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Showing posts from January, 2012

Favorite Movies of 2011

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There are lots of films from this year that I haven't seen yet--The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Take Shelter, for two--but I did see quite a few, and here are my picks. 1. The Tree of Life. This is a love it or hate it movie. I loved it. I was sometimes frustrated by Sean Penn stumbling about the city, looking up at the sky for unknown reasons, but everything else in it--even the dinosaur scene!--is perfection. I can't remember the last time I saw anything so profoundly moving and beautiful. I love that it's nonlinear and image-driven and music-driven. What images, and what music. And I think it's incredibly brave to make a film that asks questions about God and grace and nature in a time when so many choose apathy and mindless entertainment over true thought. Favorite moment, among many many such moments: when the mother floats. 2. The Artist. Magical, and the production design is incredible. I love the dog-love-story, especially. And the scene where