1. The Descendants- This was my favorite movie of the year. It had the perfect balance of humor and drama with characters you can't help but love. George Clooney played the same character he does in most of his movies, but he's good in general, so that's no big deal. Shaileen Woodley was amazing, as was the little girl, but the best character in this movie is Sid (played flawlessly by Nick Krause). He singlehandedly made the movie amazing. The Hawaiian setting also added to the movies greatness.
2. Midnight in Paris - There really need to be more movies about drunken time travel. As an English teacher, it was fun to see characters like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein brought to life. While I'm not a fan of Owen Wilson (or his nose), I have a bit of a crush on Marion Motillard, so it was nice to see her. This was a good movie, as most Woody Allen movies are. The setting and characters were the best part of this movie. It's very fun. You should probably watch it.
3. The Artist - So this movie's going to win. Everyone knows that (if it doesn't, it will certainly be a fun surprise). It was a fun movie, and it was good, but the only reason it's going to win is because it's gimmicky. People are fascinated by it because it's a silent movie. Like I said it was good, but it wasn't as good many others (such as The Descendants). The silence took about half an hour to get used to (and until it did, it was really annoying), but once I did get used to it, it felt natural. Jean DuJardin did great with the emotions of the role, but I just couldn't connect with the character's emotional troubles because I felt his plight to keep movies silent was stupid. It definitely deserves it's place on the list, but I still feel like people are only gushing over it because of it's gimmick.
4. Hugo - I haven't actually seen this, but I really want to, and I'm going to review it anyway. It was a fantastic book, and it's directed by Martin Scorsese, so it's obvioulsy a masterpiece. It was one of the movies I looked forward to most this year, but I didn't go to it due to my own laziness. Being the most nominated movie this year, it was a chance to beat The Artist (but it probably won't). It's also the one I want to win the most, but kids' movies just don't win. I'm sure it would actually be my #2, but since I haven't seen it, I won't rank it higher than four.
5. Tree of Life - I'm not sure what the hell this was. It was weird, and forty minutes of it was basically a screensaver. Nevertheless I was captivated the whole time. Brad Pitt was good (probably better than he was in Moneyball), and so was Jessica Chastain (but not as good as she was in The Help). I can't even describe the movie reall because I did not fully understand it. . . a dinosaur stepped on another dinosaur's head, and it ended in heaven I think, and there were fish that looked like reproductive organs (which I hope was done on purpose). My mind was blown, and I feel like that was the point, so I assume it was a good movie even if I'm too stupid to get it.
6. Moneyball - This movie was way less boring than it sounds like it should be. It was entertaining the whole way though. . . and it was about math. Brad Pitt was great, and Jonah Hill's facial epressions were better. When it comes to baseball movies, it's no Angels in the Outfield, but it's still pretty good.
7. The Help - Before I get started I just want to say that I liked this movie; it was funny. However, it was obviously made to cater to middle-age white women to make them feel good about themselves because they sided with the struggling black women. They don't realize that they are the Hilly Holbrooks (who was amazing) of today. With that said, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and especially Jessica Chastain were amazing in this movie, and I will always love Emma Stone. The movie was good enough though and is probably one of the few that have any chance of beating The Artist.
8. Warhorse - I get that Steven Spielberg is something special or whatever (even though his only good movie is Hook and he hates that one, but whatever), but movies about horses are just not for me. I would rank this last, but a much worse monster got thrown in.
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - No, just no. This movie only has any success because it used 9/11 as a means to make people cry, and apparently it worked. It just isn't very good. Tom Hanks doesn't make every movie great. Remember that movie where he rode a bike with Julia Roberts? No thank you.
