2011 Movie Reviews

All films have a U.S. release date of 2011 and are listed alphabetically with a 1-10 rating. Numbers to star equivalents are listed at the bottom.


13 Assassins [Jusan-nin No Shikaku]: 7/10 - With a plot-structure essentially the same as Kurosawa's influential "Seven Samurai" (1954), director Takashi Miike has created an engaging and constantly entertaining men-on-a-mission film.

50/50: 8/10 - A comedy that works is a rare occurrence these days, so when one comes along, it should be admired. Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers a very good performance in the lead, Seth Rogen works perfectly as comedic relief, and best of all, Will Reiser manages to craft a strong script that doesn't fall apart and let us down in the third act like so many recent comedies.

The Adjustment Bureau: 4/10 - The movie is a mess from top to bottom, but director George Nolfi's decision to allow the boom mic to slip in and out of nearly every scene left me feeling irate through the entire experience. Supposedly it was an artistic decision, one I hope will never be duplicated again.

Another Earth: 5/10 - Screenwriters Mike Cahill and Brit Marling (he directs and she stars) have crafted a thought-provoking premise, but neither one has any idea of what they should do with it.

The Artist: 8/10 - The film's first 30 minutes or so are astoundingly beautiful and brilliant, with scene after scene of memorable moments. Unfortunately, it does lose some steam during the middle and it could have benefited from some tighter editing. Make no mistake though, I was thrilled to see a film this far outside the box (a silent film) done with such mastery at this point in time, and I applaud the efforts of director Michel Hazanavicius and star Jean Dujardin.

Bad Teacher: 6/10 - I went into the film expecting an abomination, but was pleasantly surprised by a mostly funny comedy. It's a hybrid of films we've all seen before -- especially "Bad Santa" (2003) -- but the laughs hit more than they miss, which I consider a success today.

The Beaver: 5/10 - Mel Gibson gives a strong performance and Jodie Foster does very well behind the camera, but this is a really bad script -- all-time bad. In the end, regardless of the talent involved, it's a story about a depressed man walking around with a Beaver puppet on his hand. It felt more like an exercise stripped from a college acting class than it did a feature film.

Beginners: 3/10 - A very dry, existential movie-viewing experience. While there are moments to remember -- and Christopher Plummer is always a pleasure to watch -- the mostly sloppy filmmaking of Mike Mills keeps the viewer at a distance.

A Better Life: 6/10 - This is a good film with solid-storytelling and a strong performance from Demian Bichir. It's nearly impossible not to draw the obvious comparison with De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" (1948), which also unites a man and his son in search of the only piece of tangible hope within their grasp.

Bridesmaids: 5/10 - Director Paul Feig moves his overblown, two-dimensional characters from set-piece to set-piece, giving them free-reign to try and get laughs through any means possible. While there are some moments of humor, the result, for the most part, is an awkward, overlong bore.

Captain America: The First Avenger: 4/10 - Easily one of the worst films that Marvel has produced -- it's extremely corny and disengaging. The bright-side of course is that it has laid the final piece of groundwork for "The Avengers" (2012), which has been building up to release for a few years now.

Cars 2: 3/10 - Pixar apparently can screw up after all. This is their worst film since "A Bug's Life" (1998).

Certified Copy [Copie Conforme]: 8/10 - Writer/Director Abbas Kiarostami has crafted a brilliant exploration of the affects perception and emotion can have on the reality of a relationship. There are several possibilities still rattling around in my head for what actually happened during the film, but with each one, Kiarostami's theme is triumphant, only making the point that perhaps the exact details of the plot aren't relevant at all. Just as impressive as the filmmaking is a genuinely astounding performance from Juliette Bionche, who has to carry a truth with her throughout the entire film without the audience ever fully understanding the parameters of her character.

The Change-Up: 7/10 - I really can't ask for anything more from an elicit, raunchy R-rated comedy. The film's premise involves two (very different) friends swapping bodies, so the suspension of disbelief bar is placed extremely low to start with. There are also two great performances from Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds that keep the laughs constant.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop: 5/10 - Filmmaker Rodman Flender follows comedian Conan O'Brien around on his 32-city comedy tour that followed his departure from the NBC Tonight Show in 2010. I find Conan mildly entertaining, but all this documentary revealed to me is how hollow of a man he really is -- his drive for success far outweighs his talent and the footage of him during his touring downtime only magnified his flawed, selfish -- and often cruel -- character.

Conan the Barbarian: 5/10 - A mindless action film with a plot as silly as one should expect from viewing the trailers.

The Conspirator: 7/10 - The film centers on the trial of Mary Surratt, the first woman sentenced to death in American history, for her involvement in the assassination of President Lincoln. From context alone, the film is interesting and engaging; however, Robert Redford falls somewhat short in his direction, failing to deliver the finer details needed for a period piece like this one to become greater than the sum of its parts.

Contagion: 4/10 - Superficial and scattered; it's really baffling to think Soderbergh didn't see where this train-wreck was going during the filming. For a film that centers around massive loss of life, it's somewhat of an accomplishment for a director to never create an emotional connection between his audience and any of the characters on screen.

Crazy, Stupid, Love: 7/10 - While the script often struggles from the same ailments most modern comedies do, I'll forgive the forced twist for the simple reason that it creates the funniest scene in the film. As a whole, the film works due to strong performances from the entire cast and a tremendously enjoyable effort from Ryan Gosling, who you can clearly tell was having more fun than anyone with his chance at such an atypical role.

A Dangerous Method: 5/10 - It was incredible to watch writer Christopher Hampton and director David Cronenberg transform some of the most brilliant minds in history into two-dimensional talking heads. The ideals of Freud, Jung and Spielrein are certainly offered up to be discerned, but the flesh and blood that created them is nowhere to be found -- as viewers, we're left to see the creation of psychoanalysis from the perspective of a history book rather than a reimagining of what actually may have transpired.

The Debt: 7/10 - The film's strength is in exploring the plot-line of the younger characters as they exercise their mission to extract a Nazi war criminal from East Berlin in 1965 -- director John Madden does well with those scenes, crafting suspense at every turn. It's unfortunate to see the film take such silly turns in the narrative that runs parallel, 30 years later.

The Descendants: 4/10 - Director Alexander Payne's ("About Schmidt," 2002, and "Sideways," 2004) latest film is off-tune from start to finish, and in turn, none of the acting is very strong since none of the characters are ever believable constructs of any reality I've ever known. Payne is so concerned with style that the film gradually slips into irrelevance -- there's never really a reason to care about anyone on the screen, nor is there ever a moment to think of the characters as anything more than actors collecting a paycheck.

The Dilemma: 4/10 - Silly, over-the-top, and rarely deserving of your attention. In a more positive light, Vince Vaughn turns in another strong comedic performance, so it's frustrating to see him waste his talents on such a week script.

Drive: 9/10 - I often make the mistake of not reserving judgment on a film until it concludes; making resolutions in my mind as the film unfolds. At first, the movie felt to me like a lesser "Taxi Driver" (1976), with a somewhat contrived script. In retrospect, it's meant to be a superficial fairytale, not an introspective social statement -- maybe the better comparison to make would have been to Malick's "Badlands" (1973). While Ryan Gosling is very good in his lead role, make no mistake, the film is driven by director Nicolas Winding Refn.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 9/10 - It was impossible for me to go into the film without carrying the memories of the Swedish version from 2009 (a movie that I greatly enjoyed). Amazingly, even knowing every detail of the mysterious plotline, I was gripped the entire way through. Director David Fincher has crafted a near masterpiece with his latest work -- something that certainly stands on its own merit and should be heavily considered come award season.

The Guard: 5/10 - Endearing performances from Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle squeeze all they can out of this quirky Irish comedy.

Hall Pass: 4/10 - There's really one major difference between "Hall Pass" and "Wedding Crashers" (2005): Vince Vaughn. If you took his semi-brilliant performance out of the now-comedy-classic, you'd be left with exactly what we're given in Owen Wilson's latest film: lukewarm comedy mixed with a few over-the-top characters to remind us all that we're watching a movie intended for teenagers.

The Hangover Part II: 3/10 - Just about as terrible as the first one, so I suppose if you liked that, you'll like this. My major issue is that I find Zach Galifianakis inherently unfunny.

Hanna: 6/10 - While the script is paper thin, director Joe Wright infuses enough cinematographic style and creative supporting characters to keep the film enjoyable. It'd be interesting to see him tackle an action film with more substance.

Hell and Back Again: 3/10 - A documentary about an injured marine's return home, juxtaposed with footage taken from his time in Iraq. Considering the material, the finished project is shockingly stale and non-engaging.

The Help: 6/10 - A great ensemble cast keeps the film engaging, but the harsh subject material is watered-down too far for it to be taken very seriously. The overlong runtime doesn't do it any favors either.

Hesher: 5/10 - It would be easy to excessively pan this movie for being so ridiculously implausible that only anger and resentment to its existence could result from viewing it, but I can't bring myself to do that. After all, I kept watching it. I'm not exactly sure why though: maybe it was the strong performances -- especially by the title character Hesher, portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt -- or maybe it was due to the continual use of Metallica songs that guide the film from point A to point B; in either case, I kept watching...and I don't imagine forgetting the film anytime soon.

Horrible Bosses: 7/10 - When a script premise is as ridiculous as this one, the ceiling on the film begins to lower before the opening title; however, director Seth Gordon and the pitch-perfect cast squeeze every ounce of potential out of the project. Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston especially are able to elevate roles that in most other hands would have been cringe-inducing disasters.

Hugo: 9/10 - The first half of the film is a very well-made family movie with great use of 3D technology (though I'm still not sold on the medium as it stands currently); the second half of the film is Martin Scorsese's love letter to cinema, which is a movie-going experience I'll never forget. It's a profound experience to see what a gifted filmmaker can do behind the camera, regardless of the subject material -- and I think it's fair to state that "Hugo" marks Scorsese's furthest departure from his typical comfort zone.

The Ides of March: 9/10 - George Clooney has created a brilliant political drama that depicts the cause and effect of corruption more effectively than any film of its kind that I can think of. The movie, while easily predictable, manages to be gripping from the opening scene -- aided enormously from yet another strong performance from Ryan Gosling and great supporting roles for Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front: 5/10 - The issue with the documentary is its vantage point, following a protagonist who no one should have sympathy for unless their moral compass is irretrievably broken. In itself, that is not a fault, but filmmaker Marshall Curry clearly allowed himself to be swayed by the man's story, in turn losing site of what should be the pinnacle of common sense.

The Iron Lady: 6/10 - With each performance, Meryl Streep's talents seem more and more uncanny. It's only unfortunate that her brilliant portrayal of Margaret Thatcher is mostly wasted in a film that chooses to devote a majority of its time on her slide into dementia instead of her rule over Great Britain as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century.

J. Edgar: 8/10 - Clint Eastwood has created a biopic that starts off cold and unfeeling, but gradually transforms into something more. I can't be certain when the moment occurs, but by the end I was genuinely drawn into the fascinating life of a man who was perhaps America's most fascinating historic figure. As has become expected, DiCaprio is pitch-perfect in the role; it's to a point where I feel that I'm starting to take his talents for granted, which isn't fair to man who has still not been awarded a Best Actor Oscar. At the least, a nomination is certainly coming.

Killer Elite: 5/10 - It's a really weak script, but Jason Statham and Clive Owen have some fun with it; Deniro -- who is enormously miscast -- struggles with it the whole way through unfortunately.

Kung Fu Panda 2: 2/10 - This is a very harsh rating, but it truly was a struggle not to turn it off.

Larry Crowne: 6/10 - While the characters are certainly endearing, Tom Hanks behind the camera -- as a writer/director -- is missing the genuineness that makes him so special as an actor.

Limitless: 6/10 - I love the concept -- the idea of allowing a human to efficiently maximize his/her potential; drawing from all memory at a moment's notice and calculating complex, real-world algorithms in seconds -- unfortunately, the formulaic plot-structure really drags the film's potential into the gutter.

The Lincoln Lawyer: 6/10 - The movie is just about exactly what I expected it to be: mindless entertainment with a forced twist at the end. McConaughey and his ensemble cast deliver relatively strong performances though, keeping the film rolling and preventing numerous pitfall dragging points.

Margin Call: 6/10 - With "Too Big to Fail," we were able to see a re-enactment of the economic crash in 2008 from a macro perspective; with "Margin Call," we see a fictionalized recount of the 24-hours leading up to the historic Lehman Brothers collapse. While it's essentially just more of the same thing, it's a topic that I find infinitely interesting.

The Mechanic: 6/10 - The plot is about as simple as it gets, but Statham and Foster keep the material engaging. It's a straight-forward and often enjoyable action film.

Meek's Cutoff: 6/10 - Director Kelly Reichardt has crafted a throwback western, giving significant focus to the women included in a caravan traveling the Oregon Trail in 1845. The narrative feels stoic and we get a sense early on that we're meant to feel the experience of the journey more than we are meant to project ahead to the destination.

Midnight in Paris: 8/10 - Woody Allen's latest film is about as flawed as a masterpiece could ever be, putting me in the difficult position of trying to evaluate it in spite of his glaring mistakes -- specifically, the two-dimensional caricatures he wrote for the protagonist's fiancee (Rachel McAdams), her friends, and her family. If one's able to lobotomize them from the film, even if only for a moment, the result is one of the more wonderful experiences I'd expect to have this year in theaters.

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol: 7/10 - One of the stronger entries into the series and a worthy action film in its own right. The narrative weaves us from one set-piece to the next, but never leaves us bored -- though, I will note that the cast chemistry is about as cold as I've ever seen for a "men on a mission" film.

Melancholia: 6/10 - Lars Von Trier's success typically comes when he creates a perfect thematic allegory on screen and then plays with the variables as only he can. With his latest film -- using the impending apocalypse as a metaphor for depression -- he doesn't fit it all together quite so tightly, and as a result, the film's internal logic doesn't always add-up and his characters never breathe life on their own.

Moneyball: 7/10 - The film certainly maintains an agenda to favor Billy Beane's legacy, but I'm ok with that. The man revolutionized the game of baseball by allowing a new approach in baseball player-evaluation to find its way into mainstream acceptance. Brad Pitt does well in the lead role, but like most Aron Sorkin screenplays, he's the star.

The Myth of the American Sleepover: 3/10 - The film is a reoccurring nightmare of bad acting and sloppy filmmaking all the way through.

My Week with Marilyn: 8/10 - This is a great film in sole part because of Michelle Williams' brilliant performance, which elevates everything else in the movie above what it should be. Her encapsulation of Monroe allows all of director Simon Curtis' themes to work despite his often mediocre executions. The rest of the cast does well to move aside, especially Branagh (portraying Lawrence Olivier), who effortlessly pulls back exactly when he should.

Nostalgia for the Light [Nostalgia de la Luz]: 1/10 - While I admired filmmaker Patricio Guzman's vision of connecting the past with the future through astronomy and archeology, his film really misses the mark and lacks any form of focus.

No Strings Attached: 5/10 - The film feels like what would happen if HBO or Showtime decided to air a sitcom and then stretch one episode out to nearly two hours. In film form, it fails more than it works -- we see two-dimensional characters find themselves in marginally funny scenarios while waiting (and waiting) for them to reach the inevitable conclusion. On a more positive note, the talented Natalie Portman does all she can to be funny and sexy in a mostly dull film -- it'd be interesting to see what she could do in a comedy with better material.

Page One: Inside the New York Times: 6/10 - The revolution away from print media is an endlessly interesting topic, but the footage filmmaker Andrew Rossi compiled feels very scattered at times. Also, ironically enough, even though the film's contents were only a year old, it managed to feel dated. I suppose, if nothing else, that's a sign of how imperative it will be for print media to adapt at unprecedented rates to stay alive.

Point Blank [À Bout Portant]: 7/10 - A paper-thin plot that carries along enough adrenaline to allow the viewer to get lost in the action. Director Fred Cavaye follows the model for what an action film should be -- and it works -- which is more than can be said for most Hollywood action films, with inflated runtimes and failed character development.

Rampart: 3/10 - An egaging performance from Woody Harrelson doesn't save Oren Moverman from the muddled mess he's created.

Rango: 5/10 - I'm very torn with "Rango" because it's a movie I should have enjoyed more than I did. The film was seemingly made for movie-lovers; it's an innocent, animated, satirical homage to every Western I've ever seen, yet I sadly found myself wishing it had a little more meat on its bones.

Real Steel: 6/10 - It's a contrived and often agonizingly unoriginal script, but the film has heart and Hugh Jackman has some fun with the role.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: 6/10 - It's exactly the film I expected it to be -- nothing more; nothing less. It requires a tremendous amount of suspension of disbelief and James Franco is really terrible in the lead...still, it's certainly never boring.

A Separation [Jodaeiye Nader az Simin]: 7/10 - Director Asghar Farhadi allows his viewers to act as voyeurs, observing a group of generally good people in a morally complex situation. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop -- expecting a Hollywood-like twist -- but it never came; instead it remained a very bare-bones character study, where the idea of right and wrong never quite seemed to fit.

Shame: 8/10 - A strong film with a great performance from Michael Fassbender, who bravely tackles the subject of sex addiction without limitation. Director Steve McQueen was wise in his choices, letting each scene drag on just a little longer than one would expect, allowing the viewer to follow the narrative as an intimate voyeur incapable of intervention.

The Skin I Live In: 8/10 - Pedro Almodovar is on a very short list of the most talented directors working today, but he always seems to tackle absolutely bizarre material. His latest film is no exception -- in fact, it's perhaps the strangest film I've ever seen -- but his beautiful style is able to overcome any quandaries one might have about the content.

Source Code: 7/10 - I love the idea of exploring brain activity after death, largely because as an atheist, it's my only insight into an afterlife. "Source Code" takes the thought-provoking concept and squeezes it into a highly entertaining action film.

Sucker Punch: 3/10 - Expertly filmed, beautifully photographed garbage -- wasting so much talent on such worthless and misguided content is bewildering. I can only hope that Zack Snyder looks to better material in all of his future endeavors.

Super 8: 5/10 - J.J. Abrams film is all style over substance. It's the idea of great filmmaking stuck in a plot that isn't designed to support greatness. The best I can offer to Abrams is the compliment of that in lesser hands, the film would have likely been entirely unwatchable.

Tabloid: 9/10 - "She’s not an evil person. I mean, she’s...just a bit crazy, eccentric...self-obsessed and self-involved, manipulative...and barking mad! Probably. Basically." Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris has crafted his finest film yet, allowing viewers to examine the life of Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming who was charged with abducting and raping a young Mormon man she loved. The film plays out like a real life "Rashomon" (1950), as we eagerly listen to the various versions of the bizarre tale unfold before us.

Take Shelter: 9/10 - Writer/Director Jeff Nichols has crafted a brilliant film, delving into the the life of a man spiraling deep into mental illness. Michael Shannon is a tour de force in the lead, delivering one of the year's great performances, and Jessica Chastain -- in one of her four strong performances of the year -- does very well as Shannon's wife.

Thor: 7/10 - A largely entertaining film that suffers from a very difficult script. Long before Thor makes his way to earth, the viewers are fed the complicated events that lead up to his journey, which at the time (and in retrospect) felt more like an overlong prologue. Director Branagh (well known for his work with Shakespeare adaptations to the screen), did an admirable job in piecing the sections together, but the cost of such a plot-line led to an inevitable time-crunch in generating any kind of on-screen chemistry between the two leads (Hemsworth and Portman).

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: 7/10 - A very tightly woven espionage mystery with a perfect cast that gradually builds momentum toward the conclusion. Its fault comes only in how neatly pieced together everything is -- sometimes at the cost of viewer understanding -- but I'd always prefer a film be more challenging than less.

Too Big to Fail: 7/10 - Director Curtis Hanson's newest film is a re-enactment of events rather than a non-fiction film, the difference being two-fold: every character is two-dimensional and every line spoken by one is done to further the plot. The result is a very entertaining and fascinating film with virtually no depth.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: 3/10 - There's a very cool, well-shot 20-30 minute sequence where a Chicago skyscraper is sawed in half, but it's surrounded by two-hours of pure nonsense.

Tree of Life: 10/10 - Despite my initial temptation, it would be foolish to call this a flawed film as it is so personal; I suspect every frame is exactly as director Terrance Malick wanted. The best comparison that can be given would be to Tarkovsky's "The Mirror" (1975), though instead of traveling inward, Malick decides to expand his scope outward -- an immeasurably more difficult task. The result is a film that tells the story of our universe, using a small Texas town in the 1950s as the focal point. I applaud Pitt's performance, but this is Malick's film and his camera is the star -- we follow his vision as the imagery weaves us through one of the more unforgettable journeys one could have in a theater.

Trust: 8/10 - Director David Schwimmer's success with "Trust" comes from the creation of a fully realized, perfectly written character, portrayed poignantly by Liana Liberato. It's rare to see such complex subject matter (child sexual abuse) handled so well, so I can only applaud Schwimmer for his brutal, yet elegant approach. My only gripe would be in the frequent narrative shifts to the father's (Clive Owen) search for vengeance.

Unknown: 4/10 - The issue with twists today is that the audience is now trained to look for them. In the 1990s, films like "Usual Suspects" (1995) and "The Sixth Sense" (1999) were genuinely able to shock the audience, but I wonder if they'd work at all if released in 2011. The resolution to that issue for many screenwriters is to simply make the twists more and more ridiculous. I can genuinely state that the twist in "Unknown" caught me by surprise, but in reflection I feel more cheated than exhilarated because the twist was completely ridiculous in the context of the film I was shown. Worth adding, I also find it astounding that January Jones has a career as an actress.

War Horse: 1/10 - I made it through most of the movie, but each second was increasingly more difficult. The film is embarrassingly bad, to such an extent that I actually feel it hurts Spielberg's legacy.

Warrior: 7/10 - Easily the most contrived film I've ever seen, but it's amazing what good acting and solid storytelling can make you forget during a film experience. Tom Hardy is exceptional and I really hope he isn't forgotten come award season.

Water for Elephants: 8/10 - The viewing experience for "Water for Elephants" was both highly enjoyable and frustrating: director Francis Lawrence does well in creating a throw-back to old-fashion film-making, but he doesn't take any risks throughout -- it's as if he was content to follow the color-by-numbers, directing-101 manual. However, it's difficult to blame someone for not creating a masterpiece, when the finished result was as good as this film is. Christopher Waltz steals every scene he's in (much like his work in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds) and Robert Pattinson does well as the brooding lead character, Jacob; sadly Reese Witherspoon fails in every conceivable way in what is one of the worst performances of her career.

We Need to Talk About Kevin: 6/10 - I didn't buy into any of the characters' internal logic or in how the plot progressed, which had me feeling uncomfortable and frustrated throughout the entire film. Still, just as I would never re-watch it, I never would have turned it off before seeing how it concluded. If nothing else, it demands that the viewer think, which I appreciate.

Win Win: 6/10 - A little too formulaic for a quirky drama and not quite enough laughs for a quirky comedy, but the film's performances all have enough heart to really bring the characters to life. This is the type of role that Paul Giamatti was born to play, so in a matter of moments, he brings you into his little world and you actually care about his well-being.

Winnie the Pooh: 6/10 - It's difficult to objectively critique a film whose cast of characters is closer to my heart than any other and a film whose target audience is under the age of five. For nostalgic purposes alone, the film is worth the viewing, but if you have no such connection, it's likely something that you should leave to the little ones.

X-Men: First Class: 6/10 - The film is just about what you expect it to be, which is fine, but don't go in with hopes of something that elevates itself beyond the baseline for the genre. The one bright-spot is Michael Fassbender's performance as Magneto, which shows some flashes of a future star.


Rating Breakdown:
10 = 4 Stars (Masterpiece)
9 = 4 stars
8 = 3 1/2 stars
7 = 3 stars
6 = 2 1/2 stars
5 = 2 stars
4 = 1 1/2 stars
3 = 1 star
2 = 1/2 star
1 = No stars (I was unable to finish viewing it)