It's that time of the year again, Ladies & Germs, for Continuity Film's Critic Consensus Top Ten Films of 2011.
First things first: The Formula.
I take the Top Ten Lists of the National Critics from The Austin Chronicle to the Washington Post (which are compiled on Metacritic.com) and I allocate the following scores to the list:
#1(10 points), 2(9), 3(8), 4(7), 5(6),6(5),7(4),8(3),9(2),10(1).
Criteria: Some critics have a tendency to bend the rules in their favor. This is like a student not doing the homework assignment. This is a TOP TEN List, not a Top Eleven, or a Top Ten and 1/2, this is not an Alphabetical-Top-Ten either. TOP TEN. Period.
Anyone who breaks that simple rule is DQ'd. Sorry, try again next year. (For the record, 80 Critics complied and 15 were DQ'd, not bad, that's 84.21%).
So, without further ado, here is the Critic Consensus Top Ten Films of 2011.
10. Margaret (119)
9. The Artist (142)
8. Take Shelter (145)
7. Hugo (148)
6. The Descendants (155)
5. Melancholia (160)
4. Certified Copy (165)
3. Drive (195)
2. A Separation (200)
1. The Tree of Life (341)
Thus far, I have ONLY seen "Hugo", "Drive", & "The Tree of Life."
I absolutely LOVED "Drive" and it was MY #1 Film of 2011. I thought "Hugo" was very good but I didn't love it (I didn't see it in 3D either and the theater only had the center-speaker working) but it was a film-lover's film through and through.
"The Tree of Life." There were sequences in their that were some of the most beautiful scenes EVER filmed. Overall, it was good, a little wonky at times, and extremely esoteric (but being a Malick fan, I was expecting that). If the film was ONLY the scenes in Waco, Texas, it might've gone down as on of the greatest films of recent memory. But Malick couldn't help himself. I can't wait to rewatch it b/c there is NO one like Malick working in film today.
Other films that I did see. I did see "Meek's Cutoff" (11th, 105) which I did NOT like at all. In fact, I hated it. I did see "Beginners" (19th, 65) which I thought was fantastic. Christopher Plummer is a lock for Best Supporting Actor in a very personal film stuffed with memory, love, and heartbreak.
I did see "War Horse" (42nd, 26) and I was extremely underwhelmed. I was expecting an epic, overdue WWI film (it does have flashes of WWI brilliance) but it gets bogged-down in sappy and melodramatic storytelling. This movie should've been Rated-R and graphic as hell. Spielberg cheats a lot in this movie and he reuses a ton of his old trick that are painfully telegraphed. If any of you have seen Bresson's minimalist masterpiece "Au Hasard Balthazar" (1966), you will notice a thematic element borrowed and inserted into the "War Horse" plot-line. I personally believe that Bresson executed it much better than Spielberg.
I did see "The Adventures of Tintin" (134rd, 3). It was an entertaining Indiana-Jones-esque adventure tale and it was glorious in 3D.
I did see "Super 8" (48th, 20). Again, it was awkward and I didn't really like it. It was surreal b/c the entire time you're watching it you are witnessing J.J. pay homage to Spielberg. It was distracting. It was like watching someone channel a dead-person. Wouldn't you rather just talk to the dead person?
In the next couple of weeks, I will be seeing "Midnight in Paris" (30th, 35), "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (39th, 29), "The Descendants" (6), "Moneyball" (15th, 90), "Senna" (32nd, 33), "Win Win" (44th, 24), "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (43rd, 24), "Margin Call" (37th, 31), etc.
Lastly, in terms of Best Picture, here are my predictions (in alphabetical order):
-The Artist (142) 9th
-A Dangerous Method (58) 21st
-The Descendants (155) 6th
-Drive (195) 3rd
-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (29) 39th
-Hugo (148) 7th
-Moneyball (90) 15th
-Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (94) 12th
-The Tree of Life (341) 1st
-War Horse (26) 42nd
I nailed ALL Ten noms last year, but this year is much harder.
My reasons: There is NO strong Animation contender and the Academy DOES NOT favor Foreign Films (therefore, scratch both "A Separation" and "Certified Copy" out of the Top Ten).
I added "A Dangerous Method" b/c of Cronenberg. I selected "War Horse" b/c of Spielberg and they need a Feel-Good-Movie nom. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" b/c of Fincher. "Moneyball" b/c of Pitt.
I was hesitant to include "Drive", but I think the Academy will come around. I did not select Von Trier's "Melancholia" b/c they are going to blackball him.
That's all folks. Until next year. Enjoy the list and if you want to know where your favorite film is, shoot me an email in the comments section.
Happy New Year!
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