For the following, I'll be dropping the categorization gimmick. Quite simply, these were all very good movies, but all fell short of CARMY nomination. They represent the B-Team, the Mets, the Honorable Mentions, the Also-Rans, the Oates's.
Thor
ASGARD!!! RAWRGHH!!! Yes, the Asgard scenes were awesome on many, many levels. It was visually beautiful -- gotta give Branagh and Co. credit for capturing the ethereality yet somehow... bonerific?... nature of the astral realm/Norse-heaven of myth. The Shakesperean-style story on Asgard was quite well-done as well (as one would expect of Gilderoy Lockhart, er, Kenneth Branagh). No matter the setting, the story of overconfident royalty with a heart of gold alienating himself from his family and being pitilessly banished (too specific?) is always a good jump-off point -- and it was no different in Thor. During his banishment, we expect the fallen warrior prince to learn humanity and humility from... well, in this case humans, and see the error of his ways. We then expect that Thor will return to his kingdom, rid it of whatever evil moved in in his absence and lead with newfound grace, or die in the process. Expectations, however, are not always met.
The part of the story where Thor is banished to Earth fell flatter than my "dead baby" jokes at last week's pro-life rally. Instead of our grand expectations, Thor meets Natalie Portman, and is all-of-a-sudden a better man for it. What really happens is that Loki is so evil that his hijinx really make Thor look like less of a bratty, spoiled, douche. Nothing significant happened to force Thor into a revelation about himself and thus, to change.
Contagion
I knew immediately after watching Contagion that it would be difficult to rank. Comparing it to other movies is like comparing apples to horrible, diseased apples... wait, no... that didn't work one bit. Anyway, this was just different than a regular movie-watching experience. No characters were really asked to show any emotion, rather Stephen Soderbergh simply required them to stand there and be the paradigm of certain people situated differently within the larger context of a pandemic (and look beautiful... natch).
Contagion was mostly interesting... mostly. I don't think I've ever said this before, but Matt Damon was by far the best part of this movie. His character's "story" was ultra-realism at its finest; it struck me a very genuine representation of a father hit hard by the crisis, clinging to what he's got left. The Laurence Fishburne/Kate Winslet storyline was also quite engaging. I consider it a near-perfect blend of realism -- this is more or less what the CDC would have to do -- and storytelling -- their characters and the particular way they reacted to certain situations. But many other storylines were weird. In fact, I think if the movie were scaled-down a bit (easier said than done when the context is "global pandemic") it would've been much better. The Jude Law storyline, and the Marion Cottilard one as well, were totally unnecessary and a little too farfetched to fit in with the rest of the movie's ultra-realism. I understand that pharmaceutical companies/economic actors would not be a silent partner in a pandemic situation, but why not give an inside perspective? Why is the whole movie showing us what's happening behind-the-scenes and then playing coy with the Jude Law storyline?
This is unreasonable, but when I think about this movie, I can easily picture smug hollywood celebrities pushing this movie as having a strong message about germs us "normal" people spread.
Real Steel
Even I can't believe this is in my top 15 for the year, and I'm the guy who was optimistic about both Fantastic 4 movies. Let's get the bad out of the way... the storyline involving Hugh Jackman's ex-boxing opponent and still rival (played by Kevin Durand, who Lost fans will remember as Martin Keamey, a bad-ass motherfucker who took no names... and died... twice).
There was plenty of good, and most of it involved fighting robots. Word to the wise, don't go into this movie looking for plot holes, or non sequiturs, because you will find them. Likewise, if you go into it looking for a good time, you will also find it. It's an underdog story (the most tried and true movie formula), and not an overly sappy one. Just watch it, bro. And feel free to disagree.
Rango
Rango's been getting a lot of good buzz, and most of it is well-deserved. The desert landscape, remarkably rendered as CGI despair, really sets the tone. Thusly, the parts of the film that showcase the hopeless landscape are fantastic, an existentialist's wet dream. Johnny Depp, like him or hate him (I know a lot of people are just plain tired of him, but if you know me, you know what side I'm on), has genuine fun with his voice-work -- which at some points has the deleterious, albeit necessary effect of conflicting with the movie's sense of melancholy, but it is a kid's movie so no gripe.
Cedar Rapids
I saw this one wayyyyy back in February so forgive me if I don't give such a detailed reaction. This wasn't the knee-slapping comedy that the previews led one to believe, but all marketing aside, it clearly was never meant to be. Having said that, it is funny. This one didn't get a very wide release, so if you haven't heard of it, Cedar Rapids is a movie about a small-town, small-business insurance agent who is sent to an Insurance Company Convention in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he makes lasting friendships. But mainly the movie is about grasping the opportunity to escape your monotonous, boring life and making the most of it. Though the film revolves around a literal Convention, it is about escaping the social conventions of our daily lives. Ed Helms is very much the straight guy to John C. Reilly's goofball, and both show some chops. John C. Reilly is getting to be so consistently good that these performances are all too common. The 3rd member of their "frenage a trois" (copyrighted), "the Ronimal" provides some intentionally unintentional laughs too.
Cedar Rapids isn't a riot, and it isn't entirely captivating. But it did make me think and I did laugh quite a bit. In today's state of the movies, these are rare treasures.
Bridesmaids
I'm guessing that anyone willing to read me is too insecure with their sexuality to enjoy an all-female comedy. But me, I toe the line and am damn secure with it. Where was I? Oh, so Bridesmaids... good flick. It was long, really long. I realize I complained and whined a few parts ago about how comedies often run so fucking long and how my gears are sufficiently ground by such fact. But the laughless parts of Bridesmaids were, I dare say, arresting. Kristen Wiig deserves A LOT of credit -- she is in basically every scene and fluctuates between slapstick and witty humor, depression and angst without seam. While Wiig is the workhorse, the scenes when all the BMs are together really pile on the laughs at a ridiculous rate.
Bridesmaids is NOT an instant classic, and not a movie I can watch over and over again. But in a really really really bad year for comedy, it is easily the best.
Jane Eyre
Remember... I toe the line and am damn secure with it.
That said, I was surprised to find out the Jane Eyre is not a chick flick. To anyone scoffing arrogantly that I've never read Bronte, shove it... up ya butt. But this movie has some intrigue, and for the ignorant, like myself, I was hanging on every twist and turn.
Jane Eyre also stars the in-demand and well-endowed actor in hollywood today: Michael Fassbend-her. He is subtly brilliant in his role, adding a layer to his character in each successive scene. His conversations with Mia Wasechowski's titular Jane are deep and intellectual -- more of a testament to the original work than the acting ability of either of the leads. This was a thinking man's movie, and I dug it.
Source Code
It's official, Duncan Jones is 2 for 2 as director. His debut feature, Moon, was an excellent sci-fi flick, and Source Code, well, is an excellent sci-fi flick as well. There are many who hate, and I mean hate, the cream puff ending. I, too, admit that the alternate -- the triumphant, but somber ending -- would've made a HELL of a lot more sense. Having said that, I prefer the ending we got. If you've seen it and vehemently disagree, shoot me a comment or an email and we'll have this conversation.
As I write, I can't think of reasons why I liked this movie so much. I mean, the concept of the movie is such that we're seeing the exact same sequence over and over again, for the entire movie. But every time there are little tweaks such that we're treated to a logical and thoughtful, albeit entirely fantastical progression. I think the key to Source Code is flawless execution -- rather than great acting or a Shakespearean screenplay jam-packed with subtext -- the bulk of which can be attributed, I think, to the man at the helm.
Attack the Block
Not many people have heard of this movie -- did it even get a cinematic release? But man was this a blast. I've described it -- and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's said this -- as Red Dawn but instead of commies, there are aliens; and instead of teenage heartthrobs, there are teenage gang members from the projects in South London.
The characters are all pretty one-dimensional, and the special effects are lacking, but when the aliens attack, it. is. on. We are treated to non-stop action and edge-of-your-seat thrills. This is not your prototypical "good" movie, but if you don't enjoy it then you are without soul.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The fact that this is not nominated for the CARMY has to make it the year's biggest disappointment. I am a big fan of the Harry Potter series of movies, but I'm dismayed that it went out with a whimper. Basically anything I could say would be a monumental spoiler, but the movie really dropped the ball when it came to the last books most pivotal, thrilling, emotional, and important parts. It was perplexing that the last Harry Potter movie elected style over substance, especially since the penultimate film was near-perfect.
That said, the subject matter was too good for this movie to have been bad. The actors put in their very best work of the series. The pacing was very consistent, although the movie ran like a bullet train. There are a lot of positives actually. But this was the worst movie of the series. Combine that with immediate sense of finality, and I cannot in good conscience nominate it for the CARMY.
The 5th and FINAL part, include the nominations, and the WINNER of the CARMY for Best Picture 2011, drops TOMORROW.
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