The Top 10 Everything of 2011

What’s that you say? It’s mid-February, and I’ve managed to yet again go several weeks without posting, in addition to never finishing reviews of the last releases of 2011, and never listing my favorite movies, TV shows, actors, and actresses of 2011? Well now, that’s just rude. Of course, this “end” to my procrastination comes just in time for me to go to Italy for a week, so don’t expect this to be the beginning of a waterfall of posts… Read ahead and find out, very belatedly, what I chose as the best of 2011. I have trouble putting things in numerical order beyond a certain point, so these lists are purely alphabetical. BUT there will be a star next to my “Number One” on each list. Enjoy!

Remnants of 2011: A Few More Short Reviews

I have a few more late reviews stock-piled that you can look for in the morning, as well as my last-minute Golden Globes predictions. In the meantime, be content with brief reviews of “Melancholia,” “Puss in Boots,” “The Descendants,” and “Hugo.”

A Nifty (and Space-Saving!) Backlog of Movie Reviews

Yes, it’s true that it has been nearly two months since I last posted anything on this blog. The bad thing about that is that I’ve missed the start of several major ongoing events – the beginning of mid-season finales, the beginning of awards season, and the beginning of the holiday release onslaught, to name a few. The good thing is that I’m back, at least until Christmas kills my ability to use the Internet, and I have a lot of films and TV shows to talk about and predictions to make. To get things started, I would like to review briefly a few of the films that I’ve seen since mid-October. Later this week you should expect to see a few longer reviews of major awards hopefuls, as well as my inaugural Oscar predictions! In the meantime, enjoy this rather lengthy post that reviews eight recent theatrical releases.

In the Battle Between Cancer and Comedy, Everyone Wins!: “50/50,” a Review

Although I am loath to give credit to films involving Seth Rogen, I have to admit that the guy is funny, and he proves it again in “50/50.” Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Anjelica Huston round out an all-star cast that shows that cancer really can be funny. 

“How Can You Not Be Romantic About Baseball?”: “Moneyball,” a Review

Intergenerational conflict, politicking, and statistics abound in “Moneyball,” a crackerjack new movie from Bennett Miller (of “Capote” fame) – or, should I say, Aaron Sorkin. A couple of feeble and forgotten subplots and a one-note performance from Brad Pitt (albeit a very, very good note!), weaken the overall film, but I still think that it might be the best damn baseball movie you’re likely to see.

New Ratings System, Because Everyone Loves a Report Card!

I’ve been thinking a lot since starting this blog about whether or not I should actually institute a ratings system. I try to make my comments be very clear about whether or not I am actually a fan of a show or a film. That said, I also think that it’s pretty useful to actually be able to quantify this sort of thing, and I figure that I’ve been doing that plenty on my Rotten Tomatoes page already anyway. So from here on out you can expect to see a basic lettered grade at the end of every review (and, for those movies/TV premieres that I have already reviewed, you can look at the nifty new tabs at the top of the homepage for the scores I would have given them). Rating TV shows can be difficult, since episodes are always uneven, so the shows that I regularly review will have a second grade that changes weekly, assessing the season so far. Here’s what you can assume from a given letter (and note that some letters are skipped, because I really don’t see the point of a +/- system below a B-, and Ds shouldn’t exist. If you deserve a D, you deserve an F. At least where movies are concerned.):

The Morning Report from Pride Rock is that “The Lion King” Still Thrills

Disney’s classic “The Lion King,” more than any other film from the Disney Renaissance (except perhaps “Beauty and the Beast”) should be available on the big screen for future generations. Having never seen it in the theatre myself, I couldn’t be happier to finally enjoy this savannah classic that melds “Bambi” and “Hamlet” into glorious musical entertainment, however I cannot see how this second run is helped at all by the addition of 3D.

Oscar Season Has Officially Commenced: “Drive,” a Review

A fantastic cast, retro soundtrack, intense acting, and a spare, beautifully woven plot make “Drive” one to see. Ryan Gosling has proven once again (as he has done so frequently lately) that he is top leading man material, here as a confident, cool but never arrogant, intriguing driver caught with the wrong people at the wrong time.

Top Reasons to Become a Hermit: “Contagion,” a Review

Steven Soderbergh and about 754.8 Oscar nominees and winners can now add “epic disaster movie” to their resume, and for once that’s not a bad thing. Although flawed by a couple of totally pointless plotlines (and a really weird false tooth), “Contagion” may contain the best cast starring in the most terrifying movie of the year.

Summer 2011 in Review: The Really Good (Maya Rudolph), the Really Bad (Michael Bay), and the Rest of It (Mutants and Monkeys!)

Fiscally, summer 2011 was a mixed bag for Hollywood: a record-breaking box office total of $4.4 billion from the first weekend of May through Labor Day marked a 1% increase over the same time period last year. Attendance was also up 1%, according to the National Association of Theater Owners, to over 546 million. These numbers might look good in black and white, but the reality of the situation is that 546 million attendees is the third-lowest number since 1997, and that 1% increase in the box office total? It was made possible only by a 2+% increase in the average ticket price, from $7.89 to $8.06! Of course, to filmmakers this isn’t a big deal, especially considering the ridiculous 41% increase in the international box office this summer, but such a minor increase in attendance and box office total compared to an unusually dramatic ticket price increase could mean only one thing: moviegoers are challenging the proliferation of sequels and 3-D movies with their wallets, and considering the low quality of many “blockbuster” 3-D and IMAX movies, the message is clear.

You can find out more about the nitty-gritty of this summer’s box office numbers from Reuters, Entertainment Weekly, or the sites mentioned above, but if you’d like to hear my take on some of the biggest releases of summer 2011, read ahead!