The following is a wide range of great films that came out in 2011. I strongly urge every Citizen to check out these titles. With the exception of ‘The Best Movie of the Year’, the rest are in alphabetical order. There are many list around the web by this time, you will find a lot of people share the same favorites, take that as a sign that those are must see movies, or ignore everyone and watch what you want, I’m not your parent.
Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free Reviews ‘Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!
You have to be a true master of cinema to make a 3D skeptic take notice, so leave it to Martin Scorsese to make me a believer again. Hugo is the best use of 3D since Avatar, and the greatest movie about movies I’ve ever seen (move over Matinee).
After years of 3D post conversion and greedy studios using 3D for increased ticket prices (setting the medium back by leaps and bounds), Scorsese comes to the rescue. He has set a new standard and created one of the greatest movie going experiences I can remember.
This is Martin Scorsese’s first family film, first 3D film, and what feels like his most personal release to date. Scorsese’s involvement in film preservation is perfectly dramatized here, as well as his love of classic cinema. The director includes nods to the films of French filmmaker Georges Méliès such as A Trip to the Moon and A Kingdom of Fairies; they are just some of the classic cinema brought back to life in Hugo (Safety Last! pictured above). That’s where the use of 3D really shines, not as a gimmick but an enhancement of the story.
The pacing of the film may have the younger ones wishing for a faster more frantic experience, but give Hugo time and it will deliver. The characters and visuals here are magical; the film is so full of adventure and heart that it may have you welling up with tears. It’s a celebration of cinema and storytelling and it’s not just a film for children; take your parents and grandparents. For anyone who turned their back on the movie going experience, it’s here again.
SCORE: 5/5
Martin Scorsese & James Cameron discuss Hugo:
Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!
There is something very hypnotic about Melancholia, the latest film from Lars Von Trier. The film, which is split into two parts revolves around two sisters during and after the wedding party of one of the sisters, Justine, played by Kirsten Dunst, and the whole time, we know that Earth is about to collide with an approaching planet.
I would never classify this movie as science fiction as it has been, but a drama about unhappy people. The only happy person in this movie is an innocent child, whose family is hate-filled and depressed. The second part of the film reaches a climax and brings with it stunning visuals and perhaps one of the most heartbreaking final acts I’ve seen in years. The film features beautiful music from Richard Wagner [listen], and an Oscar worthy performance from Charlotte Gainsbourg [Note: Dunst received the Best Actress Award at the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival].
Lars Von Trier isn’t known for exposition and Melancholia is no exception, the first half of this filmwill be irritating to some and come off as arrogant filmmaking, but that’s Lars for you. It’s the chaos before the storm that is worth watching here; hateful people realizing they are going to die. There can’t be a happy ending all the time.
SCORE: 3/5 [Trailer]
Did you smoke my pot?!
I am on the fence of what to think about Seth Rogen these days, and 50/50 doesn’t make me feel all that comfortable. I shouldn’t rush to any judgments just yet.. Thankfully our friends over at FilmWonk have saved me the trouble of having to digest this one.
Head over to their site and listen to their podcast if you are curious.
Citizen Kane | Warner Bros. | 1941 | 119 min
A psychological study of Charles Foster Kane, a powerful newspaper tycoon whose idealism was corrupted as he rose to enourmous wealth and power. The story unfolds as a mystery: when Mr. Kane dies uttering cryptic last words, a magazine reporter interviews the tycoon’s friends in an effort to uncover the significance of the word “Rosebud.”
What can you say about Citizen Kane that hasn’t already been said? Not a lot, so I will keep this review short and to the point. For anyone who has never seen the movie, now more than ever is the best time to do so, because with stunning video and audio, Citizen Kane is a must-own Blu-ray release.
Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!
Kevin Smith has reinvented himself and made a very grown up movie. Red State is part horror, part action and heavily political; and with elements of the genres mixed together, we get a terrific movie that deserves attention even if you were a septic like myself prior to its viewing.
Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex; the tables are turned on them as they are forces to face justice at the hands of fundamentalists (think Fred Phelps and his crew with a whole lot of fire power).
Red State will piss off a lot of people, if it hasn’t already. The movie seems to take a different direction every 20 minutes with its few redeeming characters and for the many pages of script, it’s a shame that we didn’t get more show instead of tell. The acting from the cast deserves recognition, namely Michael Parks (From Dusk Till Dawn) and Melissa Leo (Frozen River). Along with the great cinematography, editing, and writing, Smith give us one hell of an experience with his direction. Red State still may not be Kevin Smith’s best film (Chasing Amy), but it is certainly his most mature and I can’t wait to see if he continues on this more artistic path.
Score: 3.5/5
Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!
I hesitated to even write this review. I mean, a lot of people read reviews in an attempt to assess the merits of seeing a particular movie. With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, there is little doubt who will want to see this – everyone.
Straight from the get go Part 2 picks up directly where Part 1 leaves off. The call to action, and the overall pace of this film is fantastic. By the time the closing credits roll it’s hard to believe that over 2 hours had passed. It’s easy to feel a sense of nostalgia as we witness the conclusion of what is surely one of the most epic film sagas of our generation.
With the increasingly adult tone that this franchise has displayed from film to film – Harry Potter has become more than just a children’s tale. It’s an adventure that is pure magic.
Score: 4.5/5
Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!
Since the first poster was revealed for this one, I have been counting down the days until Horrible Bosses hit theaters. While I didn’t see it on the day it was released, I figured that I would check it out while everybody was lining up for Harry Potter. I was a bit worried that all of the best gags were going to be revealed in the trailer, thankfully my worries were alleviated within the first 10 minutes.
The gags were raunchy, pushed boundaries, and had the theater in hysterics. As many could tell by the trailer, the cast for this one is stellar. While the likes of Jason Bateman, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jennifer Aniston are well established – the breakout star is Charlie Day. For those familiar with his work on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I am starting to believe Charlie Day simply plays himself. The dialogue is off the cuff, and his interaction with Jennifer Aniston provide some of the best moments of Horrible Bosses.
Without giving anything away, Horrible Bosses lives up to the hype. One piece of advice I have to offer, if you have small children, don’t bring them to this movie. I say this because a couple brought their kids into this one, and there is nothing more awkward than hearing Jennifer Aniston talk about a man’s junk while a child is crying. Just saying.
Score: 4.5/5
In September 2001, following the success of The Office, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant returned to Xfm Radio for a Saturday afternoon radio show. One of the features on show was Ricky’s Film Reviews; he only did a few which you can listen to below.
They are obviously satirical, so don’t expect anything but laughs.
Cut To The Chase Reviews from The City of Films are spoiler free ‘Reviews Abridged For Your Pleasure’. Quick, concise, and sometimes entertaining opinions on the go!
Having been looking forward to Super 8 all year, it wasn’t easy for me to attend a screening without high expectations. I wanted to love it and I wanted the film to evoke memories of movies past. I’m relieved that it not only met expectations but easily surpassed them.
A lot of secrets were kept about the film, and you’ll have to see it to learn them, but one aspect of the filmmaking that director J.J. Abrams didn’t shy away from was the obvious homage to past Steven Spielberg films. Themes from films like E.T. and Close Encounters are showcased here in an updated yet nostalgic fashion. Growing up on Spielberg movies, some of which are the best movies of all time, I was relieved to see that my memories were handled with such care.
Super 8 has a lot of amazing visuals, the train wreck scene is definitely one for the books. The cast is solid with a lot of credit going to the kids, who can always make or break a film. If anything is missing from Super 8, it’s the heart and emotion found in the early days of Amblin. While you certainly come to feel for the characters and believe what’s happening on screen, you never quite get the butterflies or lump in your throat like when you watched Elliot say goodbye to his alien friend for example.
Super 8 is sure to draw a line between viewers today. I’ve already read a few negative reviews of the film, and I couldn’t help but feel the jaded commentary was due in large part to the writers falling out of love with movies. Super 8 is for kids, old and young – if you loved movies at some point in your life but now have some obligation to hate everything that comes out (I feel that way too sometimes), Super 8 might just bring back some of those feelings you had. It’s like getting under the blankets in my parent’s rec-room all over again, playing with a silly tracking button and wishing I was a Goonie too.
Score: 4.5/5
Extra: Check out this last poster for Super 8, now that’s classic.
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