My taste in movies can best be described by words from the famous speech college basketball coach Jim Valvano made before he lost his life to cancer.
Valvano, while he had few left, talked
about what a good day was to him. He said if that 24-hour period included some time
in deep thought, some laughs and tears -- it was a pretty good day. I love a movie
that makes me think, laugh and draws some emotion. If it does not have all of
those together, I’m just looking to be entertained with something unique.
For much of the past decade, I have
compiled a list of my favorite movies of the year. I have usually spent the time from New
Year’s Day until Oscar Night frequenting Red Box to see all the movies others
picked among their best of the year. I can’t see them all. I still have not
viewed Ghost Protocol, Margaret, A Separation and two documentaries -- The Undefeated
and The Interrupters.
This year’s group of films is not as deep as
2010, especially in the 11-25 spots. I did not get drawn in by two highly-rated
films – War Horse and Tinker, Tailor Soldier Spy.
Here’s a look at the movies that either
met all three criteria or entertained me at some level in 2011.
25. My Week With Marilyn – Michelle
Williams is brilliant as the great, yet very complicated, Marilyn Monroe.
24. Higher Ground – Vera Farmiga directs
and stars in a woman’s life-long struggle with her faith.
23. Red State – Violent, exaggerated (or
is it?) film by Kevin Smith about a religious cult.
22. Bridesmaids – The Hangover for
women, with a heart.
21. Crazy, Stupid, Love – A top-notch
cast battles with relationship issues.
20.
Hugo – Steven Spielberg’s long-winded story about an orphan boy, an automaton
and old movies.
19. Contagion – A world-wide epidemic
caused by a rapidly-spreading virus with an all-star cast.
18. Melancholia – Kirsten Dunst deals with
severe depression and a doomsday vision in this very dark film.
17.
Margin Call – Kevin Spacey in a story about an investment bank’s greed and
stupidity.
16.
Another Earth – Extremely off-beat movie about a young woman trying to rebound
from a tragedy in a strange new world.
15.
Win, Win – A high school wrestling coach (Paul Giamatti) helps a runaway try to
rebuild his life in and out of the circle.
14. Hangover 2 – Sequel is just as
crude, not as funny, but still has enough goofy moments to be worth a watch.
13. Extremely Loud & Incredibly
Close – The son of a 9/11 victim tries to get over the death of his father (Tom
Hanks).
12. The Help – A gripping film about the
evil of racism and African-American housekeepers in the Deep South.
11. The Artist – French film with no
audible dialogue, but a delightful story about a washed-up actor and a
beautiful young actress.
10. Drive
– Ryan Gosling plays a cool, dark, complicated character who can drive a car like
very few.
9. Source
Code – Futuristic drama where Jake Gyllenhaal travels back in time to nail
a terrorist.
8. Take
Shelter – Psycho drama about mental illness with a fantastic performance by
Michael Shannon.
7. The
Ides of March – Political drama with an all-star cast, led by Gosling,
George Clooney, Phillip Seymour-Hoffman and Evan Rachel Wood.
6. The
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- Rooney Mara’s brutal, spine-tingling
performance as a brilliant, but mentally unstable, gal who can solve crimes.
5. Rise
of the Planet of the Apes – New take on the old series and how a damn-dirty
ape world could happen today.
4. Moneyball
– Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, who used statistics to help prop up the
overachieving Oakland A’s.
3. We
Bought a Zoo – Widower Matt Damon moves out of town and buys a house with a
zoo that comes with it.
2. 50/50
– Joseph-Gordon Leavitt goes through many emotions as he deals with cancer at a
young age, getting help from young therapist Anna Kendrick.
1. The
Descendants – Unique story, based in Hawaii, with George Clooney trying to
a good father as his wife lies in a coma and his family pressures him about
selling land.
Honorable mention: Super 8, Water for Elephants, Midnight in Paris, Larry Crowne, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, Soul
Surfer, The Conspirator, War Horse, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy.
Worst: Horrible Bosses, Jack and Jill, Cowboys &
Aliens, Tree of Life and Apollo 18.
The
Most Enjoyable or Meaningful Films I have seen
20.
Planet of the Apes – You laugh, but this film stands up decades later.
The closing scene is one of the best ever.
19.
500 Days of Summer – This movie hit home with its interesting, sometimes
humorous, study of relationships and how
difficult they can be.
18. Into the Wild – The story of
Christopher McKandless’ journey to Alaska with rich, compelling characters along the way.
17. Malcolm X – Denzel Washington is
amazing in his role as the former black leader in this Spike Lee film
16. Office Space – Filled with truly
hilarious lines and situations, but it makes you think about what work should
be to you.
15. Seabiscuit -- Heartwarming, fun, old-style film about a
downtrodden horse that becomes a champion.
14. Bull Durham – Kevin Costner “the
player to be named later” as Crash Davis in this sometimes poetic comedy about minor
league baseball.
13. The Social Network – Whether the
events were changed or not for the film, it is interesting story of a unique young man who builds a multi-million dollar company from scratch.
12. Lost in Translation – A washed-up
movie actor befriends a confused, yet interesting, young woman in Japan and they
help each other deal with life’s obstacles.
11. Four Weddings and a Funeral – A
delightful film about love, timing, friendship, marriage and dealing with
tragedy.
10. High Fidelity – John Cusack struggles
with commitment problems in this cheeky comedy about a music store owner.
9. Inglorious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino
rewrites history in this rollicking film about wishful justice.
8. Hoosiers -- Gene Hackman gets his
last chance at coaching with a small school in Indiana.
7. Stripes – Bill Murray and John Candy,
among others, join the army and all Hell breaks loose in the best comedy of all
time.
6. 25th Hour – Ed Norton
tries to tie up all loose ends in his mind and in reality the final day before
going to jail on a drug charge.
5. Garden State – An odd, funny, smart
film with a heart as a troubled young man finds himself in his old New Jersey town.
4. Swingers – A young group of aspiring
actors takes on life living in Hollywood in this creative comedy.
3. Pulp Fiction – A violent, humorous,
compelling film that boasts great dialogue and great characters with intertwining
stories.
2. Braveheart – Mel Gibson in the story of William
Wallace, who led the fight for Scotland’s independence.
1. Almost Famous – Cameron Crowe’s love
story to rock and roll, a semi-autobiographical film about his experiences as an
under-aged music writer in the early 1970s.
-- Mark Pukalo
