This time last year, everyone was singing the praises of a surefire Oscar-frontrunner called The Social Network and rightfully so. That masterful film featured strong performances led by Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield, a pitch-perfect sharp script from Aaron Sorkin, and solid direction from David Fincher. But something happened along the way to its Oscar climb... somewhere between its Golden Globe win for Best Drama and the Academy Awards nominations, it lost its mojo.
The King's Speech , as we know, eventually trumped Mark Zuckerberg for top honors following a string of big pre-Oscar wins starting with the Producer's Guild of America's awards. I fear the same thing might happen with current Oscar-lauded pic The Artist. Every year, backlash develops and kills momentum faster than War Horse on a stack of Red Bulls. This could be the year it develops for the lovable mostly silent French film that not only lives up to all its hype, but exceeds it in my book.
In any event, while we wait to see if the silent film that says so much follows Network to Golden Globe glory and eventual Oscar nods, I'm releasing my personal favorites of the year topped by that very film. I realize 'tis the season for everyone and their brother to release their "best of" lists so I'm throwing in a twist... here are my top 20 moments in film this year followed by my top 11 favorites. (Get it? 20 and 11 = 2011? Sigh.) The latter, by the way, was difficult in that I personally feel this year has been somewhat of a stinker for movies.
Add your own personal favorites below and have a Happy New Year!
Top 11 of 2011
1. The Artist: What's not to love about this lovable, utterly original throwback of a film? Michel Hazanavicius' direction is masterful, Jean Dujardin is delightful, and Berenice Bejo is stunning. Seriously, even the dog delivers!
2. Warrior: This underrated thrilling film features non-stop action, and star-making turns from Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy. It also features Nick Nolte in the performance of his career. It's the best film of its kind since Rocky.
3. Moneyball: The best written film of the year (no surprise there since it was penned by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin) features Brad Pitt in the richest performance of his career. So much more than a baseball movie, this is by far one of the most thoroughly enjoyable sports flicks to come out in the last 25 years. Kudos also go to Jonah Hill for making skeptics shutter at his performance, but not to Beane, who is currently dismantling his Oakland A's as we speak.
4. The Descendants: Everyone talks about writer/director Alexander Payne and George Clooney's performance -- as well as Shailene Woodley's star turn as they should, but I'm going to single out two others who deserve some love: Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer. While their respective roles are small, they give so much with so little.
5. The Help: I realize this film borders on caricaturization, but it's so well put together and boasts the finest female cast ever assembled. With Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, and on and on... this film is the reason the SAG Awards created a Best Ensemble category.
6. Crazy, Stupid, Love. Second to #5, this wonderfully cast and written film was the most enjoyable film of the summer. Oh, and Steve Carell is going to win an Oscar one day. I'm just saying it's going to happen one day. The guy may have been shown no love from the Emmy voters for his iconic role as Michael Scott on The Office, but this film proves he's got the goods to do comedy or drama effortlessly. It's only a matter of time he finds the role of his film career.
7. The Muppets: I'm placing this film so high on my list because no other film this year gave me a near-two hour smile throughout. Is it perfect? No. Does everything work? No. Did it revitalize a dead franchise and make me wish I was a kid again? Um, hell yes.
8. Hugo: I wanted to love Martin Scorsese's homage to film but only really, really liked it a lot. That said, it's the best looking film I've seen in decades and Howard Shore's magical score is the best of the year.
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: It's totally way too long, but Rooney Mara kicks major ass, and the look and feel of the film is just right. Bring on the sequel, stat!
10. 50/50 Joseph Gordon-Levitt is terrific and Seth Rogen is lovable in this underrated, extremely well-written film. The MVP of the film, however, is Anna Kendrick who manages to one-up her Up in the Air Oscar-nominated turn here as an inexperienced shrink who cares too deeply for her patient. If there's any justice, she'll be nominated again.
11. Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol: Easily the best film in the series with some of the best action sequences I've ever seen. You'll either be on the edge of your seat or clenching your sphincter during them!
Honorable Mention:
Midnight in Paris and Everything Must Go
Writer's Note: I didn't see Shame, Rampart, or Drive and realize that once I do, my lists will probably be altered. I also didn't see The Iron Lady because it seems like an odd sequel to The Iron Giant. I kid.
Top 20 Moments in Film
1. Tom Cruise's window climb in Mission:Impossible was the most thrilling scene of the year. A must-see in IMAX.
2. The battle to end Warrior is gut wrenching and satisfying. My heart is still racing from it... or perhaps that's the caffeine.
3. The bridge battle in Rise of the Planet of the Apes is jaw-dropping, and speaking of that film, it's time the Academy honored Andy Serkis. That guy is amazing whether we see all of him or not.
4. The showdown between Viola Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard in The Help is done so well. It's going to earn Davis an Oscar as is every scene she had in that moving film.
5. Rooney Mara became a star the minute she tattooed the rapist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
6. Gwyneth Paltrow having her head split open in Contagion was nuts but not as good as Cliff Martinez's score. Pass the Purell.
7. Judy Greer's final scene in the hospital during The Descendants is nothing short of magnificent. She deserves an Oscar nomination but likely won't get it.
8. The family fist-a-cuffs at the end of Crazy, Stupid, Love. is hysterically touching.
9. The final wrestling match in Win Win is so good as is the entire film, the screenplay, and its cast. Send some love to this little film, Oscar voters.
10. Before he took his clothes off in Shame, Michael Fassbender was kicking major ass and giving depth to Magneto in X-Men: First Class. His best scene, in my book, is when he confronts some idiots in an early scene at a bar.
11. Philip Seymour Hoffman's confrontation with Ryan Gosling in Ides of March is among the best scenes he's had in his career. Hoffman also comes up aces in Moneyball by letting his facial expressions do most of the talking as former New York Mets ho-hum manager Art Howe.
12. Joseph Gordon-Levitt finding a book on how to cope with cancer in his lackadaisical friend's (Rogen) bathroom is just one of the memorable scenes in 50/50.
13. Sort-of Spoiler Alert -- The "bang" we "hear" at the end of The Artist is so powerful. You know what I mean if you saw the film... it's the last sequence in which Berenice Bejo finds Jean Dujardin in his house.
14. Felicity Jones turning down a wedding proposal in Like Crazy proves the actress can do more with her facial expressions than most actresses can do with saying a mouthful.
15. Kirsten Dunst's wedding day downfall is painful to watch in Melancholia, a film that should earn the actress some Oscar love but probably won't since the director is a bonehead.
16. Winnie the Pooh's "backson" musical number will bring out the kid in you. Even you, sir. The whole film is delightful.
17. The sequence at the end credits -- footage of the movie the kids shot -- in Super 8 was more entertaining that so much of what was in the movie.
18. The chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in the terribly under-appreciated The Adjustment Bureau resonates with me still -- especially the scenes in which they're on the run... which is, you know... the entire movie basically.
19.The conversation while prying the horse out of the barbed-wire fence it's caught on is vintage movie making in War Horse. It's a great scene that would never happen but is moving nonetheless. At the very least, this horse is more appealing than the whiny Seabiscuit.
20.The "Life's a Happy Song" in The Muppets starts the film off on the right note -- literally.
Bonus Jonas:
Anything Melissa McCarthy did in Bridesmaids deserves props as does Charlize Theron's showdown throwdown at a baby shower in Young Adult. Her character is by far one of the most unlikeable in recent movie history.