Neal Vitale Reviews: Late 2011 Films Wrap-Up

Some time last fall I saw a well-reviewed film - Martha Marcy May Marlene - that left me completely cold, but it got me thinking about how I decide what I do or don't like. For me, connecting with the key characters and caring about them is critical. MMMM was an instance where I disliked almost everyone, even if I felt sorry for what they had been through - they were a bunch of unpleasant persons acting foolishly, cruelly, or evilly. Coming on the heels of the highly-regarded snoozefest The Tree Of Life (see PSCAOT 5/30/11), I found myself off my feed, acutely disinterested in films. Hence, few reviews from me over the fourth quarter of 2011.

Well, I got over it, and I spent much of the holidays in the dark or navigating through Netflix, DIRECTV Cinema, and Amazon Instant Videos. Here's what I thought of these films, in brief and in alphabetical order; stars are out of a possible five. [It was a season of great individual performances, not always matched by equally great movies.]

In Theatres

Albert Nobbs (3.5 stars) - Oscar-caliber performances from Glenn Close and Janet McTeer as women living as men in 19th century Ireland, in a sweet but slight and implausible story.

The Artist (4 stars) - A lovely and winsome conceit about the arrival of the talkies, shot in black & white and mostly silent, led by handsome actors and an engaging terrier (last seen in Water For Elephants). 

(Note that Paul and V also saw this one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps a little long)

The Descendants (4 stars) - A warm, intensely human film from Sideways director Alexander Payne, led by strong acting by George Clooney and the youthful trio of Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, and Nick Krause.

Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close (2 stars) - Despite an incredible first film performance from 14-year-old (and "Teen Jeopardy!" champ) Thomas Horn as a boy who loses his father on September 11, a hollow, unengaging effort by Stephen Daldry (The Hours, The Reader).

The Girl With Dragon Tattoo (3 stars) -  In the typically amped-up style of director David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club), this remake of TGWTDT is slicker and more brooding than the original, but adds little more than sex and skin.

Hugo (4.5 stars) - A delightful intrigue from Martin Scorsese - set in Paris in the 30s and involving cinematic pioneer Georges Méliès - is funny and sweet, clever and touching, gorgeously realized (particularly in the 3D version), and artfully acted.

The Iron Lady (4 stars) - Another Oscar contender acting performance, with Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher so well that you struggle to remember the original. Much has been made of the structure of this film - flashbacks from a clearly delusional present-day Thatcher - and limited insight into an important world leader, but I found it fascinating and fresh.

Like Crazy (3.5 stars) - Gone from the theatres by now, but worth tracking down on video when it is released this spring for its warmly unpretentious story of young love, the charm of its lead actors (Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin) despite their dumb on-screen actions, and a nicely hip soundtrack.

Margin Call (3.5 stars) - Not as good, in my view, as the Aaron Sorkin/Curtis Hanson HBO film Too Big To Fail, but still a captivating look into the 2008-09 financial meltdown, showing one 24-hour period in the lives of employees of a Manhattan investment bank early in the crisis.

Melancholia (2.5 stars) - Another arty epic in the vein of The Tree Of Life, this time by controversial Danish director Lars von Trier, musing on the end of the world, replete with complicated visual and musical symbolism; more appealing and intriguing than Tree, but just barely.

My Week With Marilyn (4.5 stars) - This hard-to-believe-but-supposedly-true story of the making of The Prince And The Showgirl  in the mid-50s is beguiling from start to finish, with a marvelous cast that ranges from Kenneth Branagh and Julia Ormond to Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi. But the undisputed star of the film is - watch out Meryl and Glenn - Michele Williams (Blue Valentine) who is incandescent as Marilyn Monroe.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (3 stars) - The title's commas are gone from this new treatment of the 1974 novel by John le Carré. What results is a intricate, often confusing, thriller with Gary Oldman - another leading awards candidate - at the center as George Smiley, all reserve and tightly-wound restraint. The intensity and narrow modulation of the film is exciting for a while, but ultimately fails to deliver an appropriate pay-off.

War Horse (5 stars) - My Oscar pick for Best Picture, a film that is life-affirming and uplifting, showing how humanity can survive even in the darkest and most desperate situations - a brilliant, beautiful rendering by Steven Spielberg of the award-winning stage play.

Young Adult (3 stars) - A surprisingly funny turn by Charlize Theron - dark horse acting nominee? - as a young divorceé with a lot of growing up left to do, in a screenplay from Diablo Cody (Juno), directed by Jason Reitman (Up In The Air). Unfortunately, what starts cleverly and with attitude turns a bit sappy and simple by the film's end.

At Home

Beginners (3.5 stars) - An engaging, warm story of a terminal cancer patient deciding to change his life before it's too late, much to the shock of his son. Fine acting, especially by Golden Globes nominee Christopher Plummer.

The Debt (2 stars) - A "thriller" delving into what may or may not have happened in the hunt by Mossad agents for a Nazi criminal during the mid-sixties. I wasn't thrilled, even with the likes of Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson in the cast.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (3.5 stars) - A more entertaining-than-expected story of the revenge of laboratory simians that turn against their human handlers as business priorities overwhelm scientific and humanitarian goals. A great performance by Andy Serkis ("Gollum" in the Lord Of The Rings films) as the ring-leading chimpanzee.

Sarah's Key (4 stars) - An excellent and powerful adaptation of the Tatiana de Rosnay novel, with Kristin Scott Thomas as a journalist uncovering her family's past while researching a magazine article on French collaboration with the Nazis during the second World War.

Warrior (4.5 stars) - One of the year's best films, which I had totally dismissed during its theatrical run due to my aversion to its violent Mixed Martial Arts theme. Look for possible Oscar nominations for actors Tom Hardy (Inception) and Nick Nolte in a riveting movie of unexpected depth.