In just a few hours we're going to know this year's Oscar Winners. So, and just because I have finally seen most of 2011's films, I'm going to make some lists (don't you love lists?) of my favourites of this year. You are going to see some choices that may come as a surprise, but hey, these are my choices and the films (performances, scores and direction) that I enjoyed the most during the past year and I will most likely find myself revisiting in the future. Let me just say that many of the films and performances I've put in these lists are not even nominated and I'm not making any choices depending on the Oscar Nominations.
So here we go:
BEST ACTOR
Jean Dujardin
It's rare for me to agree with the awards that are given to movies and performances in the last years, but this year I can only say that Jean Dujardin won me over even before he started winning every single award! (except the french Cesar). I even spoke of his performance here and I still think he is the best.
Runner-Up: Ryan Gosling in Drive
BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep
I might be a little biased with Streep because I adore her but this doesn't mean that I agree with every single nomination she has got. This time, however, I honestly think that she literally nailed the part of Margaret Thatcher and there were times while I was watching The Iron Lady that I forgot I was watching a film and thought that I was watching Thatcher herself in a documentary.
Runners-Up:
Runners-Up:
- Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn (she was Marylin Monroe)
- Tilda Swinton in We need to talk about Kevin (amazing performance)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Viggo Mortensen
This is where the surprises start. I honestly think that Viggo deserved a nomination for his performance in A Dangerous Method as Sigmund Freud. He even changed the colour of his voice for his performance, for God's sake! Anyway, At least Christopher Plummer deserves this Oscar (that he's going to get 100%) for his whole career!
Runners-Up:
- Kenneth Branagh in My Week with Marilyn (his impersonation of Sir Lawrence Olivier was spot-on)
- Ben Kingsley in Hugo (such a moving performance)
- Christopher Plummer in The Beginners (even though this performance is not my favourite, I'm grateful that Plummer will -finally- get recognised by the Academy)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Janet McTeer
Janet McTeer was breathtaking in Albert Nobbs. For me, she stole the show and she overshadowed Glenn Close who might be a favourite of mine but in this movie she didn't manage to sell the role to me (the horrific make-up was one of the reasons). McTeer deserves the Oscar, and even though she is not going to take it, I hope she is given the chance in the near future.
Runners-Up:
- Kate Winslet in Carnage (amazing!)
- Octavia Spencer in The Help (even though I believe McTeer deserves it more, I can't help but admit that while I was watching "The Help" I couldn't wait for Spencer to come back on screen)
BEST DIRECTOR
Niolas Winding Refn for Drive. Breathtaking direction with great use of the music and the sound effects. With long silent shots and great "explosive" moments. Refn managed to make a great movie out of nothing and he even got great performances from his stars. Such a unique movie.
Runners-Up: Martin Scorsese for Hugo (even though Hugo isn't in my top 10 of the year, I honestly think that nobody else could have made such a unique movie to honour the magic of cinema)
Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist (Hazanavicius managed to make a silent, black and white, 4:3 film that felt fresh and enchanted the audiences of the 21st century. If that's not an achievement, then what is?)
BEST SCORE
This is in no particular order. I just mention the scores that touched me the most in 2011 and they are:
This is in no particular order. I just mention the scores that touched me the most in 2011 and they are:
- Ludovic Bource's The Artist. This is a film that wouldn't work without an amazing score and even though there are some moments of repetition, this is one of my most favourite scores of the year.
- Howard Shore's Hugo. I can't believe that such a light-hearted "french" score has come from the mind of the man who brought us the terrific score of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Shore is a great composer and his score for Hugo is a great example of his talent.
- Michael Giacchino's Super 8. This tribute to the films of the 70s and 80s couldn't have a greater score. Giacchino proves, once again, that he is capable of creating moving scores that serve the films they accompany and they can also offer great hours for the score-lovers.
- Alexandre Desplat's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt.2. Even though I would have liked to see John Williams back in the Harry Potter Universe for one last time, Desplat manages to end this magnificent series with a bang. His score is touching, sentimental, epic and loud at the same time and he proves himself a great addition to the Harry Potter composers.
- Alexandre Desplat's The Ides of March. This is the 2nd entry of Desplat in my list and he deserves so. His score for this political thriller is great and the main theme he creates for George Clooney's film can be compared with great scores in the history of cinema.
MY FAVOURITE 2011 FILMS
This list is in alphabetical order just because I don't think I'm able to list these films from least to most favourite. Some of them I've enjoyed because they were fun, some others because they were simply great films. And beware, there are many surprises in this list. From the 9 films nominated for Best Picture this year, only two can be found in my list. So here we go:
Crazy Stupid Love
Steve Carrel. Ryan Gosling. Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Kevin Bacon. Such a great cast for such a fun movie. This is one of my most favourite films of the year and one that I have already revisited and I most likely will for many times in the future. It's one of the rare times that I laughed out loud during a movie and this, combined with the fact that I love Carrel, Gosling and Stone makes Crazy Stupid Love one of this year's greatest films for me.Drive
The first time I watched Drive during a film festival in Athens I wasn't impressed. I liked it but I thought that there was something missing. However, after a rewatch, I truly appreciated this silent yet loud film. Ryan Gosling gives the performance of a lifetime in this film and so do some other great actors such as Bryan Cranston (from Breaking Bad) and Albert Brooks. This is one of the films that need a second viewing for it to sink in and it's definitely worth every single minute of your time. Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen is often hit or miss but his latest film is one of my personal favourites of his whole work. I loved every single shot, every single dialogue and every single idea that Allen wanted to offer his audience. Paris looks amazing, even more so than real life, and even Owen Wilson is tolerable in this film (I don't particularly like him in general). As for the rest of the cast, every single one of them is great and they all manage to make an enjoyable film which even makes a small comment on our way of living. Fantastic.
Super 8
This is a film that wasn't received well by the critics. It didn't even do well in the box-office. However, it reminds me of everything that was pure and magic and innocent in cinema (and many films do that this year -Hugo and The Artist I'm looking at you). J.J.Abrams's tribute to the Steven Spielberg films of the 70s and 80s was a success in my opinion, as it brought successfully to life a terrific monster-story combined with an innocent and touching background and many funny moments including kids who love making movies. I really enjoyed it, and even though it wasn't as perfect as many expected, it managed to take me back to my childhood when everything (even a zombie apocalypse) was simpler and pure and fun.Warrior
I hadn't planned on watching Warrior until my dad suggested it and, boy, was I impressed. Generally I love sports films and even though I don't always remember the details, I always - always - enjoy them. This film however was far more that a simple sports story. It was, first and foremost, the story of a family and that's what won me over. The amazing performances of Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton was a much-welcome plus and all these together made the Warrior a great film and undeservedly one of the year's most neglected ones (besides the Oscar Nomination for Nick Nolte). X-Men: First Class
It's really rare for a sequel to be better than its predecessors but Matthew Vaughn's effort sure is great. Transfering us many years before the first X-Men trilogy, First Class gathers a great cast that includes James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Bacon and tells the great story of how the legendary Professor X and Magneto first became friends and then enemies. This film is a great example of how an adventure is supposed to be made and even though it has some great special effects it doesn't only rely on them to entertain the audience but it also has a great story to tell.
The Artist
I have repeatedly spoken about this film here and here and I can surely say that this is my favourite film of the year. It is fun, funny, entertaining, touching, unique. It has a great score, a breath-taking performance by Jean Dujardin and a great performance by Berenice Bejo and it pays tribute to one of the greatest eras in film-making with a special and beautiful way. It's the first time since 2007 (The Departed) and 2004 (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) that I'm in aggreement with the Oscar Winner (because it will most likely win) and I can't be anything but happy for this great small film that has enchanted audiences everywhere!
The Help
The Help might be everything Hollywood asks for but this doesn't make it less enjoyable. It's one of this year's films that I have had the most fun with and that gives it a spot in my top 10. With the great performances of Viola Davis (who might not be my favourite for this year's Oscar, but this doesn't mean she doesn't deserve it anyway), Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard and Emma Stone (who starts being one of my favourite actresses of all time) this is a film you don't want to miss because it does not only say something important (racism is bad, duh!) but is also funny (and moving) as hell.The Ides of March
This is the third Ryan Gosling film of this year that manages to get in my list. This guy makes some good choices, for sure. Now, I love my political thrillers. And this one, directed by the politically awake George Clooney is a great one. It shows exactly what's happening behind the doors of the presidential candidates in the USA and most likely in the headquarters of every single political candidate in the whole world. And what's happening is corruption, double-crossing, treason, games of power and hypocrisy. I've watched this film twice and it didn't bore me one bit, it only made me think. And it's always a great thing when a film offers food for thought. This is my favourite film directed by George Clooney and it has a place in my list.The Lincoln Lawyer
Finally, the last (but not least) film in my list is one of those films that don't get the recognition they deserve. The Lincoln Lawyer is a great thriller with many unexpected surprises (one of them being Matthew McConaughey's very good performance). It is based on a book, something you can tell by the very thick plot , and it is one of the year's best even if most likely you haven't heard of it. With an atmosphere that brings back memories from older films about lawyers and important cased inside a court, I really enjoyed this movie and for that it gets the last spot on my top 10 of the year 2011.
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