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10 Films Not On My Top 10

In any given year there are bound to be a few critical darlings that you don’t quite agree with, but seemingly never more than this year. So before posting My Favorite Films of 2011, I thought I should acknowledge some movies that won’t be making an appearance on my list. These films have been so critically adored - making appearances on virtually every Top 10 except, well, my own - that I feel like I have to address their absence. Yes, I’ve seen them and though they all had admirable qualities, in one way or another, all fell short for me. That’s not to say that these are the worst films by any means, (those are coming soon), I actually liked most of these but didn’t feel any quite deserved the praise heaped upon it. The following films have been ranked according to the disparity between the critical consensus and my own, or to put it simply, most to least overrated.

1. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)
The most ambitious studio release of the year is regrettably also the most overrated. For the most part, “The Tree of Life” is a brilliant act of misdirection: admire the stunning photography and sweeping ambition but try to ignore the overbearing New Age narration and overreaching finale. No film this year has received more praise while being so seemingly unloved by anyone. (Have you heard anyone ramble on about this film the same way they did about “Drive”? Or “The Muppets” even?) It’s like every critic and film snob collectively agreed to give it a pass simply because they felt obligated to. I know I’ve said it before but this is one case where the Emperor is no longer wearing any clothes.

2. Hugo (Martin Scorsese)
Look, I admired the 3D too and absolutely loved the George Melies section that has so many reviewers breathlessly declaring the film “a love letter to cinema.” But dear God, how could no one else acknowledge how lifeless and awkward the first hour of the film was? Or how dull Hugo himself was? As far as I can tell, the central character in this film has not been singled out by a single review as being anything resembling “interesting.” And those aren’t the kinds of things you can just overlook, no matter how much I love Scorsese or his storybook concoction of Paris.

3. The Descendants (Alexander Payne)
As a big fan of Payne’s work (“About Schmidt” is a personal favorite), it pains me to admit that this is his weakest film to date, which makes it absolutely mystifying that it’s receiving so much praise. Adapted from a novel by other screenwriters (then rewritten by Payne), the film is missing the bite of his earlier work, neither as funny or heartfelt as many would have you believe. Even Clooney has been better in Payne disciple Jason Reitman’s “Up In The Air.” The relaxed Hawaiian setting has had an effect on the film and not in a good way. This is what it looks like when a director shifts into neutral.

4. Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin)
Having seen this at Sundance earlier this year, at the very birth of the buzz, I’ve spent nearly a year in the vocal minority for this film. This film suffers from Sundance Syndrome, it’s all atmopshere and no development. Flashback-present day-repeat without the central character (Elizabeth Olsen, deserving of the praise) ever doing anything proactive. Isn’t that what a protagonist is for? I began intrigued but left frustrated. Olsen and Durkin may be talents to watch but ‘Martha’ will likely be remembered more as a launching pad than a singular achievement.

5. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
Every film geek has a blind spot and I’m not sure anyone would be surprised to find out that World Cinema is definitely mine. That said, regardless of the country of origin there are certain things I look for in a film - to move me in some way, make me feel something for the characters, or at a base level, just entertain me - and “A Separation,” the leisurely paced Iranian melodrama, did not do those things. There are people out there who love this film and I absolutely cannot relate to those people.

6. Margaret (Kenneth Lonergan)
I get it, film critics. The film deserved better than its unceremonious dumping by Fox Searchlight a half decade after it was filmed. But let’s not get carried away here, folks. There are as many good scenes here as bad ones and adding another 30 minutes isn’t going to fix the film’s issues any more than pretending that this was one of the 10 best films to be released this year. (It isn’t.) While “Margaret” undoubtedly has its charms, its champions have gone more than a little overboard in extolling its virtues partially to prove their own influence.

7. Tinker Tailor Solider Spy (Tomas Alfredson)
As I said in my review, “never has a film I was so looking forward to made so little of an impression on me.” From the opening frames through the end credits, Alfredson’s admittedly gorgeous looking but hermetically sealed spy un-thriller never gave me a reason to care about what was going on. The cast is fantastic and cinematography is some of the finest I’ve seen all year but an emotional connection? Nothing. Confused I can deal with but excluded is a deal breaker.

8. Melancholia (Lars Von Trier)
I’ve never been a fan of Von Trier’s films, (to me he’s always seemed like a juvenile Michael Haneke), but I have to admit I did enjoy “Melancholia.” The audacious opening alone ranks as one of the cinematic highlights of the year which is, I suspect, in part why people have fallen for the film. While it was probably my favorite of the provocateur’s work to date, it’s lopsided and occasionally silly. The first half is exponentially more interesting than the second, though that too, contains its fair share of ridiculous moments. “Justine, I need that tagline!”

9. Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols)
Like Sundance brethren ‘Martha Marcy,’ “Take Shelter” is another case of a great premise with nowhere to go. Certain critics have complained about the ending which took away the film’s ambiguity but my problem was that it took so long to get there. With a two hour running time, the film is deadly repetitive, drawing out familiar scenes without illuminating or expanding what you already know. Essentially a mood piece (and that mood is very effective) it would have been much more successful had they trimmed 20 minutes and not given the audience (me) a chance to realize the filmmakers were treading water.

10. We Need To Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay)
Impeccably shot and acted, this is the third film on this list (along with ‘Martha Marcy’ and “Take Shelter”) that is tediously repetitive. Though I liked ‘Kevin’ quite a bit, it’s one of those films you could check out after the first 15 minutes and tune back in during the last 5 without missing a single beat of essential character or story. Which, quite frankly, when it’s all over feels like a waste of my time. Unlike the frustrating ‘MMMM,’ the central character here at least tries to do something about her situation. I admire Ramsay’s style but wish she had pushed it further.

Stay tuned for my actual Top 10.

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy review

Never has a film I was so looking forward to made so little of an impression on me. Based on the book by spy-turned-novelist John Le Carre and previously adapted into an acclaimed miniseries starring Alec Guinness, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is a spy thriller without the thrills. Set during the Cold War, the film focuses on George Smiley (Gary Oldman) who shortly after retiring from the British secret service is called back into duty to investigate a possible mole in the upper echelons of MI6. Oldman leads an impressive ensemble including Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds and Benedict Cumberbatch as various members of the organization, each with their own secrets to conceal. Structured around a series of interrogations by Smiley the story has a twisty structure that flashes back and forth in time (with Smiley’s glasses being a key to understanding which time frame we’re in). But with each interrogation going down another rabbit hole it’s hard to stay connected to a central narrative.

Directed by Tomas Alfredson, whose previous feature-the Swedish coming-of-age vampire tale “Let The Right One In”-is already considered a modern classic, I had high hopes for this film but it left me completely cold. Like Smiley himself, the film is reserved and buttoned up and never allows the audience in. Condensing a 400 page novel (which itself was made into a 290 minute miniseries) into a 2 hour movie is a mammoth undertaking. Alfredson gets the gestures but none of the feeling. Both “Zodiac” and “Munich” handle complex narratives and a large cast of characters and draw you into the story, but ‘Tinker’ leaves you on the outside, perhaps even by design. I can respect the film for not spoonfeeding its audience, which may have a hard time following the story but will have an even harder time finding a reason to care. After the screening, Alfredson said he thought it was more of a character piece instead of a spy thriller which is fine except you need to care about the characters and I never did.

There are a few moments when it seems like the story might begin to switch into gear but then switches back into neutral and just coasts. The suspense and paranoia from those fantastic trailers are nowhere to be found here. Oscar buzz came early but cooled dramatically and I can see why, despite a fantastic cast, beautiful production design and cinematography (bathed in browns), it’s a handsome looking film that you’re completely detached from.

Check out my recap of the MoMI Q&A with director Tomas Alfredson

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Most Anticipated Fall Movies ‘11

September is almost here which means (amongst other things) that Summer Movie Season has ended and Fall Movie Season is about to begin. There will be a flood of new movies released between now and the end of the year, many of them Oscar hopefuls and though it seems like awards season just wrapped up, it’s about to begin again in full force starting with the Toronto Film Festival next week. This will be my first trip to TIFF and I will also be attending the New York Film Festival in October (as usual), so I’ll be checking out quite a few films a bit early. Here are the films that I’m most looking forward to for the remainder of 2011.

1. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Dec 21) Anyone who’s been in a theatre while this trailer played knows exactly why it’s at the top of this list. The propulsive, wordless teaser for David Fincher’s latest is all sound and fury and is nearly impossible to watch without getting the chills. While it doesn’t explain much of the story, about a journalist (Daniel Craig) aided by a goth punk computer hacker (Rooney Mara) in search of a missing woman, it’s hard to imagine anyone watching it without thinking, “I have to see this. Right. Away.”

2. TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (Dec 9) From the director of the Swedish vampire coming-of-age tale (and one of the best horror films of the past decade) “Let The Right One In” comes this adaptation of the John Le Carre espionage thriller set during the Cold War with the most impressive British cast this side of a Harry Potter film including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong and more. The trailers for the film have been all atmosphere and intrigue and that’s enough to get me to the theatre opening day.

3. THE MUPPETS (Nov 23) After Jim Henson passed away, the Muppets seemed to lose their magic for a decade or two, so credit “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” co-writers Jason Segel and Nicolas Stoller for reviving the excitement again around these characters. The excellent, witty trailers should have both kids and nostalgia-prone adults both eagerly anticipating this one. “Flight of the Conchords” director James Bobin rounds up a cast including Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and a ton of cameos but all you really need to know is that Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal will all be there, too.

4. THE DESCENDANTS (Nov 23) It’s been 7 years since writer/director Alexander Payne released his last film; only a year less time than it took him to release his first 4 films “Citizen Ruth,” “Election,” “About Schmidt” and “Sideways” which made him one of the most promising filmmakers to come out of the late 90s/early 00s. Well after a hiatus Payne is back with his latest dramedy with George Clooney as a man trying to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident. It’s also playing TIFF and NYFF so expect it to be a major awards contender.

5. WE BOUGHT A ZOO (Dec 23) Speaking of hiatuses, it’s also been 7 years since the world has seen a Cameron Crowe film. The writer/director behind classics like “Say Anything,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Almost Famous” hit a snag with his last effort “Elizabethtown,” which ironically was about a man dealing with a colossal failure in his career. His comeback effort is based on the bestselling non-fiction book about a father (Matt Damon) who moves his family to the countryside to re-open a struggling zoo. If this isn’t enough to get his career back on track, the notorious music fan also has the doc “Pearl Jam Twenty” out in September.

My Most Anticipated Films of 2011

1. Moonrise Kingdom
dir: Wes Anderson (The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore)
Anderson’s 7th film is set in the 1960’s as 2 twelve year olds fall in love and run away from their New England town. Cast includes Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and 2 yet-to-be-named pre-teens. As much as I’ve been disappointed by his recent films I’m still hoping he’s got another classic in him. This could be it.

2. The Tree Of Life
dir: Terrence Malick (The New World, Days Of Heaven, Badlands)
This was in the same spot last year but now we’ve got a trailer and an actual release date. The film features Brad Pitt and Sean Penn as father and son, (in the 1950’s and present day), and will probably be beautiful (as long as it’s not boring.) I’m pretty sure the dinosaurs are out, though.

3. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
dir: David Fincher (The Social Network, Fight Club, Se7en)
Fresh off his Best Picture win for The Social Network, (you know it’s going to happen), Fincher has turned his attention to an adaptation of the first installment in the incredibly popular Millenium Trilogy. I saw the Swedish original and had a hard time picturing anyone turning it into something interesting but if anyone can do it, Fincher can. (Benjamin Button notwithstanding.)

4. Hugo Cabret
dir: Martin Scorsese (Kundun, The King Of Comedy, Boxcar Bertha)
Martin Scorsese ditches Leonardo DiCaprio for the first time in a decade to adapt this book about an orphan living inside a train station in 1930’s Paris. The film stars “Hit Girl” Chloe Moretz along with Christopher Lee, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jude Law among others and will be filmed entirely in 3D. (Not kidding.)

5. Super 8
dir: JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Mission: Impossible III)
I’m not sure exactly what this is about and I like it that way. I do know it stars Kyle “Coach Taylor” Chandler, Elle Fanning (who was amazing in Somewhere) and appears to evoke an 80’s era Spielberg. JJ Abrams loves “mystery boxes” and next summer I’m going to open one with Super 8 inside. Watch the teaser.

6. Contagion
dir: Steven Soderbergh (Che, Traffic, Erin Brockovich)
In case anyone thought Soderbergh was taking it easy this year, (after releasing 4 films in 2009), he’s already got 2 films ready to go for 2011. The 2nd of which is Contagion, a CDC centered action-thriller with a huge cast including Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cottiard, Gweneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston, etc. etc. He doesn’t need to retire, he just needs to slow down!

7. Haywire
dir: Steven Soderbergh (The Informant!, Solaris, Out Of Sight)
That other Soderbergh film, which will be released first, is Haywire. A gritty spy thriller described as “if Alfred Hitchock made a Pam Grier movie”, this one stars mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano backed by another sizeable cast including Ewan McGregor, Michael’s Douglas & Fassbender, Bill Paxton and Antonio Banderas. I almost got to see it last month but apparently that was impossible.

8. Submarine
dir: Richard Ayoade (TV’s ‘Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace’)
This one came out of nowhere at the Toronto Film Festival where it got ecstatic reviews and I decided I had to see it as soon as possible. The quote that got me was: “A coming of age story which is equal parts Rushmore, Election and Squid and the Whale.” and if everything works out that will hopefully be in about 4 weeks at Sundance. Please let everything work out.

9. The Descendants
dir: Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt, Election)
Somehow it’s been almost 7 years since Payne’s last film hit theatres. In that time there’s been a lot of Payne-lite, (The Weather Man, Up In The Air, etc.) but there’s no substitute for the real thing. George Clooney stars as a man trying to reconnect with his 2 daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident. He will probably find himself in painfully awkward/funny humiliating situations.

10. The Skin That I Inhabit
dir: Pedro Almodovar (Broken Embraces, Volver, Talk To Her)
This one is going to be dark. Antonio Banderas reteams with director Almodovar for the first time in 2 decades starring as a plastic surgeon hunting for the men who raped his daughter. Yikes! But I’m sure it will still have the directors trademark color palette, a beautiful score and a tone that switches from melodrama to comedy and back again. I hope.

11. Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn)
Ryan Gosling is a stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver. From the (insane) director of Bronson and also starring Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Albert Brooks and Bryan Cranston.

12. Hanna (Joe Wright)
It looks like a remake of The Professional from the director of Pride & Prejudice. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana. Watch the trailer.

13. Your Highness (David Gordon Green)
Unofficial Pineapple Express sequel, set in medieval times, swaps Seth Rogen for Natalie Portman AND Zooey Deschanel. Sounds like an upgrade. (Sorry Seth.) Watch the trailer.

14. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part II (David Yates)
The last last finally last and final Harry Potter film. I can’t wait. No spoilers.

15. Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau)
I’m still not sure how much I trust Jon Favreau to direct action, but I do trust Daniel Craig to be a badass. And it would be great for Harrison Ford to have a role that wasn’t terrible. Watch the teaser.

16. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredsen)
A Cold War espionage film starring Thomas Hardy, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth would be exciting. But that film directed by the guy who did Let The Right One In is a must-see.

17. This Must Be The Place (Paolo Sorrentino)
The insane director of Il Divo brings you Sean Penn, (dressed as Robert Smith from The Cure) stars as an aging rock star who sets out to find his fathers executioner, an ex-Nazi war criminal.

18. X-Men: First Class (Matthew Vaughn)
I had about zero interest in an X-Men reboot until I saw Kick-Ass and they set the film in the 60’s. Now I have a lot of interest. They even hired January Jones so I keep picturing Mad Men-era X-Men and I can’t not love that.

19. Sucker Punch (Zach Snyder)
While it looks way too CGI heavy for my liking, it also looks insane. And once every 2 years I kinda look forward to a Zach Snyder film. Watch the trailer.

20. The Muppets (James Bobin)
A brand new Muppets film, from the writers of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the director of Flight Of The Conchords. It might actually work.

Also released: While We’re Young (Noah Baumbach), Young Adult (Jason Reitman), Source Code (Duncan Jones), Beginners (Mike Mills), War Horse (Steven Spielberg), Paul (Greg Mottola), 30 Minutes Or Less (Ruben Fleischer), The Sitter (David Gordon Green), Wanderlust (David Wain), Bridesmaids (Paul Feig), The Hangover Part II (Todd Phillips), Twixt Now and Sunrise (Francis Ford Coppola), The Cabin In The Woods (Drew Goddard), One Day (Lone Scherfig), We Bought A Zoo (Cameron Crowe), The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg), Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird), Cars 2 (John Lassetter), The Green Hornet (Michel Gondry)

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