreign film remade with more visual pizazz. I completely disagree. David Fincher's new film and the Swedish movie obviously have similar story beats. but Fincher's film makes a number of key changes that makes his picture a very different animal. The hypnotic visuals increase the sense of foreboding, but what really puts the film over the top is the amazing lead performance by Rooney Mara, who plays Lisbeth Salander with an intense fragility. Spellbinding, even if the ending goes on a bit too long. GRADE: A

My Week with Marilyn: Many people have said Michelle Williams' performance as Marilyn Monroe is great; the film not so much. Again, I disagree. Williams is excellent, turning in the best portrayal of MM I've ever seen. But the movie cuts deeper than a look at a fragile soul. It's also a Valentine to people intoxicated by movies just as the lead character is. GRADE: A

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows: I wasn't a fan of the 2009 film, finding it overly brash and frenetic. The sequel, too, is overly frenetic, but surpasses its predecessor with a cleverer script, and more importantly, a much improved villain in the person of Professor Moriarity (Jared Harris). I just with Guy Ritchie would dispense with the Matrix-y visuals which are 12 years out of date. GRADE: B

War Horse: Like Steven Spielberg's other 2011 film, the Adventures of Tintin, has some individual great moments, but they coalesce only into a good film. The picture certainly looks wonderful, thanks to the ever-lustrous images of Janusz Kaminski, but I could feel Spielberg straining for effect, particularly toward the end when he's trying too hard to be John Ford or Victor Fleming. It's a worthwhile film, but it left me wanting. GRADE: B

We Bought a Zoo: Cameron Crowe's first effort since the botch of Elizabethtown has the makings of a sleeper hit, and it's easy to see why. This story of a family trying to find itself after the loss of its wife/mother via the impulse purchase of a zoo is clearly heartfelt. It gets a little too cutesy at times, and the movie has way too many endings,  but a winning cast puts it over. GRADE: B

Every movie I saw in 2011

Same rules apply as usual: Even if I saw a movie before, if I see it in a theater it goes on the list again once the year turns over. The same does not apply to small-screen viewing. Up to last year, I have not tracked repeat viewings on the small screen, unless it had been a very long time since I had seen a particular movie. To generate more activity on this dusty blog, I may start tracking them again.

And the grades are:

On the Big Screen

1. Tron Legacy B
2. Burlesque C
3. The Dilemma C
4. The Green Hornet B-
5. The Way Back  B
6. Black Swan  A+
7. No Strings Attached B
8. Rabbit Hole A-
9. Blue Valentine A
10. Inside Job A
11. Tangled B+
12. The King’s Speech A+
13. The Illusionist C+
14. I Am Number Four C
15. Red State B+
16. Rango A-
17. The Adjustment Bureau B+
18. Gnomeo and Juliet B
19. Unknown B-
20. Hall Pass B-
21. Paul A-
22. Limitless B
23. Sucker Punch C-
24. Insidious B-
25. Hanna B+
26. Jane Eyre A-
27. Source Code B+
28. Win Win A
29. The Conspirator B
30. Scream 4 B+
31. Water for Elephants B
32. Thor B
33. Bridesmaids A-
34. Fast Five B
35. War of the Worlds (53) B+
36. Robot A-
37. Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai B+
38. Late for Dinner B
39. The People vs. George Lucas B
40. Iron Man B+
41. The Giant Gila Monster Z
42. Troll Hunter C+
43. The Hangover Part II  B-
44. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold A-
45. Cave of Forgotten Dreams A-
46. Casablanca A+
47. The Beaver C+
48. X Men First Class A
49. Super 8  x2 A
50. The Tree of Life X2 B+
51. Midnight in Paris X2 A+
52. The Room Z
53. Cars 2 A-
54. Frenzy A
55. West Side Story A
56. The Bride of Frankenstein A
57. Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein X2 B+
58. The Bridge on the River Kwai A+
59. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 A-
60. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2  X2 A
61. Captain America B-
62. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest A
63. Winnie the Pooh B
64. Cowboys and Aliens C+
65. Beginners A
66. The Adventures of Robin Hood A+
67. Crazy Stupid Love B+
68. The Wizard of Oz A+
69. Rise of the Planet of the Apes A-
70. Rear Window X2 A+
71. The Help A-
72. Drive B+
73. Contagion B
74. Friends with Benefits A-
75. Moneyball  X2 A
76. Horrible Bosses A-
77. 30 Minutes or Less F
78. The Ides of March B+
79. 50/50 A-
80. Restless C+
81. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil A
82. Attack the Block B
83. Zombie D
84. Alien A+
85. J. Edgar C+
86. Anonymous D+
87. Take Shelter B+
88. The Muppets A
89. Hugo A+ X3
90. Martha Marcy May Marlene A-
91. The Descendants A+
92. My Week with Marilyn A
93. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol A
94. Young Adult A
95. The Adventures of Tintin B
96. War Horse B
97. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo A
98. We Bought a Zoo B
99. Arthur Christmas A-
100. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows B

On the Small Screen

1. Flipped A
2. Bells are Ringing B
3. All Good Things B
4. Blue Skies B
5. The Lion in Winter A
6. The Book of Eli  C
7. Exit Through the Gift Shop A-
8. Frozen A-
9. A Midsummer Night’s Dream B+
10. The Human Comedy B
11. Lucas A
12. Missing A
13. Cyrus C+
14. The Leopard Man A-
15. Broken Blossoms A-
16. Marty A-
17. The More the Merrier A-
18. Jane Eyre A-
19. Isle of the Dead A-
20. Here Comes Mr. Jordan A
21. Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer A-
22. Red Dust B+
23. Z   A-
24. Victor Victoria B+
25. The Wolfman C+
26. Running on Empty A-
27. These Amazing Shadows A-
28. The Actress B
29. Prince of the City A+
30. Jesus Christ Superstar: C
31. The Fury B-
32. Born to Dance B
33. Wings B
34. Gasland A-
35. The Next Three Days C+
36. Soul Surfer B-
37. Ride the High Country B+
38. Shock Corridor B+
39. Godspell B+
40. You Don’t Know Jack A-
41. No Highway in the Sky B
42. Tamara Drewe B
43. Young Man with a Horn B+
44. Land of the Pharaohs B-
45. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner B+
46. The Graduate A
47. Song of the South B+
48. Let’s Make Love B
49. Melancholia B+
50. Big Fan B+