2011 IN REVIEW PART TWO-"NUMBER 11"

For this second installment, I will now turn my attention to a collection of films I saw in 2011 which I awarded four stars, yet they did not find their way to the final Top Ten list. Therefore, all of these films sit proudly at a collective "Number 11" slot.

Just as before, full reviews for all of the following films are located within Savage Cinema and all films are available on home video except where indicated.

NUMBER 11

"HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2" Directed by David Yates
One of the classiest film series that I have ever had the absolute pleasure to view drew to an supremely entertaining, profoundly emotional and elegantly funereal close. David Yates masterfully tied all of the plot threads of the eight film series together with precise skill that always, always, always placed the characters and story first. Just as wonderfully, it was so touching to view the maturation and depth in the performances by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as our heroic wizard world triumvirate. As with the original novel, by the time the film reached its poignant final moments, I was satisfied beyond measure and wanted for nothing more. A beautiful piece of work by all participants involved.

"RED STATE" Directed by Kevin Smith
Smith, at long last and especially after a couple of lackluster features, why he is one of cinema’s most unique creative voices by arriving with a film that was a complete stylistic change from all of his prior works. “Red State” is a brazenly, boldly fearless, pitch black religious themed horror film that offers absolutely, positively none of Smith’s trademark humor whatsoever. The story depicts the grim tale of three teenage boys out for a Friday night of illicit action with an out of town older woman they met on the internet and ultimately, they find themselves drugged and trapped within the clutches of the cult of the horrific Five Points Church, led by the unsettlingly charismatic Pastor Abin Cooper (a flat out sensational Michael Parks). John Goodman also stars as an ATF agent who is dispatched to the site of the cult when the situation explodes into a battle not unlike past events in Waco, Texas. This is a film where Smith, working in top form, does what he does best by not only breaking all of the conventional rules of storytelling to create a wholly original piece by but also redefining what exactly horror films can be. It was a disturbing, complex, uncompromising film that really spoke to the nature of evil that once lived on the fringes of society but is now edging closer and closer into the mainstream.

"SUPER 8" Directed by J.J. Abrams
The fantastical story of filmmaking obsessed pre-teenage kids in 1979 Ohio who stumble upon a grand interstellar mystery is the wondrously entertaining third, and best film to date, from J.J. Abrams. With a terrific cast of young actors, who all felt to be completely authentic to the time period, Abrams crafted an exciting thriller (that train crash was one of the most spectacular set pieces of the year) anchored by huge emotional content and also functioned as an homage to one of his filmmaking heroes, Steven Spielberg. Yes, “Super 8” looks uncannily like one of Spielberg’s films from the late 1970s/early 1980s but through the homage, Abrams weaves a deeply personal story that illustrates his own passions to the degree that we never forget that we are watching a J.J. Abrams film. He gives the film purpose and passions, making the experience resonate grandly. “Super 8” is exactly the very type of summer movie from my own Middle school years. It is presented with such high quality that it is sad to think that films of this sort are a rarity when they were once the norm.

"TAKE SHELTER" Directed by Jeff Nichols
One of the most disturbing films of the year was this psychological drama about a construction worker afflicted with horrifying dreams and apocalyptic visions that he soon becomes obsessed with building a storm shelter in his backyard to protect his family. Michael Shannon delivered a crippling performance as Curtis the construction worker who is so terrified of any fatalities occurring to his family that he is increasingly unable to function in the any day-to-day activities. Nichols effectively creates his story to constantly keep the audience as unbalanced as Curtis as we are unsure if the visions are due to psychological damage or if they are indeed a dark prophecy of some unforeseen doom to come. It is an unnerving experience and we are left guessing even after the powerfully ambiguous final images.
Scheduled for home video release February 14, 2012

"WE BOUGHT A ZOO" Directed by Cameron Crowe
I will always stand firmly and proudly by this lovely film that celebrates the possibilities of life, love, family and community as it is a “feel good film” that legitimately earns every single moment that made me smile and smile broadly. Matt Damon gave a deeply committed performance as journalist and Father Benjamin Mee, who is struggling to rear his family after the tragic death of his wife. In a move of absolute desperation to save his family from emotional ruin, Mee uproots his two children to rural California to purchase a new home yet inadvertently acquire a dilapidated zoo. Mee, his children and along with the zoo’s skeletal staff led by Scarlett Johanssen, band together to revamp the zoo to its once former glory, potentially healing Mee’s family in the process. With great performances from the entire cast, gorgeously sun soaked cinematography and of course, Crowe’s impeccable taste in music selections, this film was a supremely warm experience that I simply never wanted to end and further showed how artistic, sophisticated, honest and intelligent PG rated family films can actually be. If I could have reached out and embraced it, I would have.
Currently playing in theaters

"YOUNG ADULT" Directed by Jason Reitman
While not for everybody, I loved this darkly comic film from Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody which told the story of a former high school diva and failing young adult novel author (a fantastic Charlize Theron) who returns to her hometown with the attempts to reclaim the love and life of her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson). Unfortunately, he is now married as well as a new Father. Delusional and undaunted, she returns to selfishly lay claim yet is “befriended” by Patton Oswalt, the high school geek she never once spoke to during their teen years. What was so daring about this film to me was how it had the audacity to create a completely unlikable character and make her even more unlikable by the film’s end. And in the end, she learns absolutely nothing. There is no redemption. There is no epiphany. Just the hard, cold truth that some people just never grow up, mature, become more enlightened and simply remain trapped in the time of their life that actually wasn’t that great to begin with anyway.
Currently playing in theaters

Coming soon...The disappointments, the over-rated and the films I HATED in 2011!