I’ve had another year’s worth of movies and although nothing jumps out as my favorite, favorite there was lots of good to be had. So here’s a smattering of ten good bits. And just so you know what the contenders were I’ve bolded the flicks that I caught on the critic’s list.
- 50/50 – Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great in really anything but the subtleties, heartfelt and humorous, of his dealing with cancer hit the right note, along with his also well played entourage including buddy, Seth Rogan, and more than slightly green therapist, Ana Kendrick.
- Beginners – It’s never too late to turn your life around, and Ewan McGregor and his newly out dad, Christopher Plummer, show that very thing in a touching and amusing tale of love and life and loss.
- Young Adult – There’s something about watching a person hit bottom by making choice after choice that makes you cringe, but what keeps you on board, other than relishing in a seemingly terrible person’s suffering, is the interplay between Charlize and Patton Oswalt that brings this nonspirational story to the next level.
- Drive – This year brought me on board with Ryan Gosling, he maybe had the least lines of any leading man in this flick, but his brooding dude trying to do right in a whole lot of wrong was beautifully if not brutally done.
- Crazy, Stupid, Love – It’s surprisingly difficult to make a good romcom, and this ensemble take with a bit of the dramedy focus doesn’t hit it right at every stride, but the camaraderie between Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling, a couple of men on the prowl, each in their own way, makes it work.
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo/The Artist – I really appreciated although maybe didn’t love both of these movies, The Girl was beautifully done though maybe too close in timing and accuracy with the book for me to really immerse myself, while Artist did quite a good job utilizing the silent and current medium for a sweet story but alas I just got bored in the middle.
- Super 8 – Seen through the eyes of kids on the precipice of so many things, they capture the spirit of a time and a place with enough wonder that the somewhat formulaic otherworldly occurrences (think scary monster) following a small town train wreck felt like the perfect summer movie.
- Colombiana/Hanna – I do love an action flick, and a kick-ass girl trained to be a killer, well these two flicks take slightly different stances on their girl power, but neither fails to entertain.
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