The Best of the Best: The Top Movies of 2011

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be releasing what I consider to be the best of 2011, whether it is the top movies, actors, directors, action movies or more. Check back here, and I will be updating the list of what I consider to be the best of the crop, coming out of 2011.

** These might change after writing the articles when I see some that slipped by me. I will update the lists here but the articles will remain the same.

The Most Disappointing Movies of 2011 
Click here to read Most Disappointing Movies 2011 article
1. The Hangover, Part II
2. The Green Hornet
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
4. Insidious
5. Beastly

The Best Animated Movies of 2011
Click here to read Best Animated Movies 2011 article
1. Arthur Christmas
2. Gnomeo and Juliet
3. Winnie the Pooh
4. Kung Fu Panda 2
5. Rango

Oklahoma Sooners beat Iowa Hawkeyes in Insight Bowl

The Oklahoma Sooners college football season has come to an end with the Sooners beating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Insight Bowl, 31-14. It has been an interesting year for Oklahoma, who started out as the No. 1 team in the nation but ended up playing in a minor bowl on Dec. 30.

Don't tell that to Oklahoma Sooners' head coach Bob Stoops, though.

"So if you are not in the national championship, it doesn't mean a lot? Where do start setting that gauge? I don't understand it," Stoops said. "I'm just saying overall, so what is the big -- why wouldn't it mean a lot? We're playing, right? So which Bowl game means a lot? So if someone else is playing for the national championship and you are playing for the Rose Bowl, that doesn't mean anything, right? Not going to be national champions, or does it? All these games mean a lot if you are the ones playing them?"

If you ask me, a 10-3 season is great for any college football team.

Click here to read my entire recap of the Oklahoma Sooners' big bowl win

Also click on the photo below to see images from the game itself.

'Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy' Review

Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Written by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan based on the novel by John le Carré
Cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema
Music Composed by Alberto Iglesias

Cast
Mark Strong ... Jim Prideaux
John Hurt ... Control
Gary Oldman ... George Smiley
Toby Jones ... Percy Alleline
David Dencik ... Toby Esterhase
Ciarán Hinds ... Roy Bland
Colin Firth ... Bill Haydon
Kathy Burke ... Connie Sachs
Benedict Cumberbatch ... Peter Guillam

Runtime: 127 min
MPAA: Rated R for violence, some sexuality/nudity and language
Official Website

Originally Published on 411mania.com


Old school spy movies rarely get made anymore. These days when you see something about a spy, you get dizzying camera work (Bourne Identity), over-the-top gadgets (Bond) or crazy stunts that overshadow the story (Mission Impossible). That is what, when a movie like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy gets made, it is a pleasure to sit through. Forget about the gadgets, cars and babes because this is a movie about a spy doing his impressive job, nothing more and nothing less. It is a modern day Film Noir.

Gary Oldman is George Smiley, a semi-retired spy for MI6 pulled out of retirement to find a mole within the top ranks of the British Intelligence (The Circus). There are four men he is investigating - "Tinker," "Tailor," "Soldier" and "Poorman" - with the idea there is a Russian mole in their ranks, an idea perpetrated by the head of the department, Control (John Hurt). When one of Control’s agents (Mark Strong) is gunned down while investigating the mole, Smiley is called out of retirement to find the truth.

While this all sounds exciting, most of the movie is simply spies doing what they do best, searching for clues, discreetly eliminating their enemies and carrying on in meetings and discussions. Don’t worry because there is nothing boring about that in this movie. Gary Oldman continues to be one of cinema’s greatest talents, bringing Smiley to life in this film and doing as much with his eyes and body movements as he does with his limited dialogue. George Smiley is not a man to deliver great speeches or throw out one liners. He is a quiet, reflective man, with a sad past and a bleak future. Oldman knocks it out of the park with this performance.

Oldman is surrounded by a superb supporting cast as well.

Oscar winner Colin Firth is Bill Hayden (Tailor), a man who has a strong past with both Smiley and the agent gunned down at the beginning of the movie. Toby Jones (Arnim Zola in Captain America) is Percy Alleline (Tinker), a sneaky man who has his own underhanded intentions during the investigation. Ciaran Hinds is Roy Bland (Soldier), a staunch, arrogant man and David Dencik is Toby Esterhase (Poorman), a weak man, rescued by Control and relishing his spot. The fifth suspect for the mole is Smiley himself (Spy).

It is also important to point out the actor who carries the largest role, outside of Oldman. Benedict Cumerbatch is Peter Guillam, an intelligence officer aiding him in the investigation. Guillam, comfortably sitting on the outside of this inner circle of power, is who the audience is given to relate to and Cumerbatch delivers a performance that is awards worthy in and of itself. His doubts, concerns and reflections are what gives humanity to Smiley's otherwise steely investigative gaze.

It is these acting performances that carry the film, one that does not treat the audience as stupid followers, but instead gives them something to chew on as the clues slowly move into place and the puzzle becomes clear. Adapted from the spy novel by John Le Carre and directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In), the movie takes its time to set up the characters, locations and situations. However, this setup is not a blank slate, instead filled with clues that come to light when Smiley makes his discoveries later in the movie. This is a puzzle movie and one that pays off those who pay attention greatly.

Anyone who watched Alfredson’s masterful vampire movie, Let the Right One In, knows what they can expect to see. Unlike the American remake, which amped up the horror, Alfredson instead focused on the characters of the vampire and her child friend. He was more concerned with how the plot affected them. The same is true with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a movie that cares more about the characters and how they interact with each other, than it is with Cold War politics.

When the end finally comes, it simply resolves the mystery and paves the way for the resolution. There is nothing exciting here, no car chases or gun fights. This is simply a case of a spy bringing down an upper level British agent who has been trading information with the enemy. It is not the end that is the exciting part of this movie, but what leads up to it. What works here are the great performances by some of the best actors working today, telling a dark, seedy story of paranoia and deceit.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a throwback movie and is a treasure in an otherwise disappointing 2011.

 

Gary Oldman turns in a masterful performance as George Smiley, one of the greatest heroes from author John Le Carre’s spy novels. He is subdued but you never doubt him for one minute in the movie. He is joined by an amazing cast of supporting actors, led by the impressive Benedict Cumerbatch, who should use this as a breakout role. The movie is a slow burn, espionage thriller, avoiding over-the-top action and replacing it with intelligent storytelling, great characters and a wonderful pace. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is one of the best films of 2011 and Gary Oldman turned in one of the year’s best performances. 

Final Rating: 9.5/10

'The Artist' Review

Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
Written by Michel Hazanavicius
Cinematography by Guillaume Schiffman
Music Composed by Ludovic Bource

Cast
Jean Dujardin ... George Valentin
Bérénice Bejo ... Peppy Miller
John Goodman ... Al Zimmer
James Cromwell ... Clifton
Uggie ... The Dog

Runtime: 100 min
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture
Official Website

Originally Published on 411mania.com

I was ten minutes into The Artist when I toggled the options to see how long the movie was. By the time I was 20 minutes into the movie, I couldn’t turn away. When the movie finally ended, I wanted to go back and immediately re-watch it again. It is movies like this that make me happy to be in a professional critic’s organization that send out screeners to view for those movies that have not made it to Middle America locations like Oklahoma yet.

It is also why The Artist shot to the upper echelon of my year-end award’s list and ended up winning the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle award for Best Film of 2011.

The Artist is a movie about silent film but the unique method director Michel Hazanavicius used to tell his story was to create it as a silent film as well. This had good and bad repercussions. First, there are a lot of people who will not watch a black and white, full screen, silent film, no matter how great it is. However, the unique style of filmmaking gives Hazanavicius a distinct advantage when it comes to critical acclaim. Film critics love something different, especially if it is used to tell a compelling story.

The Artist tells the story of a silent film star, an Errol Flynn styled character, who mugs for the camera and uses his distinct facial expressions to tell the story without ever needing to use dialogue to move the plot along. He was the biggest star in Hollywood until sound cinema changed everything.

Jean Dujardin stars as George Valentin, the silent film star, and he turned in a performance that was nothing less than masterful. The idea beneath the story is that George is afraid to take the next step in his career, into sound cinema, and wants to grasp his past as long as possible. His memorabilia collection proves how much he cares about his past achievements and he is too prideful to ask for help when things start to go wrong and he loses his way.

Instead of working within the new system for a producer who has stuck with him for years (John Goodman), George decides to use his own money to make a new silent film, bankrupting himself when audiences flock to the latest talkie instead. The only people who stay by his side when he finally is pushed out of Hollywood are his dog (Uggie) and chauffeur, Clifton (James Cromwell).

Personally, I’d vote for Uggie in the Best Supporting Actor (animal) category of any award’s show.

Meanwhile, the story also shows the rise of a new starlet in the world of sound cinema. Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) gets her lucky break in the business when George puts his career on the line for her. However, when his career falls apart, he refuses to ask for help and shuns all assistance from the young actress.

This is a movie about a man who is not able, or willing, to talk. This metaphor goes from his fear of change to his inability to express his true feelings, beneath the bravado of his on-screen persona.

What is most amazing about The Artist is it takes the silent film and somehow makes it appear new and fresh. Yes, they use the silent form perfectly, with two notable exceptions (a nightmare sequence and the final scene of the movie), but the film itself never feels like a silent relic that drags you reluctantly to the end. As a matter of fact, when the end comes and the payoff occurs for our sad sack hero, you can only smile as the final number plays out, but also miss the silent film that just completed.

A lot of people will not give The Artist a chance because of a bias against both black and white films as well as silent cinema. There are simply too many people in the world who refuse to “read their movies.” Those people are in for a loss because The Artist is one of the best, if not the best, movie of 2011.
 

The Artist is not for everyone. It is a black and white silent film about the silent film era coming to an end. However, it is important to go into the movie without any preconceived notions. Michel Hazanavicius created a film that will be a heavy favorite for Best Film honors at this year’s Academy Awards and Jean Dujardin will surely be one of the names called as a nominee for Best Actor. It is a throwback film but it also holds up well with most movies made today. The Artist is a huge success and is easily one of the best movies of 2011.

Final Score:  10.0

OFCC Names 'The Artist' Best Film of 2011

The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, the statewide group of professional film critics, has announced its sixth annual list of awards for achievement in cinema on Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. I have been a member of the OFCC for three years and this is the third time I have voted in the year-end awards.

The Artist, a black-and-white, silent film that speaks volumes about movies and the people who make and watch them, won the Best Film of 2011.

“This was a close year in our voting,” OFCC President Rod Lott said. “Drive, a film that in many ways is the polar opposite of The Artist, came in a close second for best film of 2011. We had to have a tie-breaker vote, our first, for two categories: Best Screenplay, Adaptation and Best Supporting Actress.”

Click here to see the full list of winners for 2011, but first, here is who I voted on in the 2011 year end voting.

Top 10 Films

    “The Artist”
    “Source Code”
    “The Descendants”
    “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II”
    “Super 8”
    “Moneyball”
    “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
    “Drive”
    “Shame”
    “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”

Best Film

    “The Artist”

Best Director

    Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”

Best First Feature

    Sean Durkin, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Best Actress

    Saoirse Ronan, "Hanna"

Best Actor

    Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

Best Supporting Actress

    Jessica Chastain, “The Help”

Best Supporting Actor

    Alan Rickman, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Best Screenplay, Adaptation

    “Moneyball,” Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

Best Screenplay, Original

    “Midnight in Paris,” Woody Allen

Best Documentary Film

    “Page One: Inside The New York Times”

Best Foreign Language Film

    “Troll Hunter”

Best Animated Film

    “Arthur Christmas”

Obviously Worst Film

    “Beastly”

Not-So-Obviously-Worst Film

    “The Hangover Part II”

Best Guilty Pleasure

    “Paul”

Comicpalooza 2011 Interview: Tony Todd

This is the full transcript of the interview I conducted with Tony Todd (Candyman) at Comicpalooza 2011. A portion of the interview was also published on Associated Content by Yahoo!

Most people know Tony Todd from his role in the iconic horror film, "Candyman." What many people don't realize is he is a classically trained stage actor who has appeared in movies directed by men such as Oliver Stone and Clint Eastwood. While appearing at Comicpalooza 2011, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Tony Todd and he made it clear he was more interested in talking about the future instead of a history everyone already knows.

Shawn S. Lealos: Most people know you for your horror movies. Is it hard to find people willing to cast you in non horror movies or are most offers in the horror genre?

Tony Todd: I have to qualify. The reason people mostly know me from horror is because I played a couple of iconic films but technically, of the 100-plus films I have done, only 40-percent of them are horror. Actually, the naturalistic outweighs. The way I think is I never take no, I have always been a fighter. I’m an only child, so I’m spoiled. I was raised by a good woman, a single mom, and I have no fears about what I can do. When it comes to getting on stage or getting inside and role, or anything like that, I know what to do. This year, I have five films in the can, at least three of them are going theatrical and only two of them are horror. I’ve got “Sushi Girl,” which is my pet project that I am executive producer. It’s going to be very hot, it’s sizzling and has nothing horrific in it.

Shawn S. Lealos: I was going to talk about “Sushi Girl,” but first I want to talk about “Unbroken.” There is very little on the Internet about it and the “Unbroken” website only says coming soon. What can you tell me about “Unbroken?”

Tony Todd: When I first got that job, it was an unsolicited inquiry, and I read the script and loved it. Paul Moore is a friend of mine and he is the director. What I have done in the last year or so was become friends with the people I work with. We enjoy each other so that is the new thing in my life. Paul Moore is here, he is talking to investors about the next project and then at night, we have a drink and talk. It’s like the relationship John Huston and Humphrey Bogart had. I’ve got that with about five different directors now but it’s not a calculated thing. It’s more of natural friendships and it means we can help each other.

“Unbroken” was going to be shot in a small town in Virginia, they met our price – it was a fair price, it was not my normal price but it was fair for five days work. I knew it was going to be big because I had 60-percent of the dialogue but we shot it. It was shot in a dilapidated church. Basically, I am an exorcist, who travels from place to place, fixing up churches, introducing the new congregation and moving on. Even though I am a man of the cloth, I don’t have commitments. When I come to this Virginia church, I know and the church knows this is my final stop. “Unbroken” refers to a man’s last mettle, his test of faith.

And, it’s a ghost story. It’s not horror in the sense of someone being slashed and it’s not a thriller, it’s a ghost story. The main ghost is a little boy. There are a lot of scenes with me and this little boy. I’m this tall man and then there is this little calm boy. And this boy can’t be at peace without me.

Shawn S. Lealos: Let’s talk about “Sushi Girl.” Man gets out of prison and meets with his friends about the diamond robbery that sent him to prison. They have dinner on a Sushi Girl and try to figure out where the diamonds are and everything goes wrong. You have compared it to “Reservoir Dogs.”

Tony Todd: To make it easy, it is a Quentin Tarantino-esque movie. Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have supported us behind the scenes. It is the study of civility. When you look at the poster, it is a mock of the Last Supper. My character, and I really tried to dig deep for this, is I wanted to present a complete and utter sociopath. This man dresses in the finest suits, smokes Cuban cigars. I’ll like you one minute and as soon as you, it can be anything, it can be from blowing your brains out to taking a hammer and breaking your little finger.

The rest of my crew is a motley crew. We are all specialists in torture of various degrees. So, by the end of the movie only one person survives. Who do you think that will be? The movie is filled with things like ‘is mercy killing that happens a murder?’ When mercy killing is done, does the person who does it really believe they are doing a person a favor? They’re not.

Shawn S. Lealos: You mentioned the eclectic cast, from Mark Hammil, Sonny Chiba, Danny Trejo…

Tony Todd: Sonny Chiba!

Shawn S. Lealos: It seems like it is a mixture of genre favorites, like “The Expendables” was. 

Tony Todd: Yeah, but we didn’t start it out that way. The story stands on its own and would do just as well with unknowns. It’s a hell of a story and I was the first one to fall into place. The director was there first, a newcomer named Kern Saxton. He has a June 8 deadline and we have an inside shot at the Venice Film Festival and we also have a shot at the Toronto Film Festival.

Shawn S. Lealos: You mentioned more than anything you want to be a director. Are you looking at directing your own scripts or are you looking for someone else’s script to catch your eye?

Tony Todd: Ideally, I would like to do something I wrote first but recently some things have happened where I may give up the project I had originally written for me to direct, turning it over to somebody else. I might turn that over to one of those directors I told you I have a relationship with. Instead I may end up directing something that is not a great project but is not a horrible project. It just needs some fixing and I’ll be more of a mechanic, working it out. It will give me that credit I need to get the next project. 

Shawn S. Lealos: Are you hoping this will eventually lead you to your passion project about a musician…

Tony Todd: Sam Cooke.

Shawn S. Lealos: Are you hoping this will open the doors for you to direct that project?

Tony Todd: Well, sure, three or four films down the line when I prove I can make money for them. I’m a history buff and there are all kinds of forgotten and chapters of American history to be uncovered. I’m not interested in the commercial, I don’t want to make “Fast and Furious,” I want to tell the truth.