There are tons of movies that flood their way into theaters each and every year. Sometimes they just hit us in the right place of our hearts and others they just flat out kick us in the place where the sun don’t shine. As hilarious, frustrating, scary and dramatic as they can be to us, they’re one of the most loved forms of entertainment that we throw millions upon millions of dollars to watch every year for the pure cinematic joy of it all.
Every day one of us from the ShockYa.com staff will be airing out what they think is the worst and best films released in the year 2011 so far. Along with that, they’ll be talking about which films they’re looking forward to watching for the remainder of the year.
The Best So Far:
Jane Eyre
Go figure that the first one that I end up mentioning for this section happens to be a flat out romance story. But here’s the thing, there aren’t too many straight-shooting romantic stories floating around in theaters nowadays. Cary Fukunaga stretches out his young directing wings wonderfully on the screen with his own romantic but slightly-thriller version of the classic tale “Jane Eyre.” He’s not the only one who breathes all sorts of wonderful life into a story that’s been done in theaters practically millions of times. He brings to the cast a couple of the brightest younger actors out there in the business right now with Mia Wasikowska and the crazy great Michael Fassbender. In a time where supposed love stories are buried under a huge pile of mindless action or special effects, it’s nice to see an honest-to-God romantic movie reach the screen, even if this particular story has been translated on there before. Yes, check it out now.
The Lincoln Lawyer
We all know that the courtroom dramas have been done a million times over, basically loosing their appealing luster that once was totally appealing to a mass audience. That doesn’t mean there still aren’t attempts at the genre of sorts, and one is successfully done in the Brad Furman-directed film “The Lincoln Lawyer.” Matthew McConaughey stars as the slick-talking Mick Haller who’s about to hit the big time with his high-profile case where he’s defending Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) who’s accused of murder. The rest of the story is tangled up in mystery, lies, sharp focus and one killer soundtrack. It’s got an enjoyable cast with an engaging story that keeps you locked in from start to finish. “The Lincoln Lawyer” will be released on DVD and Blu-ray next week and I highly recommend you go and pick it up if you haven’t seen it yet.
Now onto the part that’s a tad more fun to write…
The Worst So Far:
Something Borrowed
If there’s one film that carries one of the worst messages of the year, it’s “Something Borrowed.” The romantic comedy, based off the novel of the same name, basically spells out that people can get away with cheating on their significant others. The story centers on ridiculously soft-spoken lawyer named Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) who ends up in bed one night with her best friend’s (Kate Hudson) fiancé (Colin Egglesfield). Then it becomes a whirlwind of deceit between some of the most unattractive personalities within a film that I’ve seen in a long while. The comedy is absent, the way everything gets tied up together at the end is irritating and it’s all just too headache-inducing to continue thinking about. If you can avoid this, please for the love of God do so.
Desert Flower
Ever find an inspirational film that was anything but that? Well look no further, because that’s exactly what “Desert Flower” happens to be. Writer/director Sherry Horman and company take the true tale of a Somalian woman turned model and throw it all in the toilet. The supposed all-star cast are all at their worst which is shocking considering a couple of the names that are in the film. Along with that, the direction is scattered and weak along with the script. Even the movie is so long that you’re wiggling in your seat waiting for the end credits to start rolling. If you want to have an experience similar to having a person pull your teeth one-by-one with metal tongs, then by all means watch this.
The Most Anticipated For The Remainder Of 2011:
All right, enough of the good and the bad, let’s get into what else I’m looking forward to for the rest of the year. When I think of the second half of this year, the first thing that pops in my mind is “The Muppets.” How can it not? It looks like a great trip back to the world of our favorite fuzzy-looking Muppets with a delightful human cast that includes the adorable Amy Adams and strangely charming Jason Segel. Speaking of family films, we get our first full dose of famed director Martin Scorsese taking on 3D in “Hugo Cabret,” being released the same day as “The Muppets” (November 23rd). Man, Thanksgiving weekend is going to be great.
Let’s direct away from the family films and go into some mystery and action. There’s a couple of films that have me tingling with excitement, and that’s Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive.” With a killer cast like that and a solid director, I have to see it along with “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.” Colin Firth, Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy in the cast? Yes please, need to see this now.
Last but not least is one sci-fi action/adventure film that’s coming up really soon, and that’s Joe Cornish’s “Attack the Block.” I had the opportunity to check out the short and sweet action-packed film and let me say this: you bet my butt will be implanted in a seat on opening weekend, watching it in a theater at least once.
