2011 Early Year Marker and end of an era

I consider 2011 a very weak year. Very few movies to mention and cutting it all short in September...more on that later. Only four films for honorable mention:

• The Kids are All Right
• Never Let Me Go
• True Grit
• The King's Speech

Now about the short season...you probably guessed it...with the changes Netflix made I made the decision to stop DVD service and just keep the streaming service, which honestly I don't know how long I can keep.

Uncertain at this point how Ion Cannon will proceed.

207 - Super

Kick Ass probably overshadowed this film. It had its moments but story just felt too thin.

206 - Blue in the Face

I love slice-of-life films with that somewhat village focus...this one looks at Brooklyn. It's got a great list of characters...or cast...Harvey Keitel, Victor Argo, Jim Jarmusch, Roseanne, Madonna (yes, brief sing-a-telegram cameo)....

205 - The King's Speech

Colin Firth was very derserving of the accolades for his performance in this film. Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush provided excellent support...both get a lion's share of the best lines in the film. My personal favorite was Lionel's "...vulgar...but fluent...."

204 - Rango

In these days of Pixar-dominated animation, it's hard not to be measured against the Emeryville heavyweights. Sadly, Rango falls short. The story doesn't have much depth and I couldn't get passed the scaling of objects. Still, the dialogue and voiceover work was entertaining and I did enjoy watching it...but this dvd wouldn't be in my collection any time soon.

203 - 13 Assassins

Divide and conquer...that is the war strategy. I love the cinematography and raw approach of Takashi Miike, but I felt a bit let down. I think this is because a lot has changed recently in samurai films. A lot of directors have emerged with films that have more depth, especially Yoji Yamada's trilogy....of which I am still in awe.

202 - True Grit

The dude can really play the drunk cowboy :). Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld turned in very strong performances. As you'd expect from the Coen brothers, there's well-placed humor all over.