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Post by commond on Aug 13, 2024 16:41:07 GMT -5
This is where I check out as I never made it this far in my movie watching. By the time I start watching movies from the 2010s, I'll probably be 75 years old.
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Post by Hoosier X on Aug 14, 2024 20:12:59 GMT -5
True Grit - Time for blasphemy (at least in my family), I kind of hate the 1969 version of this film. John Wayne has great moments. But everyone and everything else is terrible. I liked this one a lot better (it's the Cohen Brothers). Jeff Bridges was good as Rooster Cogburn (though not John Wayne). Hailee Steinfeld was outstanding as Mattie. Because of the Cohen's direction, everyone just blew away the performances in the '69 version. It's always nice to have an excellent western on the screen. There is nothing blasphemous about noticing that the 2010 version of True Grit is a hell of a lot better than the 1969 version. I’ve seen the older version a couple of times over the years, and it’s watchable, but barely so. I love the 2010 version. I saw it twice when it first came out, and I’ve watched it a couple of times since then. It’s probably my second favorite film of 2010. Number one is Black Swan. |
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Post by coke & comics on Aug 19, 2024 13:49:01 GMT -5
Hey, I'm not at all behind.
2010.
I tend to love Studio Ghibli, as do many. But many leave that love behind for films not by Miyazaki or Takahata. But for my money Yonebayashi is the worthy heir to those folks, and The Secret World of Arrietty is the best example. Adapted from The Borrowers, the attention to detail is amazing. It's a movie that can only be truly appreciated with a pause button as the background is just filled with all the cool ways they made up everyday household items from discarded trash from the big people. A strong character arc along with a naturalistic ending very different from what I'd expect from a Western film.
#2 is Toy Story 3. Parts of it seem padded (my same complaint with Up), but parts of it hit so well. At that age, I never cried in a cinema, but this one came the closest to getting tears out of me and definitely left me an emotional mess in need of fresh air.
After that I'd probably go with The Social Network. A great script from Sorkin really dives into the psyche of this nerd turned billionaire.
Then will go with Inception, the sci/fi epic from my namesake, Christopher Nolan.
I could go a lot of ways with #5, and I'll choose almost at random Denis Villeneuve's Incendies.
Contenders include Machete, The King's Speech, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Black Swan, True Grit, Shutter Island, etc.
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Post by berkley on Aug 22, 2024 18:08:51 GMT -5
I'll try to have a close r look later on, to make sure I didn't miss anything, but after a quick run-through of the 2010 list for me it would be between two French movies - coincidentally both bio-pics of real-life criminals: Mesrine, directed by Jean-François Richet, and Carlos, by Olivier Assayas.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 27, 2024 11:44:13 GMT -5
Only two weeks this time...and on to 2011. Midnight in Paris - I am not generally a big Woody Allen fan, but I rather enjoyed this film. Disillusioned screenwriter (Owen Wilson) finds himself transported at night to 1920s Paris and interacts with Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali and a number of other luminaries. This is just a solid comedy with elements of magic realism and romance. Nice turns by Tom Hiddleston and Marion Cotillard and a very good screenplay by Allen. X-Men: First Class - Solid reboot of the X-Men Setting it in the 60s was a good call and gave it a chance to look at some of those issues that we saw in the early MU. Huge step up from the previous two X-films. Unfortunately the reboot didn't stick. But as something of a one-off it's a good superhero movie. Captain America: The First Avenger - While it's been quite a while since I've seen it, I really liked this movie. Loved the 1940s setting. Chris Evans is just a great Cap. It's pulpy good fun. And I love me some Peggy Carter. Thor - I have mixed feelings about this one. I love that Thor made it to the screen in a big budget movie. And it's...okay. I like Chris Hemsworth as Thor quite a bit. But, overall, it feels a bit more like spectacle than a fully realized movie. Hiddleston is brilliant, but Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson and so many great actors are largely wasted. I definitely expected more from Kenneth Branagh. Rango - I did not expect to like this movie as much as I did. This is just a super smart, funny send-up of the western genre in an animated film with some of the more unsavory critters that we've ever seen animated. It is visually incredible, far different than almost any animated film we'd seen before, or really since. It's got a ton of edge for a film that's ostensibly aimed at kids. Just a great animated movie. As usual there are many films I've either not seen or not seen in far too long. Including; most foreign films; Drive; Warrior; Moneyball; Hugo (I saw this and liked it, but don't remember it at all); So what's my favorite film of 2011? I don't know if this is just a weak film year of it's just that I was too busy to watch a lot of movies. My boys were at an age where they both had a lot of sports and school events. I guess I'll say... Captain America: The First Avenger, but it's not with a lot of gusto. I do really like both Midnight in Paris and Rango. But, honestly, it's been eons since I've seen any of these films. And 2011 in film for those as need a look. |
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Post by berkley on Aug 27, 2024 17:59:07 GMT -5
From what I've been able to find listed so far, it looks like it'll probably be Lars von Triers's Melancholia, unless I come across something I've forgotten about.
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Post by Hoosier X on Aug 28, 2024 4:19:43 GMT -5
From what I've been able to find listed so far, it looks like it'll probably be Lars von Triers's Melancholia, unless I come across something I've forgotten about. I saw this just a few weeks ago. I liked it a lot! I’m not usually that big a fan of Von Trier. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Aug 28, 2024 4:32:33 GMT -5
When I made my IMDb list for favorite movie year-by-year, I had a little trouble coming up with a stand-out movie from 2011. As I recall, I made the list in 2012. And there were several years that I left blank while I thought about it for a few weeks. There were a couple of years in the 1920s and I remember 1947 as being a problem.
And then I saw The Skin I Live In, directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The timing was very good. It’s such a great movie! Almodovar made a “mad scientist” movie with Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya! My choice for favorite movie of 2011.
But Captain America: The First Avenger is not a bad choice at all! It’s one of the best of the super-hero movie glut of the 2010s.
I saw Rango much later. It’s very amusing!
X-Men: First Class and Midnight in Paris are also some really good movies.
Edited to add … I just scrolled through the list of 2011 films and decided to add for honorable mention: Hanna, Carnage and A Separation.
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Post by berkley on Aug 30, 2024 0:06:34 GMT -5
From what I've been able to find listed so far, it looks like it'll probably be Lars von Triers's Melancholia, unless I come across something I've forgotten about. I saw this just a few weeks ago. I liked it a lot! I’m not usually that big a fan of Von Trier.
It just occurred to me that this might be one of the few examples of a "non-Anglosphere" director making a movie in English with anglophone actors that matches the high quality of his or her work in their first language. Maybe I just haven't seen the right movies but a lot of times it feels to me as if their ear seems to fail them just a bit when they work with an English script and English-speaking actors.
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Post by coke & comics on Sept 1, 2024 3:29:14 GMT -5
2011 isn't a big year for movies with me. Big life transition year as I left California and moved across the country.
Here's 5 films, but I don't feel strongly about the order:
Contagion. Rewatching during the pandemic made me appreciate how much this was based on actual procedures. The phrase "social distancing" before it became a household phrase.
Hugo. Scorsese obviously loves movies and I appreciate this children's movie love letter to cinema of his.
Source Code. Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day in a taught thriller. Before time loop movies became ubiquitous. I would only years later see Deja Vu, which I now think this movie stole a couple beats from, which dimmed my appreciation some.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Slow-burn of a spy thriller from John le Carre.
From Up on Poppy Hill. Goro Miyazaki is generally the underachiever of the family, but this is his one good film. I suspect he got a lot of help this time.
That's 5. But I could have easily named:
Arthur Christmas, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: First Class, Captain America: The First Avenger, All-Star Superman, or Cabin in the Woods instead of any of those.
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Post by berkley on Sept 1, 2024 7:59:01 GMT -5
2011 isn't a big year for movies with me. Big life transition year as I left California and moved across the country. Here's 5 films, but I don't feel strongly about the order: Contagion. Rewatching during the pandemic made me appreciate how much this was based on actual procedures. The phrase "social distancing" before it became a household phrase. Hugo. Scorsese obviously loves movies and I appreciate this children's movie love letter to cinema of his. Source Code. Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day in a taught thriller. Before time loop movies became ubiquitous. I would only years later see Deja Vu, which I now think this movie stole a couple beats from, which dimmed my appreciation some. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Slow-burn of a spy thriller from John le Carre. From Up on Poppy Hill. Goro Miyazaki is generally the underachiever of the family, but this is his one good film. I suspect he got a lot of help this time. That's 5. But I could have easily named: Arthur Christmas, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: First Class, Captain America: The First Avenger, All-Star Superman, or Cabin in the Woods instead of any of those.
Which Deja Vu are you thinking of? There seem to have been a few movies with that title and I don't think I've seen any of them.
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Post by coke & comics on Sept 2, 2024 4:50:09 GMT -5
2011 isn't a big year for movies with me. Big life transition year as I left California and moved across the country. Here's 5 films, but I don't feel strongly about the order: Contagion. Rewatching during the pandemic made me appreciate how much this was based on actual procedures. The phrase "social distancing" before it became a household phrase. Hugo. Scorsese obviously loves movies and I appreciate this children's movie love letter to cinema of his. Source Code. Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day in a taught thriller. Before time loop movies became ubiquitous. I would only years later see Deja Vu, which I now think this movie stole a couple beats from, which dimmed my appreciation some. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Slow-burn of a spy thriller from John le Carre. From Up on Poppy Hill. Goro Miyazaki is generally the underachiever of the family, but this is his one good film. I suspect he got a lot of help this time. That's 5. But I could have easily named: Arthur Christmas, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: First Class, Captain America: The First Avenger, All-Star Superman, or Cabin in the Woods instead of any of those.
Which Deja Vu are you thinking of? There seem to have been a few movies with that title and I don't think I've seen any of them.
A Denzel Washington sci/fi thriller from 2006. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 19, 2024 13:45:38 GMT -5
Well...three weeks. But they've been a busy three weeks. On to 2012. Actually, before we start, let's get this out of the way...I don't like The Dark Knight Rises. It's just a terrible movie. It's only redeeming value is if you make it in to a drinking game where you take a shot at every plot hole. You'll be tanked in the first 15 minutes easy. I didn't like The Dark Knight. But this turd is next-level bad. Django Unchained - I'm an unabashed fan of Tarantino's films and this is no exception. This is a great melding of the spaghetti western with the blaxploitation film with lovely tweaks to both. And throw in just a bit of comic book history with The Gunhawks. The cast is excellent, particularly the supporting work by Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. And I love that there was a small role for Franco Nero. Great film. The Avengers - It's actually been quite a while since I've seen The Avengers. I know I liked it quite a bit at the time, as did my boys. Honestly I should watch it again. I do know that I NEVER thought I'd see an Avengers movie, much less one of that magnitude. So for that alone my inner 12 year old is super happy. Looper - I only kind of remember this one. But I remember I liked it quite a bit and thought it was one of the better SF movies of the period. Also one of Bruce Willis' better acting jobs. I should probably re-watch it though. Lincoln - I've only seen this the once in the theater in 2012. But it was a damn fine biopic. The big thing is that it took a discreet period of time instead of doing the diservice of trying to fit too much in to one film. And Daniel Day-Lewis was just stunning as Lincoln. Historically the film isn't perfect, but as these things go it's better than most. I should watch it again. Wreck-It Ralph - It's been quite a while since I've seen this one too. My son was probably 11 when this came out, so I know we took him to see it. And it's actually a very fun animated film. I wouldn't say it's great. But it's really fun and amusing for multiple ages. Which is better than you can say for a lot of animation. As usual there are many films I've either not seen or not seen in far too long. Including; most foreign films; Moonrise Kingdom (I saw this and I know I liked it a lot, but I only have the vaguest memories of it); Skyfall (saw it, don't remember it); Argo (ditto); Zero Dark Thirty; Dredd (I liked this decently, but I haven't seen it since 2012); Seven Psychopaths (saw it, liked it, can't remember it); So what's my favorite film of 2012? It's Django Unchained. By a fair bit. It's just so many of the things I like in one movie. And 2012 in film for those as need a look. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 19, 2024 14:11:23 GMT -5
For me, it's a toss-up between Avengers and Django Unchained.
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Post by berkley on Sept 20, 2024 0:53:57 GMT -5
On my first run through the various lists, there was an interesting French movie that year called Holy Motors, but I'm not sure it was my personal best of the year - I remember being delighted with some bits, but not all of it. Never a dull moment, though. Django Unchained isn't up there with my favourite Tarantinos but it<s still another contender for my best of this year. I<ll have to keep digging a bit for this one before I attempt a final answer.
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