While Saturday Night Crap-o-Rama has always been a side project, a little blog I maintain for fun, I feel like I dropped off a little too much from it in 2011. I only discussed 38 pictures, versus 116 in 2010. PRODUCTIVITY IS DOWN PEOPLE. I have two pretty great excuses, though. Reason of the First: I started this blog when I was unemployed. I have a full time job now. I’m a busy man. And important. And handsome!
Reason of the Second: Branching out to television shows takes a hell of a lot longer. I spent so much time watching science fiction shows this year. While I’m going to get back to movies in 2012, rest assured, I’ve got some lengthy posts in the pipeline.
So I’m sorry, Internet. But I watched 14 seasons of Star Trek in 2011, so I’m not that sorry. Even though it ate into my movie watching time considerably. I missed out on a lot of pictures, like Hugo, Young Adult, but most importantly, Dale and Tucker Versus Evil. That movie looks sweet.
10. The Perfect Host
The last 20 minutes are garbage, but for a while there, The Perfect Host features amazing character work from David Hyde Pierce as a the titular psychopath.
9. Paul
NO ONE ELSE LIKED THIS MOVIE BUT ME.
8. Alien Vs Ninja
The Japanese are weird. On the surface, Alien vs Ninja is a black comic tribute to Alien, but it piles on so many random Japanese-centric oddball humor, from slapstick to trannies to fan service. It’s a weird little picture, but the action is super gory and the story moves along nicely enough.
7. Season of the Witch
Nic Cage’s financial troubles have forced him into working 24/7, which is probably how he ended up as a demon slayer in Season of the Witch. But ya know what? Dude still rocks it, and an assist from Ron Perlman is always welcome. Season of the Witch isn’t the best looking movie by far, but it’s still solid B-movie fun.
6. Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America felt like a whiz bang throwback to old serials, not unlike director Joe Johnston’s other film, The Rocketeer. My boy Chris Evans finally gets the leading man picture he deserves (Dude was the man in Sunshine), and the whole thing manages to pack in lots of action, sci-fi, and romance.
5. Thor
Director Kenneth Branagh managed to cram tons of mythology, of both the Nordic and Marvel kind, into Thor without sacrificing the film’s sense of fun and action. Yeah, those first 30 minutes move at a rapid fire clip, but once Branagh lays down all the rules, his movie gets to work dazzling and kicking ass, all while slipping in a fair amount of humor. Of course, it helps that cast is game, starting with Chris Hemsworth, who delivers a star-making performance as the titular character, mixing in the arrogance and swagger that makes Thor such a cool character. Also, the guy has great abs. So, that helps.
4. Super 8
The only reason Super 8 isn’t higher on this list is because director J.J. Abrams got a little too cloying with this Spieldberg homage. Also the dude needs to design a new alien. Still, Super 8 is a pretty darn great love letter to cinema, carried by realistic performances from a cast of newcomer child stars.
3. The Guard
Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle get politically incorrect in this hilarious buddy cop picture about a local Irish law man and an FBI agent’s quest to take down a drug ring. The Guard is a quirky little picture.
2. The Debt
Jessica Chastain had a pretty awesome year. Sure, I hated Tree of Life, but she was still amazing in it. Same goes for The Debt, an adaptation of a 2007 Israeli thriller of the same name. Essentially two stories in one – about a trio of Israeli spies in search of a Nazi war criminal, and the aftermath of that fateful mission nearly 30 years later – The Debt jumps back and forth in time, revealing how far the Holocaust truly reaches. But for all its dramatic elements, The Debt is also a spy thriller, and it gets pretty damn brutal in places. But the violence never feels gratuitous and unneeded. Rather, this is a film that simply makes the audience feel each blow.
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes should not have been my favorite film of the summer, let alone the year. It’s a CGI-laden rehash of a long dead sci-fi franchise starring James Franco. While I’ll always love Franco for Freaks and Geeks, the guy’s silver screen track record has been dubious. And yet, aside from a few groaning references to the original, Rise is a really, really good movie that stands on its ape-legs.
In retrospect, I realize that Rise is stuffed with sci-fi/fantasy ringers. John Lithgow (Harry and the Hendersons), Brian Cox (X2: X-Men United!!), and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from the “Harry Potter” series) all turn in excellent character work. And then there’s the magnificent Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) as a chimp named Caesar. The guy is one of the greatest physical actors of all time, and it all comes back to the art of mime.
At the same time, Rise has a legitimately compelling plot. It explains the initial seeds that led to the original Planet of the Apes, but it is first and foremost a commentary on animal rights. Other high class reboots of low art pieces have gotten more acclaim (Batman, Battlestar Galactica), but Rise is very much in their league.
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