Daniel Radcliffe - Wonderful, hosting SNL

The 2011 Hit List: The Best of the Rest (Movie Blog)

By Andrea Miller and Emma Badame

So far we've run through the top movies, interviews, blockbusters, trailer, posters and breakthrough stars of 2011. But what of all the other note-worthy big-screen moments? Surely we have to address those somewhere, right? Well you've come to the right place. This handy-dandy list of randomness is our look at what we like to call 'the best of the rest': a somewhat tongue-in-cheek tribute to the other highs, lows and everything in between.

From scene-stealers to soundtracks to strategic f-bomb usages, we've covering a wide gamut of creative subjects to wrap up our look back of the best of the year. Take a look at the stand-outs below then be sure to comment and let us know which moments stood out for you on-screen in 2011!

The Wind Beneath My Wings Award: Rose Byrne

The Australia beauty has been making movies for almost two decades and while she is mostly known for dramas and thrillers (Wicker Park, Sunshine, 28 Days Later), she showed an affinity for comedy with her work in last year’s Get Him to the Greek but really came into her own as the icy Queen of Cool Helen in Bridesmaids. As the interloping, best-friend-in-waiting, she added new meaning to the idea of killing with kindness and always chose the most cutting bon mot to simultaneously insult and back-hand-compliment Kristen Wiig’s inept Annie. It’s never been more fun to watch someone so seemingly perfect have it all crumble in the 11th hour.

Scene-Stealer of the Year: Michael Sheen

Woody Allen loves to humiliate and rib the pseudo-intellectuals that often appear in his films, and Michael Sheen's bearded braggadocio-prone know-it-all Paul serves as the perfect foil to Owen Wilson’s insecure, wannabe writer Gil in Midnight in Paris. Sheen commands every scene he’s in and imbues Paul with an unearned arrogance that includes correcting the museum guide (a gorge Carla Bruni) and continually spouting facts and figures to assert his supposed intelligence. His character is played for big laughs and Sheen’s timing and delivery are impeccable.

The Soundtrack You Wanted to Download Before You Left the Theatre: Drive

I have yet to meet someone who left their seats after experiencing Nicolas Winding Refn’s brutal neo-noir and didn’t immediately jump on Google to find out who put together the pulsating beats, ‘80s-soaked synths and dramatic, beautiful tracks that made up the Drive soundtrack. A few clicks later and we all knew the name Cliff Martinez, the film’s music composer, and the song Real Hero by College Featuring Electric Youth. A must-listen that added to the film’s power and narrative in a compelling way.

Best Movies You Didn’t See: Take Shelter, Beginners

Michael Shannon makes use of his bug-eyed appearance to play Curtis, a father and husband struggling to make sense of apocalyptic visions haunting him, while spending his family’s savings and skipping work, all while trying to build a bomb shelter strong enough to save his family from the biblical storm he believes is on the way. Take Shelter is powerful, nervy, doesn’t let the audience off the hook for even a second and is bravely unlike any other movie that came out in 2011.

Beginners stings, delights, taunts and tickles and most of that can be chalked up to Christopher Plummer’s pitch-perfect performance as Hal, a recent widow who comes out of the closet and starts the living the life he was never able to. His taciturn son Oliver (Ewan McGregor) takes up with a free-spirited French actress (Melanie Laurent) and tries to live by the new example his father is setting, just as he learns his dad is dying of cancer. Heavy stuff, yes, but Beginners is buoyed by Mike Mills’ quiet direction and exceptional, honest performances by all.

The Jude Law Award for Ubiquity: Ryan Gosling

Yes, The Gosling was arguably EVERYWHERE this year but we aren’t complaining. From his ab-tastic turn in Crazy Stupid Love to a million memes (Hey Girl...) and then Time Magazine bestowing upon him the title Coolest Person of the Year (for whatever it’s worth), Gosling’s movie choices elevated his profile by a zillion percent and scored him major critical acclaim along the way in the form of two Golden Globe nominations (for The Ides of March and Crazy Stupid Love). While we enjoyed him most as the quiet anti-hero prone to bouts of ultra-violence in Drive, more Gosling is always a good thing.

Honourable mention: Michael Fassbender. Points for being the most, ahem, exposed (Shame) but also for starring in a big franchise prequel (X-Men: First Class) a sexy classic (Jane Eyre) and another movie about, well, sex (A Dangerous Method) during the past 12 months.

Best Euphemistic Use of Feathers: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

The baby-makin’ scene that was the stuff of Twi-hard fantasies involved pleading, a broken bed, bruises and, most of all, a storm of feathers, all standing in for the deed that produced Edward and Bella’s half-human, half-vamp spawn. Early marketing teased what was to come with feathers, strategically placed on pillows, floating near Bella and Edward’s almost-touching faces, all hinting toward their marital copulation that was not so much shown as alluded to, thanks to an explosion of baby soft white feathers.

Best Use of Sarcasm or Deadpan Delivery - Adam Scott

Be it on the the big screen or small, no one delivers a line of dry wit quite like Mr. Scott. Though not yet a well-known name for the majority of movie fans (though many may know him as the fantastically slimy Derek in Step Brothers), indie flick and television aficionados who have seen his star turns in The Vicious Kind, Passenger Side, "Parks and Recreation" and "Party Down" know what I'm talking about. It came as no surprise to those of us in the know then that Adam Scott, master of the craft of deadpan befuddlement and sarcastic frustration, stole the show from comedy heavyweights like Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Steve Coogan in August's Our Idiot Brother.

Through his insanely spot-on line readings and well-timed eyebrow raises, the lighthearted flick got a well-needed shot of that little something extra. No mean feat there. Look for his star to rise even further this year as he takes centre stage in the romantic comedy Friends With Kids, co-starring Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd, due in theatres in the spring.

Most Ironic Celebrity Hashtag - #winning

Love him or hate him, Charlie Sheen was everywhere in 2011. From his controversial exit from his television show "Two and a Half Men" to his critically lambasted one-man show, it was hard to turn on the TV or open a paper without seeing a Sheen-related headline. Through-out it all, the troubled actor's main mode of communication to fans and critics alike was his Twitter feed. His thoughts came fast and furious, some intelligible, some not so much. But through it all there was one constant...his hashtag #winning. While most observers would probably argue Sheen's year has been anything but flawless victory, you can't say that Sheen isn't one hundred percent convinced his year has been anything else.

Best Use of a Curse Word in a Swear-free Franchise - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Not surprisingly, given its target audience, the wildly popular Potter series has been completely void of less than savory language thus far - that is if you don't count some of the wizarding world's more insulting usages ('mudblood', for example). All of that changed in a climactic scene in this summer's explosive finale when Mrs. Weasley let loose at big bad Bellatrix Lestrange. Channeling Ripley from Ridley Scott's Alien, the matriarch of J.K. Rowling's most famous red-headed family slid into protective mothering magic mode and took down the evil witch as she did in the novel - by casting a couple of well-placed spells and by dropping one well-placed b-bomb. "Get away from my daughter, you b***h" indeed.

Honourable mention: X-Men: First Class. To keep the film's PG-rating in tact, the filmmakers behind one of the year's most successful comic films had to be very strategic with their use of language. Despite multiple scenes of violence and tragedy, they managed to keep the dialogue of the main comic characters swear-free, which meant they could save the film's sole f-bomb for a certain hirsute hero's brief cameo. Hugh Jackman's fan-favourite Wolverine has only one line and for fans of the franchise and of the character, it couldn't have been more perfect. For this hilarious big-screen moment, Jackman also earns our Best Cameo of the Year Award too.

The We Didn't Know We Missed You Award - Wilson Phillips

Bridesmaids was one of this year's very best films. It made us laugh, it made us tear up, it made us sit up and take notice of a cast of amazing actors and it even made us rediscover our love of '90s pop trio Wilson Phillips. To be honest, we'd pretty much forgotten about them completely until the opening strains of Hold On came blasting at us via the theatre sound-system. Turns out we can still sing along with Carnie, Wendy and Chynna as we still remember all the words, though we're sadly lacking the impressive dance moves of Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig. We're working on them though!



http://www.cineplex.com/News/The-2011-Hit-List-The-Best-of-the-Rest.aspx

Oscar Worthy Performances of 2011 (We Got This Covered)

More articles by Carina Belles »

Written by: Carina Belles

With political worries and economic woes taking up most of the small screen, 2011 has been a great year for movies because we’ve needed it to be. From big-name blockbusters to the artsiest of indie films, our actors and actresses have taken it upon themselves to give us some much needed distractions, and a lot to talk about. This group is so talented that we’re convinced the Oscars are going to be a bloodbath this year. That’s why we’re sharing our favorite performances of the year, and why we’ll keep talking about them long after awards season is over.



Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne – Bridesmaids

Proving comedy is not just a boys’ club, Wiig, McCarthy and Byrne created one of the year’s best films in Bridesmaids. Wiig plays Annie, a failed baker whose best friend Lillian’s upcoming wedding painfully coincides with her life’s various disasters. To make things even worse, Lillian (Maya Rudolph) seems to have replaced Annie with rich, snobby Helen, played brilliantly by Byrne, who makes Helen endlessly hateable but still sympathetic.

McCarthy rounds out the strong supporting cast, and is responsible for many of the film’s most quotable lines and most outrageous moments. Though McCarthy and Byrne’s over the top characters provide much of the film’s humor, Wiig really makes the film work, tying everything together with a more refined performance (at least more refined than she usually is on Saturday Night Live) that’s as touching as it is hilarious.



Brad Pitt - Moneyball

Though he deserves just as much praise for his portrayal of a struggling father in Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Pitt really shines in Moneyball, the true story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane. It’s hard to make a good baseball movie without overly romanticizing the game, and maybe without Pitt, it couldn’t have been done. Don’t get me wrong, Pitt can play any dramatic role he wants, but he specializes in fast-talking, funny characters (like Beane) who know what the hell they’re doing. It’s where he excels – and his smart, complex portrait of Beane is what makes Moneyball worth watching.



Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Tilda Swinton has an odd air about her – like she never fully defrosted after playing the White Witch in 2005′s first Narnia film. If anything, it only amplifies her appeal. In We Need to Talk About Kevin, Swinton plays Eva, the mother of the titular Kevin (Ezra Miller), a nightmare from birth who murdered not only some of his classmates, but his father and sister as well. Swinton’s portrayal of Eva is decidedly cold, emphasizing the battle of nature vs. nurture at the film’s heart. Did she create a psychopath? Could she have stopped him? Swinton leaves it up to us to decide, making her performance all the more fascinating.



Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn

The daunting task of playing cinema’s greatest legend would be impossible, unthinkable for most, but Michelle Williams doesn’t even seem phased. She simply slips into Marilyn, and never lets the audience question her. My Week With Marilyn is just a glimpse at the captivating starlet’s life, but Williams gives us more insight into Ms. Monroe than a thousand biographies could. Williams breathes new life into the enigmatic image of Marilyn Monroe, and handles her with depth and dignity, reminding us that her superstar appearance was far removed from her real life as the insecure and damaged Norma Jean.



Rooney Mara – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

It’s impossible to tear your eyes away from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo‘s Lisbeth Salander – Rooney Mara makes sure of it. Lisbeth, a victim of abuse turned antisocial computer hacker bent on revenge, cannot be an easy character to play, but Mara does it with ease. Her indifference and insolent looks are utterly captivating, but it isn’t just Mara’s obvious strength that wins us over. Lisbeth’s little shocks of vulnerability are what make Mara’s performance so memorable, and what leaves us craving for more. We’re certain we will be seeing much, much more of her.



Charlize Theron – Young Adult

It’s easy to see how anyone but Theron could turn Young Adult from a darkly entertaining film into a doofy romance filled with life lessons. Theron is deliciously bad as a 30-something who returns to her hometown in order to win back her high school sweetheart, destroying his marriage in the process. Diablo Cody‘s screenplay definitely helps her out, but Theron delights in her character’s calculating and unsympathetic nature, and it shows. Theron’s fearless refusal to soften up is what makes her a treat to watch, and left us feeling awful – in a good way.



Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

It wouldn’t be a year’s best list without including 16-time Academy Award nominee (and two-time winner) Meryl Streep, whose portrait of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is as flawless as you’d expect. In fact, she is nothing short of perfection. Her performance digs so much deeper than Thatcher’s standard appearances in media, creating a moving portrayal and showing us exactly what standards a biopic should be held to. Streep is a master of character – it’s as if she locks on to her targets and simply inhabits them for a while – as if it were that easy. No one else does it like her, and no one else ever will again.

Ryan

Gosling – Drive

Judging Ryan Gosling on his appearance alone, we’d think he’d just be some pretty boy, stuck doing romance movies forever. But this is where Gosling proves us wrong. Sure, he can do cute and sexy, just watch Crazy Stupid Love, but he gives us one of the year’s best performances in Drive. Gosling plays an unnamed stunt performer who moonlights as a getaway driver, and gets in over his head. His reticence is very cool – Gosling plays the driver in such a way that we have no choice but to study his every move, waiting for some hint of emotion, and when it finally bursts out, we feel very rewarded.  



Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone – The Help

There is no better ensemble cast than The Help‘s this year. The movie is strong performance after strong performance, and it would be a crime to honor one without the others. The Help is about Skeeter (Stone) a young writer who wants to expose what it’s really like to be the hired help in Mississippi. Stone handles Skeeter’s naivety and gradual shift to social outcast expertly, but it’s Davis who stands out the most as Aibileen, a black maid who has spent her whole life raising white children.
Davis’ steadiness and occasional bursts of ferocity is what gives the movie its fire – and will hopefully bring her Oscar gold. Spencer’s performance as Aibileen’s best friend Minny is so warm and memorable it’d be surprising if she didn’t earn a nod as well. Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain round out the cast as the villainous Hilly, who Howard makes into the perfect fool, and the sweet but clueless Celia, who Chastain makes touching and strong.


Michael Fassbender – Shame
Though he stunned us in A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre and even X-Men: First Class this year, Michael Fassbender outdoes himself in Shame, in which he plays a sex addict spiraling out of control. Fassbender is stripped – both literally and figuratively – and it isn’t always pretty. He makes sex addiction the opposite of sexy, which makes his character’s actions even more difficult to watch. The utter lack of human contact Fassbender’s Brendan receives, even though technically he’s constantly with other people, is sad and disturbing. It’s a character that hasn’t quite been done before. We have Fassbender to thank for that.

We also wish we could have included:
Albert Brooks, DriveWoody Harrelson, Rampart
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May MarleneCorey Stoll, Midnight in ParisGary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyMia Wasikowska, Jane EyreGeorge Clooney, The DescendantsAmeena Matthews, The Interruptors


http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/performances-2011/