The Year in Review- 2011

It was the year that Brad Pitt played baseball and drifted through Terry Malick's dream world. George Clooney hung out in Hawaii, Marvel made their intentions clear, and Emma Stone's career got some serious help. Meryl Streep made more Oscar history, Steven Spielberg staged more war, and we all entered the Octagon. Here are the ten best films for 2011.

1. "The Tree of Life"(2011) Terrence Malick is one of the most polarizing filmmakers in the world, and I'm not going to pretend that his abstract(often) wordless wonderland will appeal to everybody. However, in an age of excessive superhero franchising, we must not ignore an artist that takes chances and attempts to push the medium forward. Malick employs virtuoso cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki to achieve the hypnotic visual splendor that previously inspired awe in 2005's "The New World". Brad Pitt stars in the(mostly) 1950s-set story as a disciplinarian dad in the deep South, while Sean Penn appears in the present day to recall a less-than idyllic childhood. To reveal more would rob adventurous viewers of a truly original and transcendent trip through time and space that earns comparisons to(dare I say) Stanley Kubrick's "2001".

2. "Moneyball"(2011) Brad Pitt got better with age, as further evidenced by this smart sports drama that documents the improbable MLB success of the 2002 Oakland Athletics. After drifting through Terrence Malick's dream-world, Brad introduced Sabermetrics to baseball as the A's general manager Billy Beane. His innovative analytical approach to America's favorite pasttime sends the lowest-paid team in the league on a record-setting twenty-game winning streak to conclude a season that saw them match the all-mighty NY Yankees. Director Bennett Miller finds more action in the front office than on the field, thanks to a sharp Steven Zaillian-Aaron Sorkin screenplay and a supporting roster that includes Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

3. "Captain America: The First Avenger"(2011) Marvel knows what they're doing. Director Joe Johnston("Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", "The Rocketeer") brings a pleasingly old-school sensibility to a character created in 1941 that, until recently, hasn't had the same pop culture presence as Batman and Superman. Chris Evans was well-cast as Steve Rodgers, the skinny Brooklyn kid turned WWII ass-kicker that clashes with Hugo Weaving's Nazi villain Red Skull. "The First Avenger" was another successful debut/origin story and one of the building blocks, along with "Thor"(released just two months earlier), for the Marvel Cinematic Universe- the decade's biggest blockbuster brand.

4. "The Descendants"(2011) George Clooney is terrific as a soon-to-be widower with two difficult daughters(Shailene Woodley is particularly good) in Alexander Payne's high-quality dramady. Hawaii was a unique setting for an emotionally-complex tale of love and loss, and the Oscar-winning screenplay, based on a 2007 novel, contains many humorous insights into insulated island life. It had been a long seven years since the "Election" writer-director's most celebrated effort "Sideways". "The Descendants" was worth the wait. Robert Forster, Beau Bridges, Amara Miller, Matthew Lillard, and Judy Greer costar.

5. "The Help"(2011) Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Cicely Tyson, Mary Steenburgen. Can you name a movie with a greater group of women? Writer-director Tate Taylor's ace adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's 2009 novel explores the lives and struggles of black domestic workers in 1960s Jackson Mississippi(maids, to be exact). "The Help" was a major box office success, in addition to it's positive critical reception. Octavia("eat...my...shit.") Spencer was rightly rewarded with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

6. "The Iron Lady"(2011) Meryl Streep had to wait 19 years for her second Best Actress Oscar, and third overall(the first two were for "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "Sophie's Choice") for this appropriately-titled biopic that could just as easily be used to describe Streep herself. Margaret Thatcher was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th Century, and the first woman to hold the office. Her reign from 1979-1990 was characterized by steely uncompromising policies which seemed to draw an equal amount of praise and scorn. Streep perfectly captures this divisive figure as we're taken from Thatcher's glory days to her reclusive final years(dementia forced her from public view in the 2000s) with a dazzlingly diverse display of her unrivalled talents.

7. "War Horse"(2011) I think we take Steven Spielberg for granted. The GOAT directed TWO quality films, for Christmas 2011(the other was the animated "Tintin") that I hope you eventually got around to. There's echoes of "E.T." in this classy adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel, about the unbreakable bond between a British teen(Jeremy Irvine) and a bay Irish Hunter. After realizing that World War I had never received his full attention, Spielberg promptly changed that in rural England with 5,800 extras and 300 horses. This is grand, gloriously-old-fashioned filmmaking(CGI is used sparingly) that doesn't look or feel like "Saving Private Ryan". Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski is right there with John Williams as a key Spielberg collaborator.

8. "The Artist"(2011) This lively, entertaining love letter to the silent-film era seems to have already joined "Crash" and "Shakespeare in Love" on the list of unpopular Oscar recipients. That's a shame, because open-minded viewers won't find anything to dislike in it's black-and-white 100-minute runtime. Best Actor Jean Dujardin is a dashing star in late 1920s Hollywood, until "talkies" irreversibly change the industry(and his career fortunes) at the end of the decade. Berenice Bejo is delightful as his beautiful rival and eventual sound partner. "The Artist" is a film about history that managed to make some- Writer-director Michel Hazanavicius made the only French-produced Best Picture winner, and the most celebrated silent movie since 1927's "Wings".

9. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"(2011) Is Lisbeth Salander the greatest female film character of the 2010s? Rooney Mara makes a strong impression as the damaged goth-girl/anti-heroine hacker at the center of David Fincher's stylish adaptation of Stieg Larrson's 2005 novel. Daniel Craig takes a break from Bond as a down-and-out journalist in over his head in a wintry Swedish labyrinthe. The complex mystery plot may take a second viewing to fully digest, but Mara's magnetism and Fincher's clinical direction will keep you seated for all 158 minutes.

10. "Warrior"(2011) The rise of mixed martial arts has been one of the most compelling sports stories of the early 21st Century. Once considered a barbaric sideshow, it's participants now enjoy a level of fame and prestige that was unfathomable in the 1990s. It was about time that Hollywood got clued in on the skull-crushing phenomenon, and "Miracle" director Gavin O'Connor can say he made the first serious MMA movie. Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton are both gritty and believable as battling brothers, as is wrestling legend Kurt Angle as a Russian villain. A 70 year old Nick Nolte nearly steals the film as the colorfully-crusty patriarch.

Honorable Mentions- "The Dilemma"(2011) Vince Vaughn and Winona Ryder vibrate this Ron Howard romcom. "The Lincoln Lawyer"(2011) Mathew McConaughey makes a comeback. "Rango"(2011) Johnny Depp's green chameleon was the Best Animated Feature. "Fast Five"(2011) The Rock joins Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, the box office explodes. "Bridesmaids"(2011) Kristen Wiig is hilarious in the year's hottest comedy. "Midnight in Paris"(2011) Woody Allen wins his third Original Screenplay Oscar.

"Thor"(2011) Chris Hemsworth wields his mighty hammer. "Kung Fu Panda 2"(2008) Po and the gang get a sequel. "Mr. Popper's Penguins"(2011) Jim Carrey in a jolly adaptation of the 1938 children's book. "X-Men: First Class"(2011) Matthew Vaughn's 1962-set prequel is among the best "X" movies. "Bernie"(2011) Jack Black and Richard Linklater reunite. "Super 8"(2011) J.J. Abrams channels '80s Spielberg. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"(2011) Johnny Depp's fourth voyage as Captain Jack Sparrow. "Beginners"(2011) Christopher Plummer comes out for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. "Crazy, Stupid, Love"(2011) You may love this Ryan Gosling-Emma Stone romcom. "The Smurfs"(2011) The Belgian blue group invades the big screen. "Rampart"(2011) Woody Harrelson is a wayward California cop.

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"(2011) Andy Serkis' Caesar leads a new "Apes" series. "Colombiana"(2011) Zoe Saldana should be more famous. "One Day"(2011) Hang out in London with Anne Hathaway. "Contagion"(2011) Steve Soderbergh predicts the pandemic. "Drive"(2011) The year's #1 film according to Empire magazine. "Shame"(2011) Michael Fassbender is a sex addict. "Killer Joe"(2011) is played by Matthew McConaughey in William Friedkin's crazy comic thriller. "The Thing"(2011) This prequel can be paired with John Carpenter's 1982 classic. "Margin Call"(2011) J.C. Chandor's directorial debut details the '08 financial crisis. "The Rum Diary"(2011) Johnny Depp meets Amber Heard. "The Ides of March"(2011) George Clooney campaigns with Ryan Gosling. "We Have to Talk About Kevin"(2011) We have to talk about Tilda Swinton.

"My Week with Marilyn"(2011) Michelle Williams impresses as the immortal Monroe. "J Edgar"(2011) Clint Eastwood directs Leonardo DiCaprio as the FBI's intensely-focused founder. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I"(2011) Bella gives birth. "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"(2011) Tom Cruise's fourth mission. "We Bought a Zoo"(2011) Cameron Crowe's last good movie stars Matt Damon and Scarlet Johansson. "Hugo"(2011) Martin Scorsese makes a classy kids movie. "Young Adult"(2011) Charlize Theron can't get her shit together. "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy"(2011) Gary Oldman gets his first Oscar nomination. "Albert Nobbs"(2011) Glenn Close gets her sixth Oscar nomination. "The Adventures of Tintin"(2011) Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson join forces. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"(2011) Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and Max von Sydow star in this 9/11 drama. "Carnage"(2011) Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly in a Roman Polanski production.

The Year in Review- 2021

Will Smith may have singlehandedly saved the Oscars. Slapping controversy aside(he clearly shouldn't have done it),

Tobey Maguire

Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield are both great.

Two Star Movies Vol. 9

1. "Harper"(1966) Rotten Tomatoes is wrong. Paul Newman's private eye(based on a 1949 novel) is one of the few films from his '60s peak that isn't worth revisiting. TV director Jack Smight did almost nothing with his star's charisma or William Goldman's screenplay. The abrupt, unsatisfactory ending left me in stunned silence.

2. "The Organization"(1971) Speaking of torpid movie star turns, I give you Sidney Poitier's third assigment as Detective Virgil Tibbs. Yes, there were two sequels to "In the Heat of the Night", that nobody on Earth remembers.

3. "The Stepford Wives"(1975) There are two film versions of Ira Levin's 1972 novel, and they both suck. This one boils down to a Brit director(Bryan Forbes) that doesn't know how to entertain, and a bland Katharine Ross proving that she was ill-equipped for leading lady status.

4. "The Rescuers"(1977) Disney animation was in the doldrums in the 1970s, a relatively-fruitless era that nearly led to a hostile takeover of Walt's company(imagine that). It certainly didn't help that Bianca and Bernard debuted the same summer as "Star Wars". In fairness, a 1990 sequel would enhance their reputations to the point where most people couldn't even tell the two films apart by now.

5. "Hard Country"(1981) Remember when Jan-Michael Vincent was supposed to be a big star? Don't feel bad, neither does anyone else. At least this forgotten redneck romance gave us a beautiful blonde with big dreams, by the name of Kim Basinger.

6. "Halloween II"(1981) Forty years later, Jamie Lee Curtis and the hospital-set sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 classic are looking better than ever, after so many poor attempts to cash in on the public's devotion to horror icon Michael Myers. "HII" was met with disdain by most critics, and can only really be enjoyed by the genre's famously-undemanding enthusiasts.

7. "One From the Heart"(1982) Teri Garr and Raul Julia had potential that was never fully realized, thanks in part to the profound failure of this musical misfire that dealt a serious blow to the career of famed director Frances Ford Coppola and his ambitious upstart Zoetrope Studios. The self-indulgent "Heart" has none, and earned a mere $630,000 on a $26 million budget.

8. "Videodrome"(1983) It has to be noted that a brunette post-punk 'Deborah' Harry never made it in the movies. Director David Cronenberg was clearly aiming for another cult hit, but this doesn't belong in the same class as "Scanners" and "The Fly", even with a sleazy, young(er) James Woods at it's center.

9. "Revenge of the Nerds"(1984) I'm not one to punish old movies for not meeting the moral standards of today, but this cult comedy isn't aging well at all. Firstly, there's nothing wrong with being a 'nerd', they rule the world. Secondly, I think there's a sexual assault here that's played for laughs. And finally, I never really found it funny to begin with.

10. "All of Me"(1984) Steve Martin hadn't really found his footing yet as a mature film star, as Lily Tomlin's ghost has him stuck between his early goofball shtick and the much more rewarding "Roxanne"/"Parenthood"/"Father of the Bride" era. The late Carl Reiner directed Martin here for the fourth and final time.

11. "National Lampoon's European Vacation"(1985) A red-hot Chevy Chase admitted that he didn't really want Amy Heckerling directing the second installment of his John Hughes-scripted franchise. For once, the asshole was right. It just wasn't a good fit, and "EV" is significantly less fun than the much-more popular first and third films(but better than 1997's "Vegas Vacation").

12. "Murphy's Law"(1986) I just can't get through a two-star movie blog without a gray-haired, pistol-packing Charles Bronson and his Cannon Films paycheck burning a hole in his pocket. A terrible script and Kathleen Wilhoite's annoying sidekick killed what should have been a straightforward assignment for Bronson's longtime director J. Lee Thompson.

13. "Back to School"(1986) Rodney Dangerfield never starred in a good movie. I took off my nostalgia glasses and was stunned by the stupidity of his biggest hit. An underused Robert Downey Jr. should have played his uncomfortable son, what a missed opportunity.

14. "The Bedroom Window"(1987) Steve Guttenberg's total lack of anything even remotely resembling serious acting ability is the reason this otherwise competent Curtis Hanson thriller hasn't been discussed since Reagan was President. A bad break for Elizabeth McGovern, who had some momentum.

15. "Harry and the Hendersons"(1987) Rick Baker's Oscar-winning make-up is the only reason to respect this achingly-obvious, would-be blockbuster that takes more than a page or two from the "E.T." playbook(Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment produced). But I recently revisited Jon Lithgow's family and their sitcom-like antics with a friendly Sasquatch and decided that I just can't do it.

16. "The Running Man"(1987) An unskilled TV director(Paul Michael Glaser) kept this deadly game show from joining the ranks of Arnold Schwarzenegger classics. A rewatch revealed a dull, drab execution of a can't-miss premise, that makes it the one prime Arnie actioner that I'll probably never return to.

17. "Breaking In"(1989) What happened to Burt Reynolds in the '80s? I was hoping this heist comedy would be a bright spot for the beleaguered star that seemingly slid further down the movie star ranks with each passing year. I'm not pleased to report that it was not. This time he took Casey Siemaszko down with him.

18. "Sibling Rivalry"(1990) Kirstie Alley was one of the most famous women in America in 1990. The "Look Who's Talking" star was cashing in on her short-lived clout in Carl Reiner's throwaway sex comedy about an extramarital affair gone horribly wrong. Sam Elliot's horndog dies in a hotel room. So does the movie. Jami Gertz steals her scenes as Alley's hip younger sister.

19. "Diggstown"(1992) Louis Gossett Jr. is as aging fighter lured into a grueling gauntlet by a con-man manager(James Woods), a far-fetched premise that feels less so when one peeks at the current state of boxing. "Bad News Bears" director Michael Ritchie was similarly passed his prime when he crafted this underwhelming underdog story.

20. "Robin Hood: Men in Tights"(1993) Former comedy king Mel Brooks was feeling as old and out-of-touch as his subject matter, in this limp spoof that looks for laughs in Sherwood Forest, and finds none. Cary Elwes and Amy Yasbeck bring some energy to Brooks' tired material, but the most memorable part of "Tights" was it's title.

21. "Love Affair"(1994) Real-life married couple Warren Beatty and Annette Bening had no chemistry whatsoever in this stilted remake of the 1939 romantic drama. Katharine Hepburn's final performance and Conrad Hall's lighting couldn't class things up enough for the awards consideration that Beatty was obviously after. Talk about an affair to forget.

22. "Congo"(1995) This dumb, second-rate Michael Crichton adaptation was hastily produced to pounce on the "Jurassic Park" crowd exactly two summers later. Needless to say, Frank Marshall's African gorillas didn't have the same appeal as Spielberg's dinosaurs. Tim Curry and Ernie Hudson both have annoying accents, and the FX-filled finale is only moderately-exciting.

23. "Last Man Standing"(1996) Bruce Willis was shooting blanks in this Walter Hill Western that looked good on paper and in advertising material. Actually watching it is another story. The movie doesn't really have one, and Hill never nails down the proper tone. Christopher Walken is wasted in a villain role.

24. "Batman & Robin"(1997) What would you say if I told you that Joel Schumacher's Waterloo, which famously pitted an overwhelmed TV actor named George Clooney against Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, is actually the best movie on this list by sheer virtue of the fact that it's one of the most talked about films of the last 25 years?

25. "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps"(2000) Speaking of latex and unloved sequels, that brings us to Eddie Murphy. I think we all felt good about Sherman Klump and his cheerfully vulgar family in '96. Four summers later, the first film's heart was replaced by a series of lame, gross-out gags more obnoxious and off-putting that Buddy Love himself. Janet Jackson adds nothing to the pitiful product except the inescapable, deceptively-sweet soundtrack contribution "Doesn't Really Matter".

26. "The Ring"(2002) Naomi Watts and a blue tint couldn't save this inexplicably-popular remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film of the same name. At least director Gore Verbinski ran with the momentum to launch the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series.

27. "The Core"(2003) The Bore, is more like it. An enviable cast(Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci) is led straight to the bargain bin in one of the 'most scientifically inaccurate films ever made'. On top of not being entertaining at all, that's one dubious distinction.

28. "Alexander"(2004) Oliver Stone's worst movie finds a blonde Colin Farrell looking like a poor man's Russell Crowe(fortunately, the Irish stud fully recovered from his early career follies). One good battle scene can't overcome a bloated three-hour runtime or the overacting of Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, and Anthony Hopkins. Although, some will argue that Stone's ancient Greek epic was redeemed by the robust sales of FOUR separate DVD releases that I won't be bothering with.

29. "The Brave One"(2007) A gon-toting Jodie Foster is out for revenge in this weak reimagining of the "Death Wish" formula. Director Neil Jordan("The Crying Game") seems confused- is this just a fun shoot-'em-up or were there deeper aspirations here? And what the hell happened to Terrence Howard??

30. "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3"(2009) John Travolta's over-the-top villainy is almost enough to give this busy remake of the 1974 thriller a passing grade. I just wish that Tony Scott(in his second-to-last film) hadn't felt the need to direct the shit out of every moment with his breathless, super-slick visual style. His 5x leading man Denzel Washington is relatively subdued as a heroic subway dispatcher.

31. "The Ghost Writer"(2010) Roman Polanski is irrelevant, and it has nothing to do with a 45-year old sex crime conviction. Critics were polite, but this political thriller that pits Ewan McGregor against Pierce Brosnan is a guaranteed cure for insomnia.

32. "Somewhere"(2010) Sophia Coppola kinda sucks, and her fourth movie goes nowhere. This wildly self-indulgent attempt to replicate the melancholy magic of "Lost in Translation" is likely to frustrate casual viewers with it's slow-moving reminder that fame and success doesn't always equal happiness. Coppola's budget constraints probably stuck her with Stephen Dorff as a depressed bad-boy actor, and he simply isn't compelling enough to carry a movie as uneventful as this one.

33. "Men in Black 3"(2012) Josh Brolin does a good Tommy Lee Jones impression. Sadly, that's the only positive I have to report on this belated threequel. A ten-year gap did not lead to a creative renaissance for Will Smith and director Barry Sonnenfeld, with a 1969-set time travel storyline that only reminded me how much better "Back to the Future" was at this sort of thing.

34. "Hercules"(2014) Summer fun with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Brett Ratner? Not quite. The Scorpion King was really testing my patience with his aggressive box office-baiting around this time. What must have felt like a slam dunk for studio suits was a deadening slog for anyone with half a brain, and the since-reviled Ratner has yet to direct another film.

35. "The Visit"(2015) Two stars isn't always a bad thing. M. Night Shyamalan was literally fighting for his once-great career when he personally ponied up the funds($5 million) for a make-or-break horror comedy about two teenagers and their creepy grandparents. Against all odds, this flawed found-footage film made money, allowing it's rejuvenated writer-director to reclaim a modicum of respect.

36. "The House"(2017) Have we finally had our fill of Will Ferrell? His crass underground casino was his lowest-grossing lead role in a long time, despite an advantageous summer release and an 88 minute in-and-out runtime. Amy Poehler shouldn't be lowering herself like this. Film comedy is dead.

37. "Charlie's Angels"(2019) There's never been a good "Charlie's Angels" movie. With that being said, Kristen Stewart and Naomi Scott bring some youthful girl power appeal to the predictable proceedings. An $18 million domestic box office total was a devastating blow to this franchise's future prospects and the big-screen ambitions of director/co-star Elizabeth Banks.

38. "6 Underground"(2019) Michael Bay's 14th film was made for Netflix, and is such an fast, loud, overblown, relentless, hyperactive stunt-show, that it's action set-pieces, while technically sound, are rendered empty and meaningless for anyone that still cares about story and character. Ryan Reynolds is a vigilante billionaire with a steady stream of jokes to remind you not to take a minute of it seriously.

39. "F9"(2021) Or Fast 9 From Outer Space. The series' worst installment since 2009 couldn't possibly please anyone other than it's most loyal followers. Vin Diesel, aren't you rich enough yet? How many houses and cool cars does one guy need?? Vote with your wallets, people.

40. "Marry Me"(2022) The nitwit version of "Notting Hill" has Jennifer Lopez looking great at age 51 and...that's about it. Her pampered pop star(a real acting stretch) finds unlikely love with Owen Wilson's unassuming nice guy. At least it was free with my Peacock subscription.