FAVORITES of 2011

Here's the last 2 of my favorite reviews of 2011:

OCEAN'S ELEVEN, 2001 (original post: May 23, 2011)

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, and MANY more

I love heists! Watching one just makes me want to steal something! This could spark a whole marathon of films.... and a life of crime.

I especially love the style of the film, and the cinematography (I think that's what I mean). Not only is the content entertaining and the characters funny and memorable, it is also a beautiful movie.

Danny Ocean (Clooney) and Rusty Ryan (Pitt) assemble an all-star, eleven-man crew to knock over 3 casinos in Las Vegas. It is a remake of the 1960 Ocean's Eleven. And it's better.

What I love: 1) Pitt and Clooney. They're amazing together. Their dialogue -wow! 2) Before working on the heist, Rusty's job is teaching movie stars how to play poker! There is a brilliant multi-cameo scene with Topher Grace, Barry Watson, Joshua Jackson, and others. 3) Matt Damon! Mr. Action Hero/Jason Bourne/all around Tough Guy plays the new thief; the pick-pocket who wants a chance to be a part of something big. He's very gullible and very lovable, and not at all Jason Bourne, which just shows how great an actor Matt Damon is.

NOTE: The commentaries are very fun! Sometimes I absolutely love watching/listening to the commentaries, and these ones I really loved! I highly recommend them.

Bottom line: You'll love it.

THE CASTLE, 1997 (original post: July 1, 2011)

Director: Rob Stitch

Stars: Michael Caton, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Eric Bana, Charles "Bud" Tingwell

An Australian comedy about a family being forced to leave their home because the airport (next door) wants to acquire their land to expand the airport and runways. It's the story of how Darryl Kerrigan (Caton) fights to keep his "castle".

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!

"You won't stop laughing!" --totally true.

FAVORITES of 2011

Here are a couple more of my favorite reviews from 2011:

STARDUST, 2007 (original post: June 2, 2011)

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Stars: Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Mark Strong, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert de Niro, Rupert Everett, with Rick Gervais and Peter O'Toole

It's a fairy tale! We need more of these!

Tristan Thorne (Cox) lives in England in a village called Wall, so named for the wall that runs alongside it, which, according to legend, hides a mysterious and magical land called Stormhold.

His life is turned upside-down when he witnesses a shooting star that falls somewhere beyond the wall.

There are several story-lines in this movie, including: 1. Tristan's mission to find the shooting Star-who, he is surprised to find, is actually a beautiful woman named Yvaine (Danes)- and bring her back to Wall for his "love" Victoria. 2. The princes of Stormhold (Mark Strong and Rupert Everett, to name 2) search for the necklace that their father the King (O'Toole) threw into the heavens on his deathbed, saying that whoever finds it will become the next king. This is what knocked the star out of the heavens, by the way. 3. A witch (Pfeiffer) and her sisters also search for the star, because if you eat a star's heart you will live forever, of course.

And there's so much more!!! I absolutely love Robert de Niro's surprising role as Captain Shakespeare! He's hysterical!

5 stars easy. I think this movie has a little bit of everything for everyone, really. You can't not be entertained! Okay, so I really love it.

THE A-TEAM, 2010 (original post: June 4, 2011)

Director: Joe Carnahan

Stars: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel

If you're familiar with the tv show from the 80's of the same name, you know that these men were sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit, and that they promptly escaped from prison. Well, this movie is about how they meet, and then, skipping ahead, years later, we get to learn about that crime they didn't commit which drove them to prison, and then to the Los Angeles Underground! So basically this is the prequel to the classic tv show.

I LOVE THE A-TEAM!!!!

Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith (Neeson), Lieutenant Templeton "Face" Peck (Cooper), Sargent B.A. Baracus (Jackson), and Captain H.M. Murdock (Copley) are The A-Team! They're the best Alpha team out there. But then they're set up- framed!- and sent to separate prisons (well, three prisons and one Veteran's Hospital for Murdock - he's a little nuts). Six months later, they all break out, and their mission is to find the one who framed them and clear their own names.

(There is even a little bit of romance between Lieutenant Carissa Sosa (Biel) and Peck. So that keeps things interesting.)

I was surprised at how much I liked Murdock (played by South African Sharlto Copley- who is he? He came out of nowhere!), the crazy pilot of the group, and in true A-Team fashion, there are quite a few scenes where Murdock gets to show off his moves in flight! I'd have to say he was my favorite.

Brilliant!

My favorites of 2011

For the next two weekends, I'd like to do a re-post on my favorite movies I reviewed in 2011. A few I watched for the very first time, and was very pleasantly surprised with them. They joined the list of my own all-time favorites. This Friday, the re-posts will be:

Sweet Land, 2005
The World's Fastest Indian, 2005
Three Coins in the Fountain, 1954


Just a little shout out to my favorites of last year! Hello, 2012!