The FilmNerds Blog

In September, I sacrificed my pride on the Film Nerds alter, confessing that I had not seen five highly regarded cinematic classics. Per the Matt Scalici edict for the Shelf of Shame, I was to give myself six months to watch these “blind spots” and, thinking a challenge was what I needed to conquer a few monsters, gave myself quite a big slate to cover. Two films on my list ran longer than 3 hours… One of them running as long as 10!

Unfortunately, I failed to see them all within the six month period. My original post was written on September 15, 2011.

Regardless, I’m so glad I undertook this challenge, and I wish Ben Flanagan luck on his own recent descent into humility.

Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the five films no longer on my Shelf.

5.) Dazed & Confused
Having not seen any Richard Linklater films outside of A Scanner Darkly and Waking Life, this was one that I was very interested in finally seeing. It proved itself to be an obvious pick for a compulsively watchable cult film, and there are plenty of moments here that very accurately sum up the feelings of high school: The glee of the last day of the year, badly organized parties in the woods, and countless hours spent driving around with friends, lamenting a lack of romantic entanglement. All that said, it’s really hard not to compare this film with American Graffiti (D&C fan Ben Flanagan mentioned that Linklater would most likely call for a comparison), and if I have to force myself, American Graffiti certainly takes the cake for its high stakes, amazing cinematography, timeless soundtrack, and relentless pace. Whatever the case, if you haven’t seen Dazed & Confused, it not only sits high on the list of “great high school movies”, but it also makes a strong case for being the ultimate 90’s film, as all of the aimless woes of Generation X are interestingly transferred to the anxieties of teens in the post-counterculture 70’s.

4.) 8 ½
Not only did my collegiate travels through Neo Realism and New Wave cinema somehow swerve around this classic from Federico Fellini, but they also shielded me from the knowledge of its fantastical nature. I had always ignorantly presumed that 8 ½ was a comment on Italian culture in the same way that the marvelous La Dolce Vita was. What makes this realization even more embarrasing is the fact that I’ve seen Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories, completely aware that it was a reaction to 8 ½. Somehow the pieces just didn’t stick in my brain, but imagine my surprise when I found myself spending time in the glorious world of this masterpiece. Not only did I enjoy 8 ½ so much more than even La Dolce Vita, I found myself completely wrapped up in Fellini’s mission and plight, his antagonistic relationship to his contemporaries that felt he was turning his back on realism. What Werner Herzog would call “the agitation of the mind” is ever-present in 8 ½, and what struck me was less its reliance on director-as-perspective than its insistance on dismantling masculine psychology. Despite the visual flourishes and overall design of the film, what really sold it for me was the emotional through-line dealing with the hero’s relationship with his wife. The fact that Fellini communicated such a deep understanding of these characters in the midst of flourishes involving mind reading, fantasies, and surrealist flashbacks makes this truly deserving of its high regard as a cinematic accomplishment.

3.) Bringing Up Baby
This well-regarded Howard Hawks gem is the only real trifle on the list, considering Dazed & Confused’s place as a landmark film for a “serious” director. There are different stages of “zany” in the realm of screwball comedies. If George Stevens’ reasonably restrained and socially conscious Talk of the Town is a 0 out of 5 on the zany scale, then Bringing Up Baby is a 5. In fact, the film’s energy is so nerve-wracking that my wife couldn’t get past the first ten minutes or so. Originally, audiences shared her sentiment, as this was the film that earned Katherine Hepburn the title of “box office poison”. I’ll admit that it took me the entirety of the first act to really tune into the film’s frequency, but once I was there, it was a great ride. I still prefer some of Hawks’ other screwballs, such as His Girl Friday and Ball of Fire, but when it comes to bonkers thrill-rides, Bringing Up Baby belongs in the same conversation as Arsenic & Old Lace and my own personal favorite, Preston Sturges’ Palm Beach Story.

2.) Gone with the Wind
This was the true monster. I think, in the back of my mind, I was convinced that I’d die never having seen Gone with the Wind. It just seemed too long, too much of a weepy, and too socially inaccessible for me to make time for. Lo and behold, my wife and I knocked it out over two nights, and boy am I glad I did. It’s tempting to measure this movie up to other all-time box office giants like Star Wars, Avatar, and E.T., but that might need to wait for another discussion. Really, what bowled me over about this movie was its severely dark tone and truly detestable protagonist. I never knew that Scarlett O’Hara is the female Daniel Plainview, and the fact that fans of There Will Be Blood don’t draw this parallel is shocking. Both films take the American spirit to its logical conclusion, positing that self-reliance, when unchecked, will destroy… that we, as individuals, cannot support our own ambitions when turned on ourselves. The fact that this film has so widely been accepted as a testament to post-Enlightenment individuality without a shred of irony is absolutely horrifying, but shouldn’t draw judgment on the film itself. Victor Fleming and David O. Selznick never once ask us to unequivocally cheer Scarlet – even when she shoots a villain square in the FACE we are forced to confront the morality of the situation – and yet, to uninitiated cinephiles like myself, Gone with the Wind is “marketed” as a heroic saga, rather than the dark tragedy it is. A fascinating movie.

1.) The Decalogue
When I picked this as the number one title on my Shelf of Shame, I did it with the knowledge that this project from Krzysztof Kieslowski was not technically a film, but a series for Polish television. My hope was that it embraced cinematic conventions enough to engage me the way a great, ambitious film might, with a visual approach to grammar that would categorize it as “cinema”. Well, I have to admit that The Decalogue is NOT a film. It is a TV series. While there is thematic crossover – even a hair of character crossover – these are individual vignettes dedicated to telling self-contained stories through television grammar, on a television budget: using close-ups, an emphasis on dialogue, and closed spaces. All that said, it is among the five or so most important TV series in the history of the medium. Whether it be the character emphasis of Lost, the complex moral tensions of Breaking Bad, or the lyrical melancholy of Twin Peaks, every great television show since the early 1990s owes a great deal to The Decalogue. And, while I’m a bit disappointed that I did not get to see the full-tilt directorial prowess of Kieslowksi here, there are some exquisitely directed episodes. My favorites include IX and X, the latter of which plays almost like a dark comedy. So, while The Decalogue is not the cinematic director’s workshop I was hoping for, it is certainly is essential viewing for aspiring screenwriters looking for ways to translate theme into story.

So that’s it! I’m surprisingly proud of myself for tackling a few of these, and I’m very happy to lose the obligatory weight that’s been hanging around my Netflix queue for the past six months. In the past, just thinking about tackling a few of the above titles would give me tinges of anxiety.

All that said, there are several titles on my expanded Shelf of Shame: Paths of Glory, The Conversation, Spirited Away, Straw Dogs, Tokyo Story, Strangers on a Train, Scanners, Good Will Hunting, Dr. Zhivago, Birth of A Nation, Some Like it Hot, It Happened One Night, All About Eve, Hannah & Her Sisters and even freaking Ben-Hur (either one).

Oof. Suddenly, the anxiety has returned.

Follow along this Sunday night as the FilmNerds.com contributors share their thoughts live on the Academy Awards. You can follow us all on Twitter or watch as our tweets roll in live here at FilmNerds.com.

The Shelf of Shame. In each installment, one of our FilmNerds contributors will reveal five indisputable classic titles that for some inexplicable reason they have not yet seen. In an attempt to earn back the respect of their fellow FilmNerds, each contributor will then set out to see all five of these films some time in the next six months (we felt that was a fair interval, even for the busiest of nerds) at which point we’ll check in with them to see how they did.

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Let me preface by saying I’ve chosen to avoid the coward’s route and admit that I haven’t seen these films — and let’s make this clear — FROM BEGINNING TO END IN ONE SITTING.

Have I seen bits and pieces of each of these movies? Yes, but just because I caught some or most of them either on cable, VHS or DVD doesn’t mean I’ve seen them, and I refuse to claim that I have. Beyond that, I have no excuse. Just didn’t get around to it. Some will seem egregiously omitted, but it’s not for lack of trying. These are omissions I personally consider shameful because they’re all films I’ve always wanted to see but just haven’t. So here goes. Be gentle. Nobody feels worse about this than I do.

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
While I don’t particularly love the musical genre, I certainly do not hate it. Honestly, I just don’t like the Broadway format, which I feel has unfortunately informed the way most studios generate modern musicals. But Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly’s consensus classic is what movies are all about, losing one’s self to the bliss of unparalleled song, dance, comedy and  romance. Kelly’s a guy whose filmography has totally escaped me throughout the years, so I owe it the time. So I think I’ll start with what mean believe is not only the finest musical ever made but one of the greatest American films produced.

The Seven Samurai (1954)
Running times don’t scare me. I love Akira Kurosawa as much as the next film snob, and I dig samurai movies like one probably shouldn’t. But how have I been able to appreciate any of those samurai movies I’ve seen without seeing more than two minutes of Kurosawa’s epic. Fantastic premise, director, cast and scale aren’t the things that have deterred me from this surefire classic. So what is it? If I knew, we wouldn’t be in this pickle here, would we? Like Kelly, I haven’t seen enough Kurosawa to consider myself a legitimate fan and appreciator of his work even when I have great access to it. So let’s start here.

The Conversation (1974)
Something tells me this one hurts my fellow Film Nerds more than the others (actually, probably not), but the biggest slap in the face I could give this movie isn’t that I haven’t seen it. It’s that I’ve owned it on DVD for nearly six years and haven’t made it past the first 20 minutes. Out of this detestably shameful list, this is the one I want to see the most, as the subject matter and parties involved are all right up my alley. This kind of movie appeals to my own sensibilities even more than something like “The Godfather.” Alas, it just wasn’t meant to be all those years.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Forgive me, Stanley Kubrick. None of us are worthy, but especially me for this crime. Another one I happen to own, but not until recently. Ahem, that is, not until a couple of years ago. So yes I’ve owned it for two years and haven’t even had the decency to pop it in once. Also another case of seeing bits and pieces throughout the years and loving every last drop of it all, especially anything George C. Scott says or does in it. The saddest thing about this entire list is that every title here, perhaps aside from the first, is something I’d normally see the split-second it released in a theater, and I’d drive to whatever town I needed to if it didn’t play in mine. But accessibility has ruined some of us. Does the lack of the hunt cheapen the experience? Something tells me that in Dr. Strangelove’s case, um, no.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
As a longtime Steven Spielberg freak, I wish I had even a bad excuse for this one. I know. I know. OK? I KNOW. But sometimes I feel like I’m cursed with this movie. I’ve seen plenty of it to lie, like so many of you know you do, and insist I’ve seen the whole thing. But I’ll be a man here and admit it’s never gone from credits to credits in one spin. In terms of the curse, my problem has always been that whenever I turn this movie on, without fault I might add, I fall asleep during the first half-hour. I cannot explain it. Surely it isn’t because this thing is boring. Do you think I like not having seen what some consider Spielberg’s greatest contribution to this precious medium? Even he says he wants to be remembered for it along with “Schindler’s List.” Maybe it’s a chemical response, I don’t know. Something doesn’t align right with my brain at a certain point in the movie, even if it’s just a millisecond. All I know is it’ll happen one day, hopefully within the next six months. I’ve likely blown my opportunity to experience it like I did all of his other films we marveled at as children and continue to now. I’m now cursed with watching “E.T.” with a more critical eye and with a knowledge that it’s taken this long in the first place. But I hope all of that context disappears when it’s just me and this film, at a showdown I’m pleased to forfeit.

So there.

And for the record, they’re all sitting on my coffee table RIGHT NOW. Behold, my shelf of shame…

Honorable Mentions: On the Waterfront, Rashomon, Blue Velvet, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot, Coming to America, The Seventh Seal, The Third Man, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Midnight Cowboy, Nashville

My wife and I have had this Valentine’s Day tradition for the past 3 years where instead of going out to a fancy dinner, we stay home and watch movies.  (I know.  I’m a genius.)  Since Valentine’s Day usually falls within a couple of weeks of the Academy Awards and since we’re huge movie fans and obsessed with seeing as many of the Oscar-nominated films as possible, Valentine’s Day gives us a good excuse to stay in and watch a couple of the more obscure films nominated for Oscars each year.

The tradition is still a relatively new one, but we’ve only been married 4 ½ years.  It all began in 2009 when we were busy packing up our townhouse for a move.  Most of the downstairs consisted of stacked boxes full of our stuff, ready to move.  We had been packing all evening and instead of going out, we decided to order Italian food in, light some candles, spread out a blanket, set up a picnic in our living room, Yada Yada Yada and watch what’s left on our list of nominated films.  Along with choosing to watch those films of little consequence, we inadvertently chose the films that were more of a depressing nature, and a tradition was born. Here is a run-down of how our Valentine’s Days have shaped up over our first few years of marriage.

On the inaugural “Valentine’s Packing Picnic with Oscar” in 2009, we chose two films.  The first was the brutally stark and depressing, Frozen River, which stars Melissa Leo who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.  If you like films about poor people doing bizarre things for the betterment of their family, including but not limited to smuggling a newborn baby in a car over a river that has frozen over, then this just might be the film for you.  It was a downer to say the least, but that didn’t put a damper on the romance of the evening.  Nay, I would say that it made it all the more fun.

For our second film that evening we decided to watch Vicky Christina Barcelona, one of the better Woody Allen films from the first decade of the 21rst century and one that centers on a love triangle of sorts, but also with many beautiful shots ofSpain.  Penelope Cruz was nominated for and won Best Supporting Actress.  The film also stars the great Javier Bardem and the not-so-great-but-Woody’s-obsession-at-the-time Scarlett Johansson.  There’s something about people sitting around, drinking wine, talking and making bad decisions that I thoroughly enjoy.  Valentine’s Day 2009 was a supporting performance kind of night and we all know how important performance is.

For the 2^nd annual “Oscar Valentine’s Movie and a Blanket”, we decided to do the very same thing, but this time in a different house.  We got our usual Italian and made up our usual picnic, and watched In the Loop, an Adapted Screenplay nominee from that year.  It’s a very smart, darkly funny satire about the relationship between American and British politics and stars Tony Soprano, the girl from My Girl and Gabe from The Office.  It’s a neat, light little film that keeps you laughing and keeps you on your toes, though on your toes, may not be where you’d like to end up.

In 2011, the 3^rd Annual “Oscar Italia Movie-palooza”, we went back to the ways of Supporting Actress and watched the grim, independent film, Animal Kingdom, which is an Australian crime drama film about a family that sort of runs the crime in their area.  It’s a good film and stars the fighting teacher that married way up from Warrior and Jacki Weaver, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.  It’s violent, sad and an all-around bummer of a film with a hint of Reverse Oedipus Complex; the key ingredients for a night of romance.

This year, the “Oscar Fest Movie Food Candle Magic Carpet Ride” will change course just a tad.  We will explore the far-away lands of the non-nominated films, though it could be argued that both films on the agenda deserved a nomination in certain categories.  The movie playlist this year consists of Contagion, the very depressing and unromantic disaster thriller directed by Stephen Soderbergh starring lots of famous people getting all sick and stuff followed by 50/50, a serious comedy starring Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt about just one person getting sick.  Here’s to hoping my chances are greater than 50/50.

Let’s be real, nobody likes to get out on Valentine’s Day and when I say “Nobody”, I mean me and hopefully my wife or else I’ve got a lot of making up to do.  If you already have a Valentine’s Day tradition of dressing up and going out into the cold night and waiting for a table, then consider shaking things up for once.  A change from the usual plan implies that some thought went into it.  Likewise, bringing home dinner and movies shows that you put forth some effort:

THOUGHT + EFFORT = BROWNIE POINTS

If you’re just now realizing that it is Valentine’s Day, then I’ve got good news.  This really doesn’t take much thought or effort at all.  It just looks like it does.  And honestly, it’s the impression of thought and effort that you’re really going for anyways.

PERCEPTION = REALITY

Enjoy the time together, enjoy the food, enjoy the films, but most importantly, enjoy the rewards that you will reap, my friends.  Dim the lights….And…..ACTION!

It’s John Williams’ 80th birthday today, and while the musical legend has a career the stretches far beyond his collaborations with Steven Spielberg, and beyond film in general, I thought it’d be fun to collect some of my favorite of his tracks from Spielberg movies.

I’ll be the first to admit that these are fairly mainstream picks, but that is kind of the thrust of the majority of Williams’ contributions to Spielberg’s filmography. You’ll notice this list might be missing a few of the more somber and low key sounds he brought to films like Schindler’s List, Minority Report, or Munich. Surely I left out someone’s favorite. Be sure to comment below or yell at us on Twitter at @FilmNerds or @WonderMillFilms.

All songs are linked to YouTube, and all score reviews are linked to Filmtracks.com, unless otherwise noted.

10.) The Map Room: Dawn (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Song / Score Review
A wonderful example of John Williams’ ability to command tension in a classical way, in the vein of Ernest Gold and Miklós Rózsa.

9.) Cadillac of the Skies (Empire of the Sun)
Song / Score Review
An overlooked gem in the library of both Spielberg and John Williams. I credit fellow Film Nerd Graham Flanagan for emphasizing this film’s power and importance.

8.) Plowing (War Horse)
Song / Score Review (from FilmMusicMedia.com)
Already a new classic, one can hum the main melody of War Horse and immediately remind audiences of the film. Despite accusations of hollow melodrama, Williams has turned in a piece that perfectly marries itself to the innocent figure of Joey the horse, immediately commanding a perspective unavailable to any of the film’s human characters.

7.) Blown to Bits (Jaws)
Song / Score Review
I’ll be the first to admit that my pre-Spielberg knowledge of John Williams music is severely limited, but here we find what seems to be the genesis of so many elements that have become common in Williams adventure scores.

6.) Prologue (Hook)
Song / Score Review
The palpable sense of adventure that Williams conveys in this track is almost metaphysically impossible. You certainly recognize this piece from a wide variety of previews for any given b-grade 90’s adventure film. I’ve always felt that Hook might have made a better musical than a straight action film, and with a score like this, I’m sure WIlliams and Spielberg could have constructed some incredible numbers. Regardless, this is one of Williams’ most amazing scores, despite the film’s mixed critical reception.

5.) Rescuing Sarah (The Lost World: Jurassic Park)
Song / Score Review
Although the quality of this Jurassic Park sequel is something I find myself consistently defending, I hope there is unanimous appreciation for what is one of the most overlooked adventure scores of all time. This track in particular is a wonderfully intense collection of traditional Williams horns and tribal drums. Listen for the track’s wonderful crescendo which, in the film, closes out an absolutely nail-biting action sequence involving two tethered trailers. Add to this the film’s opening track, in which John Williams evokes Max Steiner’s King Kong score, and you’ve got an under-listened classic. I played to this CD hundreds of times in my room back in 1997, and this was a frequently repeated track.

4.) The Visitors / Bye/ End Titles (Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
Song / Score Review
Williams’ third collaboration with Spielberg brought him into the fold more closely than ever, as elements of the score here are diagetic storytelling elements. This might be Williams’ most important work on a Spielberg film.

3.) Journey to the Island (Jurassic Park)
Song / Score Review
This is a very personal pick for me. The moment this track hit the speakers upon my first viewing of Jurassic Park was probably the moment I became a filmmaker. As true nerds, my wife and I walked back up the aisle to this at our wedding.

2.) Escape, Chase, & Saying Goodbye (E.T. The Extra Terrestrial)
Song / Score Review
Upon a recent re-watch of this film, I came to the realization that the rest of the world has long since assumed: This film is the thesis of Spielberg’s career and therefore, the thesis of his collaboration with John Williams. Here’s a big giant sampling, all in one track, of everything great about Spielberg’s cinema: Adventure, nostalgia, and a longing for home.

1.) Scherzo for Motorcycle & Orchestra (Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade)
Song / Score Review
The sense of joy that is communicated in what I feel to be the encompassing track of this score is infectious. One of the most marvelous coupes of Spielberg’s career is the chemistry he orchestrated between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, and in this track, Williams puts it to music. This track is my list’s representative for the “Raiders March”, which makes an appearance early on. It also features flourishes from the rest of the score’s major themes, but always sticks to that main, playful melody.

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On another personal note, I’d like to wish a happy birthday to my buddy Lee Fanning, co-producer of The Nocturnal Third and the sharpest, biggest Star Wars fan I know. I’m sure he owes many hours of satisfying listening to John Williams, as well.

Lamenting the departure of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy from area theaters last week, my friend and I took a consolation prize: the surprisingly well-regarded fifth feature film from director Joe Carnahan, The Grey.

I should say that if you haven’t seen The Grey, you should definitely see it before you read any further. Below are heavy spoilers for the film. Your question might be, “Should I see The Grey at all?” I think you probably should. It’s rare that a genre film of this type takes this kind of care with its emotional and thematic subtexts. All in all, I’m not much of a film critic, so I’ll let an actual one – new Filmspotting co-host Josh Larsen – state what I think is true:

“Doubt and anger are the twin themes of The Grey, yet the adventure movie hammers them home with all the obviousness of a fire-and-brimstone sermon.“

Again, though- The film is viscerally oppressive and legitimately gripping, kind of like Final Destination with wolves. It’s not the ballsy action film its trailers are selling, and there is no more obvious proof of that fact than the film’s ending.

I’ll give a brief rundown of what happens, in case you forgot or you just hate movies and are reading this without having seen the film. At the end of the story, all of Ottway’s (Neeson) fellow plane crash survivors have been somehow killed by nature, most of them by hungry wolves. After having a sort of breakdown, Ottway discovers himself in the wolves’ den, surrounded by the angry animals. While reciting a poem handed to him by his father, Ottway binds a knife and liquor bottles to his hands, ready to die a most glorious and wolf-hating death. As we grit our teeth and prepare to enter the fray, as it were, Carnahan cuts to black, and ends the film on a somewhat ambiguous note.

This move has been considered both ridiculous and brilliant by audiences, and I personally think it’s a fine ending. The film gives us plenty of clues as to the inevitable outcome of the story, and it ends on the emotionally important moment. Clearly, Ottway is going to die fighting, as his situation is just insurmountable. Now, there is a post-credits coda that shows a dying wolf and no sign of Ottway, but I read that as an allowance that Ottway did a bit of damage before traipsing into the woods to bleed to death. The coda makes the film’s ending no less ambiguous than if it didn’t exist.

So, with all the ambiguity, I can’t help but have some fun wondering “What happens next?”
1.) Ottway’s Wife To The Rescue
Just as the alpha wolf crouches to attack Ottway, we hear a rumbling. Both Ottway and the wolves look to the treetops. A helicopter roars into view. A rope ladder tumbles from the side of the chopper, as Ottway’s presumed-dead wife pops her head out. She shouts, “You left the hospital too early! I got better!”, before giving him a thumbs up. Ottway grabs the rope ladder, winks at the wolves as he ascends, and mirrors his wife’s gesture by giving a thumbs-up to camera. We freeze on that image as credits roll.

2.) Everyone Was Just In Wolf Suits
Just as the alpha wolf crouches to attack Ottway, it stops, rears back on his hind legs, and stands. It reaches below its neck, and pulls down a zipper, revealing its wolf facade to be a costume. Out of the costume steps Ottway’s presumed-dead wife. The surrounding wolves follow (wolf) suit, unzipping to reveal themselves as Ottway’s presumed-dead roughneck friends (as well as his presumed-dead Irish father). Everyone cries and hugs, as we learn that the entire film was an elaborate hoax to convince Ottway of the importance and preciousness of life.

3.) Dubstep-Laden Fight Scene In Which Liam Neeson Destroys All Wolves
Just as the alpha wolf crouches to attack Ottway, we cut to a full, side two-shot. Ottway jumps up, then freezes in time as Skrillex hits the soundtrack. What follows is a Zack Snyder-styled action scene set to crunchy industrial techno, in which Ottway uses high-flying kung fu on all the wolves, complete with a bullet-time back flip.

4.) Explicit 20-Minute Long Take Of Wolves Slowly Eating Liam Neeson
Just as the alpha wolf crouches to attack Ottway, he follows through and attacks Ottway. Our hero doesn’t get in a single strike, but is systematically and slowly eaten by the wolves, akin to raw footage from a National Geographic video.

5.) Ottwolf
Just as the alpha wolf crouches to attack Ottay, our hero HOWLS. He stops, looks down at himself. The wolves are as shocked as Ottway. They look at each other, troubled. Cut back to Ottway grasping at the wolf bite he received earlier in the film. He’s shocked to discover his hands are transforming into paws. His mouth shoots out and grows into a muzzle. He screams as his clothes rip off and he becomes Ottwolf, new alpha male and leader of the werewolf collective. (This actually makes perfect sense, as he was the only character to have actually lived through a wolf bite.) The wolves all bow before him as he stands and howls, as the camera cranes up and out into the treetops.

I’m going to go on a limb and say that these alternate endings are so feasible that Joe Carnahan might actually have them in the can already. Be sure to watch out for the blu ray release of The Grey.

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In other news, Wonder Mill Films’ newest feature film The Nocturnal Third will soon be available to stream for free online for a very limited time. Be sure to keep an eye out on our official site. Also, Cinematrimony and Aspect Radio have combined their powers to create a new movie podcast for Al.com. Check it out here!

The night before the announcement of the 2011 Oscar nominations, I said I’d all but give up on the already pointless ceremony if the Academy failed to surprise at all.

Fortunately, they’ll have my blind fandom around for at least one more year. Gary Oldman’s first nomination, MARGIN CALL for best original screenplay, THE TREE OF LIFE in the mix and the photo-finish inclusion of WAR HORSE for best picture, among others? Not bad…

Unfortunately, their surprises came at the expense of some far more deserving films, performances and technical achievements, namely the following.

50/50 couldn’t beat the odds.
Release dates don’t seem to matter as much these days, at least for certain films in the season. Take MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and TREE OF LIFE, for instance, two movies released last summer that managed to maintain momentum and scrape their way into the best picture conversation. A film with some big stars that scored a 48 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes is up for the top prize, which has nine contenders. Why not just make it 10? I realize BRIDESMAIDS, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO or even DRIVE might have filled that final slot, but why not 50/50? Did its September release and so-so box office do it in? I don’t buy the argument that people don’t want to laugh at cancer. The film is an engaging dramedy with enough stars to raise Academy members’ eyebrows, yet the only thing it might have mustered was maybe a consolation screenplay nod. After another watch, it deserved recognition for picture, screenplay, actor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), supporting actress (Anjelica Huston) and, yes, supporting actor (Seth Rogen). Despite its 93 percent rating on RT, maybe its $35 million domestic gross was the nagging injury that kept it off the playing field. Regardless, no film in 2011 was more emotional and honest with itself by asking difficult questions about life while maintaining its sense of humor, something you rarely see in film.

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross deserved to defend their title
Last year’s best original score winners for David Fincher’s THE SOCIAL NETWORK equaled and might have topped that effort with their hauntingly moody work on THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Along with Cliff Martinez’s CONTAGION score (also deserving, but without a realistic shot), Reznor and Ross’ score was easily the most unique music you probably heard in films last year, and it’s simply a wonder it missed the cut. While I definitely dug John Williams’ light and fancy free cues in Steven Spielberg’s THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, the legend got a second and much more deserved nomination within the category for WAR HORSE and simply didn’t need another. Make room for a score that actually deserved it. Fishy snub here.

What, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN’s mo-cap not animated enough?
Some way, somehow, Steven Spielberg was getting an Oscar this year, whether it was for his sprawling and sentimental WW1 epic WAR HORSE or a nice honorable mention trophy for his venture into motion capture animation TINTIN. Before the announcement, the consensus was that the category would come down to it and Gore Verbinski’s deserving RANGO, and that’s fine. MONSTER HOUSE remains the only mo-cap movie to score a nomination, and it lost out to HAPPY FEET. Mo-cap films are eligible for the category, so the only conclusion you can really draw is that Academy voters just don’t dig the format. Either way, TINTIN was deserving, and it’s a shame it wasn’t invited.

Jeremy Irvine, the emotional core of the highly emotional WAR HORSE
Folks criticize Spielberg’s drama for its sentimentality and forced emotional moments. Say what you want about the rest of the film, but newcomer Irvine doesn’t force a single beat in a performance that serves as the glue of the film, even more so than the horse every character encounters. In several gut-wrenching scenes, Irvine’s humble Albert takes the often-unlucky hands he’s dealt throughout and earns his good fortune. Even when he accepts, time after time, that he’ll lose what he loves most, the young Albert takes it like a man, and Irvine’s earnest portrayal earns acting MVP honors among a talented ensemble his first time out of the gate.

DRIVE’s cinematography, at least
Some felt Albert Brooks missing the supporting actor cut was the most egregious snub at all, but I didn’t find myself all that bothered by it, especially after the comedian’s veiled hissyfit he threw on Twitter. Other than Nicolas Winding Refn’s deft direction, the main attraction here might be Newton Thomas Sigel’s gorgeous sun-baked compositions that capture a Los Angeles I’ve never seen on film. Be it a driving sequence or one of those helicopter night shots of the city, Sigel’s camera is always up to something pretty extraordinary.

Ben Kingsley the year’s best-kept acting secret?
Few want to spoil the magic found down the stretch in Martin Scorsese’s wonderful HUGO, much of it having to do with Kingsley’s mysterious train station shop owner. Good on folks for keep the secrets of such a rich and rewarding story, but I hope it wasn’t too tightly concealed so that Kingsley’s performance was ignored as a result. Who will win the supporting actor category has become a foregone conclusion (congratulations, Christopher Plummer), but I find the race easily the most boring of the year. I thought HUGO’s momentum, which garnered a 2011-high 11 nominations, would earn just one more for the reliable Kingsley.

Andy Serkis needs a Special Achievement Oscar like now
They give them out every so often, usually for visual effects, so Serkis’ motion capture performance should be no exception to that tradition. His work in the LORD OF THE RINGS films, KING KONG and TINTIN certainly display the magic this man is capable of creating, but his mo-cap masterpiece might be his work as Caesar in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. I’m sure had most people walked into that movie without the knowledge that Caesar wasn’t played by Serkis, they might have guessed it was an enhanced real chimp or a complete CG creation. Serkis immerses himself into the movement of these creatures with impossible ease, but the strengths of Caesar are in his facial ticks and contemplative behaviors as he learns his place in a human-dominated world. Serkis is a movie marvel. When someone or something comes along in the medium that cannot be equaled or properly rewarded with a “regular” Oscar, it’s only right to recognize them with a Special Achievement Academy Award. Consider this a missed opportunity.

Elizabeth Olsen is a teacher and a leader
The best actress category was stacked, sure, but few performances were talked about more than Olsen’s in Sean Durkin’s eerie and powerful debut MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. Fighting an uphill battle off-screen with the stigma of being one of those Olsen sisters, this young actress showed the film world she’s here and means all kinds of business. One of the quieter, more unpredictable performances of the year, battling with 2010 nominee John Hawkes (who might have deserved another nod), Olsen’s captivating work was sadly overlooked.

When the Academy nominates a performance of true greatness it will feel immortal.
Corey Stoll gave a good performance because it was an honest performance, and it deserves attention. And there is nothing fine and noble about this snub unless he was snubbed gracefully. And then it’s not only a noble snub but brave. Actually, it was more ludicrous and forgetful. Relative unknown Stoll, ahem, stole Allen’s movie from every other star in the cast with quiet and commanding lines that worked their way into hilariously thoughtful monologues inspired by Hemingway’s sincere and simple prose. If anyone gets Hemingway, it’s certainly Allen, but Stoll proved he was more than just an impersonator. This man was Hemingway, and if there’s ever a biopic, we’ll settle for nothing less. All cowardice comes from not nominating and not loving well, which is the same thing. And anyone who disagrees has never made love to a truly great woman. Who wants to fight?! And for good measure, let’s throw Adrien Brody’s brilliant three-minute turn as Salvador Dali, maybe his best work since THE PIANIST and easily one of the film’s best scenes.

Charlize Theron actually a monster in the underrated YOUNG ADULT.
The Oscar-winner and two-time nominee gave arguably her best performance (since CELEBRITY maybe?) in Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody’s frightening and funny depiction of a sociopath working as an unstoppable force in her quest to destroy the lives of others in her small Minnesota hometown. Mavis Gary is one of 2011′s  richest, most complex and fully realized characters, and Theron is delightfully despicable. Although the best actress race is jam-packed this year, nothing suggests Theron doesn’t belong in the mix. It’s a rare talent when actors, thanks also to direction and dialogue, can make an audience just cringe, and she brings it in that regard on several occasions, namely when she meets her ex-boyfriend and his wife in their home prior to a dinner and reminisces over wearing his old T-shirts and boxers. The film and the character, no matter how hilarious they are at times, are ultimately disturbing, especially when the audience has the revelation that nothing was learned.

IDES OF MARCH may have disappointed, but Philip Seymour Hoffman did not
Prestige projects carry the burden of expectation and rarely deliver everything they could, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to savor each go-around. In George Clooney’s regrettably ordinary political melodrama THE IDES OF MARCH, Hoffman lent the film a particular gravitas it seemingly lacked everywhere else. Not to say the other actors (namely Paul Giamatti) didn’t do their best with Clooney and co-writer Grant Heslov’s slight script, he simply rose above them all with some much-needed honesty. And while most of the dialogue and plot felt heavy-handed and cliched, credit the writers for giving Hoffman some dank fat to chew on, especially when he lays in to Ryan Gosling’s conniving political prodigy in a hotel room. Felt like Hoffman got lost in the fold when this came out and the critics singled out other performances for whatever reason. I guess guys like him suffer when we expect it from them. That damn burden of expectation.

The notion that any great movie music should be audibly invisible is ridiculous. The 2011 movie year is full of rich original film scores and song choices that are so readily apparent during sequences, you hear all of it and think those scenes could not work without a single note.

Along with Hans Zimmer (INCEPTION), Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (THE SOCIAL NETWORK) were whom I considered 2011′s movie music MVPs. This year, they nearly went back-to-back.

While Reznor and Ross certainly did not disappoint with their brilliantly moody GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO score (once again collaborating with David Fincher), it was Cliff Martinez who pried the championship belt from their fingers with his work on DRIVE (celebrated by many for having the best soundtrack of the year), but most notably on Steven Soderbergh’s epidemic thriller CONTAGION.

So before I go into any detail on Martinez and the rest of the elite maestros responsible for some of my favorite movie music in recent memory, let’s at least acknowledge how wonderful this year actually was in this department. Not only did so many films deliver, these composers were more than just cogs in the machines. Eliminate them, and you might eliminate any effect the films might have had. Some films work without music, sure, and you never want to drown yourself in sap or manipulation. But in some cases, manipulative musical masochism was the only answer, and without sacrificing the narrative or overall design of the film.

I’m including original scores, songs used in the films and even music cleverly used in some trailers. So here’s my favorite movie music from 2011:

CONTAGION
Cliff Martinez “Bat & Pig”
We’ll return to Martinez shortly, but the way the man bookends Soderbergh’s film is rather breathless and slightly eerie. In one of the just plan coolest sequences of 2011, Soderbergh closes his film suggesting the genesis of the MEV-1 virus. The track is bare-bones simple, a redundant non-progression of the same sound beating over and over as the sequence travels seamlessly from A to Z. And then in a flash, Soderbergh cuts to black as a red font appears. The imagery is frightening enough, especially when all it could take is some bad pork. But Martinez delivers the blow with a calculated, deadly serious clip that would breathe life into one of the best modern thrillers in years.

WAR HORSE
John Williams “Reunion”
To put it simply, John Williams is a beast, as impressive as Joey in Spielberg’s film in his finest moments. After decades of phenomenal output, including the medium’s most indelible themes, you’d think that gift might escape him at some point. As soon as I heard the “War Horse” theme in the first trailer, it was all over. I was hooked at least on Williams’ contribution. But each time it rears its head in the film, it works, provoking an immediate emotional response as was intended. Naysayers insist Williams often lays it on a little thick along with Spielberg here, but it just doesn’t bother me a single bit. Used well throughout but best in a pivotal scene towards the end that I will not ruin. Spielberg could have played it impossibly hokey, but he, Williams, cinematographer Janusz Kaminsky and everyone else go for the jugular and land a direct hit.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Sidney Bechet “Si tu vois ma mère”
If Woody Allen is good for nothing else, it’s showcasing the finest jazz we might have never heard otherwise. Setting the perfect magical tone for his wistful tale about the treacherous nature of nostalgia, Woody goes with the namesake of one of his kids, Sidney Bechet, making for what I consider one of the director’s finest selections in his career in one of his better films in recent memory. Woody takes several minutes to introduce his audience to Paris, highlighting its most famous landmarks and landscapes along with a few less familiar. Letting Bechet’s swooning horns do all the talking the film’s opening moments need, Woody takes us to that place where we need to be for the next 100 minutes or however long we wish to escape. Used nicely to close the film, too.

HANNA
Chemical Brothers “The Devil is in The Details”
Joe Wright has established himself as a musical filmmaker, even if he doesn’t exactly make musicals. The man knows what sounds should accompany his films, so why not tap The Chemical Brothers for his fairytale about a teenage female assassin on the run from predators? Their score does wonders throughout, but I was never captivated than when Cate Blanchett first visits Tom Hollander’s appropriately creepy hitman in a nightclub of sorts where it looks like he’s overseeing some strange Asian play or musical. Its devilish theme, whistled and hummed by Hollander for the rest of the film, gets an uncomfortable introduction here, played as if a wolf in sheep’s clothing is attempting to lure children to an ice cream truck where they will inevitably disappear. Like I said, creepy.

GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross “Hidden in the Snow”
With “An Itch,” my favorite track on Reznor and Ross’ score, this track most reminded me of their work on THE SOCIAL NETWORK. Not to say it sounds like it wound up on the cutting room floor of that film and wandered its way into this one, it just evoked similar tones and feelings from it, especially when Sean Parker calls Mark Zuckerberg from jail late in the film. Here, it’s used during one of DRAGON TATTOO’s best sequences, when Henrik first recalls Harriet’s disappearance, flashing back to a silent account of the 1960s dinner party and subsequent events. It’s one of those tracks you could leave on for hours and forget you did, in a good way, I assure you.

CONTAGION
Cliff Martinez “They’re Calling My Flight”
While we’re returning to some films, why not highlight Martinez’s opening track right after Gwenyth Paltrow ends her phone call with perhaps her doomed lover (voiced by director Steven Soderbergh!). This sets up an adrenaline-fueled montage depicting how viruses travel, in this case a frighteningly fatal one. Immediately Soderbergh has you second-guessing how often you touch your face or where your hand is in relation to your theater armrest. You might even forgo holding hands with your significant other while watching things. And guiding the entire thing is this pulsating electronic track, pleasantly reminiscent of the stuff we heard from Reznor and Ross this and last year.

THE MUPPETS
Jason Segel & Bret McKenzie “Muppet or a Man”
Easily the funniest song in this delightful return to these beloved characters, Jason Segel hams it up his best when he and brother (and new Muppet) Walter come to a crossroads in the narrative and must pick a side. Written by Bret McKenzie, this and several of the other songs are glorified “Flight of the Conchords” tracks, but I had the most fun here with what I genuinely consider to be a great song lyrically and melodically. Chances are this one gets snubbed at the Oscars in favor of “Life’s a Happy Song” and “Pictures in My Head,” but how awesome it surely would be if McKenzie took the Kodak Theatre by storm with a live performance of this one. Either way, the man better walk away with an Oscar.

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (trailer)
Danny Elfman “Wolf Suite Pt. 1″ (from “The Wolfman”)
The Alberto Iglesias original score is perfectly suitable for Tomas Alfredson’s weaving of British spies and paranoia, but no trailer brought it quite like TINKER TAILOR’s did, using a track from Danny Elfman’s underrated WOLFMAN score from a few years ago. At least we can gain something positive from that wreck. While trailers ought not reveal much in the way of their narratives, especially ones as twisty and turny as this one, they should suggest the overall tone of a film and completely sell you on it. Such is the case with any TINKER TAILOR trailer, but this music is now part of a film’s identity, even if it doesn’t actually appear in the film. Whenever I want to look over my shoulder, I’ll put this track on.

DRIVE
Chromatics “Tick of the Clock”
Director Nicolas Winding-Refn likely wins the prize for song selection, blending synth-driven pop tracks seamlessly with Cliff Martinez’s near-invisible score. It’s hard to choose a favorite of the bunch — College/Electronic Youth’s “A Real Hero,” Kavinsky’s “Nightcall,” Desire’s “Under Your Spell,” etc. — but this repetitive Chromatics track (like “Bat & Pig”) drew me in during the films opening heist sequence. The beat clips along like your pulse while Ryan Gosling’s Driver maneuvers his way through the Los Angeles streets, away from the police.

SUPER 8
Michael Giacchino “Letting Go”
J.J. Abrams’ coming-of-age alien adventure isn’t perfect, but so much of it is, especially the sense time and place he and his crew establish from the get-go. I didn’t feel like the film’s most emotional moments were totally earned, but newcomer Joel Courtney does his damnedest to sell you on them. I will say Courtney’s earnest portrayal of a child who misses his late mother works, making for a teary finale propelled by Abrams’ MVP composer Michael Giacchino, for my money, the best working composer we have and the next John Williams if there ever was one. If ever a composer could fake emotional resonance for a story that lacks it, Giacchino has that power, as I’m sure you’ve seen on the show “Lost.” Even if SUPER 8 fell short in some places, the climax, thanks to Giacchino, gets it right.

GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Trent Reznor & Karen O “Immigrant Song”
Can’t go on without mentioning Reznor and Yeah Yeah Yeah’s singer Karen O’s pumping take on Led Zeppelin’s classic track, used during the unusual opening credits sequence in Fincher’s film. Again, music effectively establishes a tone for a film, in this case a quite dark tone. Fincher broke into the business directing music videos for major pop artists, and you’ve got to think he reached back into that bag of tricks for this one. I must note how well this song was used in the film’s teaser trailer. I was initially skeptical, having already seen the Swedish version of this story, but the quick-cutting preview topped off by Reznor and O’s collaboration did me in.

MELANCHOLA
Richard Wagner “Tristan und Isolde Prelude”
I find that the less I talk about Lars von Trier’s depression opus, the better off I am (and strangely, the more I like it). But Wagner’s prelude, no matter how many times von Trier plays it, works in this darkly beautiful and operatic tale of an impending apocalypse. The imagery is gorgeous if slightly disturbing, and who better than Wagner to score that combination?

HUGO
Howard Shore “Purpose”
For me, Shore’s score was one of the only things about HUGO that didn’t totally work. Something about the slightly stereotypical accordian-driven “look it’s French!” theme was the only thing that felt dishonest in this otherwise beautiful ode to the medium Scorsese happens to dominate. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad score. It’s pleasant enough, with some truly gorgeous tracks, especially during a key sequence towards the end of the film involving a character we get to know a little bit better. But when young Hugo is explaining his philosophy on where we all fit in the world if it were one big machine to Isabelle, Shore is on point.

Least favorite
The “Inception” horn in what feels like every trailer I see. Included in the following:
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“The Avengers”
“Prometheus”
“The Thing”
“The Immortals”
“Snow White & The Huntsman”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Thor”
“Red Riding Hood”
“Battle: Los Angeles”
“Tron: Legacy”
“Saw: The Final Chapter”
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3″

Like any self-respecting Film Nerd, I spend far too much of November and December considering my favorite films from a given year. For 2011, I decided to do things a bit differently. I did not get a chance to watch an awful lot of movies this year, as I spent most of 2011 finishing up The Nocturnal Third. Despite this, I did decide to cut off qualification for my “official” list on December 31st, as this list takes stock of only the films I watched this year.

After experiencing the “other side” of film criticism this year with the release of my first feature film, I more than ever consider myself a filmmaker and film enthusiast rather than a film critic. This allows me to revel in the lack of expectations usually attributed to a serious critical analysis of a film year. I’ve decided to do away with letter grades this time around, as they tend to become more and more arbitrary as I see more and more movies. Another by-product of making my own film is that I’m more in love with movies than ever. When I say “movies”, I mean cinematic stories – best viewed as encapsulated pieces of art in a controlled environment. This does not include serialized television, video games, or transmedia. These things are not bad things. In fact, they are amazing, sometimes cinematic things. But, I’ve resigned myself to leave these out of my area of passion, because they are not cinema. 2011 has taught me a lot about my own perception about movies, my own gravitation towards the craft of directing, my lack of interest in obviously “socially conscious” films, and my formalist leanings. I look forward to a juicier experience as a film fan going forward due to these discoveries.

Wow, can you tell this is going to be a long post? All that said, I’ll probably revise this top ten list around Oscar time, in late February. I will, however, be watching movies less aggressively now that the holidays are over.

There are plenty of good-looking movies from 2011 that I missed, and here are the ones I really wished I could have seen: The Artist, Carnage, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Cold Weather, A Dangerous Method, The Descendants, Detective Dee, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Into the Abyss, A Separation, Shame, The Skin I Live In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (the biggest shame, as it gets a wider release next weekend), Tyrannosaur, Warrior, and Winnie the Pooh.

So, let’s get started. Here’s a full list of all the 2011 U.S. releases that I did see:

13 Assassins
The Adjustment Bureau
The Adventures of Tintin
Another Earth
Attack the Block
Bridesmaids
Captain America: The First Avenger
Contagion
Drive
Fast Five
Green Lantern
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Hugo
Horrible Bosses
Limitless
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meek’s Cutoff
Midnight in Paris
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Moneyball
The Muppets
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Rango
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
Take Shelter
Thor
Tree of Life
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse
X-Men: First Class

What follows are, as of 01/01/2012, my ten favorite movies of 2011. There is a bit of theme here, and I’ll expound on that on the south end of the list. Enjoy!

10.) Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part II
Man, this number ten spot was hard to decide on. This pick is somewhat representative of the entire accomplishment that is the Harry Potter franchise, but I don’t want that comment to betray the phenomenal film that this is. A fast-paced, singularly-minded adventure film, Deathly Hallows Part II is a perfect mirror image of its predecessor, which was a slow-burn set-up of a character piece. The conflict between Voldemort and Harry had been extremely well established by the time this film begins, and their eventual clash is the stuff of great, well-earned cinema. Bravo to Steve Kloves, Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, David Yates, JK Rowling, the cast, and – quite possibly, above all – producer David Heyman for shepherding this story in an amazingly conscientious and focused way.

9.) Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Let the record show that in 2011, the year of widely publicized social upheaval, the first movie to comment (perhaps accidentally), was the best Planet of the Apes movie since the Charlton Heston original. Reducing the imaginary tension between man and ape to a simple story of the misperception of “ape rights”, writers Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa hit on a wonderful perspective. Limiting the story to the experience of eventual ape leader Caesar gives this wonderful canvas of socially-conscious science fiction the spark it needs to speak to our time. This is the purpose of science fiction and, by extension, all fiction: To comment, from a safe and speculative distance, on where we are and where we’re going. I shouldn’t leave out the fantastic job that director Rupert Wyatt did in guiding the film through its three forms: a coming-of-age story, a prison movie, and a gripping war film.

8.) Meek’s Cutoff
I think it’s safe to say that, in addition to being in a third Golden Age of Animation, we’re also in a kind of second Golden Age of Revisionist Westerns. Kelly Riechardt continues her impressive run of simultaneously personal, regionally-specific, and thematically loaded feature films. Is this film subtle? Some of the time, yes. I’d say that Michelle Williams gives one of the most understated performances of the year. Can the same be said for Paul Dano’s performance, or the writing of Bruce Greenwood’s Meek character? No, not at all. However, the arch approach that screenwriter Jonathan Raymond and director Reichardt take to tell this story runs parallel to the film’s clear-cut stakes and sparse visual style.

7.) The Adventures of Tintin
Right, so you remember that third Golden Age of Animation I mentioned? I think, at this point, to the chagrin of many detractors, we can add motion-captured CGI features to that growing showcase. With this adaptation of the Herge comic books, Steven Spielberg enters the animation fray, and gives us a case study in the merits of motion capture for fully computer-animated movies. Yes, we lose a level of tactile interaction and tangible texture, but we gain a broader potential for performance and camera movement. Here, with a story that has one foot in comics and one foot in adventure serials, Spielberg stages some of the most amazing action sequences we’ve seen in years, coupled with a pace and overall aesthetic that wouldn’t have been possible in any other medium. “Fun” Spielberg is back at the top of his game, and we can probably attribute a lot of this verve to a measure of competition with one of his screenwriters: quite possibly one of the most dynamic and fun filmmakers working today, Edgar Wright.

6.) Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
I was not expecting to love this movie. In fact, I was adamantly opposed to enjoying it, feeling that its action-heavy and poppy trailers communicated a betrayal of the Mission: Impossible series’ Cold War roots. I wanted a more cerebral, paranoid spy thriller, not another bad John Woo rip-off. Add to that the fact that the film featured a great director in Brad Bird, seemingly paying the necessary dues to pass into the world of live-action filmmaking. It all felt like a transparent grab at cheap publicity for the series and its star. With all that said, I eat my words. Not only is this a loving ode to the original series, and an apt modern adaptation of the essential idea behind the 1960’s Bruce Geller creation, but Ghost Protocol is also the best pure action movie since Casino Royale, and – gulp – quite possibly even better. Here, Brad Bird takes the Thirty-Nine Steps approach and makes things very simple: “We need to go here, and do this, or else that happens.” Then, he tips over the dominoes and watches everything fall apart while our characters scramble to make things right. This is a movie about embracing and overcoming failure, in a genre and an industry and a culture that loathes the stench of failure. It also positions this series as a worthy American answer to James Bond, with a bright future and unlimited potential for future installments and characters. This movie is also a great encouragement that audiences will still respond to practically-produced big screen extravaganzas; just look at the past few weekends’ box offices grosses to see how people are flocking to see stunts and excitement they just can’t witness anywhere else.

5.) Take Shelter
Here we have one of the best – and most frightening – character studies of the year. In his sophomore effort as writer/director, Shotgun Stories auteur Jeff Nichols tells a gripping and empathetic story about a man in deep psychological turmoil, and the toll it takes on his young family. Michael Shannon appears to be making a career out of this sort of thing, building on his great performances in Revolutionary Road and My Son My Son What Have Ye Done? The difference here is that Shannon’s character is as empathetic as Nichols’ screenplay and camera. This film never beats up on the family at its center, but rather uses perceived insanity as a lens through which it observes a middle American familial unit. Nichols proves his prowess with a superbly strategic approach to shot selection and editing, combined with a focused script that features a gut-punch of an ending.

4.) Attack the Block / Super 8
Man, don’t you hate a cheat? I’ll qualify this ranking by saying that this spot is not reserved for two films, but for one amazing double feature idea; not one 112 minute-long movie tied with an 88 minute-long movie, but one 200 minute-long cinematic look at the alien invasion genre through the eyes of pre-teens. The similarities between the two films are impossible to ignore, and yet they offer two enthusiastically divergent experiences. One is a loving homage to the 1980’s films of Amblin Entertainment, shot in that specific house style. The other is a loving homage to John Carpenter films from the same era, shot in a wholly modern style. It’s the kids of the suburbs and of the city, looking up at the sky and watching intruders pay us back for our own sins. Super 8 falls in line with the predominant preoccupation of many 2011 films, in that it explores the roots of cinema – albeit in a personal sense. Attack the Block is more concerned with the predominant preoccupation of 2011 headlines, tackling the idea of global social responsibility versus regional social responsibility. Both films are touching, responsible, and at times, terrifying… and then, at other times, just kind of badass.

3.) The Tree of Life
There might not have been a more divisive film in 2011 than Terrance Malick’s latest “tone poem”. The Tree of Life is a kind of Malickian demo reel, encompassing many of his favorite themes: those of grace, shared memory and psalmic introspection. It’s impossible for me to approach this movie with any measure of critical objectivity. It speaks to my personal beliefs, and to what I believe is our consistent human struggle. 2011 was a year in which I found it was time for me to let go of screenwriting for a while. I’m in the midst of a kind of spiritual re-awakening that will do nothing but propagandize any fiction I lay my hand to, so I’ve focused in on what has always been my biggest goal and, in my own opinion, my greatest skill: directing. The Tree of Life, in addition to showing off an extremely measured and sage approach to the struggles of faith, played a small part in this personal renewal of mine, and I encourage other Christians to approach it with an open mind. It’s rare that a film strives for any kind of transcendence and actually succeeds. Typically, they tumble and crumble, revealing a series of hollow, murky priorities. In this case, it worked for me. The Tree of Life is not an ultimate thing, it shouldn’t be treated as a hoity toity, untouchable movie unable to be scrutinized – but that doesn’t mean it’s not extremely important and wonderful.

2.) Martha Marcy May Marlene
Speaking of spiritual awakenings… how ‘bout some cults? Sean Durkin’s first feature film is, again, one that I went into with arms crossed. A “Sundance darling” is not something a struggling independent filmmaker is going to go out of his way to praise, but the precision and deftness of Martha Marcy May Marlene pierces any and all jealousy I may have been harboring. This film has affixed itself to my brain, in the way that any great psychological horror film should. Durkin has made a thriller in the vein of Roeg and Polanski, with a minimalist approach that allows tension to grow like a bacteria. The performances, especially the magnificent one by Elizabeth Olson, are as quiet and subtle as the script’s tone. The way Durkin and cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes control their focal planes and camera movement is an encouraging sign of a smart, sharp partnership. This is, in some ways, the smallest movie on this list, but it is also one of the richest and most thematically loaded.

1.) War Horse
Over the past few years, while the rest of Hollywood and the industry media were prattling on about the proliferation of branding, the dangers or merits of 3D, and the anxiety over theatrical exhibition giving way to online streaming, Steven Spielberg was busy keeping his down and making a movie. A real movie. A real, physically tangible, visually poetic, humane, and essentially moving movie. A classical Hollywood production that embraces its roots and its setting. People will rub up against War Horse for its suspiciously earnest tone and full-hearted sentiment, but that friction is a symptom of our culture, rather than a problem with this movie, which earns every moment. I will fully admit that it took me most of the film to get over the fact that we are given little to no reason why the young man at the center of the film loves his horse so much. When the realization hit me that this is not just another time and culture – in which irony and boredom did not exist – but also a type of cinematic fairy tale of the Night of the Hunter or Searchers ilk, I was in for the ride. War Horse is essentially a series of episodic vignettes in which the humanity of various characters is reflected against the helpless experience of a scrappy horse, and yet the movie never loses its pace. Some characters are more involving than others, but the film is structured in a brilliant way. The story brings back earlier thread as soon as its current thread threatens to run thin. Here, Steven Spielberg has crafted a movie that does not take the last two decades or so of cinematic grammar into consideration, and that kind of brazen anachronism is fascinating. I hope these points don’t sound like empty justifications, but if they do, so be it. As Spielberg tossed our generation’s hopeless “quest for cool” to the wayside, I’ll gladly do the same: At this point, I can gladly say that War Horse is a great movie, quite possibly the greatest I’ve seen since something like Children of Men or The Dark Knight or No Country for Old Men. We’ll see if that opinion still stands over time.

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Honorable Mentions: It pains me to have not included Hugo, Contagion, and Drive on my list, but I think that only goes to show how strong of a year 2011 was.
So, if you haven’t noticed a theme in my list – especially in entries 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8 – I’ll go ahead and blurt it out: Naturalism. What I’m encouraged by in the filmmaking of 2011 releases is not so much naturalism in plot or performance, but a kind of technical naturalism. Even as things become more and more digital, our greater filmmakers seem to be going out of their way to give their movies a tactile, real texture. Whether it be the real wrangling and stunts of Fast Five, War Horse, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, or the long takes of Martha Marcy May Marlene and Meek’s Cutoff, or the natural, expressive lighting of Tree of Life and Drive, it really feels like cinema will continue to thrive through sensory experiences that cannot be matched on television or in video games.

I’ll add a re-assertion that the overall thematic through-line of 2011 film overall seems to be “Memory and Nostalgia”, the way 2010 films all seemed to look at “Preferred Realities”. Many films this year dealt with either a blur between dreams, memories, and present realities (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Adventures of Tintin, Take Shelter), or spent much of their time inside memory, via nostalgia – be it cultural or personal (Midnight in Paris, Hugo, Super 8, Captain America: The First Avenger, War Horse).

Other movies I saw that I would really recommend are, in order of preference, as follows: Captain America: The First Avenger, Midnight in Paris, Bridesmaids, The Muppets, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Fast Five, 13 Assassins, Moneyball, Rango, Thor, and X-Men: First Class.

Alright, now that the fake heady analysis is over with, let’s get to the fun part… POINTLESS RANKING!!! These are, of course, my personal favorites in any given category.

Favorite 10 Movies
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part II
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Meek’s Cutoff
The Adventures of Tintin
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Take Shelter
Super 8 / Attack the Block
The Tree of Life
Martha Marcy May Marlene
War Horse

Best Theatrical Experiences
5. Martha Marcy May Marlene – 35mm Arthouse Theater
4. Super 8 – IMAX
3. Transformers: Dark of the Moon – IMAX 3D
2. The Dark Knight Rises Prologue – 70mm IMAX Dome
1. The Adventures of Tintin – IMAX 3D

Special Effects
5. The Tree of Life
4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
3. Fast Five
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
1. Attack the Block

Soundtracks
5. Patrick Doyle, Thor & Rise of the Planet of the Apes
4. Alvin Silvestri, Captain America: The First Avenger
3. Price / Buxton / Ratcliffe, Attack the Block
2. Henry Jackman, X-Men: First Class
1. John Williams, War Horse

Overall Design
5. Meek’s Cutoff
4. Captain America: The First Avenger
3. Rango
2. The Tree of Life
1. War Horse

Cinematography
5. Hugo
4. Martha Marcy May Marlene
3. Drive
2. The Tree of Life
1. War Horse

Supporting Performances
5. Paula Patton, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
4. Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
3. Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
2. John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
1. Peter Mullan, War Horse

Male Performances
5. Ryan Gosling, Drive
4. Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class
3. Chris Evans, Captain America: The First Avenger
2. Andy Serkis, The Adventures of Tintin / Rise of the Planet of the Apes
1. Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Female Performances
5. Elle Fanning, Super 8
4. Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
3. Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
2. Michelle Williams, Meek’s Cutoff
1. Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Directing
5. Steven Soderbergh, Contagion
4. Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene
3. Brad Bird, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
2. Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
1. Steven Spielberg, War Horse & The Adventures of Tintin

Favorite Scenes or Sequences
10. Prom – Contagion
9. “I want him to owe me something” – Meek’s Cutoff
8. “No” – Rise of the Planet of the Apes
7. Jack’s early childhood – The Tree of Life
6. Moses versus the monsters, Attack the Block
5. Opening the shelter door – Take Shelter
4. Pursuing the falcon – The Adventures of Tintin
3. From the Burj Khalifa climb to the Dust storm car chase – Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
2. Argentina – X-Men: First Class
1. Reunion – War Horse

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For posterity, here’s a quick look at my list from last year. And here are my revised top tens for the past two years…

Top 10 of 2009, as of late 2011
1.) A Serious Man
2.) Star Trek
3.) The Fantastic Mr. Fox
4.) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
5.) Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
6.) Moon
7.) Up
8.) Inglourious Basterds
9.) Watchmen: Director’s Cut
10.) The Girlfriend Experience
Honorable Mentions: The Informant!, The Hurt Locker

Top 10 of 2010, as of late 2011
1.) Inception
2.) True Grit
3.) The Social Network
4.) How to Train Your Dragon
5.) Mother
6.) Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part I
7.) Toy Story 3
8.) Scott Pilgrim vs The World
9.) My Son My Son What Have Ye Done?
10.) Shutter Island
Honorable Mention: Black Swan

And, for comparison, a list of my most anticipated movies of 2011, as of late 2010:
10. TIE: Thor / Cold Weather
9. Contagion
8. A Dangerous Method
7. The Adjustment Bureau
6. Super 8
5. Captain America: The First Avenger
4. Cave of Forgotten Dreams
3. TIE: Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn / War Horse
2. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part II
1. Tree of Life

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That’s it! Why are you still reading?!?!

Oh, to find out about my movies? Check out A Genesis Found and The Nocturnal Third and find us on Facebook and on Twitter, @WonderMillFilms.

Warning #1 – The article below contains heavy spoilers for The Adventures of Tintin and, quite possibly, Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Many film critics – like Russell Hainline, of the Jacksonville Movie Examiner  – have hailed the new Steven Spielberg film The Adventures of Tintin as the movie we SHOULD have gotten as the fourth chapter in the Indiana Jones series. Although it boasts a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is widely derided among fans (hence a 59% “audience” rating). I, myself, am infamous among my Film Nerds brethren as admitting that I really liked the movie. Granted, I’m a blind fanboy when it comes to the character and to Steven Spielberg action films, but I will admit that I’d rather the franchise go out on a more unanimously positive note.

Let’s go back to that statement, though. There is plenty of thematic and narrative crossover between Herge’s Tintin books and Spielberg’s Indiana Jones movies, but what if we follow that question to its logical conclusion: What if the new Tintin film WAS the fourth Indiana Jones film?

Warning #2 – I am about to drop to the most depressing depths of film nerd culture – fan fiction. The only reason I’m affording myself this indulgance is because I think this is a discussion worth having. I don’t mean to reduce the effort that goes into making any kind of movie, and I certainly can’t compare a lunch hour of armchair screenwriting to the incredible time and effort that goes into crafting even the most rudimentary script. That said – if you’re with me, let’s go:

First we have to play with the timeline a bit. Let’s say that the development of The Adventures of Tintin happened a bit earlier. What if Spielberg looked at the story that had been broken by himself, Peter Jackson, Stephen Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish, and realized it could be easily transposed into the long-gestating fourth Indy film? What if, instead of using all of George Lucas’s rejected ideas and David Koepp’s final script, Spielberg just pulled a Die Hard with a Vengeance and converted The Adventures of Tintin into Indiana Jones & The Secret of the Unicorn?

Well, stay with me. Let’s get beyond that title. Think about it. The movie would still take place in the 50’s. Just take the basic arc of The Adventures of Tintin and replace Tintin with Mutt Williams and Captain Haddock with Indiana Jones. In this imaginary movie, Mutt would be our entry point into the story – an intrepid, young anti-establishment student reporter. You could keep the greaser look, and add a greater disrespect for the past and for tradition, with a knack for uncovering social injustice.

#occupythehop

Follow me here. You could swap the great animated opening credits sequence of Tintin with an introductory scene of student reporter Mutt Williams busting up a commie spy ring on his campus. That could transition into Mutt taking a boring assignment to cover the auction of the Unicorn, part of the defaulted the estate of the late Henry Jones, Sr. – who, as far as Mutt knows, is a researcher who mysteriously died during World War II. The movie continues with Mutt finding the scrolls of the Unicorn, being approached by FBI agents and a mysterious villain, say a Russian professor. Before you know it, Mutt gets kidnapped for unclear reasons and thrown onto a boat that also houses another kidnapping victim – the drunk, bearded Indiana Jones.

"Whaddaya want, kid? I assumed it was locked."

The Russian professor and the FBI agents are both searching for the scrolls inside the Unicorn, just like Sakharine and Interpol are in Tintin, but the secret is different – we’d have to lose the whole pirate flashback. The problem for our villain is that the secret died with Henry Jones, Sr. Let’s ALSO say that the professor knows about the secret because he was researching with Henry Jones, Sr. for the US government during World War II, and was double-crossed by – not again – commie spies! Maybe that’s why Indy is soused, and has been for the last fifteen years – he knew about an espionage plot to bump off his dad, but couldn’t stop it because he was overseas in the war.

"I should have shent it to the Marxsh Brothersh!"

Whatever the case, the villain is a jerk, has ties to Sean Connery’s character from Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, needs Mutt’s scroll, and needs Indy’s knowledge to get what he wants, but Indy is too lost in booze to be useful. It should be said here that while Indy is a drunk at this point, he’s still the same character we’ve known – prone to fight, spontaneous, and dogged. He’s still an archaeologist, just not a very tidy one. When we meet him as the Haddock analog, he would be less pitiful than Andy Serkis’ quasi-suicidal bumbler.

The rest of the film would proceed similarly to The Adventures of Tintin – Through Mutt’s nagging and the sobering dehydration of the Sahara, Indiana Jones slowly returns to being himself. He not only wants to remain stable and become the clear thinker he used to be, but to get ahold of the MacGuffin and – most importantly – get revenge for his dad’s murder. Mutt, like Tintin, pushes to break the story of wartime espionage, and is surprisingly enraptured by the history behind whatever the MacGuffin is.

While the first half of the movie would be all set-up for Mutt and the mystery, the second would be just what Tintin is – a rollicking succession of mind-blowing action sequences. Yes, shooting much of these sequences in the real world would be impossible, so they would have to be logistically tweaked and brought into the reality of the great action scenes of the Indy franchise. No one can argue that the motorcycle chase in Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was anything but a marvelous throw-back to the series’ earlier movies, and a high point in that film. (It should be said that this whole fictional scenario presupposes that Spielberg is going in avoiding CGI, as he seems to have done in his other 2011 release, War Horse.)

Image courtesy of dreamworks.com/warhorse

What’s exciting about this idea is that it strays from Indiana Jones formula, only to find its way back. It also gives a more dramatic backstory to the character we all love, and raises the stakes by taking us to a dramatic place we might not want to go – the murder of The Last Crusade’s lovable sidekick. I think one of Crystal Skull‘s greatest crimes was its devotion to fan service, having to include quick and shallow references to the Ark, Jones, Sr., and Marion. In fact, I’d go so far as to say the existence of the film in general is a symptom of today’s reliance on fan service. Lucas and Spielberg gave us what we asked for 12 years. The problem is that they didn’t go far enough to give us something new. Yes, this Tintindiana Jones idea would put a lot of the weight on the shoulders of the Mutt Williams character, but how much more satisfying would that character have been if he was a fully formed character outside of his relationship to Indy? Since we are completely inhabiting a world of fantasy here, what if we recast the role? How would you feel about a Tintin-inspired, jaw-socking Mutt Williams played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt?

Wrong kind of biker, bro.

On the flipside, Indiana Jones would almost start as a supporting character, before we realize his journey – just like Captain Haddock’s – is actually the heart of the movie. He goes from a bitter old codger to a re-invigorated version of the young archaeologist we knew so long ago. What a perfect arc it would be for both characters to learn from the other; for Indy, he stops regretting the past and becomes aware of current situations. Meanwhile, Mutt realizes the past has value and informs the present. Honestly, you could still even throw in the father/son revelation, and tie that to the villain’s motivation for getting Mutt involved. Hell, maybe Marion Ravenwood owns the campus pub, and makes a brief (BRIEF) cameo in the first act.

Regardless of whatever shameless fantasy I blather on about, I’m encouraged by The Adventures of Tintin. It’s a fantastic film in its own right, despite lacking the kind of depth we got with Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (which, to be fair, might be the greatest buddy action movie of all time). That said, its characters do give us plenty to chew on, and the adventure clips along so quickly that the characters’ actions speak just as loudly as any bits of exposition or bloated dialogue. Again, I still enjoy Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but I certainly can’t begrudge everyone that hates it. It was a Spielberg homework assignment rather than a Spielberg field trip, and it shows. I’m still optimistically holding out hope that Spielberg makes his patented “apology” film (re: Raiders, Saving Private Ryan, Last Crusade) and gives us the last Indiana Jones movie we all want – full of grit and grime and spontaneity.

What do you guys think? Would you sacrificed the final Indy movie and the new Tintin movie to get the film described above? What about Snowy – would you miss him? Would it be sacriledge to knowingly use a Tintin story as a farm for an Indiana Jones adventure? Am I wandering, woefully naive, past the fact that this property is owned and controlled by LucasFilm – NOT Amblin or Wingnut? Or, was there just never any good reason for another Indiana Jones film to have been considered in the first place?

Hash it out in the comments section!

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Also, be sure to check out the Cinematrimony podcast that Matt and Francesca recorded about The Adventures of Tintin! You can find more of my stuff here on the blog, and you can find info on my independent feature films at their respective websites (The Nocturnal Third and A Genesis Found), as well as on Twitter ( @wondermillfilms ) and Facebook (/wondermillfilms)!