Melancholia represents notorious director Lars Von Trier’s latest attempt at messing with his audience’s minds. Von Trier; equally adored and loathed across the globe has a knack for getting under peoples skin. His films, like 2009’s confronting Antichrist and the divisive Dogville, are as loved and praised as they are hated and criticized. I struggle to think of a current filmmaker who polarizes moviegoers as much as the controversial Danish director. Melancholia however is Von Trier’s most accessible film to date, beautifully shot, superbly acted and containing some of the most powerful scenes and images this year. It is the perfect film for Von Trier skeptics to revisit his work. Even so, it just might be a little too dumbed down for his supporters while still not accessible enough for detractors. The opening minutes of Melancholia are some of the most memorable of 2011 and are almost gripping enough to sustain its audience for the remaining two hours. Visceral,...
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The Marshalltown reviews the year that was in movies and picks out the five best films of 2011.
Read MoreThe top of the box office draws for 2006 would tell you that it was the year of the sequel (four of the top six earners, including top dog Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead's Man Chest, which ran away from the rest of the field, were sequels of some variety), but do a little inspecting of your own and you'll find that though it required a little more digging than usual, there was indeed good film to be had. In no particular order... Thank You For Smoking Good cinematic satire has turned into an endangered species, but the debut effort from Jason Reitman (son of Ivan Reitman, of Ghostbusters and Stripes fame) does quite a bit more than just keep it on life support. Aaron Eckhart plays Nick Naylor, a grinning, wisecracking hired gun for Big Tobacco, a resilient SOB who not only stumps for the cigarette industry, but does it with whip-smart...
Read More2005 was a year marked most prominently by the lack of one or two films that jumped out to absolutely everyone, as well as a few crushing disappointments (not to mention at least one repugnant piece of highly-praised "art" in A History of Violence), but amongst the chaff, there were still a number of movies that stood very well against the rest. Walk The Line Johnny Cash's biopic not only did justice to his story, but also showed how a film following the conventional biography formula could rise above the rest in its well-populated group, and become a resplendent experience all on its own: The subject itself. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit The surprising success of Wallace & Gromit's debut feature-length picture was tempered somewhat when Aardman's studios were gutted by a fire, but there's no denying the joy and vitality of the movie itself. The computer animation craze may continue...
Read More12. Super Size Me Director: Morgan Spurlock It’s practically common knowledge by now that fast food is generally bad for you (though judging by the increase in related lawsuits, public responsibility regarding that fact seems to be waning), but Morgan Spurlock’s gutsy, voyeuristic exercise in public awareness is the first time someone has gone as far as to put a face on it. Turning himself into a garrulous, engaging emcee in the name of science, Spurlock’s Super Size Me is an informative, entertaining and sometimes shocking document, part documentary and part road movie. To think that he was rejected from film school five times is enough to give any burgeoning filmmaker hope. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Director: Alfonso Cuaron The third...
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