The vampires and werewolves are at each others’ throats again in Underworld: Awakening. Two things must be understood: 1) this is the fourth installment in a monster movie series and 2) the story is at the service of the supernatural fantasy action, not the other way around. Taken on those terms it works rather well. Picking up from where the second movie left off (the third movie was a prequel), vampire Death Dealer Selene (series star Kate Beckinsale) and her hybrid vampire/werewolf lover are surviving in a new world order where humans have become the hunters. The action almost immediately jumps forward 12 years to Selene awakening from cryogenic sleep in a fortified research facility. She teams up with Theo James’s vampire from an underground coven and Michael Ealy’s friendly human cop to rescue India Eisley’s captive hybrid girl. The most impressive thing about the whole movie is that this scenario holds up as simultaneously a sequel, a standalone story, and a platform for further adventures. The Underworld series has always had a good eye for casting its villains, and Stephen Rea continues the pattern as a mad doctor with a hidden agenda. Stylistically Awakening is a well-judged return to the look of the first film. Taking advantage of current special effects technology, this entry is even more action-packed than its predecessors.

2 1/2 stars

One thing I liked and one thing I didn’t like: I liked how they had Eisley pattern her movements on Beckinsale’s, and also that she has the physical presence to keep from being overshadowed. The supporting characters’ roles could have been beefed up without risk of getting in the way of the action.

The Artist got a big boost from the Oscar nominations and expands beyond the Indy metro area at last. Meanwhile Albert Nobbs, which garnered acting nominations for Glenn Close and Janet McTeer, opens at the Castleton and southside AMCs in Indianapolis (but not the KAC). A Dangerous Method opens at a surprisingly large number of theaters state wide (even without Oscar’s imprimatur) and a second movie starring Michael Fassbender, Shame, starts at the Keystone Art Cinema. All that plus a good lineup of repertory and festival screenings. What looks good to you this weekend?

Note: For trailers, cast and crew info, and suchlike follow the title link to the movie’s official website.

OPENING THIS WEEK IN LIMITED RELEASE

Agneepath- The Bollywood revenge thriller Agneepath stars Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, and Sanjay Dutt, and is a remake of one of Amitabh Bachchan’s 1970s hits. It opened yesterday at the Republic Theatres Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis.

Albert Nobbs- Glenn Close was nominated for a best actress Oscar for Albert Nobbs; she plays a middle-aged woman who has been living as a man for years to keep a good job working at a hotel in 1910s Ireland. Janet McTeer, whose character is in a similar situation, snagged a supporting actress nomination. Albert Nobbs opens today at the AMC Castleton Square 14 and AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17 in Indy.

A Dangerous Method- Viggo Mortenson plays Sigmund Freud and Michael Fassbender plays Carl Jung in David Cronenberg’s drama, inspired by their turbulent professional and personal relationship in pre-WWI Vienna. A Dangerous Method opens today at the Landmark Keystone Art Cinema and AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17 (at reduced showtimes) in Indianapolis, Regal Shiloh Crossing Stadium 18 in Avon, Regal Village Park Stadium 17 in Carmel, AMC Evansville 16, AMC Honey Creek 8 in Terre Haute, AMC Showplace Bloomington 11, AMC Showplace Schererville 16, and Carmike Cinemas Carmike 20 in Fort Wayne.

Shame- Michael Fassbender has received nothing but raves for his starring turn playing a man tormented by sex addiction. Carey Mulligan heads the supporting cast as his sister, who has demons of her own. Shame opens today at the Landmark Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis.

THEATRICAL HOLDOVERS (AND “RE-OPENINGS”)

Anonymous- Roland Emmerich’s costume drama/conspiracy thriller starts at the Cinemark Movies 6 in Mishawaka (for two shows a day).

The Artist- The movie of the year for cineastes, The Artist is a charming valentine to the movies. Set in a Hollywood transitioning to the sound film era, Jean Dujardin stars as a matinee idol of the silent screen who falls in love with a rising star made for the talkies. “Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius daringly shot the film completely in the style of a silent feature, in black and white and without sound (with a few striking exceptions), filmed on location in Hollywood, set to a wonderful original score by Ludovic Bource.” The Artist has expanded beyond the scope of what I’m willing to type out in the way of theater listings, which makes me happy because it’s a tremendously entertaining movie, and I hope everyone who’s enough of a movie lover to be reading this column will see it soon- if they haven’t already.

Carnage- Adapted from a play, this dark comedy directed by Roman Polanski is a chamber piece starring Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, and John C. Reilly. Two couples who become locked in their own squabbling when they meet after their sons’ get into a playground fight. Carnage holds over at the Landmark Keystone Art Theatre in Indianapolis at reduced showtimes.

My Week With Marilyn- That’s Marilyn Monroe, and she’s played by Michelle Williams in this dramatization of an interlude in the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl. My Week With Marilyn is largely played out after a good run, but it holds over at the Yes Cinema in Columbus and opens at the AMC Showplace Michigan City 14.

FESTIVALS, REPERTORY SCREENINGS, AND MORE

For additional information on venues and showtimes, follow the links under “Outside the Multiplex” in the sidebar.

State Wide

A Fathom Event for Kevin Smith fans: “Kevin Smith, independent film pioneer, is coming back to the big screen for a one night event on Thursday, February 2. Broadcast LIVE from the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Kevin Smith: Live From Behind Featuring “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” will be a unique opportunity for fans all over the country to interact with Kevin Smith, ask him questions, etc. The three-hour event will begin with Smith (Silent Bob) and frequent co-star Jason Mewes (Jay) hosting their highly rated podcast, “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” followed by a live interactive Q&A with theater audiences across the US.” Check the Fathom website (listed in the Outside the Multiplex sidebar) for more info.

Indianapolis and Central Indiana

The African Queen is tonight’s movie in the IMA’s Winter Nights Technicolor series. The feature will be preceded by the famous cartoon short The Rabbit of Seville. On Thursday, the joint IMA/Eiteljorg Indian film series continues with coming-of-age comedy-drama Four Sheets to the Wind, screening in the IMA’s Toby Theater at 7; tickets are $5, $3 for museum (either one) members.

The Muppets Take Manhattan is the weekend movie at Franklin’s Artcraft Theatre.

The theme for the winter/spring season of “Vintage Movie Nights” (monthly screenings at the Garfield Park Arts Center in Indianapolis) is Fallen Stars: famous actors ostracized in Hollywood. The first film is Fatty Arbuckle’s Coney Island (1917) on January 28. The FILM Indiana page has the full lineup.

Southern Indiana

The ninth annual PRIDE Film Festival runs through the weekend in Bloomington, with film screenings at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and the IU Cinema (full events schedule). Films at the Buskirk include the documentary Gen Silent and the family drama Gun Hill Road.

The new Turkish crime drama Once Upon a Time in Anatolia has one show a day today through Sunday at the IU Cinema. There are two programs of shorts this weekend: “Oddities from the David Bradley Collection” today at 6:30 and the 2012 Iris Film Festival, which includes locally made films, tomorrow at 7. On Sunday, the 2010 war film Essential Killing will be shown at 3; Wim Wender’s modern classic Wings of Desire screens Monday at 7; and Merci Mr. Robertson, a documentary about a French “pre-cinema pioneer” on Thursday at 3.

Also in Bloomington: There’s a reduced schedule this week in the Ryder Film Series, but you have a few chances to catch Tom Tykwer’s new film 3; two more chances to catch Aki Kaurismaki’s newest, Le Havre; and one chance at The Way. Check the Ryder’s website for days and locations.

Free movies Saturday at Shelbyville’s Strand Theatre, as part of a family day sponsored by the Shelby County tourism department. The Marx Brothers comedy Horsefeathers will be shown at 2 and inspirational sports drama Rudy at 6.

Northern Indiana

There are two screenings tonight of the very enjoyable The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson as an iconoclastic rural Irish policeman, at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center in South Bend. On Thursday, there will be a showing of On the Bridge, a documentary on veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; the director, who is a Notre Dame faculty member, will attend. The Bridge is the first film in the Center’s Screenpeace Film Series.

The Cinema Center @ Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne will have one showing a day of Take Shelter and Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos today through Monday.

This week’s movie in the Cinematheque for All repertory series is French Resistance drama Army of Crime (2009).

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND

The annual programs of Oscar-nominated shorts, animated and live action, are slated to play for one week at the Keystone Art Cinema starting February 10. They’ve held over (at reduced showtimes) beyond the advertised week in some past years, but if you’re interested in seeing them, it’s safer to take the theater at its word.

February 12 at 2 you can see the based-on-fact drama October Sky for free at Shelbyville’s Strand Theatre. The Notebook will be shown two days later as a Valentine’s Day special.

The Buskirk-Chumley in Bloomington plays host to a fund-raiser for Cardinal Stage on February 18. The Muppet Movie starts the day at 10 AM, the singalong Sound of Music goes on at 5:45, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show rounds out the lineup. There’s a discount if you buy your tickets ahead.

Films and events scheduled for next Friday:

Rudy at the Artcraft

Documentary Rebirth at the DeBartolo

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and 3 in the Ryder series

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the IMA

Last Week at the Movies

As if a Powell and Pressburger movie on the big screen wasn’t special enough, the IMA screening of A Matter of Life and Death was followed by a Skype Q&A with Thelma Schoonmaker, who I knew as Martin Scorsese’s editor and who is also Michael Powell’s widow. The really bad reviews for Red Tails put me off it, but I did see the weekend’s other two new releases, Haywire and Underworld Awakening.

Last Week at Home

The Passion of Joan of Arc- Carl Dreyer’s masterpiece lives up to its reputation
Playing by Heart- a good movie to watch on DVD because you can skip past the stories you don’t like to get to the good parts
BluffMaster!- thought I’d try an Abhishek Bachchan vehicle, this one co-starred Priyanka Chopra and was pretty dull
The Pirates of Penzance- impossibly funny and tuneful

New in Theaters This Weekend

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen the trailer for The Grey, the “Liam Neeson takes on wolves after his plane crashes somewhere really far north” movie. I’ve only seen the trailer for One for the Money once but it likewise didn’t sell me on the movie (based on a Janet Evanovich book and starring Katherine Heigl). My pick for the weekend is the heist thriller Man on a Ledge, which looks from the shows-too-much trailer to have a complicated plot involving a misdirection for a heist; the ledge is definitely literal and probably figurative too.

Also on the to-see list: Locally on the arthouse scene, A Dangerous Method and Shame open tomorrow

What have you been watching? What are you looking forward to?

A monthly series. Title self-explanatory.

**********

Review of In Bruges

There comes a point, usually very early in a film when the audience understands that it needs to suspend disbelief; and it does so willingly. In Real Steel, it was the premise alone that made me suspend my disbelief and just from watching the trailers. The basic idea that the logical next step in the evolution of the blood sport- the blood sport starting with the gladiatorial arenas in ancient Rome and ending up in our current times with hockey and boxing- is robots beating the tar out of one another in a ring is preposterous. When flesh and blood are removed from the equation, it’s no longer a blood sport, and therefore robot fighting can’t be the next logical step. But Real Steel makes you forget that from early on. Unless you want to hate the film anyway. In which case, why would you watch it?

Real Steel, not really based on the Richard Matheson-written episode from the original Twilight Zone, takes place in a future that resembles our present quite a lot but has large robots fighting one another in the ring instead of people. The robots’ owners control them from a short distance via remote controls and joysticks and there’s a lot of money to be made. Well, of course there is, it’s the only sport left.

Early in the film we meet Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), a down on his luck trucker who’s on a long losing streak. He also fights robots in arenas for a living and shortly after losing his latest robot (to a real live bull no less!), he hears news that his ex had passed away and that he can receive custody of his son Max (Dakota Goyo), whom he hadn’t seen in many years. He then proceeds to blackmail his ex’s sister’s husband by selling his son back to him for a ridiculously large amount of money, but he has to keep the kid for the summer first.

Charlie and Max never get along and hate each other, not like siblings do but real hate. Together they try to make ends meet by entering another robot into a fight, a fight that Charlie once again loses. Ironically, Max seems to have a far more extensive knowledge of fighting robots than Charlie. Then Max meets Atom. Atom’s a discarded sparring robot that Charlie allows Max to fix and train. After entering him in an unlicensed boxing match, Max and Atom win and they begin to ride a winning streak all the way to the top of the professional boxing circuit.

Roughly during the middle of the film it takes a different direction by turning the rags to riches story into a father/son bonding experience, while throwing a bit of Rocky into the mix. It’s unexpected but it kind of works. The special effects in the film are terrific, using a seamless combination of animatronics and CGI and the fights never look fake. However, for the life of me I don’t understand why everyone has programmed their robots to pretend like they can feel pain.

I don’t like Dakota Goyo’s performance because he’s mostly an annoying brat, ironically brought out by his deadbeat father, and when he’s successful in the boxing circuit he tends to scream more and grow even more annoying. I also didn’t like Hugh Jackman’s performance. The character of Charlie is a poisonous human being on paper, but Jackman doesn’t convey him as such. He’s a bad father and a lousy human being but he’s not a truly horrible person and perhaps another actor that’s capable of delivering a more concentrated dramatic performance would have pulled that character off with more conviction.

There are many loose threads in the story, many suggestions and ideas thrown here and there that end up nowhere, and many inconsistencies but they’re not so bad that one should avoid this film. The robot boxing alone is a good enough reason to watch it. What Michael Bay has failed to deliver in three films totaling, roughly seven and half hours Real Steel has managed to pull off in two hours. Yes, the running time is long but it only promises more robots and more robot fighting.

The DVD contains The Making of Metal Valley, Building the Bots, deleted and extended scenes, and bloopers and outtakes. There are also two-disc and three-disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy sets that also contain an audio commentary with director Shawn Levy, Countdown to the Fight: The Charlie Kenton Story, Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ, and Real Steel Second Screen: Ringside with Director Shawn Levy.

Original Commentary Track review of Real Steel by Helen Geib.

New releases this week: 50/50, Mozart’s Sister, Paranormal Activity 3, Restless, The Whistleblower

The Photo Play theme for January has been classic Warner Brothers tough guys.

Haywire is a stylish action thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh. It works just fine as a straight-up action movie, a streamlined 90 minutes of car chases, foot chases with a touch of free-running, gunfights, and mixed martial arts hand-to-hand fighting carried by a “who set me up and why?” plot. For viewers ready to play along, it works even better as a sophisticated cinematic game. Soderbergh and screenwriter Lem Dobbs, prior collaborators on The Limey (1999), cheerfully subvert genre expectations beginning with starting with a scenario and lead actress straight from the straight-to-video actioner playbook for a movie characterized by deft time-shifting, place-specific location shooting, and a cool, jazzy score. MMA star Gina Carano turns in a competent dramatic performance. More importantly, she takes down her adversaries convincingly and moves beautifully through the chases. She’s supported by a deep roster of veteran actors and up-and-comers in small but plum roles: (in alphabetical order, because it wouldn’t be fair to single anyone out) Michael Angarano; Antonio Banderas; Michael Douglas; Michael Fassbender; Mathieu Kassovitz; Ewan McGregor; Bill Paxton; and Channing Tatum.

3 stars

One thing I liked and one thing I didn’t like: Her rooftop escape in Dublin was terrific. Nothing stands out as a didn’t like, although I had thought she would do more with the umbrella.

The Golden Globes aren’t completely pointless: The Artist is expanding following on its best picture win there. Carnage crashed and burned on takeoff, retracting from 11 theaters in its first week to one in its second. Although still in limited release (as in, not playing everywhere), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Iron Lady, and The Descendants have expanded beyond the scope of this column. My Week With Marilyn holds on at a few theaters to continue a very respectable run. More details on these films and the rest of the week’s “outside the multiplex” listings after the break.

Note: For trailers, cast and crew info, and suchlike follow the title link to the movie’s official website.

OPENING THIS WEEK IN LIMITED RELEASE

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos- A new anime feature film set during the timeline of the popular series. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos starts today at the Cinema Center @ Indiana Tech (the theater is open Friday thru Monday).

Pariah- From the Landmark’s website: “The contemporary drama Pariah stars Adepero Oduyeas as Alike, a 17-year-old African-American woman who lives with her parents Audrey and Arthur (Kim Wayans and Charles Parnell) and younger sister in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood. A good student at her local high school and with a flair for poetry, Alike is quietly but firmly embracing her identity as a lesbian.” Pariah starts today at the Landmark Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis.

THEATRICAL HOLDOVERS (AND “RE-OPENINGS”)

The Artist- The movie of the year for cineastes, The Artist is a charming valentine to the movies. Set in a Hollywood transitioning to the sound film era, Jean Dujardin stars as a matinee idol of the silent screen who falls in love with a rising star made for the talkies. “Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius daringly shot the film completely in the style of a silent feature, in black and white and without sound (with a few striking exceptions), filmed on location in Hollywood, set to a wonderful original score by Ludovic Bource.” In Indianapolis, The Artist continues at the Landmark Theatres Keystone Art Cinema and expands to the AMC Castleton Square 14 and AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17, and also expands to the Regal Village Park Stadium 17 in Carmel, Rave Cinemas Metropolis 18 in Plainfield, and Showplace cinemas East in Evansville.

Carnage- Adapted from a play, this dark comedy directed by Roman Polanski is a chamber piece starring Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, and John C. Reilly. Two couples who become locked in their own squabbling when they meet after their sons’ get into a playground fight. Carnage holds over at the Landmark Keystone Art Theatre in Indianapolis.

My Week With Marilyn- That’s Marilyn Monroe, and she’s played by Michelle Williams in this dramatization of an interlude in the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl. My Week With Marilyn holds over- at reduced showtimes- at the AMC Evansville 16, AMC Honey Creek 8 in Terre Haute, AMC Muncie 7, and the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne. It expands to the Yes Cinema in Columbus and, going against the multiplex current, UA/Regal Circle Centre 9 in Indianapolis has also picked it up.

Take Shelter- Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, the Boardwalk Empire TV series) has gotten rave reviews for his performance as a Midwestern family man suffering the onset of mental illness in this drama. Take Shelter starts today at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne.

FESTIVALS, REPERTORY SCREENINGS, AND MORE

For additional information on venues and showtimes, follow the links under “Outside the Multiplex” in the sidebar.

Indianapolis and Central Indiana

Tonight at the IMA in the Winter Nights film series: the brilliant fantasy drama A Matter of Life and Death by the Archers. “A Royal Air Force pilot is forced to jump without a parachute, before giving his last words to a female radio operator—only to wake up alive due to a bureaucratic mishap in heaven. He must then plead his case to a heavenly committee for a second chance at life and love.” The feature will be preceded by the cartoon short The Rabbit of Seville. Tickets are $9 / $5 for IMA members and students.

The acclaimed 2008 drama Frozen River will be shown Thursday at the Eiteljorg Museum as part of the four film series co-presented by the Eiteljorg and IMA in connection with current exhibitions of Indian art at the two museums. Tickets are $5 / $3 for museum (either one) members.

Southern Indiana

You didn’t think you’d escape hearing something about the Super Bowl just because this is a movie blog, did you? The Strand Theatre for one knows the value of a natural tie-in. The Blind Side will be screened on Saturday as part of the theater’s occasional Dinner and a Movie series. The event begins at 6 and the movie starts at 7:30 (or thereabouts); the dinner menu is, appropriately enough, a “Tailgate style” buffet. Tickets are $20 for the whole shebang and for the movie only, $10 (includes popcorn and a soda).

The ninth annual PRIDE Film Festival starts Thursday and runs through the weekend in Bloomington, with film screenings at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and the IU Cinema (full events schedule). Films at the Buskirk include the documentary Gen Silent and the family drama Gun Hill Road. On Sunday, the IU Cinema will screen the seminal 1970s drama Boys in the Band at 3, followed by making-of documentary Making the Boys at 6:30.

The IU Cinema this weekend has a 1970s Australian cinema retrospective, with Walkabout, Mad Max, and Long Weekend today starting at 6:30 and Breaker Morant and Newsfront tomorrow, also starting at 6:30. The “Once Upon a Time in Indiana” series picks up again with Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, a major new film from Turkey that starts its (next) weekend run with two shows on Thursday. Also showing this week at the Cinema: Pather Panchali, the first film in Satyajit Ray’s acclaimed Apu trilogy, Saturday at 3 and the 1999 drama Sunshine on Monday at 7.

Also in Bloomington, the Ryder series has more showings of The Whistleblower, The Way, Young Goethe in Love, and Le Havre through the weekend, with an additional showing of Le Havre on Thursday. Check the Ryder’s site for locations and showtimes.

Northern Indiana

This week’s movie in the Cinematheque for All repertory film series is the Mexican family drama Alamar filmed on the coast of the Mexican Caribbean. All screenings are Wednesday nights at 7 on the Purdue campus.

In South Bend, the 23rd edition of the Notre Dame Student Film Festival continues through January 21 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The festival screens films made by undergrads. Also screening at the DeBartolo this week: Munich on Sunday at 3 and The Debt Wednesday at 7, both part of “The Mosaad in Film” series; Italian “docu-essay” Le Quattro Volte on Thursday at 7.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND

The Bollywood revenge thriller Agneepath, starring Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, and Sanjay Dutt, starts next weekend at the Republic Theaters Georgetown 14 in Indianapolis.

Turning to the Landmark’s coming soon listing, Shame has been pushed back to January 27, where it joins David Cronenberg’s new drama A Dangerous Method and the recently added Albert Nobbs, which has been garnering a lot of praise for Glenn Close.

In another Super Bowl tie-in, the Artcraft Theatre will have free showings of the popular underdog sports drama Rudy on February 3 at 7:30 and February 4 at 2; the weekend is sponsored by Franklin College.

Films and events scheduled for next Friday:

The Muppets Take Manhattan at the Artcraft

Tom Tykwer’s new movie 3 at the Ryder

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and “Oddities from the David Bradley Collection” at the IU Cinema

The African Queen at the IMA

Last Week at the Movies

Gene Tierney impressed me more than she ever has before in Leave Her to Heaven, the second film in the IMA’s Winter Nights series; even more than in Laura, which I adore. I’ve seen the movie described as the “Technicolor noir” more than once and while I’d call it noirish myself, I can see where the description comes from: the ceilings. Never have I seen so many ceilings with exposed beams in a single film. And if it wasn’t actual bars on the ceiling (consistently filmed from a camera position close to the floor, making it seem like the ceiling was pressing downward), it was corners and shadows, or bars on the balustrade or bars on the window. The movie even passes the venetian blind test in practically the first scene. They’re living in a cage.

New movie-wise, Contraband was a so-so start to the 2012 movie year. Also caught up with The Adventures of Tintin.

Last Week at Home

The Rocketeer- Timothy Dalton hasn’t made enough comedies
Red Riding 1980 and Red Riding 1983
The Crimson Pirate
Kamikaze Girls- very amusing in an anime-influenced post-modernist way but I missed the book’s emphasis on the girls’ growing friendship
Shoot ‘em Up

New in Theaters This Weekend

Three new releases this weekend, a surprising total considering one or two new movies is the new Hollywood normal and it’s the middle of January. Even more surprising, I’m somewhat interested in all of them. Red Tails is a drama about the Tuskegee Airmen in WWII. Haywire is the all-too-familiar spy betrayed by her handlers scenario but is directed by Steven Soderbergh and has a stellar supporting cast; plus I’m always primed for an action movie. Underworld Awakening (number four in the vampire vs. werewolf series) calls to me despite my better judgment.

edited to add: Make that four. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close expands to wide release tomorrow.

What have you been watching? What are you looking forward to?

In a comment exchange on Nir’s “Top 10 Films of 2011″ post on the difference between “best of” lists and “favorites” lists, Mette wrote “I still prefer to make lists of the films I like the most.” I read that and thought, “Me too!” So on that note, this week’s discussion topic is favorite movies of 2011.

Tell us your favorite movie- or your top 10 or any number in between. Don’t have a favorite movie? Then make it a scene, performance, or anything else favorite of the year. This is the place to talk about the things that made us happy at the movies in 2011.

To start the ball rolling, my top five favorite movies of 2011:

Drive
The Eagle
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Fast Five
The Artist

Nicolas Cage was slowly climbing up the Hollywood popularity ladder after delivering one likable performances after another in Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Raising Arizona (1987), and the terrific Moonstruck (1987). But his craziest, loopiest performance is in Vampire’s Kiss. Here he plays (with a mysterious but bad British accent) Peter Loew, a New York yuppie who ventures one night into a club, brings home his new date (Jennifer Beals) and then is bitten on the neck by her.

As the week progresses, Peter grows physically weaker and is also adverse to sunlight, or so he believes. He also believes that he’s turning into a vampire and becomes infatuated with the vampire mythos. He no longer sees his own reflection in the mirror, although the audience does; his anger at work grows exponentially, and mysteriously only towards his secretary Alva (Maria Conchita Alonzo); and his meetings with a psychiatrist become more like deranged interviews.

So what’s the appeal of watching Nicolas Cage go crazy, believing that he’s a vampire in a materialistic version of New York City? Exactly that. He delivers a deranged, manic but likable and hilarious version of a yuppie that does some weird things and sometimes without any provocation. His eyes spontaneously enlarge and contract. He goes into fits at home, at work and on the streets. He even buys plastic vampire teeth and bites a random woman in a night club until she bleeds.

The film, while existing in a lucid state of delirium (yes, it’s paradoxical) becomes more grounded in reality as Peter’s character grows more insane. We begin to feel uncomfortable and at the same time we ask ourselves how he feels right now.

Vampire’s Kiss could be seen as a social commentary on the material world, a commentary on the everyman who’s liable to go nuts at any moment, and also a commentary on how we tend to treat potential crazies too harshly (note the film’s third act). It’s a horror film, it’s a comedy, it’s a deranged New York film, and above all it showcases a terrific yet zany performance by the inimitable Nicolas Cage. The happenings in the film seem crazier with each viewing.

The DVD contains a commentary track that features director Robert Bierman and actor Nicolas Cage. I’ve listened to it before and they comment more on Peter’s growing insanity and deranged antics rather than delivering any real messages. It’s almost like a sing-along: it’s fun and you’re doing it with a group of people who like the same product that you do.

New releases this week: Abduction, Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, Courageous, The Ides of March, Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain, Mysteries of Lisbon

The Photo Play theme for January is classic Warner Brothers tough guys.

Mark Wahlberg heads a strong cast as a career criminal gone straight who is pulled back into the old life when his family is threatened in the new thriller Contraband. Kate Beckinsale plays his loyal wife, Ben Foster his turncoat best friend and former partner-in-crime, Giovanni Ribisi the hired muscle, Caleb Landry Jones the inept criminal brother-in-law who gets them all into hot water, Lukas Haas one of the crew, and Diego Luna a Panama City crime boss. The film is competently executed but unlike the caper at its center, never really comes together. Strong shades of The Italian Job regardless, the main culprit is a more general over-familiarity. The story leans heavily on melodramatic conventions of the genre without the compensation of unusual characterization or propulsive forward momentum. Foster’s villain is the worst script misjudgment, the revelation of his duplicity coming as a surprise only to the characters. The middle act is the movie’s best part. The cargo ship smuggling operation is genuinely interesting, the hero displays a convincing professionalism, his helpers supply welcome comic relief, and when the plan gets sidetracked, the complications prove a welcome surprise.

2 1/2 stars

One thing I liked and one thing I didn’t like: I really enjoyed the running joke at the expense of modern art. I didn’t like the casting of Foster. Precisely because I’ve seen him play twitchy meltdown before and he does it so well, the movie was even more predictable than it had to be with him in the role.

After a 23 year hiatus, Indiana Jones left us begging for more but has at last managed to wrap up the trilogy. Wait… I could have sworn that there was another Indy film that came out in 2007…. Oh, wait! No! It was just a nightmare that the entire planet shared. Well, back to the point: We last saw Indiana Jones Jr. and Sr. drink from the Holy Grail and ride off into the sunset, both literally and metaphorically. And now, master filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s first adaptation of the beloved Tintin cartoon books and animated series has hit the big screens in an all new 3D animated, motion captured, action/adventure extravaganza. It’s nothing short of breathtaking.

Tintin (voiced and performed by Jamie Bell), a young Belgian reporter buys a model ship at a street bazaar. At home, his loyal and lovable dog Snowy accidentally damages it, breaking the main mast, and a small metal vial falls out. However, Tintin doesn’t notice that. He goes on with his business, trying to find out more about the ship until that same night, it is stolen.

A mystery surrounding that model ship, named The Unicorn, surfaces and Tintin is on the case for a good story. He finds out that there are two exact versions of the Unicorn, the other one is owned by the shadowy Sakharine (voiced and performed by Daniel Craig) and Tintin wants to find out why Sakharine might have stolen his model of the ship. At a slightly later point in the film, Tintin makes friends with the always-drunk Captain Haddock (voiced and performed by Andy Serkis), after being kidnapped and hoisted aboard his ship. A bond between them develops and becomes as inseparable as the one between Tintin and Snowy.

There’s also the welcome presence of the bumbling, idiot detectives Thomson (voiced and performed by Nick Frost) and Thompson (voiced and performed by Simon Pegg) but their moronic shenanigans are limited to a screen time that’s much shorter than usual in Tintin stories. That’s a good thing because their stupidity tends to go overboard at times (even in the original source material and cartoons).

Tintin’s middle name should be “Adventure” because having them is all that he does. Just like in the original stories, he is constantly under fire, gets knocked out on several occasions (and sometimes awakens in different parts of the world), and also fires and fights back until the very end. The second half of the film is what Steven Spielberg had introduced to us early on in his career with the original Indiana Jones films: exciting and remarkably well shot and delivered action set pieces.

In this film, Tintin and Haddock escape enemy fire while aboard a large ship and survive a plane crash in the desert (and Tintin gets a slight haircut). Then comes a sequence that is delivered in one majestic, masterful shot, lasting roughly five minutes in length that takes place in a city in Morocco. It’s the most amazing action sequence that I have seen in any film and in my entire life. I’m being honest here; it’s that astonishing of an action sequence.

The motion capture used for the film is excellent in the way that characters, entirely rendered in 3D animation software seem to have mass whenever they walk, run, fall, fight, or die. When Tintin is punched or punches back, we feel the pain. But most importantly, it makes the later action sequences terrifically entertaining. All of the character designs in the film resemble the original character designs to the tee and Tintin, somehow, seems to be the most realistic looking and “moving” character. Captain Haddock actually, somewhat resembles Spielberg himself, in the eyes, mouth and beard area.

I am impressed that Spielberg of all people has made this Tintin film but what’s mostly impressed me is that it’s a terrific Spielberg film, in general. The cinematography is excellent; because the film is rendered entirely in 3D Spielberg can place and move the camera wherever he chooses. Nevertheless he utilizes classic filmmaking camera movements, reminding us that he’s “behind the camera” at all times and every shot is significant in telling the story visually, as it is a visual medium. Rango has managed to do the same but is a more low-key film than Tintin because it’s more of a traditional Western, and Tintin is a Spielbergian action extravaganza. Spielberg utilizes the freedom of camera movement to its utmost capacity without going overboard (like many live-action action films tend to do) and the end result feels as if to Spielberg that’s just a walk in the park.

The Adventures of Tintin is a wonderful, old-school throwback to the action serials that inspired Spielberg in the past. The action sequences are beyond impressive, the story is wrapped up nicely, and the resurfacing of a popular European character that I grew up with as a kid is very welcome. I also welcome the next Tintin/Spielberg collaboration with open arms.

4 stars

January in Indiana doesn’t look so colorless this year thanks to the IMA’s Technicolor series. For the week’s new releases and all the repertory screening news- delivered without bad puns- read on….

Note: For trailers, cast and crew info, and suchlike follow the title link to the movie’s official website.

OPENING THIS WEEK IN LIMITED RELEASE

Carnage- Adapted from a play, this dark comedy directed by Roman Polanski is a chamber piece starring Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, and John C. Reilly. Two couples who become locked in their own squabbling when they meet after their sons’ get into a playground fight. Carnage starts today at the AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17 and Landmark Keystone Art Theatre in Indianapolis, Regal Village Park 17 in Carmel, AMC Evansville 16, AMC Honey Creek 8 in Terre Haute, AMC Showplace Bloomington 11, AMC Showplace Schererville 12, AMC Showplace South Bend 16, Cinemark Movies 14 in Mishawaka, the Rave Cinemas Metropolis 18 in Plainfield, and the Yes Cinema in Columbus.

The Iron Lady- Meryl Streep stars as Margaret Thatcher in this biopic; Jim Broadbent heads the supporting cast as Thatcher’s husband. The Iron Lady starts today at the AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17 and Landmark Keystone Art Theatre in Indianapolis, Regal Village Park 17 in Carmel, AMC Showplace Bloomington 11, AMC Showplace Schererville 16, Goodrich Quality Theaters Hamilton 16 IMAX in Noblesville, Rave Cinemas Jefferson Pointe 18 in Fort Wayne, Showplace Cinemas East 18 in Evansville, and the Rave Cinemas Metropolis 18 in Plainfield.

Project Nim- The Cinema Center in Fort Wayne has another Indiana exclusive. A new documentary from the director of Man on Wire, Project Nim is a biography of a celebrity chimpanzee who was the subject of a radical experiment in behavioral science in the 1970s.

THEATRICAL HOLDOVERS (AND “RE-OPENINGS”)

Anonymous- Roland Emmerich’s costume drama/conspiracy thriller returns to the state for an engagement at the Starplex Cinemas Fort Wayne Coventry 13.

The Artist- The movie of the year for cineastes, The Artist is a charming valentine to the movies. Set in a Hollywood transitioning to the sound film era, Jean Dujardin stars as a matinee idol of the silent screen who falls in love with a rising star made for the talkies. “Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius daringly shot the film completely in the style of a silent feature, in black and white and without sound (with a few striking exceptions), filmed on location in Hollywood, set to a wonderful original score by Ludovic Bource.” The Artist continues at the Landmark Theatres Keystone Art Cinema.

The Descendants- A man who has been drifting away from his marriage and his daughters is forced to re-examine his life when his wife is critically injured. George Clooney stars in the new film from indie favorite Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways). The Descendants holds over at the Landmark Theatres Keystone Art Cinema and AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17 in Indianapolis, AMC Showplace Schererville 16, Regal Village Park 17 in Carmel, Goodrich Quality Theaters Hamilton 16 IMAX in Noblesville, Rave Cinemas Jefferson Pointe 18 in Fort Wayne, Rave Cinemas Metropolis 18 in Plainfield, and the Showplace Cinemas East 18 in Evansville.

My Week With Marilyn- That’s Marilyn Monroe, and she’s played by Michelle Williams in this dramatization of an interlude in the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl. My Week With Marilyn holds over at the Landmark Keystone Arts Cinema in Indianapolis, AMC Evansville 16, AMC Honey Creek 8 in Terre Haute, AMC Muncie 7, and the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy- Gary Oldman stars in this spy thriller based on the famous suspenser by John Le Carre. The supporting cast is filled with acting luminaries like John Hurt, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, and Mark Strong. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which is showing up on a number of critics’ ten best lists, plays this week at the AMC Castleton Square 14, AMC Showplace Indianapolis 17, and Landmark Keystone Arts Cinema in Indianapolis, AMC Showplace Bloomington 11, AMC Showplace Schererville 16, AMC Showplace South Bend 16, Regal Village Park 17 in Carmel, Goodrich Quality Theaters Hamilton 16 IMAX in Noblesville, Cinemark Movies 14 in Mishawaka, and the Rave Cinemas Metropolis 18 in Plainfield.

FESTIVALS, REPERTORY SCREENINGS, AND MORE

For additional information on venues and showtimes, follow the links under “Outside the Multiplex” in the sidebar.

Indianapolis and Central Indiana

The classic farce Arsenic and Old Lace, starring Cary Grant as the only sane member of a family of lunatics, is the weekend movie at the Artcraft in Franklin.

In Indianapolis, it’s week two of the IMA’s Winter Nights series. The Technicolor theme continues with Leave Her to Heaven, dubbed the Technicolor noir and starring Gene Tierney as a femme fatale. Read more at the event page.

The Irving’s monthly showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is tomorrow night at midnight. As always, there’s a discount if you come in costume.

The documentary “Reel Injun” will be screened Thursday at 7 at the Eiteljorg Museum as part of a four film series co-presented by the IMA and the Eiteljorg. Tickets are $5 or $3 for museum (either one) members.

Southern Indiana

The bulk of the IU Cinema’s “Once Upon a Time in Indiana” series is this weekend, with Hong Kong classic Once Upon a Time in China tonight at 9:30; Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America tomorrow at 2; and acclaimed Bollywood film Once Upon a Time in India a/k/a Lagaan tomorrow at 9:30. In related non-film programming, Barry Allen- retired director of film preservation at Paramount- will speak on the restoration of Once Upon a Time in the West in the Jorgensen Guest Lecture Series today at 3.

The Cinema’s “Australia in the 70′s” series kicks off on Thursday with a double feature of Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Last Wave. (The series continues next weekend.) Also showing this week at the IU Cinema: “Educational Films from the IU Libraries Film Archive” today at 6:30; “Native Shorts Program” Sunday at 3; Korean horror A Tale of Two Sisters on Monday at 7.

The movies this weekend in Bloomington’s Ryder Film Series are The Whistleblower, starring Rachel Weisz in a based-on-fact story of a woman who uncovers evidence of sex trafficking in post-war Bosnia; pilgrimage drama The Way, starring Martin Sheen; and fanciful biopic Young Goethe in Love from Germany. Visit the Ryder’s website for showtime and location info.

Northern Indiana

Fort Wayne’s Cinema Center will show Sideways on Sunday at 2, followed by a discussion and wine tasting. Tickets are available for the whole event and for the movie only. On Thursday, the Cinema Center @ Indiana Tech re-opens after winter break with skiing movie Attack of La Nina.

Cinematheque for All in West Lafayette will screen Aberdeen, a 2000 road trip drama starring Stellan Skarsgard and Lena Headey, on Wednesday on the Purdue campus.

In South Bend, the 23rd edition of the Notre Dame Student Film Festival is January 19-25 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The festival screens films made by undergrads.

NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos starts next Friday at the Cinema Center @ Indiana Tech. The new anime feature film is set during the timeline of the popular anime series.

Also for next week, the Landmark has added Shame and Pariah to the coming soon list for the Keystone Art Cinema in Indianapolis.

Films and events scheduled for next Friday:

A Matter of Life and Death at the IMA

Australian triple feature at the IU Cinema: Walkabout, Mad Max, Long Weekend

Le Havre starts a run in the Ryder Film Series

Last Week at the Movies

The IMA’s Winter Nights series kicked off with a double feature of Douglas Fairbanks’ iconic The Black Pirate (1926) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), a Warner Brothers pre-Code. The pairing is explained by the series theme of Technicolor: Both films are top examples of two-strip Technicolor. An archivist from George Eastman House gave a very informative introduction (you could call it a very long introduction or a shortish lecture) on Technicolor as a company and an evolving technical process. There was improv piano accompaniment for the silent.

I’m a big Fairbanks fan so of course I loved The Black Pirate. It’s exuberant like its star, silly at times but always in a spirit of good fun, has a great villain played by Sam De Grasse, and remains the touchstone pirate movie (witness the homage in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl). Mystery of the Wax Museum was billed as a horror-comedy but is in fact, as its title plainly states, a mystery with elements of the macabre. It’s very pre-Code, and I’m sure would have seemed even more so if I had been able to make out all of the rapid-fire dialogue; muddy sound was joined by a jumpy frame. You have to take what you can get sometimes on the repertory circuit, and allowances must be made for films that were thought lost for years until a single print surfaced.

Last Week at Home

Family time means old family favorites:
The Court Jester
Casablanca
The Great Race
Who’s Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?

Plus one new movie (produced for TV, but you’d never guess it):
Red Riding 1974- brilliant and harrowing, the conclusion left me simultaneously eager and afraid to watch the next two installments in the trilogy

New in Theaters This Weekend

The staggering box office success of the 3D-converted The Lion King leads to a 3D-converted Beauty and the Beast from Disney. The new movie new releases out of Hollywood are Contraband, a thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as a criminal-gone-straight who gets pulled back into the old life when his family is threatened, and Joyful Noise, a feel-good musical about a gospel choir headlined by Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah. (Wait, what? I guess gospel music would be common ground, musically speaking….) Locally on the arthouse circuit, Carnage and The Iron Lady open.

My new movie weekend pick is Contraband, which I’ve programmed as a film club event. The IMA’s Winter Nights continues tomorrow with Leave Her to Heaven, famously dubbed the “Technicolor noir” and one of the two films in the series that I haven’t seen.

What have you been watching? What are you looking forward to?

A monthly round-up of recent blog posts I enjoyed reading.

Review of Warrior at The Cooler: “Warrior’s basic plot will be familiar to anyone who has seen a sports movie – the protagonists enter a big tournament as long-shots and unknowns, hoping to fight their way to the top – but what’s special about Warrior is that it doesn’t ask us to root for victory itself so much as triumph.” (read more)

LoveHKFilm.com provides its annual primer to the year’s best: 48th Golden Horse Awards (read more)

The Bioscope on Hugo and The Artist: “The Artist genuinely speaks with the language of silent film (much as the elephantine Hugo does not), and years from now people will be saying how they went out to discover for themselves that language being expressed again and again.” (read more)

Would that we all loved our jobs so much! Electric Shadows reports that Run Run Shaw has retired: “The 104 year old tycoon is one of the few remaining links to the first generation filmmakers of China.” (read more)

A different perspective on top 10 lists from the LA Times: “The year’s most popular movie at the box office, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” barely sneaked onto the most pirated [on BitTorrent] movie list at No. 10, having been illegally downloaded 6 million times.” (read more)

Ticker Talks Film on film memorabilia that won’t break the bank: “There are other cheaper memorabilia curios, which might not get you as much credit as say the official replica of the light saber, but nevertheless they help you have a more rounded and diverse collection.” (read more)

Essential Hollywood on Hollywood. In tribute to The Artist, three classic comedies about the movies:

Show People (1928)

Marion Davies had her best role as the aspiring actress star of King Vidor’s delightful late silent-era comedy Show People. An MGM production filmed and set on the studio backlot, the movie is further enlivened by cameo appearances by many of the top MGM stars of the day.

DVD Release Info

Show People is one of those major titles unaccountably not available on DVD. There is an out of print VHS and the movie shows up from time to time on TCM. It properly shouldn’t be listed here for that reason, but I couldn’t resist such a great film that fits the chosen theme so beautifully.

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

The hero of Preston Sturges’ masterful satire is an idealistic comedy director (played by Joel McCrea), best known for the “Ants in Their Pants” series, who longs to direct a socially conscious drama called “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” He sets out to see the real America disguised as a hobo. After a series of adventures and misadventures, he discovers true love and the true value of laughter.

DVD Release Info

Sullivan’s Travels is available on DVD from the Criterion Collection. The plentiful features are an audio commentary by several current filmmakers, including Noah Baumbach and Christopher Guest; a documentary on Sturges from the PBS “American Masters” series; an interview with Sturges’ widow and an archival Hedda Hopper interview with Sturges; storyboards and blueprints; audio recordings of Sturges; and production stills and the trailer. Criterion’s website also has an appreciative short essay on the film.

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

When the talkies threaten to end the career of silent screen idol Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), his longtime sidekick Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) advises him to “make ‘em laugh”. It’s one of the signature numbers of the incomparable Singin’ in the Rain, the ultimate Hollywood on Hollywood movie and a principal inspiration for The Artist.

DVD Release Info

Singin’ in the Rain is available in a barebones single-disc DVD or a two-disc “special edition”. Features on the latter include a 30 minute documentary about the making of the film, “What a Glorious Feeling”; the full-length documentary Musicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM, first shown on PBS; excerpts from movies where some of the songs in Singin’ in the Rain originated and/or also were used; outtake musical number “You Are My Lucky Star”; and a stills gallery and scoring session music cues.

New releases this week: Film Socialisme, Higher Ground, Killer Elite, Moneyball, What’s Your Number?

The Photo Play theme for January is classic Warner Brothers tough guys.

Alternate title: My 2011 Movie Year in Review. Tell us about your year at the movies in the comments.

I’ve read over a fair number of critics’ top 10 lists for 2011 and as usual, they’re heavily populated with films I haven’t seen. This phenomenon can occasionally be to my discredit as a cinephile, as when much-lauded films play Indianapolis for a week or two but I miss them because movies aren’t actually my life, much as I may wish that they were; in 2011, that movie was Take Shelter. Far more common are the “not my fault” category of significant films that bypassed Indianapolis entirely; too many to name, but including Meek’s Cutoff, Mysteries of Lisbon, Poetry, and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Finally, there’s the usual shortlist of titles that will (probably) turn up in Indianapolis theaters eventually but haven’t yet, and some or all of which will appear in next year’s year-end review; e.g., A Dangerous Method, A Separation, Shame.

My Six (or Seven, Depending on How You’re Counting) Best Movies I Saw in the Theater in 2011 That Have Release Dates Prior to 2011 But Were Still in Their First US Theatrical Release When They Made it to Indianapolis

Another Year
The Concert
The Illusionist
Mesrine: Killer Instinct / Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1
Of Gods and Men
The Way Back

I feel strangely compelled to mention at this point that Indianapolis is, as of the 2010 census, the 12th largest city in the country, the second largest city in the Midwest (behind Chicago), and the second most populous state capital (after Phoenix). Wikipedia also informs me that Indianapolis has one of the fastest growing metro areas in the U.S. I can only hope that opportunities to see important new foreign and independent films in the theater will grow with the population.

Overall I would have to say that 2011 was decidedly not one of my better years at the movies, in terms of quality. In terms of quantity, it was on par at 60 new films (watched within the calendar year, the tally not including The Artist, which I saw on New Year’s Day 2012 but am including in the “under consideration” list as being close enough to count). To add to my first paragraph disclaimer, there are always a few critically acclaimed films I choose not to see, for one reason or another. For context, I’ve typed out my full viewing list, new releases plus repertory screenings, at the end of the post.

My Four Best New-To-Me Old Movies

Badlands
Days of Heaven
Death in Venice
Killer of Sheep

Returning (somewhat reluctantly) to 2011: In ratings terms, 17 movies took home a two star or less rating, with 11 falling between half and one-and-a-half stars. That’s nearly one-third of my viewing total. And that’s not good. The only positive spin I can put on those numbers is that at least there are no zero star movies. The 2011 movie year might look as good to me as it does to a lot of other critics if I had done a better job avoiding some of its worst and more of its mediocre.

My Five Worst of the Year

The Change-Up
Green Lantern
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Season of the Witch
Sucker Punch

This list is in alphabetical order, but if it was in order of absolute worst to slightly less worse, The Change-Up would still be no. 1.

Thankfully the good films still outnumbered the bad, and- not always the case- I didn’t struggle to fill out a top 10 list. With luck (and the exercise of better judgment) the ratio of good to bad will look a lot better this time next year.

Some random summary thoughts: It was a great year for performances. It was a lousy year for action. A few of the movies on my top 10 lived up to the pre-release hype and a few came out of nowhere to sweep me off my feet. A documentary- I hardly ever watch documentaries- proved to be one of the best films I saw all year and one of the films I loved the most. It was a good and a bad year for comic book movies. I saw my last Pirates of the Caribbean movie, my first movie in the Shrek franchise, and my first and last Transformers. I was reminded why I don’t see Hollywood comedies or political dramas. There were predictable disappointments and nice surprises.

I’m not giving up on movies. I’m not even giving up on Hollywood. I am going to try harder to avoid the predictable disappointments.

My 10 Best of 2011
The Artist
Attack the Block
Cave of Forgotten Dreams 3D
Drive
Hanna
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Puss in Boots
The Skin I Live In
The Tree of Life
Warrior

Honorable Mentions

Captain America, The Eagle, The Guard, Jane Eyre, Kung Fu Panda 2, Win Win

Again, list in alphabetical order. I won’t bore my regular readers with another recitation of my opinion of ranking films as an exercise in futility; the curious can read all about it in this post.

A note on 3D:

Before swearing off 3D for good I saw Drive Angry. After swearing off 3D for good, I thought better of such an intemperate resolution and drove a long way to see Cave of Forgotten Dreams (it was worth every mile). I later still gave Martin Scorsese the benefit of the doubt and saw the 3D version of Hugo. Scorsese uses it exceptionally well and yet still couldn’t convince me the technology has more than novelty value, except in exceptional circumstances. Those circumstances being represented by Herzog’s documentary, which uses 3D principally to educate rather than to entertain.

My Universe of New Movies Seen in the Theater Considered in Connection with This Post

(2011 releases except as indicated; follow the links to read my reviews)
30 Minutes or Less
Another Year (2010)
The Artist
Attack the Block
Battle: Los Angeles
Beastly
Captain America
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
The Change-Up
The City Dark
The Concert (2010)
Convento
Cowboys & Aliens
The Debt
The Double Hour
Drive
Drive Angry
The Eagle
Evangelion 2.0 (2010)
Fast Five
Green Hornet
Green Lantern
The Guard
Hanna
Horrible Bosses
Hugo
The Ides of March
The Illusionist (2010)
Immortals
Ip Man – The Legend Is Born (2010)
Jane Eyre
Johnny English Reborn
Kung Fu Panda 2
Life, Above All (2010)
The Mechanic
Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008)
The Mighty Macs
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Moneyball
The Muppets
My Afternoons with Margueritte (2010)
Of Gods and Men (2010)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Puss in Boots
Rango
Real Steel
Season of the Witch
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The Skin I Live In
Source Code
Sucker Punch
Super 8
Terri
Thor
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Tree of Life
Trigun: Badlands Rumble (2010)
Warrior
The Way Back (2010)
Win Win
X-Men: First Class

My Repertory Screenings in 2011

Badlands
The Best Years of Our Lives
Blood Simple
Camille
Criss Cross
Days of Heaven
Death in Venice
The Half-Naked Truth
I Was Born, But…
Key Largo
The Kid
Killer of Sheep
Kiss Me Deadly
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Memento
Stray Dog
Sunrise
and the Cinesation silent film program (part 2, part 3)

seen at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, IU Cinema in Bloomington, Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, Music Box Theater in Chicago, Lincoln Theater in Massillon, and an AMC Indianapolis multiplex