The end of the year, as well as the season's characteristic gold rush of high-caliber cinema, is upon us. And what better time to take in all the Oscar-minded flicks flooding into theaters or catch up on gems passed over from earlier this year than the glorious month of little-to-no responsibility that lies before us, just beyond that abysmal week-which-shall-not-be-named. While there are still a few films I'm highly anticipating over break-namely "Shame," "Young Adult," "The Artist" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"-I'd still like to take this time procrastinating from studying to compile my top 10 of 2011 (so far) list.
10. "Attack the Block"
An alien invasion movie like none you have ever seen before, "Attack the Block" oozes slick style and makes the most of its incredibly crafty screenplay by writer/director Joe Cornish. Part sci-fi action-thriller, part cheeky British comedy and part social commentary, this flick adds up to so much more than most of its genre-fluff peers.
9. "If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
This documentary out of Sundance traces the origins of the eco-extremist group ELF, as well as the particular story of one member sentenced to an extended prison sentence for the arson of a lumber mill after being demonized by the U.S. government as a terrorist. The real issue this documentary tackles is not so much environmentalism as it is the way the government uses terrorism scare-mongering as a blank check for their own (corporate) interests.
8. "50/50"
I doubt Seth Rogen, while writing the incredibly raunchy script for "Superbad," ever seriously thought he'd be part of a best picture nominee about cancer, but that will likely be the reality very soon. Anna Kendrick ("Up in the Air") and Joseph Gordon-Levitt deliver top-notch, comedic-dramatic performances alongside Rogen in a film that accomplishes a seemingly impossible task: making a movie about cancer that manages to be both deftly funny and pitch-perfect dramatic without crossing over into melodrama or tasteless humor.
7. "Midnight In Paris"
Woody Allen is back at the top of his game with "Midnight In Paris," the best piece of creative output from the writer/director I've seen in years. The cavalcade of celebrity cameos Allen puts together to play various famous historical writers and artists delighted the English major in me to no end. And the film's meditation on the value (or lack thereof) of having nostalgia for another age stuck with me long after I left the theater.
6. "Bellflower"
Cardinal Music Columnist Alex Seraphin called the Coatwolf production team behind "Bellflower" "the Fugazi of the film world" and instantly declared it one of his top 10 movies of all time. While I wouldn't go that far, I'd certainly give Madison-native Evan Glodell's passion project a spot in my top 10 of 2011. The film is off the beaten path of usual Hollywood fair. It has incredibly naturalistic dialogue and performances, a story impossible to pigeonhole into a single genre and a inimitable aesthetic crafted by Glodell's homemade camera. Also, the fact that the entire production was shot for $17,000 makes this flick a testament to the rapidly-escalating prowess of the DIY-indie filmmaking scene.
5. "Like Crazy"
Along will "Bellflower," writer/director Drake Doremus' "Like Crazy" is a standard bearer for just what can be done in filmmaking these days on a comparatively tiny budget. Jason Reitman said it best when delivering the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, the festival's highest honor, to Doremus for this examination of young love tested by transatlantic distance when he said, "We liked this movie, like crazy."
4. "The Guard"
Part "In Bruges" part "Hot Fuzz," "The Guard" is a unique blend of dark Irish humor, murder mystery and action flick. The surprising repartee between Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle crosses all boundaries of political correctness and makes this movie a pleasure to watch.
3. "Take Shelter"
Michael Shannon's performance as a family man construction worker in rural Ohio plagued by nightmares of an impending apocalyptic storm in "Take Shelter" is utterly riveting on a scale scarcely seen these days, especially from such an under-the-radar actor. There's no doubt in my mind this movie will snag Shannon a best actor nomination on Jan. 24, and I would not be surprised to see him take home a statuette a month later.
2. "Ides of March"
"Ides of March" reminded me, if rather abstractly, of 2008's "Doubt," a deserving film that was nonetheless deprived of a best picture nomination. While "Ides" loosely concerns the 2004 Democratic primary, while "Doubt" the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic church, they both deal in uncertainty and carry the particular air of being adapted from plays, with a focus on performances over all else. George Clooney and Ryan Gosling bring their A-Game and will likely see best actor and best supporting actor nominations respectively, as well as best picture and best director nominations for Clooney.
1. "Drive"
I could write volumes on every conceivable aspect of "Drive"-the catchy soundtrack, the mind-bogglingly perfectionist cinematography, the outstanding performances, the masterfullyadapted screenplay-and have done so quite a bit already this semester. Suffice it to say, "Drive" is without doubt my favorite film of 2011, featuring my favorite performance of the year by Ryan Gosling. This action-packed, suspenseful drama is a sight to behold on the big screen, and I highly suggest that if you have any opportunity to view it in theaters over break, you do so. The small screen simply cannot do adequate justice to this masterwork of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn.
Have your own favorite flicks of 2011? E-mail David your list at dcottrell@wisc.edu.
