I now present you with a list of my favorite movies from 2011. I do not believe that most of these films will win any awards, but I enjoyed them the most of all the things I saw this year. They were the movies that stuck in my head the most and made me want to watch them again as soon as I walked out of the theater. You may disagree, and that is fine, and I would invite you to share your favorite movies with me in the comments section below.
So now without further ado and in no particular order.....
Limitless I am a little Bradley Cooper-biased, but I actually really enjoyed this movie a lot. I especially liked that it was not presented as a science fiction movie but more as an exploration of the human mind. You think more about the moral implications of what it would mean to take a drug like NZT. How would it change the way you interact with other people and how you live your life. This movie was engaging and highly entertaining.
Bridesmaids This was the funniest movie I have seen in a really long time. I have been in six weddings, none were quite this hilarious, but I can definitely relate to many of the situations with which these ladies had to deal. The entire cast was great as an ensemble and even better in their individual roles. Each women adds a different level of hilarity throughout the entire movie. Also, I have said it before and I will say it again, I expect puppies to be given as favors at every bridal shower I go to from now on.
The three big movies opening this week are Cars 2, Bad Teacher and Conan O'Brien Can't Stop.
Bad Teacher stars Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake and Jason Segel. Diaz plays a junior-high teacher who just does not care about her job. She drinks and smokes on the job and all she wants is to marry a rich man so that she can stop working. She gets dumped by her fiancée and then sets her eyes on the hot new substitute teacher, played by Timberlake. She must compete with another teacher in the school for his attention and also spur the advances of the gym teacher, played by Segel. While I am not a huge fan of Cameron Diaz, I think this looks kind of funny. I know that she can be a good actress (if you have not seen Being John Malkovich, it’s a must-see) but she always seems to pick really stupid movies. I am hoping that is not the case this time. It has gotten mediocre reviews so far, but sometimes comedies do not review well and then end up being pretty good, so we shall just have to wait and see.
In Cars 2, we find racecar Lightning McQueen and his tow truck friend, Mater, on an overseas adventure. McQueen is competing in the first-ever World Grand Prix which will determine who is the fastest car in the world. However, Mater gets caught up in an international espionage scheme and is torn between helping his friend and being a spy. Owen Wilson returns to voice Lightning McQueen and Larry the Cable Guy is back as Mater. They are also joined by Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shaloub, Cheech Marin, Joe Mantegna, Michael Caine, John Turturro, Eddie Izzard and Emily Mortimer. The first film got pretty good reviews, but this one does not seem to be faring as well. I will mostly likely wait until it comes out on DVD to see it.
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop is probably the one movie that I am actually really looking forward to seeing. It is about his stand-up comedy tour in the United States and Canada after he lost his hosting job at The Tonight Show. Conan is awesome, so this film is sure to be as well.
Midnight in Paris was fantastic. I did not know what to expect going into it, but I really enjoyed it a lot. Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams play an engaged couple, named Gil and Inez, who are traveling in Paris while her father is there for business. Gil is a screenwriter who is trying to write a novel and finds inspiration when he walks the streets of Paris at night.
It was written and directed by Woody Allen and the storyline is creative and interesting and funny. I usually do not really like Woody Allen films, but I found this different than anything else in theaters right now. Of course, you do have to know the names of 1920's historical figures to get most of the jokes :o)
Limitless
