A Year in Review: The Movies of 2011

Bridesmaids

I saw 81 movies in 2011. Let that sink in a little bit because I am still shocked by the sheer numbers myself. If you were to include all of the movies that I watched in the past year that had release dates that pre-dated ’11, my overall count would be over a hundred easily. For many, seeing this many movies would take years.

I am divulging all of this information because yesterday, the official nominations for the Academy Awards were announced. (Fun Fact: The Academy Awards are often mistakenly referred to as the Oscars, even though that title is technically incorrect in regards to the award show itself since the trophy is actually the Oscar.) Naturally, the critics will never agree 100% on anything (and if they did then they wouldn’t be actual critics since the role of the critic is to argue one’s point on a topic in face of differing opinions). While I do not agree with many of the nominations, I do agree with some.

Even though the Academy moved away from its short stint of 10 Best Picture nominees, everyone loves a good Top 10 list. Just as a quick note: I am limiting myself to three sentences for each movie. I could go on for pages about why these movies are so great, but these kinds of list are for short pleasurable insights into the mind of the critic. So without further ado, here is my Top 10 Movies of 2011 list.

5 College Comedies Every College Student Should See

Whether you are an up and coming freshmen or a “mature” senior, nobody should go through college without watching what their 4 year experience COULD be like if they lived in a college comedy movie.

COLLEGE COMEDY

Cronenberg’s Most Dangerous Method is Boredom

I once took a psychology class in high school. I didn’t take it because it was an easy A. I didn’t take it because it was a super popular class or I had all my friends in it with me. I definitely didn’t take it because I was at all interested in the subject. I took psychology because I thought having a basic understanding of the human brain and human emotions could be useful later on in life. As of yet, I still have not had to put any of that knowledge to the test. I had the same type of feelings towards David Cronenberg’s (The Fly, A History of Violence) latest directorial effort, A Dangerous Method. I forced myself to watch this movie because of the prestigious actors involved, as well as the potential awards-buzz surrounding it. Unfortunately, I experienced the same type of psychology related boredom and confusion that I had to sit through my junior year.

Who's who? (From Left to Right: Viggo Mortensen, Sigmund Freud, Michael Fassbender, Carl Jung)

Hugo Finds Fun for Everyone

Martin Scorsese’s (Raging Bull, Goodfellas) foray into the worlds of family film and three dimensions is a delight for all to see. Set in Paris in the 1930s, a young orphan boy lives inside a clock tower in a train station, trying to unlock the secret his recently deceased father left for him to solve in the form of an automaton. He makes a few friends and a few enemies along the way as he ultimately discovers the true magic behind motion pictures. Wait, what? I thought this movie was about a boy fixing this old broken robot thing that his dad was fixing while he died. What is this about the magic of movies?

Martin Scorsese's cameo in Hugo.