WORST films of 2011

Sometimes you can take time to sit down and praise the films out there that amaze you. Then again, there's films out there that make you wonder where you're time went. Here is the short list of the worst of 2011:

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Despite being better than the second installment, Transformers completed their trilogy where nothing resembled anything from the Transformers stories of the 80's. In fact, the Transformers series is known pretty much for slow motion shots of Megan Fox and... the other chick while something blows up. You'll feel dumber watching it and sadly, this movie borrowed lines from Star Trek.

Green Lantern: As Warner Bros/DC went all-in with a 2/7 off-suit and got hammered EVERYWHERE. It's hero was scorned by the traumatic death of his father... for some reason... Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) becomes the Green Lantern and appears places that he has no idea there's danger. The characters just kind of do things without rhyme or reason. If not for Mark Strong, this movie would have been completely unwatchable. Somehow, even Peter Saarsgard couldn't save this movie.

No Strings Attached: Another film where the characters just kind of appear and do things without any purpose. That is all the time I'll save for this. I will say, how could a movie directed by Ivan Reitman with two oscar winners (Kevin Kline was the other one, not Ashton Kutcher) be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad?

In Time: This film had some potential then became a class struggle film, where you never really can connect with any of the characters because since they're all 25 (which few are in this film). To say the plot went nowhere is an understatement and you end up rooting against the characters in the end. The cherry on top was the subplot about Justin Timberlake's father that comes from nowhere about 45 minutes in. This film was doomed from the start. I don't know if you can blame the actors at all.




Worst film of the year:

MONEYBALL: It's amazing that facts escape this film and that it was nominated for Best Picture. Moneyball is actually a well made, well written, well acted film until it goes through fact checking. For starters, this is probably the first sports movie where the key moment was trading for a situational left-handed reliever. The next most dramatic moment was a homerun hit in extra innings after blowing a ten run lead. Oh and the whole season hinged on Scott Hatteberg? Really? There was ZERO mention of the Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito, AL MVP juicing Migel Tejada, but there was plenty mention of the not-sliding-ridiculous Jeremy Giambi. Apparently, the trade of Giambi and addition of middle reliever Chad Bradford made the A's the best team in baseball. This film is actually pretty ridiculous in the end since the A's don't win, but Billy Beane is still a genius because the Red Sox followed his philosophy... not have a $130 million payroll and Manny Ramirez roided out of his mind.

Top Films of 2011

Unlike 2010, last year was full good films. The only problem was that the cream didn't rise high enough. There's plenty to debate about on this list, but these are my top films of the year.

Limitless - Bradley Cooper's best work in a film about a blocked writer who is given a drug to unlock the full power of his brain. Believe it or not, this film did not fall into the cliches and stayed pretty true. Cooper carries the film and DeNiero plugs just enough tension in to let the story flow.

Captain America - Chris Evans stars as Marvel's World War II super-hero and doesn't make him look like a tool. It also helps when Joe Johnstone directs it perfectly with a villain that really makes the people trouble. Hugo Weaving's Red Skull is among one of the best villains to come along in a while and he hit every note. It's a fun story with the charm of the WWII era all wrapped into it.

Super 8 - JJ Abrams tribute to the older monster movies of the day is a well directed film about a group of teens filming a zombie movie when an air force train crashes. During the crash, a big freakin' alien creature escapes. The cast of kids somehow manage to outshine the performances of their older co-stars, but that is not an insult in anyway.

Crazy Stupid Love - The Rom-Com genre is dying, but Crazy Stupid Love is a reason to think there's still hope. Ryan Gosling and Steve Carrell headline a talented cast in a story about a man coping with his  wife's betrayal. At the same time, his younger friend becomes infatuated with a woman who resisted his charms. A mutli-tiered story that eventually leads to an heartwarming conclusion.

Horrible Bosses - A hilarious romp about three friends that want to whack their bosses that make their lives a living hell. They plan a Hitchcock-like criss cross killing that goes horribly wrong and the craziness that ensues will make you cry in laughter. Still Jennifer Aniston as a sex-crazed dentist seems like every guy's dream.

The Muppets - Part nostalgia, but The Muppets was one of the funniest films of 2011. Muppets worshiper Jason Segel co-wrote a great homage to Jim Hensen's most popular creations with cameos from several of Hollywood entertainers both young and old. If there's any other reason you should she this movie, Chris Cooper rapping is enough to split your sides.

Bridesmaids - Kristen Wiig was always a funny actress, but most of the time she was a supporting player. Not in this movie that she co-wrote about a failed baker that is the maid of honor for her best friend's wedding. Adding on a competitor to be a maid of honor and a supporting cast that just makes the movie a non-stop laugh-a-thon. Wiig gives a thorough performance where she's funny and touching as the girl who everything hasn't worked out for while her friends' lives have, but Melissa McCarthy steals the movie. This also teaches us that food poisoning and bridal shops don't mix.

50/50 - "I can't have cancer... I work out. I recycle," recants Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a film about a guy in his twenties facing death. He soon finds who is the right support and the wrong support. Whether it's a friend (Seth Rogen) who treats it as a pickup tool for girls or a cheating girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) who didn't sign up for being a caretaker. Through it all, Gordon-Levitt encounters a roller-coaster of emotions and his counsellor (Anna Kendrick) start to become involved. Gordon-Levitt continues his string of great performances since (500) Days of Summer.

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo - David Fincher's remake of the Swedish series was right in his wheelhouse from "Zodiac" or "Se7en". Daniel Craig is his usual reliable self, but Rooney Mara's Oscar Nomination was well deserved as the title character. She gives a performance both funny, odd, straightforward, tormented, sadistic and clever. She's one of the oddest protagonists you'll find yourself rooting for.

X-Men: First Class - Though this film took some liberties with the X-Men stories, it also paid tribute to the franchises other films. Taking place in the early 60's before the Cuban Missile Crisis, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) come together and try to put their different approaches aside to stop a Sebastian Shaw from starting a nuclear war that would destroy mankind. In the process, they find that their war is only beginning.

The Help - This isn't a story about the people that live in the gray areas of white and black in 60's Jackson, Mississippi. The story is about maids that fight racism and the employers who don't seem to see the problem with it. In a film littered with great performances by Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, it causes Emma Stone to go unnoticed. The film will make you laugh as well as move you- especially at the very end.

The Artist - Who says a silent movie still can have an impact in the modern world? "The Artist" proved just that. Taking the charm from the old Charlie Chaplin films, it stars two relatively unknown actors (Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo) to US audiences and fills out his cast with very capable known physical actors like John Goodman and James Cromwell. The film is about the end of the silent movie era and an artist who never really spoke much at all when it mattered. Dujardin and Bejo deliver outstanding performances of a lost art. This film is as delightful as it is original.

Best Film of the Year:

The Descendants - George Clooney is likely to get an Oscar for this performance of a man who's wife is dying and his life is coming apart. Due to a boating accident, Matt King's wife is in a coma and will be taken off life support. As he gathers his family, his daughter tells him that his wife was having an affair, which eludes to a journey to meet the other man. If there's a scene that is most memorable, it's when Clooney has a closed door argument with his comatose wife. For a guy who is the personification of suave, is anything but that in this film.

Advice the "Dark Knight" can give "The Amazing Spider-Man" and Vice Versa

This year Marvel Studios will re-boot their most lucrative franchise "Spider-Man", which will be directed by (500) Days of Summer's Marc Fields and starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The first thought of many is, "Why?," but look at another film franchise that was rebooted this decade and see that the idea may not be so bad. Christopher Nolan rebooted the "Batman" franchise with Batman Begins in 2005 and it received well by the public and the critics. The franchise is releasing it's third and final installment this summer as well and it could use some advice from the previous "Spider-Man" series.





First what would "Spider-Man" say to "Batman":
For starters when it comes to your third installment, the standard sequel formula needs to be thrown out. The first movie usually sets up the second, but the story is pretty closed off in each of these franchises. Here's a few points:

Be True to Your Characters: So go bigger, but beware of going too big. "Spider-Man 3" was the only film of the series to employ the multi-villain method and it didn't go so well. Now "Dark Knight Rises" is going to bring in Bane- one of Batman's fiercest villains that was relegated to a brawny moron in "Batman and Robin". Call this Christopher Nolan righting a Schumacher wrong, but he's also bringing out Catwoman who was personified by Michelle Pheifer in 1991. Will Catwoman fit in the story with Bane? Hard to say, but the first two installments blended it's villains together well. In "Spider-Man 3" the mix of Venom, Sandman, Peter's battle with the black suit and Harry's Green Goblin mixed like rum and dry vermouth. Even though you could pour them together, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Marvel did a poor job with the Venom character by changing him completely and the heart-strings pulling by Sandman seemed forced. Plus Harry's amnesia didn't help matters, one minute he's a villain, the next he's a friend, then right back to an enemy. The audience didn't connect with this installment because too many cooks spoil the stew.

Keep your tone: "Spider-Man 3" varied the tone too much. Funny, sad, heart-warming, heart-breaking and a couple of dance numbers in the middle. That pushed the audience away instead of drawing them in. Now, Nolan won't make Batman dance, but will the Bruce Wayne/Selena Kyle relationship mess up "Rises"? Will "Rises" make the same mistake?

Where do we go from here?: In each of the sequels, there was a huge action sequence that left the audiences dropping their jaws. In "Spider-Man 3", the opening/closing stunts were... eh. The action was mediocre. Where do you go from a runaway train or a tractor-trailer being flipped over? Just make sure the stunts pull the audience in. In each sequel the stakes are raised on the stunts. If you need proof, check with the Indiana Jones series.

What advice does Batman have for Spider-Man
Tell a new story: Batman never had an origin story, so that's why "Batman Begins" had freedom. Deciding the villains was a little easier by using two good ones that weren't touched. "The Dark Knight" recycled two villains and used them a different way. Now "Amazing" is going to feature the Lizard, possibly one more (IMDb lists the Proto-Goblin). Sounds good right? Remember the rum and vermouth. The trailers for the movie show a retelling of the origin of Spider-Man. Problem, the audience saw it years ago and -unlike Batman- multiple writers didn't write the backstory over. Supposedly, this will answer what happened to Peter's parents.

Villains- New or Improved: As stated before, right the wrongs of villains previously messed up. "Rises" will attempt to redo Bane. Venom will certainly fit this category. Use of the Lizard is a must to do since he hasn't been seen on screen. Spider-Man has other villains that haven't been seen by audiences (Craven the Hunter, Scorpion, Carnage), but that'll need some more exposition. Marvel's choice here was a slam dunk. Now "Dark Knight" chose to recycle it's most popular villain -Joker - but that could have back-fired. It didn't, but would repeating the Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus be a good idea?

Have a Good Cast - How do you replace Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker? Garfield maybe an equal to Maguire, but Stone's advantage is that she's replacing a forgettable character- Gwen Stacy from "Spider-Man 3." Unlike Bale's Batman, Garfield has to deal with one other actor to play Peter Parker, but did it three times and well. Bale's Batman was up against Michael Keaton's success and Val Kilmer and George Clooney's failures. Not that they were to blame for it, as Clooney told a hilarious story on Inside the Actor's Studio about Schumacher's direction. Still kind of funny that Kirsten Dunst was a blonde playing a red-head. Emma Stone is a red-head playing a blonde.

So this summer, good luck to the "Amazing Spider-Man" and hopefully "The Dark Knight Rises" won't fall into the trap of "Spider-Man 3". Learn from each other and don't repeat the mistakes of the past.