Movie Review - The Woman in Black

The Woman in Black (2012)

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, and Janet McTeer

Directed by James Watkins

I must preface this review by saying that it took me nearly two months to get through The Woman in Black.  That's not to say it's horrible (although I'm not saying it's good either), but I started watching this on a plane ride home from London and the little television screen and poor audio weren't doing this ghost story which relies heavily on far-off ghostly images and strange noises any justice.  So, twenty minutes in, I decided that it might be best simply to rent this one once I got home.  Two months later that came to fruition and I finally finished the tale.

I think there's a really good ghost story here -- one of those that you'd tell around a campfire and perhaps genuinely get scared.  In fact, The Woman in Black is an incredibly long-running, well-received, and apparently frightening play in London and I actually thought I might see it when I was over in the UK.  I didn't get around to seeing it onstage and unfortunately something doesn't quite click with the movie.  For only being ninety minutes long, there seems like an awful lot of boring exposition in the first half of the film which drags this thing down horribly.

Lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is sent to a remote village in England to a huge mansion to find the paperwork needed to sell a deceased woman's estate.  For years, many of the town's children have been dying heinous deaths and Arthur uncovers that the unfortunate occurrences stem back to the decades-old death of the young son of a woman named Jennet Humfrye.  Ms. Humfrye, who is also now deceased, feels that her son's death could have been prevented and has been seeking revenge on the youth of the town.

The huge positive of The Woman in Black is that it doesn't try to be anything other than a genuine ghost story.  There's no blood or guts, just old-fashioned scares.  Unfortunately, those scares are too often foreshadowed by director James Watkins' camerawork or Marco Beltrami's score.  We in the audience are conditioned to know in a horror movie that if an actor is standing towards the left of the screen with a large black space to his right, something is going to pop up in that area.  Sure enough, that happens all too often here.  It makes me wonder how this tale would work on a stage.  I can't help but think that it would be more successful than on film.

Daniel Radcliffe is actually fine, but doesn't exude any modicum of charisma (of course, he didn't do that in the Potter films either).  There's also a nice performance from Ciarán Hinds as the only member of the town to befriend Arthur.  In the end, it's kind of a shame things don't come together because the film picks up quite a bit halfway through and at least becomes enjoyable to watch, but it never really becomes "scary" or even "eerie" which ultimately is a disappointment.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Play Misty for Me

Play Misty for Me (1971)

Starring Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, and Donna Mills

Directed by Clint Eastwood

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Play Misty for Me is one of those movies I heard about long ago and just never got around to watching.  Thrillers have always been my favorite genre -- they may not necessarily be the most cinematically deep, but they have always provided me with a lot of enjoyment (hence the Hitchcock Festival on this blog a few years back).  For some reason of another, I had heard of this 1971 Clint Eastwood-starring flick and when I saw in pop up streaming on Netflix, I instantly added it, finally getting around to watching it the other day.

Loyal readers know that I am no fan of Clint Eastwood's directorial oeuvre.  I find him annoyingly heavy-handed, not all that innovative in his by-the-book techniques, and -- perhaps worst of all -- boring.  When I saw Clint Eastwood's name pop up as the director of this, I immediately began to worry I was in for a rough ride.  However, while it's amazing to me that Eastwood has two Best Director Oscars on his mantel, he proves to be adequate enough at the helm of this -- his first directorial venture.  Yes, it reeks of late 1960s/early 1970s cinema -- groovy music montages and all (including an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable sex scene in a California forest set to Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face") -- but it's an enjoyable little flick, albeit a bit too long (but that just shows that Eastwood has always had a problem in the editing department).

A precursor of sorts to Fatal Attraction, Play Misty for Me is a tale of a one-night stand gone horribly awry.  Dave (Eastwood) is a California disc jockey whose smooth voice coupled with smooth jazz has him rising in the ranks on the local airwaves.  One night after work, Dave heads to a local bar where he meets a woman named Evelyn (Jessica Walter, best known to me for her work in Arrested Development) and proceeds to have what he thinks will be a one night only roll in the hay.  Little does Dave know that Evelyn is a tiny bit off her rocker and won't stand for the fact that Dave's former girlfriend and "the one who got away" Tobie (Donna Mills) has just moved back into town.

While there's no boiling of rabbits, the comparison to Fatal Attraction is quite apt.  While that 1980s Glenn Close-starrer is a better film, Play Misty for Me is a pleasant enough genre flick that works despite overstaying its welcome and being and a bit too obvious for its own good.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - In Time

In Time (2011)

Starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, and Olivia Wilde

Directed by Andrew Niccol

In Time takes us to an Earth in which money doesn't exist, but instead time is the most precious commodity around.  Here, humans are given twenty-five years of existence, but when their twenty-sixth year rolls around, they stop aging and a digital-type clock implanted into their forearm clicks on with a decreasing timeclock of one year.  Everything we normally pay money for is paid for with time -- a cup of coffee, for example, takes four hours off of your clock (and your life).  You're paid for labor in hours as well, so it's not as if you're absolutely dead in a year.  In fact, just like our current monetary system, there are some very wealthy people with hundreds -- even thousands -- of years to go.

With such an intriguing concept, it's a shame that writer-director Andrew Niccol shifts focus halfway through the movie into an updated Bonnie and Clyde/Robin Hood reboot with Justin Timberlake as the "poor" Will Salas teaming up with the "wealthy" Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) to redistribute Sylvia's father seemingly infinite stash of time to the less fortunate.  Things were going so well until we drifted down this path we'd seen before and it's unfortunate that the unique premise is watered down to something we've seen time and time again.

Surprisingly, Timberlake more than holds his own in this film.  While I don't think he'll ever be mistaken for a great thespian, he definitely embodied the character and abandoned his celebrity persona.  Granted, he still needs some work (one scene in which he's forced to cry just proves laughable), but overall, I think he's got some talent in the acting department.  Ms. Seyfried, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about.  It's not that I dislike her as an actress, but in the last few films I've seen her in she seems to be simply phoning in her performance.  She doesn't bring any depth to her character here and it's a little bit disappointing, although I'm not sure whether it's her fault or the fault of the script.  She's walking on thin ice at this point...her next film may make or break her for me.

Still, this is rather fun film (which also contains a nice performance from the heretofore unmentioned Cillian Murphy as a futuristic "cop" who is in search of the two "criminals") and it's worth giving it a chance.  I'm sure this was a case of low expectations making something appear to be a bit more promising than it actually is, but In Time wouldn't be a waste of your time should you choose to watch it.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - The Avengers

The Avengers (2012)

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Stellan Skarsgard, Paul Bettany (voice), and Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by Joss Whedon

Yes, I'm about sixty days late to the party here...and unfortunately the raves that I've been hearing for two months concerning The Avengers set expectations that were too high to be achieved.  While this is a decent comic book flick, it's still a part of a genre that I'm unable to really relate to because on a purely cinematic level I rarely am able to feel any modicum of tension for the formidable, unflappable, and nearly immortal main characters.

Seeing as how everyone has already seen this third highest-grossing movie of all time, I'm not going to waste time detailing a summary except to say that this gathering of Marvel's Superhero Elite does prove to be successful once it brings its cadre of power players together, but the round-up of these heroes is where the film lacks.  I must preface my "complaint" by saying that i watched The Avengers at the end of a three-movie, seven-hour marathon so that may have something to do with my lack of excitement for the product, but I do also think that I'm maybe using that simply as an excuse for my disappointment in the movie since everyone else seems to be fawning over it.  The whole thing eventually comes together rather nicely and the final ninety minutes really does seem to fly by, but I couldn't help but find myself in a state of ennui during the first hour.

It doesn't help that Robert Downey, Jr., is as annoying as heck in this.  His egotistical Tony Stark plays fine in a movie on his own where he's the main player, but when you put him amidst a group of other more unselfish folks, his character rings obnoxious more than anything else.  [Yes, I realize that's probably the point -- he's kind of a jerk unlike these other guys -- but it still didn't make his character any more tolerable to watch for extended periods of time.]  The less said about Chris Hemsworth's Thor the better (fortunately, his part was minuscule).  Oddly enough, it's the Iron Mans and Thor flicks that I found most successful in the Marvel universe so not caring for those characters here was a bit odd for me.

Mark Ruffalo kinda steals the show with his Bruce Banner/Hulk.  It's a shame the Hulk movie didn't star him as opposed to Ed Norton.  Surprisingly (considering my disdain for his movie), I found Chris Evans' Captain America a big improvement over his eponymous film.  It's also nice that a bit of the focus went to Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow as she's not only pretty on the eyes, but has a storyline that's at least a bit intriguing.

In the end, the whole thing is silly nonsense, but director and screenwriter Joss Whedon is able to at least direct action sequences without relying on Michael Bay-esque nonstop camera cuts and his script has a few witty moments which provide a needed boost.  Some may call this the greatest comic book movie of all time, but coming from a non-comic book fan, I didn't find it as impressive as the millions who did.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Brave

Brave (2012)

*viewed in 3D*

Featuring the voice talents of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connelly, Julie Walters, and Emma Thompson

Directed by Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Purcell

From a strictly visual standpoint, Pixar is simply the best animation studio working today.  They have a way of animating movement that is just stunningly accurate and beautiful to watch.  From the opening scene of their newest venture, Brave, their expertise is on display again.  The company really is head and shoulders above anyone else in terms of their slick, vivid, and stunning animation.

Story-wise, Pixar is well-known for their heartfelt tales and Brave is no exception.  Focusing on a female lead for the first time, Brave's story is shockingly simple and that's its one slight flaw.  We get a princess tale here (which has drawn some unwarranted criticism) and while the wheel isn't reinvented, it's perfectly fine.  However, Princess Merida's adventure does lack the originality that we've come to expect from the company and despite its rather short running time, the film manages to drag on a tiny bit during its middle act.

Still, there's a good movie here well worth seeing.  Teenage Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is an independent free spirit who finds herself being tied down by rules and proper royal etiquette by her mother Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) who only wants to prepare her for the future rule over their Irish land.  The time has come for Merida to be betrothed, but the three men vying for her hand are all lacking in multiple departments.  Much to her mother's chagrin, Merida takes things into her own hands refusing to wed causing quite a rift between the young woman and her mother that even King Fergus (Billy Connelly) is unable to right.  After a tiff, Merida runs into the nearby woods where she comes across a rundown house inhabited by an old woman (Julie Walters) who also happens to delve a bit in the mystical realm.  Needless to say, this crone's magic ends up weaving quite an interesting turn of events for Merida which makes her begin to realize that her life may not have been as bad as she made it out to be.

As I mentioned, the film looks beautiful (Merida's long-flowing locks alone are amazingly well-crafted) and the voice acting is top notch as always, but Brave surprisingly has a "been there-done that" feel to it, culling much of its story from Disney flicks of the past.  Granted, that's not necessarily a bad thing -- Disney animated films are classics for a reason -- but there is something oddly unoriginal which, for Pixar, is a first.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Prometheus

Prometheus (2012)

*viewed in 3D*

Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Logan Marshall-Green, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce

Directed by Ridley Scott

**There will be some spoilers ahead here...the film's been out a month now, so I feel no qualms about that.**

Prometheus - the "not-a-prequel, but really-is-a-prequel" to Alien - has its share of problems most courtesy of a script from Jon Spaihts and Lost alum Damon Lindelof, but despite what are warranted criticisms, I couldn't help but like what I saw onscreen.  I've always been a fan of Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens (see my Alien Week coverage here), and what Scott does here is further the backstory behind the sci-fi series while, at the same time, creating a stand-alone film that works quite well despite a few faults.

Those delving into Prometheus thinking that they're going to see something in the same vein of any of the previous four Alien incarnations are in for a surprise.  Instead, Prometheus is one archeologist's quest to discover the reason for human existence.  We meet Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) in the late 2080s as she and her team are exploring the rocky cliffs of Ireland.  There, they discover cave paintings that closely resemble similar paintings found all across the earth all of which seem to be pointing to the notion that something from space came to earth tens of thousands of years ago.  With the help of the Weyland Corporation (a name familiar to those who've seen other Alien flicks), Shaw and her partner Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green) are funded for an expedition to a far-off planet that seems to have the same capability as Earth for human existence with the hopes that this planet may hold some of the answers to these cave drawings.  When they land on the planet, Shaw, Charlie, and the crew of the ship Prometheus, including the captain (Idris Elba), Weyland overseer Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), and android David (Michael Fassbender), set out to explore and uncover some interesting finds leading us both into familiar territory for this series and quite unfamiliar territory in the overarching religious and spiritual questions it attempts to pose.

Surprisingly, the biggest problem in the film tends to be with the alien side of things.  These people just seem to act plain stupid around them.  Here you've landed on a foreign planet with unknown creatures and you're just going to go right up to these "things" and try to pet them?  I mean, really?  The characters just end up losing all credibility in these scenes and it hurts the movie in the long run.  I think that's what makes the first two Alien films so successful -- even if the characters weren't fully realized (I'm looking at you, Aliens), they still acted "truthfully" and realistically based off of their personal characteristics.  You didn't really get a sense of that here with some of the characters presented.

However, there are two really solid performances from Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender.  Rapace is quite good, embodying a completely different female here than Sigourney Weaver's kick-ass Ripley.  Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw is mellow and slightly timid -- two characteristics that could never apply to Ripley.  Shaw's mission isn't to kill, but to try and understand all that she can about human existence and her place (and the place of spirituality and faith) in this world.  Fassbender also continues his excellent streak of work with the robotic David.  Even lacking the ability to show emotions, Fassbender still manages to draw your eye to him in every single scene thanks to this sense of underlying (and sometimes not so underlying) menace his character exudes in nearly scene.

I actually got a very "last episode of Lost" vibe from Prometheus thanks to the similarities in tone resulting from their exploratory dives into faith, and given that Damon Lindelof co-wrote the last episode of the series, that shouldn't be all that surprising.  However, also like Lost, Prometheus doesn't provide all the answers and while some would complain about that, I'm actually okay with the open-endedness.  To me, we can't have all the answers when we're discussing something as esoteric as faith and to expect them is almost ludicrous.  I'd be more than open for a sequel that delves a bit deeper.

The film looks beautiful visually and I give much credit to director Ridley Scott for taking things in a different direction with this flick.  Yes, there are still some excellent action sequences and some great set pieces (that "computerized surgery machine" came in quite handy, didn't it?) which show that Scott still has quite a knack at filming tense action.  But we also discover that he is quite adept at the quieter moments of which this film certainly has plenty.  If only he could've convinced the writers to give him more fully-realized secondary characters than I would've been a much happier camper.  But as it stands now, Prometheus is a solid addition to the Alien saga landing right in the middle in terms of quality for the series.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - The Innkeepers

The Innkeepers (2012)

Starring Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, and Kelly McGillis

Directed by Ti West

I was a fan of Ti West's The House of the Devil which provided an eerie and unsettling homage to horror films in the 1980s.  Unfortunately, I can't be as gung-ho about his latest foray into horror, The Innkeepers, a film that I felt with a few minor scene changes could've played on The Disney Channel as a Halloween-themed movie event.

What's the point of a horror movie if it's not scary?  I don't need the genre to cause me to jump out of my seat, but I at least need it to build a sense of unease and The Innkeepers which weaves a tale about a soon-to-be-closed supposedly haunted inn just doesn't ever gain any modicum of tension.  Thanks to the performances of Pat Healy and Sara Paxton as the two kinda dorky inn workers Luke and Claire, the film strikes a very odd tone in the humor department even dabbling into romantic comedy and never finds an appropriate balance.

I'd love to relay more of the story here, but there really isn't anything to discuss (hence the brevity of this review).  This is a movie that simply didn't work for me, plain and simple.  The 78% positive rating on rottentomatoes.com is rather shocking to this reviewer.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - Haywire

Haywire (2012)

Starring Gina Carano, Michael Angarano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, and Michael Douglas

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Haywire is mindless fluff.  That's not meant as a criticism, but it's the truth.  No one's going to mistake this female-led action flick as great cinema, but it's certainly an enjoyable ride.  A day after I watched it, I may not remember much in the way of plot or character development, but I will remember that I had an enjoyable 85 minutes seeing it unfold in front of me and sometimes that's all one needs when watching a movie.

MMA-star Gina Carano is Mallory Kane, a "black ops super soldier" (according to imdb's description) who is used by the government to head out on certain missions for them.  She's good at her job and can kick some serious ass, but she often finds herself a bit at odds with Kenneth (Ewan McGregor), her ex-boyfriend and also the man that sets up her jobs for the government.  When set on a job to Ireland, she quickly discovers that she has been set up by her bosses and must go rogue in order to save her life.

There's nothing special that the story brings to the table, and while director Steven Soderbergh does an admirable job of filming the action scenes and keeping the story rolling at a good pace, things are by the book for the most part.  The acting is all above par, even that of Gina Carino who was criticized in reviews that I read for her lack of acting chops.  I found her perfectly acceptable for what this role asks of her.  Do I wanna see her tackle something a bit more weighty?  I'm not sure, but as an action chick, she handles herself well.

Admittedly, there's not a ton to say about this because Haywire is just a standard action flick, but it's a good one and worth a watch.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Anyone having the blog freeze up on them after they click the "Read More" icon in my Best Picture post?  I've tested the post on three different computers -- granted, all Macs -- and can't get any freezing to happen.  Just curious as I've been told it's happened to two folks at this point...

The 2011 RyMickey Awards - Best Picture

And so the 2011 RyMickey Awards are coming to an end.  Sure, it's nearly July 2012, but it's better late than never.  2011 was a solid year over all.  Better than I probably gave it credit for initially.  I ended up with quite a lot of films that I enjoyed and making up these awards helped me to realize that.

133 movies boiled down to a Top 30 are listed below.  Links to my original reviews are also provided as well as info as to whether the film is available to instantly watch on Netflix.

Best Picture of 2011

Honorable Mentions

#30 - Warrior

#29 - Beginners

#28 - Last Night (currently streaming on Netflix)

#27 - The Tree of Life

#26 - The Help

#25 - Take Shelter

#24 - The Descendants

#23 - Tyrannosaur (currently streaming on Netflix)

#22 - Red State (currently streaming on Netflix)

#21 - Moneyball

And the Top 20...

#20 - Meek's Cutoff

(currently streaming on Netflix)

I'm typically not a fan of westerns, but after True Grit placed #16 on last year's list and this film ekes out a spot on this year's Top 20, I have to think that maybe it's a genre that I can take in small doses.  This film will definitely not be for everyone.  It moves very slowly, but I found it fascinating -- almost a real-life horror story about the tremendous perils that faced the American pioneers exploring the western landscape.

#19 - X-Men: First Class

The best X-Men film to date.  The cool 1960s retro vibe coupled with some genuinely exciting action sequences and nice acting from the ensemble make this worth checking out.

#18 - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

I was shocked that the story behind Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was as straightforward as it was...and I mean that in a good way.  This franchise can be way too convoluted for its own good (the whole spy genre can be that way, quite frankly).  However, this one sticks to a singular storyline that proves to be quite intriguing.  Add some great action sequences to the mix and some solid acting across the board and director Brad Bird's live-action debut is a winner.

#17 - The Artist

This Academy Award Best Picture winner is charming and its loving homage to silent cinema is the reason it won that coveted award (although there is another film that pays similar homage higher up on my list that deserved the award, in my opinion).  With a lovely lead performance, it's tough not to have a smile on your face while watching.

#16 - Young Adult

This flick is ballsy.  It's not often that a major film studio releases a movie in which the main character is utterly detestable and fails to "change" and "become a better person" by film's end.  Young Adult does just that.  A great performance from RyMickey Award Best Actress winner Charlize Theron, a witty script by Diablo Cody, and a director in Jason Reitman who likely knew that a lack of redemption would probably turn off the American public but still went with it anyway combine to give us something unique.

#15 - Trust

(currently streaming on Netflix)

Who knew that Friends star David Schwimmer had the directorial chops in him to helm a movie as emotionally gut-wrenching as Trust?  Admittedly, the film veers onto a shaky course towards the end thanks to Clive Owen's character's actions, but the movie is still a gripping look at the aftermath of sexual abuse and how it affects an entire family.

#14 - Winnie the Pooh

I have never been a devoted fan of the Winnie the Pooh characters.  I could take them or leave them...they were never really a piece of my childhood.  But something about this absolutely lovely animated film won me over.  Cute songs, a simple story, and an overall sense of good ole nostalgia for bygone days...take 62 minutes out of your day and watch.

#13 - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

One of the best action flicks of recent years.  Some really nifty special effects and a solid story made this one a summer popcorn flick to remember.

#12 - Martha Marcy May Marlene

An eerie psychological drama with a great debut performance from Elizabeth Olsen as a gal pulled into a cult whose true motives are much more devious than one could imagine.

#11 - Win Win

It's a shame they decided to throw in a few scattered F-bomb here to garner an R-rating, because Win Win is the kind of mature family movie that everyone can sit around together and enjoy.  A simple story about a wayward kid who finds hope with a family that decides to care for him, Win Win doesn't do anything special or over-the-top, but it's a nice tale that's worth checking out.

And the Top Ten Films of 2011...
can be found after the jump...click read more below to see my picks...

The 2011 RyMickey Awards - Best Scene

Best Scene is my favorite RyMickey Award every year as it allows for those special moments from movies that I loved (or even movies I didn't love) to come to the forefront.  Moreso than the previous two years of this award, a large majority of 2011's best scenes came from 2011's best movies (which you'll discover in the next and final award given out this year)...I'm not sure what that says, but I thought it was interesting to note.

I've also gone overboard...all year I keep track of my favorite scenes and I ended up with a perfect rounded number of 25 and it was just too difficult to keep any of them off the list.  In order to not bog down the main page even further with pictures, be sure to click "Read More" at the bottom of this post to head to the Top 15.

It should be noted that there are some spoilers ahead...I will try and state them before I begin discussing the scenes.

Best Scenes of 2011

#25 - "I Wish It Were You..." - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Dealing with his father's death couldn't be easy for young Oskar, but when he lashes out at his mother saying he wishes she had died on 9/11 instead of his dad, it was a moment that just hit me hard.  The line I mention above comes right at the tail end of this YouTube clip...and of course the clip stops right before it gets to that line.

#24 - A Surprising Revelation - A Separation

***MAJOR SPOILER ALERT***

We've spent half of the movie believing that Nader could very well be responsible for Razieh's miscarriage and the courts seem to be siding in Razieh's favor.  However, when we discover that a car accident caused Razieh to lose her child, it shows that every single character in this movie is struggling with morality.

#23 - End Credits - Winnie the Pooh

It's tough to find a picture of end credits, but this image above is part of the little Easter egg at the very end that finishes this tale on a witty note.  But it's not just this little 45-second bit of animation that I loved (which can be seen here)...I literally loved the credit sequence.  Seeing the antique-looking stuffed animals reenacting scenes from the movie, followed by the incredibly cute and ingenious animated bits in the rolling credits (which unfortunately are not fully seen in this clip), coupled with a catchy tune from Zooey Deschanel combined to put a smile on my face and were a great way to end this charming movie.

#22 - Chase Scene - The Adventures of Tintin

Sure, it's animated, but a two-and-a-half minute single shot chase sequence is cool no matter whether it's drawn or not.  (Clip on YouTube)

#21 - Spilled Liquor - The Artist
There's a shot in The Artist in which a depressed George Valentin spills his liquor on a mirrored table top and we glimpse a distorted image of his sad face.  This is such an obscure moment that I've been unable to find clips or pictures, but even the second time around seeing the film, it was powerful to me for some reason.

#20 - Phone Call - Crazy, Stupid, Love.

If you speak Spanish, you can watch this clip here, but for those of you who don't have that talent, here we see Julianne Moore's Emily calling her husband Cal (Steve Carell) from whom she desired to be separated with some phony household emergency she invented just to hear his voice.  She misses him, he misses her, but neither are brave enough to tell each other that.  It's a tender moment.

#19 - Going for Game 20 - Moneyball

Even though the end result of this real-life story was already known, it's amazing how much tension was built during the A's final drive to twenty-straight wins thanks to the work of Billy Beane's work as the GM assembling an unconventional team.

#18 - First Date - Shame

I so easily could've chosen the first scene of the movie (seen here) which sets this film off to a riveting beginning, but the sexy yet awkward first date is kind of beautiful in its simplicity and authenticity.  The largely improvised scene that starts in a restaurant and moves out onto the streets of NYC felt so natural and provided a different side of a main character that we thought we already knew so much about.  The end of the date can be seen here.

#17 - Life's a Happy Song - The Muppets

This may seem silly, but the fact that this song starts thanks to the sound of brushing teeth is kind genius to me and as soon as this little ditty popped up less than five minutes into The Muppets, a smile was on my face that hardly ever left.  Shockingly, the only full clip of this I've been able to find is in Spanish, but here's fifty seconds of the happiness in English.

#16 - Final Scene - Martha Marcy May Marlene

***SPOILER ALERT***

Having finally escaped the clutches of the cult, Martha thinks she's safe until she sees a man whom she believes may be from the group watching her swim at her sister's lakeside home.  Cut to a few minutes later and Martha's sister and brother-in-law are driving her to get some psychological help to get over the horrors she experienced at the cult.  We then discover that the mysterious guy is following them.  Cut to black.  We have no idea what happens and we can only speculate as to whether Martha gets away safe or if the mysterious man was even a cult member to begin with.  A great ending that I rewatched immediately after the credits popped up.

The Top Fifteen can be found after the jump.  Click "Read More" below to get the rest of the list.

The 2011 RyMickey Awards - Best Actor

Like the ladies, there was some great work from the men in 2011 with my Top Five really being performances that have surprisingly still stayed with me since I've seen them.

Best Actor 2011

Runners-up

Paul Giamatti - Win Win

Owen Wilson - Midnight in Paris
Peter Mullan - Tyrannosaur

Mel Gibson - The Beaver

Honorable Mentions

#10 - Mel Gibson - The Beaver

Poor Mel...likely never again to be taken seriously as an actor and it's a shame.  Despite his anger problems, he really is solid onscreen and he elevates this rather disappointing film to another level.

#9 - Michael Shannon - Take Shelter

I would agree with some who have said that Michael Shannon is turning into a fairly one-note character actor, playing seemingly the same intense (some would say "crazy") roles again and again.  However, he plays them so darn well that it's tough to complain and he succeeds again in Take Shelter.

#8 - Michael Parks - Red State

Michael Parks has a very lengthy monologue at the beginning of Red State in which his preacher character denounces the sordid direction of society.  Juxtapose what he's saying against the fact that he's got a panicked guy gagged, wrapped in plastic wrap, and tied to a pole standing behind him and you've got a role that so easily could have been laughable that it's rather amazing that Parks is able to play it straight.  Yes, it may be an over-the-top role, but Parks brings it down to earth.

#5 - Brad Pitt - Moneyball

No denying that Brad Pitt is a "Movie Star" of the highest caliber (whether that's deserved or not, I'm not debating at the moment), but somehow while watching Moneyball I forgot that this was "Brad Pitt" up on the screen.  Pitt completely embodies the real-life character of Billy Beane and while there isn't necessarily anything extraordinary about the role itself, Pitt helps to make this flick more interesting than its premise should probably allow.


#7 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt - 50/50

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role in 50/50 may not be the most complex...in fact, it's probably the most straight-forward of anyone on this list.  But he manages to play a young guy going through cancer treatment with such believability and heart that it's hard not to be won over by him.

And the Top Five...

#5 - Michael Sheen - Beautiful Boy

Much like his onscreen counterpart Maria Bello, Michael Sheen is riveting in Beautiful Boy.  Sheen starts the film as the more level-headed of the couple whose son just committed a horrible mass killing at his college, but as the film progresses he begins to spiral out of control taking his character on quite an interesting journey.

#4 - Thomas Horn - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I'm not sure whether young Thomas Horn will ever be able to branch out of the awkwardness he displays in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but having read the book on which this film is based, this kid did a fantastic job with a very difficult character.  For a first-time actor to have to carry this heavy movie on his own and be so darn effective in it is a feat I'm not sure many others would have been able to achieve.

#3 - Jean Dujardin - The Artist

The Oscar winner gets a place on my list as well as Jean Dujardin completely embodies the old-style (often melodramatic) acting techniques so common in silent film.  With facial expressions that convey everything we need to know, it takes talent to express emotions solely through physicality without stooping to overacting.

#2 - George Clooney - The Descendants

Simply put, this is George Clooney's best role to date.  Portraying perhaps the most "regular guy" I've seen him play, it was rather refreshing to see him take on the role of both parent and grieving widow, providing some of the most emotional and understated work he's given to date.

#1 - Michael Fassbender - Shame

This is one heckuva performance tackling a difficult subject matter that many actors may not have been brave enough to take on.  Fassbender's Brandon is very quiet in this movie, but we're always well aware of what his sex addict character is thinking and the pain he's inflicting upon himself.  I keep going back to one scene in particular that I've discussed before (which will certainly show up in the upcoming RyMickey Award Best Scene category) in which Brandon is in the midst of a threesome and after a bit of a focus on the writhing bodies, we shift to viewing only Brandon's face.  In that visage, we see that this menage a trois is the furthest thing from a pleasurable experience for Brandon.  It's painful for him...and it's painful for us as well.  Amazing work from an on-the-rise actor.

Previous RyMickey Award Winners

2010

2009

The 2011 RyMickey Awards - Best Actress

After two years of a rather weak Best Actress field (in my opinion) in 2010 and 2009, things took a turn for the better in 2011 with an abundance of really great roles being given to some fantastic actresses.  All of the roles below are certainly worth checking out even if some of the movies they come from are a little lackluster.  ***Note:  There are a few moderate spoilers ahead, although nothing I didn't discuss in my original reviews of the films.***

Best Actress 2011

In the running...

Mia Wasikowska - Jane Eyre

Mia Wasikowska - Restless

Michelle Williams - Meek's Cutoff

Honorable Mentions

#10 - Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin

Tilda Swinton rarely disappoints and her starring role in We Need to Talk About Kevin is no exception.  Her face alone in the above picture is one of the reasons I really like her as an actress (she was the winner of 2009's RyMickey Award for Best Actress).  She's able to convey so much with just her eyes that she always manages to fascinate me.

#9 - Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids

Perhaps it helped that Kristen Wiig co-wrote the script for Bridesmaids herself, but she has crafted a very nice role for her big screen debut as a leading lady.  Wiig excels at presenting both Annie's happy-go-lucky attitude and her angst and worry about losing her soon-to-be-married best friend.  She does carry over some of her typical Saturday Night Live mannerisms, but there's a substantial enough character here that it never feels two-dimensional.

#8 - Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I may have felt that the film itself was a completely unnecessary retread, but Rooney Mara gives us a rawness as Lisbeth Salandar that is surprisingly exciting to watch.

#7 - Keira Knightley - A Dangerous Method

I've come to realize that Keira Knightley may not be the most versatile actress.  She's often twitchy and has an insane tendency to jut out her jaw in order to convey whatever form of emotion -- usually frustration or anger -- she wants to display.  She uses these quirks to her advantage in A Dangerous Method, however, and it makes her psychologically damaged character quite intriguing and compelling.

#6 - Maria Bello - Beautiful Boy

Maria Bello had a place in my Top Five until a week ago, but she still gives a riveting performance in Beautiful Boy.  Bello runs the gamut of emotions from heartbreak to grief to anger to guilt after she discovers that her son committed a heinous murder spree at his school.  A great performance in a too little seen movie.

And the Top Five...

#5 - Olivia Colman - Tyrannosaur

A quiet and subdued performance for the most part, Olivia Colman's Hannah in Tyrannosaur is one of the major reasons to watch this little-heard of and little-seen flick on Netflix Instant.  A woman who despite her deep Christian faith is having a difficult time living in a marriage that is emotionally and physically wounding her, Hannah is a character who on the surface doesn't appear nearly as deep as she truly is and Colman (an actress who is new to me) does a fantastic job with the complex character.

#4 - Viola Davis - The Help

This performance was heralded by many throughout the awards season and it's certainly deserving of the praise.  Much like Olivia Colman above, Davis' performance as Aibileen is a very quiet one -- and the subdued stoic nature of it may be the reason she lost out on the Oscar -- but it's one that is impossible to ignore.  There's a pain and anguish always present in Aibileen's eyes and although she may not express all her feelings verbally, there's an intensity that certainly comes through.

#3 - Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Meryl Streep was a somewhat surprise Oscar winner this past year beating out her major competition Viola Davis, and while The Iron Lady may be a truly godawful film, Ms. Streep's performance is pretty darn great.  Loyal readers know I hate the biopic genre and I hate rewarding people simply for mimicking a famous person, but goshdarnit, Meryl Streep just inhabits her characters with such ease.  From the opening shot in which Ms. Streep was able to make me truly believe I was watching an 85-plus year old woman shuffle home from the store, I knew that despite the movie being one of the most boring experiences of 2011, the performance would be something to be remembered.

#2 - Liana Liberato - Trust

Trust is Ms. Liberato's first feature film and the young actress somehow manages to believably craft a complex character whose emotions and actions never seem fake or forced.  Liberato's Annie has both a naive innocence and an advanced maturity which I realize is wholly contradictory, but somehow true, and the viewer wishes that those two distinct characteristics would have somehow given her the smarts to not fall victim to a heinous pedophile, but that unfortunately is not the case.  As Trust barrels down a dreadful path, Liberato is at the forefront, proving herself to be a formidable presence who will hopefully appear in many more movies to come.

#1 - Charlize Theron - Young Adult

I fully understand why Charlize Theron's excellent performance in Young Adult fell by the wayside this season:  her Mavis Gary is an all-out bitch who literally has no redeeming values and fails to become a better person by film's end.  The very reason others deemed it not worthy for recognition is the very reason I loved it so much.  It takes a ballsy actress to create a character as unappealing as this one and Theron was up for the challenge.  Mavis may be childish in her actions, but she's always thinking and planning out her next moves.  Thanks to things as simple as a furrowed brow or a slight eye movement, we become well aware that we are constantly watching the Mavis Gary "It's All About Me" show.  It takes talent to make a reprehensible character desirable to spend 110 minutes with, and Theron fully succeeds. 

Previous RyMickey Award Winners

2010

2009

The 2011 RyMickey Awards - Best Supporting Actor

Probably the least successful of the acting categories this year, I must admit that it was almost a struggle to come up with a top five.  Nothing screamed "awards worthy" for me this year.

Best Supporting Actor 2011

In the Running...

Nick Krause - The Descendants

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Patton Oswalt - Young Adult

Honorable Mentions

#7 - John C. Reilly - Carnage

Featuring a talented quartet of stars, John C. Reilly manages to steal the show in Carnage.  By almost being the voice of the audience, you get the sense that Reilly's character understands the absurdity of his predicament and his humorous jabs at the rest of the cast ring true.

#6 - Alex Shaffer - Win Win

I came away from this little-seen arthouse flick most impressed by Alex Shaffer.  His role is the typical moody teenager, but he imbues his character with a sweetness and kindness that struck me as somewhat unique.  Especially impressive is the fact that this was his first film role.

And the Top Five...

#5 - Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn

I genuinely don't know much about Sir Laurence Olivier at all, so I can't say whether Kenneth Branagh is performing a spot-on imitation or not.  What I can say is that I found Branagh to be a hoot as the exacerbated director/star who has many a problem with his slightly more famous co-star Marilyn Monroe.

#4 - Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

A very nice performance that manages to be quite moving despite Max von Sydow not speaking a word throughout the film.  Able to express everything with the raise of an eyebrow or the shrug of a shoulder, von Sydow's friendship with the film's young protagonist was one of the oddest though most believable relationships depicted on film in 2011.

#3 - Ben Kingsley - Hugo

Although initially a rather one-note curmudgeon, as the layers of Ben Kingsley's toy shop owner Georges are pulled back and his hidden past is revealed, we realize the true reasons for his glum and harsh attitude.  Although the film is titled Hugo, it's really about Georges, his nostalgia for better days gone by, and a longing to return to what once was. 

#2 - Andy Serkis - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I'm not here to debate whether motion capture performances should be able to be nominated for an acting Oscar.  In fact, I lean more towards the notion that they probably shouldn't considering the fact that computer programmers are half responsible for what is seen onscreen.  However, I'm not afraid to recognize them for a RyMickey Award and Andy Serkis' portrayal of Caesar is probably the most impressively emotional performance I've seen come from the mo-cap technique.  I don't know where the work of Andy Serkis ends and the work of the technicians begins, but combined they created the most realistic computer-generated being I've seen on the big screen.

#1 - Ryan Gosling - Crazy Stupid Love

It was tough to find a picture of Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love with his shirt on as he's probably best known for the abs he displays multiple times throughout the film.  But while that may have impressed the ladies, what impressed me was this typically dramatic actor's sly and effortless take on comedy -- a genre I'd like to see Gosling further explore in future films.  Sure, he's playing an over-the-top lothario, but he's a ladies' man with a lot of heart.  Debonair guys can get old real quick on film, lacking any type of endearing characteristic to latch onto.  Gosling is able to buck that trend, however, and play a slick guy who still is able to have the audience root for him.  

Previous RyMickey Award Winners

2010

2009