Remember in my last post, I covered Super 8, so that film won't be mentioned here. Seen it yet? Awesome, right? You haven't?! Then what the hell do I do this for?!
Drive
A while back, I wrote a whole post about this film and how I much I loved it, and my feelings remain just as strong today as they were then. Ryan Gosling did some impressive work this year, but without a doubt, his most daring role (maybe his most iconic?) was The Driver. Movie stuntman by day, getaway man by night, The Driver falls in love with his next-door neighbor Irene (as one does) and makes it his mission to protect her and her son when Standard, Irene's jailbird husband, falls in with some truly evil gangsters.
It saddens me to think that this film won't get the Oscar recognition it deserves since Drive isn't the type of film the Academy typically goes for. It's too original, violent, different, what have you. If last year's dominance of The King's Speech over The Social Network showed us anything, it's that the Academy is still very much set in their ways.
Moneyball
Adapting a remarkably true story about baseball statistics and turning into captivating drama is no small feat, but Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and director Bennett Miller manage to pull it off. This film deserves your attention even if you don't like baseball. At the center is a classic underdog story - Billy Beene taking his flailing Oakland A's nearly to the top using an experimental method of recruiting known as "sabermetrics." Also in that center is the fantastic chemistry between the film's two leads - Pitt and Hill.
Sports movies do seem played out these days. Moneyball isn't your typical sports movie.
Beginners
Beginners is a wonderfully acted dramedy about Oliver (Ewan McGregor) whose mother dies, but that's not all. That's when his father Hal (Christopher Plummer), who was married to her for over 40 years, decides to come out of the closet - at 75.
This film, based on writer/director Mike Mill's true account of his father's coming out, boasts some great performances, particularly Plummer's, as a man who was forced to hide his true self because of the society he grew up in. I wouldn't be surprised if an Oscar nom is headed his way. And if the Academy has any sense, they'll make a special award for Arthur, the adorable Jack Russell terrier in the film and practically steals the movie.
More movie recommendations next week. Tomorrow, we'll talk about TV. Also, do you agree these films were among the best of 2011? What movies were your favorite this year? Leave a comment below.
Kyle Waldrup is a contributing writer for Groove Sandwich. Follow him on Twitter here.
Recent Comments