The Ten Best Films of 2011

Hi everyone!

Okay, so here's my list from 1 to 10 of the Ten Best Films of 2011:

1. The Artist
I kept putting off going to see this for no other reason than the thought of sitting through a black-and-white silent movie just didn't appeal to me. But I knew that I'd regret not seeing it before the Oscars. So I bit the bullet and went to see it this morning. I'm so happy I did. Not to sound trite, but "The Artist" is one of those films that just makes you fall in love with going to the movies all over again. From the opening shot to the final tap dance sequence, this movie is a valentine for all people who care about movies. The two French lead actors, Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo (both of whom are big stars in France), are a joy to behold and what's incredible about their performances is that somehow watching them act without audible dialogue is a testament to their skill as actors. Mr. Dujardin, in my opinion, gives the best performance of the year for an actor in a leading role. I'll be interested to see what the Academy says in a couple weeks.

2. A Separation
This Iranian film was my number one pick until I saw "The Artist." "A Separation" is a beautifully understated film about life, family, relationships, and religion in a country that many in the West have come to consider the world's greatest threat to peace. There are so many nuances and layers to the storytelling that it begs a second viewing. You find yourself throughout the film questioning the characters' motives and in so doing may even discover surprising things about yourself and about your perceptions of truth and justice.

3. Melancholia
Lars Von Trier's Cannes Film Festival Award Winner is unlike any film you'll see this year or any year, for that matter. Deeply disturbing yet not without it's moments of black humor, "Melancholia" tells the story of a manic depressive young bride, played with wit and genuine pathos by Kirsten Dunst; her severe and overprotective sister, played by Charlotte Rampling; and her sister's intense stargazing husband, a fine Kiefer Sutherland, who fearfully await the apocalypse. The ten-minute opening montage, set to Wagner's 'Liebestod' from "Tristan und Isolde" is a tour de force of foreshadowing that nearly stops the film in its tracks before it really gets going. This is one of those films that at times you may want to switch off but at the same time you feel strangely compelled to keep watching. The pay-off is spectacular. Of any film I saw in 2011, "Melancholia" is the one that--from an emotional standpoint--stays with you long after the final credits have rolled. It'll shake you up.

4. The Flowers of War
I said a few weeks ago this was my pick for the best film of 2011. That may have been a little premature yet from a purely cinematic perspective, it's still worthy of a top place on this list. Chinese film director Zhang Yimou paints an epic canvas with both broad and finely etched brush strokes, telling the story of a down-and-out American, played by Christian Bale, who finds himself in the unlikely position of protecting a group of young Chinese convent schoolgirls and a gang of local prostitutes from the brutality of the Japanese attack on Nanjing, otherwise known as the Rape of Nanking, in 1937. The violence of war is visceral but an unmistakable humanity shines through that is both stirring and devastating. This is epic filmmaking at its finest.

5. Shame
Michael Fassbender gives a brilliant and tortured performance as a young New York sex addict whose addiction comes at the price of terrible tragedy. While this is Mr. Fassbender's film, I found myself gravitating most to Carey Mulligan as his troubled younger sister, a nightclub singer who wants nothing more than the love and approval of her brother. Visually arresting and definitely not for the faint of heart, "Shame" packs an emotional wallop you don't see coming and leaves you gasping for breath as you leave the theater. In my opinion, both Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan were robbed of Oscar nominations for their performances here.

6. Circumstance
Another Iranian film though for political reasons, unlike "A Separation," this was filmed in Beirut. At the center of this film is an unconventional love triangle between two high school girls in Tehran and the troubled religiously conservative older brother of one of them. "Circumstance" shows a different, and perhaps more overtly critical side of Iran, set in the upper class neighborhoods of Tehran amid the backdrop of a Western subculture rife with clubs, fast cars, drugs, and alcohol. Stunningly photographed with richly understated performances by each of its three young lead actors, "Circumstance" serves as a worthy book-end to "A Separation" in that it brings life and humanity to a surprisingly sophisticated society we in the West struggle to understand.

7. Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen's latest is a lovely confection of a film and an endearing tribute to Paris both past and present. Owen Wilson does a wonderful job capturing the neurotic charm of a role that, in his younger days, would have been played by Woody Allen. The film makes you long to go back in time, re-read the works of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, spend an afternoon in the Louvre admiring Picasso, and finish the night drinking absinthe with the likes of Luis Bunuel and Toulouse-Latrec. From a purely nostalgic sensibility, "Midnight in Paris" is magic.

8. Tree of Life
Reclusive director Terrence Malik's film about life, global warming, and growing up in the 1950s, among other things, is unlike any other film I saw in 2011. I hated it at first but slowly as successive images arrested my attention, I found myself unable to look away from the screen. Brad Pitt gives, in my opinion, the best performance of his career here though admittedly it's difficult to rate because this isn't a film so much about acting or linear storytelling but more about impressions and memory. It is another film that warrants a second or third viewing--which I have yet to do--because there's deep complexity here that doesn't immediately jump out at you...at least I think there's complexity. In some respects, "Tree of Life" is a cinematic riddle, a puzzle that requires careful attention, a meditation on what it means to be alive. Again, not a film for everyone but worthy of consideration.

9. Delhi Belly
Shifting from the sublime to the ridiculous, the Hindi gross-out comedy "Delhi Belly" is, as I wrote in my review here a couple weeks ago, the most obnoxious and flat-out funniest film I saw all year. A Hin-glish cross of "The Hangover" and "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" with a little "Shaft" thrown in at the end for no apparent reason, this film had me in stitches from the very first minute and didn't let up until the very end. Young Bollywood heart-throb Imran Khan (not the Pakistani cricket player) leads an ensemble cast through 90 action-packed minutes of diamond heists, diarrhea, shoot-em-up action sequences, more diarrhea, and an end credits musical number starring great Hindi actor, producer, and Imran's uncle, Aamir Khan, that wouldn't be out of place in "Cleopatra Jones." I loved it though I think I'll think twice about ordering Tandoori Chicken.

10. W.E.
Madonna's labor of love about the romance between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson is by no means a perfect film. The narrative is a little muddied from time to time and the filmmaking itself suffers from occasional lapses into film school self-consciousness. Yet, despite its faults, "W.E." is an achingly gorgeous and romantic film that is very deserving of a place on this list. British actress Andrea Riseborough gives a captivating performance as Mrs. Simpson. You simply cannot take your eyes off of her when she's onscreen. It's a shame that Ms. Riseborough was overlooked by the Academy because I believe hers is one of the great screen performances of 2011. The film did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design and Madonna's song "Masterpiece" that plays over the end credits won the Golden Globe for Best Song last month. Having directed and co-written the screenplay, "W.E." shows that Madonna has the talent and the potential to be a true cinema auteur. As I said in my review a couple days ago, "W.E." is my pick for the most visually beautiful film of 2011.

Ciao.

Movie Review: Shame

Hi everyone! Hope y'all are having a good weekend.

Pretty quiet here...getting the apartment decorated for Christmas, catching up on some reading, errands, etc. I did get a chance yesterday to see British director Steve McQueen's controversial new film "Shame" starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. While it's certainly not for everyone, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I think it's definitely one of the best films of 2011.

What makes this film so great are the two standout performances of its lead actors. Mr. Fassbender is sleek, suave, and eerily seductive as Brandon, a thirtysomething Manhattan corporate professional with a sex addiction that increasingly comes to dominate his life and isolates him from anything and anyone who might attempt to care for him, chiefly his sister Cissy--played by the remarkable Ms. Mulligan--a troubled nightclub singer who moves into Brandon's apartment for reasons that are never really explained. The film unflinchingly but ever so stylishly depicts Brandon and Cissy's relationship as their lives spiral out of control.

While some may find fault with Mr. McQueen's decision not to dwell on a backstory for these characters--i.e. we never really learn anything about Brandon and Cissy beyond what transpires onscreen and a passing mention of the fact that both had grown up in New Jersey--I loved the fact that we are thrown into the middle of the action and are forced to deal with Brandon and Cissy on the basis of what we witness as opposed to what we are told. It's a risky decision as it may make us less sympathetic to their very real tragedies since we never know what brought them on. But what makes this narrative device--and the film as a whole--work so beautifully is the subtle and nuanced performances of Fassbender and Mulligan. You feel their frustration, their desperation, their pain even as you are often repulsed by their behavior or just merely baffled. Is there an incestuous connection between them? Are both victims of earlier sexual abuse? Again and again you find yourself asking these questions but the film never provides answers. And while some might find this a flaw, I respected the decision not to burden us with what could quite easily have become cliche.

"Shame" is a film full of quiet moments and arresting images and yes, there is even some humor, not to mention one of the most bizarre and irritating renditions of the song "New York, New York" ever committed to celluloid. And yes, there is sex--NC-17 rated sex which leaves very little to the imagination. However, while some of it is quite shocking, I never found it to be gratuitous. Brandon and Cissy are creatures of extremes. In less capable hands, one might be inclined to view them with something more akin to contempt than sympathy. But instead, I came to feel quite deeply for them, and while the ending is not necessarily surprising given what's come before it, I found the final scenes quietly devastating.

Like it or hate it--and I liked it...a lot--"Shame" leaves an impression that isn't easy to shake. As far as emotional impact on the viewer, of all the films I've seen this year, only Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" tops "Shame" in terms of wrenching sheer emotion from the viewer. Neither of these films are going to appeal to the masses, but as far as a truly visceral, unique cinematic experience, it doesn't get much better than this.

Ciao.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: "When you go to the movies, what are you hoping to experience first and foremost: sheer entertainment that doesn't require you to think, or an emotional experience that causes you to question your values and/or your perception of life?"