Halfway Honors. Best of 2011 Thus Far
Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 5:00PM This year seems to be off to a slow start but here's what I'd choose as the best of the year thus far. I've excluded films that are still waiting for their proper release like Andrew Haigh's finely tuned miniature gay drama Weekend (which has been collecting festival trophies and which I loved) and Paddy Considine's discomfiting abuse drama Tyrannosaur which I did not love but which boasts impressive acting.
TOP TEN PICTURES (alpha order)
The Arbor, Beginners, Bridesmaids, Certified Copy, Jane Eyre, Midnight in Paris, Poetry, Rango, The Tree of Life and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. You can see a complete list of what I've seen here.
[Notable films that I did plan to see but will have to catch on DVD include: Hanna, The Housemaid and Win Win]
DIRECTOR
Clio Barnard - THE ARBOR
Lee Chang-dong - POETRY
Abbas Kiarostami -CERTIFIED COPY
Terrence Malick -THE TREE OF LIFE
Mike Mills -BEGINNERS
notes: I gave Barnard the slight edge over Apichatpong Weerathesakul mostly because I far prefer "Joe's" earlier effort Tropical Malady to Boonmee. But not without some hesitation. I appreciated the bold experimentation of The Arbor, a documentary/narrative hybrid about the life and work of playwright and screenwriter Andrea Dunbar (Rita, Sue and Bob, Too). I just wish the film had been tighter and less relentless in its last 45 minutes. It had already done so much surgical socioeconomic surveillance damage by that point that rather than feeling devastating it started to feel exhausting. But it's definitely worth a look.
ACTRESS
Juliette Binoche - CERTIFIED COPY
Yun Jeong-Hie -POETRY
Mia Wasikowska - JANE EYRE
Kristen Wiig - BRIDESMAIDS
Michelle Williams -MEEKS CUTOFF
actors and the supporting crop and even a few technicals if you just...
Monia Chokri in Xavier Dolan's "Heartbeats"notes: The two runner ups are both french language performances: Monia Chokri's thorny awkward vintage queen in Heartbeats was a real keeper and Catherine Deneuve's sassy late bloomer in Potiche a great deal of fun. Ironically just as I was finally understanding Nick's complaint about Michelle Williams sometimes being 'closed off' (I think that's how he put it) he went and finally fell for her. Still, I'd gladly trade Williams out for the mesmerizing work of Olivia Colman as an abused religious wife in Tyrannosaur... but I can't keep track of whether or not that has received or is going to get a release.
ACTOR
Joel Courtney -SUPER 8
Michael Fassbender - X-MEN FIRST CLASS
Michael Fassbender - JANE EYRE
Ewan McGregor - BEGINNERS
Owen Wilson - MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
notes: Fassbender is the new acting god. Lead actor hasn't offered up many valid competitors yet this year but Courtney, McGregor and Wilson all did beautifully understated work where a lesser actor might have pushed too hard upsetting the delicate needs of these "soft" reactive roles or pictures. Meanwhile, not in regular release, Peter Mullen (Tyrannosaur) pushes so hard he demolishes buildings and animals unfortunate enough to cross his path but it's a different type of role with different requirements.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rose Byrne - BRIDESMAIDS
Marion Cotillard -MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Sally Hawkins - SUBMARINE
Melissa McCarthy - BRIDESMAIDS
Karin Víard -POTICHE
notes: Runners up Elle Fanning in Super 8 and Melanie Laurent in Beginners both held the camera very well but I give Cotillard the slight edge in this year's crop of the often underchallenging and overpopulated Romantic Muse Type. Cotillard had the advantage of complicating her motion picture towards its climax as we discussed on the podcast. As for Byrne in Bridesmaids... I'm more surprised than anyone, trust, but she just aced her brittle nose up comedic turn.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Hiddleston -THOR
Hunter McCracken - THE TREE OF LIFE
Chris O'Dowd - BRIDESMAIDS
Brad Pitt - THE TREE OF LIFE
Christopher Plummer -BEGINNERS
notes: This was a difficult group to decide on. I finally went with Hiddleson and O'Dowd because they had confusingly written and potentially generic parts respectively and both actors sold them with real personality and conviction. McCracken's beautiful naturalism was a gift but with child actors it's always difficult to know how much credit to give the director. As for Pitt and Plummer, they're the only two who one could see getting Oscar traction though I suspect it might be tougher going than it should be in both cases on account of the size of the pictures; Tree of Life's grandeur will result in all the focus going to its auteur and the miniature personal nature of Beginners may make it too small an affair for year end awards hunting.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEGINNERS Kasper Tuxen, HEARTBEATS Stéphanie Weber-Biron, JANE EYRE Adriana Goldman, THE TREE OF LIFE Emmanuel Lubezki and WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Rodrigo Prieto
COSTUME DESIGN
HEARTBEATS Xavier Dolan, JANE EYRE Michael O'Connor, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Sonia Grande, POTICHE Pascaline Chavanne, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Jacqueline West
ART DIRECTION
JANE EYRE Wil Hughes-Jones, SUBMARINE Gary Williamson, SUPER 8 Martin Whist, TREE OF LIFE Jack Fisk and WATER FOR ELEPHANTS Jack Fisk
[Trivia: Jack Fisk, pictured left at the 77 Oscars, works infrequently but has several classics under his belt (it helps when your bosses are people named Lynch, Anderson, Malick). Strangely he's only been nominated for one Oscar (There Will Be Blood). He has been married to Sissy Spacek for 37 years. They were married shortly after they both worked on Terrence Malick's Badlands (1973).]
I'd love to hear your halfway lists or comments on this one. Plus Original Score since I always like opinions there (music is unfortunately the last thing I notice in movies). Have at it!
Reader Comments (46)
I sort of wish I had more to say about Meek's Cutoff b/c I feel so left out this year but ... I just do not get it. I didn't buy the proto-feminist pioneer woman protecting the Native American stuff that happened near the end of the movie at all. That character did not make a lot of sense to me.
The Housemaid is not a great movie in any way, but it's immensely watchable and soapy. Hunter McCracken and Joel Courtney might be my two favorite performances of the year so far.
RJ -- i'm a little on the outside too on that movie. I liked it but came nowhere approaching the "love" vicinity that so many others have felt. It definitely felt like an exercize in some retrospects to me more than an immersive "you are there" period piece. and glad that others are responding to Hunter & Joel. I've long hated Hollywood child actors because they come with so much PERFORMING SEAL "I watch tv!" energy but those two felt so natural. Nice curveball as performances go.
I get what you or Nick mean by Michelle Williams being "closed off" in some way. Strangely, it's a tonality in her acting, a kind of breathy shyness or diffidence, as if she were on the verge of forgetting her lines, that I also find in Meryl Streep's work. Since this quality is something I accept now as part of Meryl's style, I can see why Nick might have only recently accepted it in Williams as well. It takes time to fall in love with the actors who deserve our love.
I'm glad you chose Marion Cotillard, who keeps growing on me as well. Her charisma and actorly intelligence are amazing. I thought she and Tom Hardy were the best things about Inception. And I may even have to revisit her Oscar-winning performance, which I saw only in bits on Netflix. (I loathe biopics so much that I can only watch them from another room.)
Nathaniel, did you ever see that SNL skit from when Scarlett Johannson hosted recently? There was a really funny sketch about child actors performing classic film scenes. It is sort of dead on.
Nate have you now seen Win Win and Hanna, or is there just no love for them? Where's Rilley Griffiths?
Patrick -- i have not seen them yet - I'm not sure what my issue was with WINWIN. I really did want to see it but somehow it never happened. will get the dvd. I don't know who Rilley Griffiths is (runs and hides)
See Hanna, also.
I'm a little sad that the magnificent work of cinematography in Certified Copy will be subject of an Unsung Heroes in a few years. The movie is so fluid but the movements are still so brilliant composed that you can't be entranced by its wonderful geometry. Of course it's Abbas' work, too, but you can't deny that final chiaroscuro, at the hotel room. People don't usually appreciate camera movements when they're talking about cinematography, but this one is a gem.
And, still, Juliette Binoche has the performance of the decade at this moment.
So glad for the love for Midnight in Paris, but...
I mean, c'mon love.
Short of effing Rachel McAdams, who was godawful, you had Adrien Brody, Alison Pill, Michael Sheen, Nina Arianda, Mimi Kennedy and Corey Stoll waltzing away with that effing movie. I mean, Christ, when I think of the caliber of acting on display in that film!!!
Love the Binoche call-out and that you finally understood what's so effing good about Byrne, whom I adore.
Beau -- are you suggesting that they were all better than Owen & Marion? I'm not sure what you're suggesting. Mostly that cast was lost of cameo'ing though and not enough for "supporting" awards.
P.S. I thought Mimi Kennedy was just as bad as Rachel McAdams but neither of them had ANYTHING to work with -- that whole family was a blight on the screenplay i think.
All I can think about is how close is Close to actually winning this thing? I hate that Oslen girl sight unseen by virture of being an Oslen girl.
Nice re: Tree of Life and Uncle Boonmee. Those are my co-favorites of the year thus far.
I'd throw Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden into the lead actor category for their performances as "Steve Coogan" and "Rob Bryden" in The Trip - anyone caught that yet? Funniest movie I've seen in a while.
Hmm? Interesting you didn't go for Renier in Potiche in supporting actor, or did you think the role was thin or not difficult enough to execute?
I have to echo that you must see HANNA and WIN WIN.
They're my top two favorites of the year by a pretty big margin actually.
Also have you seen IN A BETTER WORLD?
Jane Eyre and Rango are the only scores that stand out to me so far. The former is very polarizing as I distinctly remember praising it in my review when others complained about the mixed period elements. The latter is adorable and absurd and a brilliant send-up of and tribute to the American Western.
Hannah's score is very well-written, but I found it overbearing in the film. Red Riding Hood has one fantastic musical moment--the writhing sexual frenzy of the festival--but otherwise I can't remember a thing about it. Thor has solid superhero scoring but it wasn't anything new. Insidious's score was used well, but that's more a tribute to sound mixing. That film is all about the layering of sound, especially in the seance scene. Very clever screenplay and great technical film making. Have you seen Insidious yet, Nathaniel? I'm sure if you do it will do well in your Film Bitch Awards for the visual and aural categories.
So you’ve seen Submarine, I wanna know what you hough about that. Tom Hiddleston for Thor! Aha! Who’s better for Man With Metal Hat Armor? Tom in Thor or Fassbender in X-Men?
I think Rose Byrne is so underrated and this year is her year: Insidious, X-Men, and Bridesmaids.
Favorite original score so far: of course Chemical Brothers fro Hanna, Desplat for Tree of Life, and Keegan Dewitt for Cold Weather.
What did the Owen Wilson character call the Tea Party? "Crypto-fascist airhead zombies"? Maybe Rachel McAdams was taking Method acting a little too far.
You should definitely make room for Adrien Brody in one of your end-of-year cameo categories. Whenever I think of him or rhinoceroses I smile.
Nathaniel, you said that the leading actor category hasn't offered many valid competitors. I disagree. You just need to pop open your Netflix (I believe i have heard you mention you have one...) and watch "How I Ended This Summer". It's a great Russian film with two very strong male performances. I highly recommend it. Also, I thought William Shimmell was very good in "Certified Copy."
Oh no, Nathy! I would NEVER say that about Wilson and Cotillard!
It's the best thing I've ever seen Wilson do, (beat out 'Darjeeling' por moi) and Cotillard is just magic. Seriously, after 'La Vie En Rose' (work I know you didn't care for), 'Nine' (saving grace with Cruz of that effing film) and 'Inception' (acting MVP IMHO), she's just on a ROLL. I loved loved loved her entrance in this film, so adoring and sensual.
Seriously. I was with my girl-friend on the Monday after it opened in L.A. and when she came on the screen, I clutched my chest with one hand and squeezed her arm with another. A wistful sound of woon escaped me and our grand cinematic love affair continued.
The thing with Mimi, for me, is that you could tell she was just having an effing BALL with the role. She got that her character was just a one-note joke and thought 'Well, fuck... at least I get to hang in Paris with Woody Allen and play a bitch. I've done worse, and I could be in Frances McDormand's shoes playing essentially the same role for Michael Bay. Gimme the paycheck and the glory, mother fuckers!!!!'
McAdams, for me, was so effing lost in this picture; she didn't know how to play Inez, and worse off, it exhibited every flaw in her technique and actually led me to review some of her earlier work and look for the same problem(s). Her reaction time to lines was SHIT, nothing in her work felt real or natural, and you get absolutely no sense of why Gil would ever be attracted to this monstrosity.
Yeah, I know that the role is underwritten, but honey... all I'm saying is, put an actor with more talent and energy and potential in that role (Hathaway, Cruz, Williams, etc) and you would've had at least a little more life and reality in the picture. For me, she's a big ass blemish on what I feel is Allen's strongest film since the 80's. It could be, for me, the worst performance of the year when it all comes down to it.
Oh, and much as that Lea Seydoux chick is cute, Allen should have just nabbed a few thousand more and spent that money on Julie Delpy.
YES. I'M STILL GOING ON ABOUT HER. BUT I LOVE HER. AND I WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN THE WHOLE MCADAMS DISASTER IF I COULD HAVE SEEN A SCENE WHERE DELPY IN SEYDOUX'S ROLE JUST PWNED INEZ WITH SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT FRANCE AND MUSIC AND THEN, PUN INTENDED, 'WALTZ'ED OFF, WINNING THE BATTLE WITH INTEGRITY, INTELLIGENCE AND CLASS.
...I think I think too much about film.
So do you think Mia Wasikowska will show up at the Oscars in the next couple of years?
I have not seen Larry David in Whatever Works, but I found Owen WIlson's alter-ego-turned-impersonator character to be particularly obnoxious. It's Ok for Allen's alter egos in his more recent films to deliver the same kind of lines, the same anxiety, etc. that are the trademark of every Allen performance. But must they also IMITATE and PARODY him? During the initial narration, Wilson sounded just like Allen. And for the rest of the film he seemed to be playing Woody Allen playing the character. I would scratch him from the list. And Fassbender is good, but X-Men? Come on! Only one is enough. And Jane Eyre will do. :)
I have to add my voice to the chorus saying you should watch WIN WIN. I've only seen a handful of 2011 movies, but it's right at the top so far (tied with Tree of Life). It's got a very strong ensemble, and it's hard to pick out who's the best: Giamatti as the schlubby, middle-aged lead; Alex Shaffer as the laconic teenager; the always-great Melanie Lynskey (who has some heartbreaking scenes); or Amy Ryan as Giamatti's cute, quirky wife.
Each of them does some fantastic work, so as visually non-flashy as WIN WIN may be, it makes up for it with the acting smorgasbord. (Except for Giamatti & Ryan's too-cute daughter. Nauseatingly precocious child.)
I haven't seen Meek's Cutoff yet, but I can understand how it might not be to everyone's taste. But couldn't Bruce Greenwood as Meek be considered in Supporting Actor for a first half? Isn't he the kind of hard-working journeyman actor who does good and varied work, that other actors respect?
So apparently Jamie Foxx was cast in that new Tarantino film since Will Smith turned it down. And Kerry Washington is in talks to star as well (omg yes!).
This reminds me how badly I want to see Certified Copy and Potiche. Out of the 20 actors listed that I've seen, Cotillard is my favorite call here. She real does give actual life and touches both right and unexpected to the Muse role. There are some other good turns in that film (like Wilson and Brody, and I really liked Mimi Kennedy), but for me she stood out above the rest - and most everything else I've seen this year.
But I'm surprised to see that you liked the Midnight in Paris costumes though. The period ones, sure. But unless it was supposed to be set in the 90s or something I found Wilson and McAdams ensembles to be confusing.
Quite a year for great summer indie movies. "Meek's Cutoff," "Tree of Life," "Midnight in Paris," and "Beginners" were all excellent -- and would probably be more in the Oscar conversation had they been released in November. I just hope Pitt, Plummer, and Woody's screenplay can all hang on.
Woah, Beau, chill out! Was McAdams a revelation in the film? No way. The strongest performance? Not by a mile. The worst performance of the year? Are you kidding me? "Her reaction time was shit". What does that even mean? I think the fact that you can't see why Owen Wilson would be attracted to her is more the writing, then her performance. I really liked 'Midnight in Paris' but felt her entire family was a caricature/written with no redeeming factors, a failure of Woody Allens screenplay, not three talented actors. Just my two sense.
As for my favorites so far, I'm SO glad to see 'Bridesmaids' make such a strong showing. I was completely caught off guard with the movie and so so pleasantly surprised. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but accomplishes what it sets out to do beautifully. I've been wanting to hear your opinions on the movie, Nathaniel, clearly you liked it! I think Wiig is fantastic, as is the rest of the cast, but Wiig truly shows that she is a talent to be watched. I think if she wants to she can be a rare combo of great comedic/dramatic chops. A female Bill Murray for the new millennium.
AND see 'Win Win'. It'll be in your top 10. Amy Ryan is fantastic.
As much as I want to see Captain Von Trapp nominated for another Oscar (and possibly win one), can I say: I just didn't see what was so special about him in Beginners. He didn't resort to gay caricature too much-- I'm happy about that-- but I was really left cold by that film in general and by his and Laurent's characters in particular. I found myself much more fixated on the dog....
Excellent. I love the inclusions of Karin Viard and Tom Hiddleston (to be honest, I forgot about the latter in my own list, and may even have given him a double nom for Midnight -- LOVE him).
So much for the question of what to add to my catch-up viewing. To the top of the list goes Poetry and The Arbor. You're always a good barometer when I'm scrambling to fill holes.
Seeing these picks in their little headshot lineups is exciting -- makes them feel like real contenders. This post gave my first reall 2011 Oscar butterflies. :)
Yay for Marion! When we first are introduced to Adriana's character I was afraid Woody wasn't going to give Marion much to chew on but then in her final scene she really gave it a bit of melancholy that none of the other parts of the picture exhibited and I think a lesser actress might have made it shallower if not for Marion's natural ability to emote so well.
I really need to see more films from 2011. I've yet to see "Beginners" "Midnight In Paris" "Tree of Life" and "Submarine", but I hope to see them sometime within the next two weeks. I also just read "Water For Elephants" like two weeks ago, so now I (finally) want to see the movie.
Alas, I've missed countless others and now have to wait on DVD: "Jane Eyre" "Win Win" "Hanna" "Source Code"...
My favorite performances at the half-way mark include: Ellen Page ("Super"), Lee Pace ("Ceremony"), Keira Knightley ("Last Night"), Guillaume Canet ("Last Night") and Hilary Duff ("Bloodworth").
I think my favorite performance of the year so far has been Will Ferrell In "Everything Must Go," which didn't get the release I deserved. If they play their cards right, I wouldn't be surprised to see him with an Oscar nomination...well, I would, but it's very deserving.
Lol Riley Griffiths plays Charles in Super, the heavier kid who directs the movie. I dont know about you, but I thought he was the standout in the film
Best Original Score - Alexandre Desplat THE TREE OF LIFE. He is brilliant in every way.
See Hanna! Also see The Housemaid; the film is meh overall but it is beautifully shot and gorgeously decorated.
Also, have you seen Love Exposure? It's technically 4 years old but didn't get its US theatrical release until this year.
Nic -- but it didn't seem like Desplat wrote that much of it? It was such a mix tape score.
George - thanks for the reminder on Last Night. I keep wondering when that will open but i guess it already did.
Kurt -- yay golden butterflies! more to come on Thursday.
I completely fell head over heals for O'Dowd in "Bridesmaids," and coincidentally, Jason Segal has a similar character/character arc in "Bad Teacher" which has made me love him too. "Super 8" has encouraged my interest in things Elle Fanning, who holds the screen so well.
"The Tree of Life," "Beginners," and "Midnight in Paris" are all on my too-see list this week. I have viewed so much dreck the past couple of weeks that I need to cleanse my palate.
Tree of Life's grandeur will result in all the focus going to its auteur
Don't forget how we "worried" for Hathaway losing focus to her co-stars and the writer of Rachel Getting Married. Star power plus an anti-typecasting role can count for a lot, especially with a "difficult" auteur picture. Sad to say, but Pitt may be Tree of Life's main/only representative come Oscar time.
Nice to see Poetry, Yun Jeong-Hie and The Harbor! No love for Lubna Azabal in Incendies? She was a-m-a-z-i-n-g...
Just sending cheers for recognizing Sally Hawkins; an always perfect actress whose range seems to know no bound.
Ugh, Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids. I don't get it.
Question: If both McCracken and Pitt are "supporting" then do you consider The Tree of Life to have no lead performances whatsoever? Interesting.
I'm sad you didn't like Submarine more. It's my favorite of the year so far, and so strongly I doubt it will move lower than #5 by the end. But at least you mentioned Hawkins and the art direction. I wish you'd singled out the cinematography, too. Such a distinct look...
A continuation of Glenn from above....
I'm surprised that you have McCracken in the supporting category when I think it is inarguable that he not only leads in screen time but also carries the story. The "No Leads" argument may be right on but I feel as though there is such a distinction between the two characters in terms of story and screen time that putting them in separate categories seems unfair (not the right word,but hopefully you get the gist). I'm saying this purely for your own awards and not necessarily for AMPAS because as we all know they love to embrace a little category fraud. COUGH COUGH Steinfeld COUGH COUGH
Also, I thought Pitt was fantastic and I will be seeing Beginners this week. If it does 'come down to the overdue vs the overdue' (assuming of course you believe Pitt to be overdue which, funnily enough, I kinda do), who do you think wins out?
K.A. & Glenn -- Yeah, I just can't see anyone being a lead in Tree of Life. "the family" is the lead. But even with that... we spend a lot of time with Sean Penn and with the creation of the world. Okay, Malick is the lead :)
We spend just as much time with Jessica Chastain as we do with Hunter McCracken but nobody is calling her a lead. I think the difference is knowing that it's (very vaguely) through his perception -- given the Sean Penn cutaways -- which grants him more "lead" status than he's due.
but yeah, both McCracken and Pitt were marvelous in the movie. I loved Jessica Chastain but I can't say that I thought she was doing much "acting" per se, just the embodiment of a concept.