My 2011 Best (And Worst) Pictures

I'm not watching the Oscars live. I'm recording it and plan to zoom through it, skipping over a lot of the stuff that I know won't hold my interest. If it weren't for Billy Crystal being the host I probably wouldn't watch at all. I only saw one of the Best Picture nominees, "Moneyball," and there are like 27 movies I saw that were better. At this link you'll find all the grades for the films I saw in 2011. I saw a lot fewer movies last year -- just 54 in all. A big reason for this is my schedule, with going back to work in mid-October cutting back on my free time. That, and a natural tendency for procrastination, is why this particular post is being done at the end of February.

If I should happen to see any more 2011 movies that are still in theaters, I'll update the list as needed. Until then, here are my rankings for my own personal 10 best and 5 worst movies. (Remember, if I didn't actually see it I can't include it no matter how good or bad it might be.)

My Top 10

Quick Review: Drive

Talk about quiet intensity. "Drive" at times meets that definition (although it's still quite intense when action and violence are filling the screen). There are some periods where the dialogue is sparse, but the mood is captured by the actors. Continuing on a hot streak is Ryan Gosling, who works in a garage and sometimes gets work as a Hollywood stunt driver -- and also sometimes gets work as a getaway driver. The garage owner (Bryan Cranston) has a plan to get Gosling's character into NASCAR, but needs money to do it, and gets it from a mobster (Albert Brooks -- yes, that Albert Brooks). Gosling's Driver (with no name -- the Driver is all he's identified as) slowly becomes involved with a young mother (Carey Mulligan), until her husband gets out of prison, and then trouble ensues. It will be interesting to see if Gosling can get an Oscar nomination for this film. I think he's deserving but this might be too off-putting a film for some Oscar voters to give it a fair shake. My grade: A.