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Making a Top Ten List
by Sandra Olmsted
Picking just ten films, even in a year with as many disappointments as surprises, is never easy. And who would have thought that a silent film would have made so many critics’ Top Ten Lists in 2011? I always think that a Top Ten List should include a variety of films, such as a few foreign, a popcorn film, some comedy, maybe an animated film, and of course, the important and noteworthy performances and/or films which incorporate elements and conventions of film in new ways and thus progress the art form. It’s hard to cover all these bases, but I think I have a fairly well rounded list. 1. The Artist Aside for my soft spot for anything about Hollywood, The Artist is really good filmmaking. Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius captures not just the excitement and atmosphere of 1927 Hollywood, but also the silent film styles and conventions which emphasized visual language to communication meaning. In The Artist, silent star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) refuses to believe that talkies are anything but a fad while Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), an up-and-coming star, embraces the talkies; meanwhile, George and Peppy must deal with the attraction they feel as the Hollywood status of one descends and the other ascends. The film is full of wonderful scenes that would be ruined by talking, and that underlying satire really adds to the fun. (In limited release, but opening wider soon.)   2. The Descendants: Director Alexander Payne brings out the best in his cast, and there aren’t any false notes in the film. Matt King (George Clooney), who is the executor of a family land trust, must decide whether to sell pristine Hawaii beaches and land to developers just as his wife lies in a coma from a boat racing accident. Although he isn’t getting along with his oldest daughter, Alexandra (Shailene Woodley in a phenomenal performance), she proves to be the rock and strength of the family. (In some local theaters.)
 3. Hugo: I enjoyed the magic and illusion that fit so well with the director Martin Scorsese’s story of Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), an orphan, who connects with a toy merchant who turns out to be Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley), the father of French filmmaking. Good family entertainment from a premiere director. (In some local theaters.)
4. I was surprised I liked Midnight in Paris because I have never been a Woody Allen fan, but I like this film, perhaps because I don’t think Allen is a good actor, and he didn’t cast himself. In the film, Owen Wilson plays an aspiring writer who discovers a way to travel back to the Paris of the 1920s and meet his literary heroes, such F. Scott Fitzgerald. (Available on DVD, Blu-ray, & streaming.)
5. Moneyball also came as a surprise because sport films usually all have the same boring plot. However, director Bennett Miller didn’t make a sports film; he made a film about the business of baseball. Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) stumbles onto the baseball analyses done by Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) and hopes that Brand’s formula can make the Oakland A’s a winning team despite not having the money to hire big name players. (Coming to DVD & Blu-ray on 1/10/2012)
6. Sarah’s Key: Director Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s compelling thriller about a modern day woman (Kristin Scott Thomas) who discovers a mysterious key related to a young Jewish girl who survived the Holocaust in World War II Paris. I also like director Wayne Wang’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which chronicles the remarkable relationships between women. Nina and Sophia, who live in modern Shanghai, must understand their ancestral connection to an antique fan and to Snow Flower and Lily, who lived in 19th-century China and wrote secret messages to each other on that same fan. (Both Films are available on DVD, Blu-ray, & streaming.)
7. The Tree of Life: In this story of family life and lost innocence the in 1950s, director Terrence Malick’s expertly uses the visual power of film editing to negotiate the fine line between narrative film and experimental and makes his most amazing film to date. (Available on DVD, Blu-ray, & streaming.)
8. Albert Nobbs Glenn Close, in a stunning performance, plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland. Director Rodrigo García’s film is full of surprising and interesting twists. (Opening wide January 27, 2012.)
9. Rango In director Gore Verbinski’s animated Western, which will delight adults and bore children, Rango (voice of Johnny Depp), a lonely pet chameleon, accidentally ends up as sheriff of the water-deprived town of Dirt. The film, which alludes to many recognizable classic films, is a fun, quirky take on the Western genre and is fascinating to watch. (Available on DVD, Blu-ray, & streaming.)
10. Captain America (available on DVD, Blu-ray, & streaming) is my final pick and my popcorn film, but it was a struggle to leave off obscure films such as The Fairy, a delightful European comedy which I saw at the St. Louis International Film Festival and is coming out in St. Louis in 2012, or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, a small film that does a hilarious take on the college students in danger, miscommunication, and Deliverance.
I struggled with want to do with other important and big films such as The Help, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, 50/50, Another Earth, War Horse, We Bought a Zoo, and J. Edgar. The Help is a good film which provides solid roles, but still roles as servants, to talented African American actresses who deserve better; Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close provides a solid supporting role to an African American actress Viola Davis, but having read the book, I found the film disorienting even though it is a well-made and moving film. I keep asking myself what the film would have been like if the filmmakers had stuck closer to the book, which indicates that the film doesn’t keep the audience fully engaged.
Another Earth tell the moving story of a young woman who makes a terrible mistake and ultimately a great sacrifice in order to make it right, and I liked it very much more than Melancholia, which is pretty much a downer --- as if the title wasn’t a big hint -- but also poses the idea of a major change in the heavens threatening life on earth. 50/50 was also moving, but it wasn’t as appealing to me, perhaps it was a little too male oriented for my tastes, but still a fine and fun film even if it is about cancer. As an animal lover, I really wanted to love both Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, starring Jeremy Irvine and Emily Watson, and director Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo, starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson. However, even though the emotions of the horses are focused on, War Horse was gruesome at times but maybe not gruesome enough for a Spielberg war film, and We Bought a Zoo was too long and milked every emotion of the family. J. Edgar was another consideration because the story is interesting and the acting is so good; however, the makeup on one character, intended to age that actor, was so bad I can’t get the ugly out of my head!
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