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.

201 - The Company Men

The script made up for the directing in this film. It also had a boost from having Chris Cooper, Craig T. Nelson, and Mr. Jones (of course). Having been through the same experiences, I know the pain of being let go and that unique pressure that you get when you're trying to get back into employment. The film had a lot going for it...exposing the shame, showing what happens to everyone around the characters, and sharing the humiliation. I really liked Rosemarie DeWitt's performance, as well as Kevin Costner's bit part.

Marker - 200 films

I started with disc 101 back in March of 2008. Running through the titles, I noticed a clear pattern: Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, Ellen Page, Amy Adams, and Kate Winslet.

I also followed Yoji Yamada's work. The Twilight Samurai had a big impact on me and so I pursued the rest of the films in the trilogy, namely 'Love and Honor' and 'The Hidden Blade'. I found a new appreciation for Samurai films with these stories.

One film I can't forget from this batch is 'I am Love'. It's simply beautiful and powerful.

Keep watching.

200 - Tron Legacy

Graphics, Yes. Cinematography, Yes. Quorra, Yes. Gem, Yes Yes. The Flynnster and Tronski, awesome. other than that, though....I have to say the film missed it.

199 - Tron

It's been so long I couldn't remember much of 1982 Tron (other than the visual effects, of course), so I just had to refresh before I saw 2010 Tron. I'm glad the disc had a feature about how the original truly was ahead of its time...and to think it had heavy hitters behind the production in Syd Mead, Moebius Girard, and Wendy Carlos. Like a lot of people, I have more appreciation for this film now than when it first came out.

198 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1)

As this series comes to a close soon, cable has been running the previous films back-to-back, and you can't help but marvel at how the actors grew up on-screen. Daniel did get better as he got older. Rupert and Emma were wornderful from the beginning.

197 - Blue Valentine

It's interesting how scarred and miserable characters attract Michelle Williams. And she plays them really well. Blue Valentine was an honest observation of a relationship that sadly is all too common in today's society.

196 - Hereafter

Clint Eastwood weaved the different stories very well. However, the ending felt rather abrupt.

195 - The Tourist

This movie was...elegant, and I didn't lose interest watching it.... However it still felt like reading a book and skipping some chapters. I was never a big fan of Angelina...but can't help notice....she was really beautiful in this film.

194 - Never Let Me Go

Helplessness is a terrible thing. While we commonly find ourselves in the situation through our own means, there is a very specific pain when it is brought to you with deception, betrayal, and deprivation. I really liked how Ishiguro wrote this story. Its very subtle weave of science fiction didn' take away from the heart of the matter. One thing that I couldn't help myself thinking though, was temptation every time I saw Kathy in her car, whether it be with Ruth and Tommy, or by herself...to keep driving....and drive away. While that would have lead to an uncertain future...the way the story ended wasn't at all too different. 

193 - Cyrus

About a third through the film I was wondering what the twist was going to be...so far it looked like everyone was acting as civil as can be...and that of course lead me to realize...well, this can't be?....then Cyrus began to unravel and the turn finally came. It's the subtleness of this film that I think took a while for me to appreciate. The dialogue was real and I think that was a risk considering how people sometimes go for accentuation.

192 - The American

I like the story, but I just don't see George Clooney filling the contract assassin mold. I enjoyed the Italian location and the supporting cast featured two strong women (Violante Placido and Thekla Reuten) and  priest (Paolo Bonacelli).

191 - The Kids are All Right

All families are dysfunctional no matter how they get formed. Nuff said about that. Let me tell ya, Julianne Moore can really carry those aviators! I can't remember the last time I really saw a film where the crying was so true. Mia Wasikowska's was best...and saved for last...that really caught me.

190 - Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Ok let's get this out of the way first...I had been waiting to see where Bud Fox would make an appearance and it wasn't were I would have hoped it to be....and to assume that Gekko never knew what Bud did while he was in prison (while knowing about everything else) didn't make sense to me. I was wishing for a few more cameos...perhaps Marvin (John C. McGinley) or Harold (Saul Rubinek), but I guess that's wishing too much. Anyway, the film was ok, but a but too predictable. The little bit of closure in the end was actually nice. I'm not sure why they decided to kill Rudy's character...he would have been a nice character to see surface in this sequel in some way...but I guess Shia's character needed his Darryl Hannah :).

189 - The Statement

It took two reported disc problems but I think I finally saw most of it (yes, the second replacement was defective as well). The story is a little flat.....but quite a cast with Michael Caine, Tilda Swinton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Northan, and Ciaran Hinds.