MY UNOFFICIAL LIST OF BEST FILMS OF 2011 / The 2nd Anonymous Theatre 3000 Awards (Part IV)

Now we get to the point. The question that everyone (well, not everyone) would be asking. What are your favourite movies of the year? It's a good question and given how I'm never really up to date with so many critically acclaimed films due to many movies with its limited and delayed release, but at least caught up with a few to make a list. But note. This list is unofficial. It's probably so because I've haven't seen so many films (and I've lost count). Note: Melancholia, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Skin I Live In, A Seperation, Shame, 50/50, Take Shelter, Young Adult, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Guard and Warrior are the following great films I've haven't seen yet. However movies critically acclaimed such as The Help, The Tree of Life, Albert Nobbs, War Horse, Bridesmaids and Beginners are movies I'm really less interested in seeing.

Here's what I'm going to do. I am going to do at least six slots. The last being what almost made my top five which is of course this category is going to have. At least five will make it although this is my unofficial list. And it doesn't mean these are my favourite movies. More like movies that I think more about throughout the year. You know what I'm saying. But first let's go to the honourable mentions, movies I've seen but never felt like Best film material:

HM: Paul, Never Let Me Go (though it was released in 2010), Thor, X-Men: First Class, The Ides of March, Moneyball, Captain America: The First Avenger, Super 8, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

The 2nd Anonymous Theatre 3000 Awards (Part III)

OK. Now for the worst. Of all the reviews I usually read online, often films that are poorly received get my attention. Not because of how bad the film was, but because reviewers often get hysterical during the reviews. It's a mixture of anger and mania, but has a humourous flavour. Then again, they have to succumb the horrors of cinema. In that case, there are special categories for this film. So far, I only did two, but think about them as the Lifetime Achievement Awards. So if you haven't read, here there are:

Biggest Impact on Western Civilisation... for Better or Worst
Joss Whedon award for Fanbase of the year

Now in this Part, I am not going to do a Worst Director, Worst Actor category since it is pretty generic to do so. But once you scroll down, you'll know what are the worst movies to come out this year, given how it is a pretty mediocre year for film and comparing to the last few years it's pretty low.

Biggest Box-Office Drainer - The Lion King - 3D

Alright before you go grab your pitchforks, let me reiterate. Everybody loves The Lion King. Every girl at my school called it their favourite movie of all time. Even I did, though I didn't loved it like everyone else. But to release this movie in theatres like 1994 through post-converted 3D and thrashing adult fare like Moneyball, Contagion and Drive (which never made a lot of money) is just sad. This might be the first time I saw the entire movie in that format. I liked it, but I asked in my head with anger: WHAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT?" about putting it back in theatres with a gimmick that should've just gone away. It's here to stay at number one for three weeks in the US.

Guys, you can either do two things: wait in ten years for the movie to come out with a new gimmick from Hollywood. Or you could just buy it on Blu-Ray so you can watch it forever. Gimmick or package guys. Please choose.


Super Bowl award for Crass Product Placement - The Smurfs

Congratulations, Sony. You've just made the highest rate of referencing an Internet brand in a single movie. That's a record. *hold my thumbs up

The 2nd Anonymous Theatre 3000 Awards (Part II)

Best Supporting Actor 

Albert Brooks (Drive)
To the rest of the general audience, Brooks is well known for his comedic roles, particularly his guest voice in several episodes of The Simpsons. But in Drive, Brooks is a scary gangster who acts more human than any other gangster I'll ever seen. However it's more likely that if you've fucked him over, then he'll poke your eye with a fork. He's foreboding, but has nothing against people. THe fact that he was snubbed by the Oscars is a crime.
While I wasn't won over Moneyball, the one thing I was left impressed walking out of the film was Jonah Hill playing the architect of sabemetrics Peter Brand. His character places an impact in sport and his partnership with Brad Pitt is at times feel like the odd couple when all he did was just stand there, but because of the jargon-crafted screenplay, it worked.
For me, the major highlight of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II isn't the fact that it pulled off a spectacular finale for the mega huge fanbase, but it's also came from Alan Rickman, who plays the anti-hero in this series, more or less. He is perhaps the more human Death Eater and there's a scene where it made me tear up when we see the relations between him Lily, Harry's mother.
Tom Hardy is perhaps the best out of a fine cast of British actors in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Like all of them, his character provides the complexity to the film. His character is smooth, but is very melancholic at the same time.
Ben Kingsley is a major gameplayer in Hugo, playing a bitterly miserable toy store owner filled with something he regrets. Although he may look and sound like your average senile grandfather, you'll see by the end of the film, he's the person responsible for the popularity of cinema.

Last Year's winner: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Runner Ups: Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Alan Rickman (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II), Tom Hardy (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Ben Kingsley (Hugo)

The 2nd Anonymous Theatre 3000 Awards (Part I)

As the Oscars are approaching, I am doing my own awards. Inspired by the awards done by RopeOfSilicon, I am doing my own awards as a response to every insipid awards show. The Anonynous Theatre Awards are based on the best of movies... in literally every aspect of every movie. If a movie is listed, it won't be because of what I think about the movie, but what part of the movie work itself at their very and personal best.


Best Visual Effects

Rise of the Planet of the Apes 

And the Award goes to... Transformers: Dark of the Moon

As the year is ending, from this point on until January or February, I'm going to do my own awards that represents everything in film around 2011 and I have to say that this year has the worst crop of films in any single year in movie history. When the year had been saturated by sequels, remakes and reboots, you reckon it's in the darkest timeline of all time. And that's what it is. Pointing out movies that had made some interest this year and somewhat doesn't.

For Your Consideration, can you stop?!?!

As Awards Season is opening, and the countdown to the Oscars started, movies like The Social Network, The Kids Are All Right, and Inception are getting real awards buzz that await for the Oscars. Critics, bloggers and film freaks would predict movies that would be recognised as the best films of the year. But seriously I hate it.

The problem with Awards Season is that voters and board members of each organisation that hand out movie awards nominate movies we never heard of and/or just focus with at least two movies that are certain to win a Best Picture award especially at the Academy, we skip each award event because of these movies. This was my problem with last year's award season. People were looking at two movies: a $2 billion grossing movie (made from Hollywood) Avatar and a $46 million grossing movie (independent) The Hurt Locker. The Hurt Locker was the champion of this battle ultimately winning Best Picture at the Oscars. (Interesting fact - Hurt Locker was released the same week as Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen. Ironically, Transformers was named Worst Picture). The movies that were recognised but were not part of the close battle was Precious. It was adopted from Oprah and I was wondering whether that the screenplay was almost patronising, it mustn't won the Best Adapted Screenplay which would have been reserved for Up In The Air.

However the biggest problem I have with the season was For Your Consideration.

For Your Consideration is three words made by Hollywood studios to advertise movies in websites, newspapers and magazines and DVDs to convince organisations that give out awards (the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Screen Actors Guild) to nominate their movies which they think is great and they would spents millions of dollars to advertise their movies for the sake of them being submitted for a nomination or two

What causes this. I don't know. Hollywood studios would like to cash in because they have sympathy towards directors, actors and writers who make movies for their studio. If it was a box office or critical success or both, then the studios will likely to show these film again in ads in every entertainment publication for a better chance of having the movies submitted.

FYR is getting really obvious and at the same time oblivious of the conseqences it would have on the studios. If the movies submitted for voting weren't nominated, then they would have to lose $70 to $80 million in advertising revenue. This is going too far

Last year, studios submitted Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen for the Oscars as well as 2012 because they both grossed around $800 million. However both were also critical disasters receiving a 20% and 42% by Rotten Tomatoes respectively. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen was later honoured for Worst Picture at the Golden Raspberry Awards. It was weird given how it's absurd to see Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich nominated for a Best Director

But there were some movies that were putting great risk of advertising and for that matter was recognised by others. When the Academy announced ten Best Picture nominees, Warner Bros. put in ads for The Hangover. It was a box office hit as well as acclaimed. It wasn't nominated for any Oscars, but won a Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).

One thing I hated about For Your Consideration is that it doesn't achieve anything for each film unless the films advertised were submitted for voting were then nominated. Studios are so desperate for the recognition they want for the films they've produce, that the more advertising the less chance it has for a spot at the Oscars.

FYC had some movies successful for an Oscar nomination that it became a total loser. For example Martin Scorsese had Harvey Weinstein, the studio owner for The Weinstein Company to advertise his movie Gangs of New York for a bid at the Oscars. It did, received nine nominations and not a single win. It is a pity cos it was a waste of $50 million.

But when Scorsese hit back with The Departed receiving his deserved Oscar for Best Director, there was no marketing with the three worded heading. So he might have learnt his lesson... sort of. He now has Shutter Island in the FYC heading and it is possible that his latest flick has a one in 34 chance of being nominated. If it was marketed for Best Picture then it would belong to The Blind Side slot (the nominee that was nominated for no reason).

This would be a grim story for Toy Story 3 which Disney heads are so desperate to have the film winning Best Picture, it named it the Best reviewed film of the year (with a 99%). This movie would have an impossible chance from winning from any categories nominated except the Best Animated Feature category in which much of Pixar had dominated. No voter would be voting for an animated feature for the prestigious award even if it was the highest grossing animated feature or was part of the greatest trilogy of all time.

I would say that when they (the studios) use FYC, it is because they had wanted to be recognised since the awards season had officially lost their mainstream appeal. Precious, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, and There Will Be Blood were all well known because they were critically acclaimed and when they are popular with the public it's during awards season. Juno had grossed $300 million with a $10 million budget.

Last year, when Avatar became the highest grossing movie of all time it is $2 billion in counting. Now we see Avatar to be the total loser of every awards event with the exception of the Golden Globes while The Hurt Locker wins big.

Now if I guess, if a movie became so big based on word of mouth or box office hit they are likely to get pwned by the voters. This was what happened with Brokeback Mountain which had lost to Crash for Best Picture in 2005. Many people claimed that homophobia was a factor of it winning, but I believed that Brokeback focused too much on its FYC that it lost.

FYC is also a way of manipulating the voting process. It is a form of propaganda to convince voters to nominate their movies. It's like an political election where your movie campaigns to be recognised. These can be the movies that are produced for the stupid. If my theory is correct, I would expect Grown Ups to be campaigned for Best Picture and Best Ensemble.

It is the greed of studio heads to cash in so their movies can be recognised. Movies are not nominated if a movie was bad or if the movie was great. Unfortunately studio owners as well as the members of the Academy are the stupidest people on Hollywood for decision making on toast.