It is a pity that this year lacks any excellent movies, never mind a masterpiece. This makes last year far better and this among the worst. This does not mean there was nothing to celebrate of course.
visuals
The best visual effects (overall):
In terms of specifics, there was nothing better than the battle between Voldermort and Dumbledore in that last listing, and the climactic battle in The Avengers is runner-up.
The best action is offered by The Avengers, while the best hand-to-hand combat sequence is the fight that takes place in a diner in Haywire.
The best animation is, interestingly, an insert (in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1), which tells the story of the Deathly Hallows.
The best opening credits sequence/visuals are from True Legend, followed by those from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. As for best ending credits sequence/visuals, the honor goes to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Although I hate the movie, I have to admit that best production design is found in J. Edgar.
performances
My favorite performance is that of Charlotte Gainsbourg (The Science of Sleep).
The best female performance is a tie between Annette Bening & Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right. Runner-up is Charlotte Gainsbourg in The Science of Sleep, who is just about the movie's saving grace.
The best child performance is by Dakota Goyo, the son in Real Steel, while the best cast is in The Iron Lady.
My favorite voice acting is Tom Hardy (Bane) (The Dark Knight Rises), even though it's hard to hear at times.
characters
My favorite character is the son (Dakota Goyo) in Real Steel, while my favorite villain is Bane (Tom Hardy) in The Dark Knight Rises.
The most desirable character is Charlotte Gainsbourg as main love interest in The Science of Sleep... so hard to resist! She is followed by Brooke White as wife and new mother in Change of Plans.
The best character design is the Chitauri, the alien race in The Avengers.
The best comic characters:
- Ken Jeong (The Hangover Part II)
- Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher)
- Justin Timberlake (Bad Teacher) (tie) master butler (Bob the Butler)
- Ben Stiller (Zoolander)
The worst asshole was Marlon Brando's character in A Streetcar Named Desire.
miscellaneous
The most funny movies:
Each repeat of a movie is a different experience, hence the category, best first-time viewing experience. This year, it's won by the year's greatest spectacle, The Avengers. Runner-up is Gone Baby Gone, and that's because it was so gripping that I thought it would be a great contender for best movie of the year. A revisit was not so great.
The most bizarre movie is Battle In Heaven, and the false promise award goes to Zombieland. It wins for being so exciting and sorta fresh when it starts, but screwing up with lack of content later on.
The most overrated movie is A Nightmare on Elm Street, followed by A Streetcar Named Desire. That second is hailed a masterpiece by weird people.
'old' movies
This section is meant to give a chance to movies I have watched before this year to appear in this review, for one reason or another.
Of those, the best experience was offered by Being John Malkovich, which led me to elevate it to a masterpiece. Runner-up is Taken, which remains as intense and exciting as ever.
The fall from glory award goes to:
- Vicky Cristina Barcelona: I enjoyed this massively first time I watched it 2 years ago; it now feels pretentious and cheap/shallow, like something I would write if I were to try.
- Perfume: It is sad that I used to consider this a masterpiece. It remains good, just nowhere near the top.