Michelle's Top 10 of 2011, Part 2

5) Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I didn't really want to see this movie. When I first saw the trailer, I found no appeal in apes dominating the world, lashing out against cruel humanity, especially considering it was the prequel to a seemingly cheesy movie about more talking, plotting apes. But there seemed something more deeply sinister and compelling to the story. And there was. Through chimp Caesar, it begs to remind us that apes are people too (you know what I mean). Though it wouldn't have been possible without Andy Serkis behind the CGI, making us feel for Caesar, making him one of us. And yes, by the end, you'll be rooting for them as they wreck havok on our very own.


4) X-Men: First Class

Superhero movies are very formulaic. Act one: A superhero is born. Act two: Evil is born. Act three: Superhero fails against evil. Act four: Superhero strengthens and defeats evil. Right? But this one is different. It's the X-Men flick that goes against the entire series, contradicting story lines and re-defining characters. And thankfully so. What makes this superhero movie stand out against all others is threefold: the story, the acting and the just plain awesomeness. The story is complex, it's about how evil is rooted and the story of how friends with a common enemy became enemies themselves. The acting is amazing. It's almost a toss-up between frenemies James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, but Fassbender takes it, convincing you that there is some righteousness behind his evil. And then it's just awesome: Watching the mutants harness their powers, picking out familiar faces during the recruitment, then duking it out with the big guns. It puts the rest of the series to shame.


3) Insidious

Yeah, I know judging from the photo above, this movie doesn't look very scary. But that's because I was too scared to search for a different one. Seriously. I can't say much without spoiling it but after a couple moves into a new house, strange, chilling, supernatural things start happening. I saw this movie in theatres and came home running it over and over in my head, afraid to turn the lights off, afraid to go to bed, afraid of the dark and eerie shadows. It went on for days. And when the fear finally went away, it came out on DVD and I watched it again. And it began again. This is exactly why I watch horror movies, the fun in fear, which I rarely get. But I can guarantee you watching this one again will bring nightmares back.


2) Super 8

This was one of the most anticipated movies of the year for me, so it also came with the greatest fear of disappointment. But surpassed my expectations. The J. J. Abrams-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi seemed like a darker E.T. And it kind of was. Though what made this movie for me was the kid-cast. Led by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, the crew of kids witnessed an awesomely CGI-ed train wreck as it unravelled into mystery and pulled them along with it. These young actors gave some of the most convincing performances I've seen all year, or even ever. Alongside, they've also got a subplot where they're shooting a zombie movie with Joe's (Courtney) Dad's camera, homemade firecrackers and all that good stuff. And then it's screened it during the credits. And let me tell you, it's just as awesome as the movie itself.

1) Midnight in Paris

This movie is sci-fi and fantasy disguised as drama. It's a fairy tale for grown ups, really. Not to mention, it's the funniest movie I've seen all year. Of course everyone is nostalgic about some period in history, some place in the world, some famous faces of the past. And a movie that explores one person's daydream of that is more than charming. But to a girl who loves Paris and literature, this movie becomes nearly her own daydream. Plus, it's hilarious in the most surprising places. "Have you ever shot a charging lion?" Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) asks Gil (Owen Wilson). WHAT?! And Salvador Dalí (Adrien Brody) on about rhinoceroses, and Gertrude Stein's (Kathy Bates) writing advice! So good.

Honourable mentions: Scream 4, Moneyball

Michelle's Top 10 of 2011, Part 1

It's been an unexpected year for movies for me. If I'd seen this list at the start of the year, I'd have thought it was wrong. Most of these movies I didn't care to see, or wanted to see so bad that I thought disappointment was inevitable. But I was thankfully so wrong.

Be forewarned, there's much horror, sci-fi and even a golden-haired singing sensation ahead. So, for all the geeks out there like me, enjoy.

10) The Tree of Life

When I first saw this trailer, I couldn't figure out what this movie was about, but it looked amazing. Quick shots, beautiful cinematography, and with Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain on the roster, I was sold. Though truthfully, all I could say about the story was it looked like some kid had a tough dad growing up. But it was a whole lot more. That's an understatement. This film was extremely ambitious and daring, paralleling the narratives of the creation of the universe with one man's life, and underneath that, the meaning of life. It's the kind of thing you'd expect from an indie film on a minuscule budget, trying something strange and knowing that only a handful would ever watch it. But that's not at all what this was.

9) Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

OK, hear me out. I know a lot of people think Justin Bieber is over-rated, that he's just a teen sensation that's going to fizz out in the next five years, that he has no real talent except that he's beyond marketable (if you can consider that a talent), but give the Biebs a chance to prove you wrong, because clearly if you think these things, you aren't giving him a chance. Before Never Say Never, sure, I liked him, he was putting Canada on the map and that was nice. But I didn't consider that he might actually be more than this generation's BSB. After this movie, Bieber is a damn talented musician. Seriously. He plays drums, guitar and piano, and he's got his own twist on it, half drumming, half strumming on a guitar at once. He's also a charmer, picking a "one less lonely girl" at his shows to sing to and give a bouquet of roses. This movie has turned me into a proud Bieber preacher. And isn't that what a good bio-doc does?

8) Grave Encounters

Finding gems like these is the reason I watch low-budget, campy horror movies. It starts out as a mockery of ghost hunting TV shows and turns into something chillingly real. A team of ghost hunters with camera crew in tow spend the night in an abandoned psychiatric hospital, chasing ghosts they don't believe actually exist, until hunt turns haunt. It's creepy, it's jumpy, it's dark and spooky. And it's Canadian! (How I love Canadian horrors.) It's exactly what you're looking for if you're looking for a paranormal horror. It pulls you in makes you feel like you're a part of the madness and fear, praying for an escape.

7) Red State

Kevin Smith should write the guide on how to become a cult classic, ie. do something unlike anything you've done before, spend millions on it, self-distribute and stir up controversy (both in the movie and in real life). In large part thanks to this scheme, this movie has become highly underrated: not enough people saw it and it put itself under close scrutiny. But it was actually well-acted, sharply-directed and story-wise, bizarrely-compelling. Plus it didn't shy from a little gore. It shook me up and made me feel uncomfortable, but that's just what it intended to do.

6) The Ides of March

I don't like politics. And I don't like political movies. But that's not what this movie is about. This movie is about ethics and knowing who you are. This George Clooney-directed, written and starring film follows a hot shot Junior Campaign Manager (Ryan Gosling) through his spiralling demise as he fights to come out on top. It  was the most dramatic film I've seen all year, both stylistically and narratively. Shots are cropped tight, the score pulses throughout and you can feel the story pulling in tighter and tighter until you can barely breathe. It's intense.