Search for 2011
At least the werewolves in Red Riding Hood have teeth and, when in human form, they don't parade around shirtless. Alas, wearing the PG-13 like a Scarlet Letter, the movie advertises an absence of true horror. Even Lon Cheney Jr.'s Wolfman was scar...
U.S. Release Date: 2011-03-11
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Sexual Content)
Genre: FANTASY/HORROR
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, ...
The most surprising thing about Restless, the latest film from indie director Gus Van Sant, is how conventional it is. Of course, this is not the first time Van Sant, whose penchant is for offbeat productions with little widespread appeal, has ente...
U.S. Release Date: 2011-09-16
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Sexual Content, Profanity)
Genre: DRAMA
Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Henry Hopper, Mia Wasikowska, Ryo Kase, ...
What constitutes a great performance? It's an interesting question that should be addressed when one considers best/favorite performances of any year (or other period). For me, a good performance is when an actor/actress does his/her job with aplomb...
Many times when writing a year-end summary, it's easy to spot the "big" story of the year. On the surface, that's not the case with 2011. By all accounts, at least based on the movies that made it to the screens, this was a very ordinary year, made ...
Why does someone like me, an avowed list-hater, go through the process of developing a Top 10 list every year? (Not to mention a Personal Top 100, mid-year Top 10s, and Bottom 10s?) This is the 20th consecutive year I have engaged in the exercise ...
When one distills Rio to its essentials, it's all about a bird traveling several thousand miles for the express purpose of getting laid. However, since such a reduction of the plot would not go over well with the parents planning to send (or accomp...
U.S. Release Date: 2011-04-15
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Genre: ANIMATED
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Cast: (voices) Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, ...
Rise of the Planet of the Apes represents Fox's attempt to reinvigorate a dormant franchise. The new movie is technically a prequel to the 1968 Planet of the Apes; however, it ignores the various sequels and spin-offs (including a TV series) that d...
U.S. Release Date: 2011-08-05
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, ...
It has long been my opinion that Hollywood is more fascinated by the subject of exorcism than the public in general. The Exorcist did for this horror subgenre what Jaws accomplished for sharks. Sure, there have been sequels and knock-offs, but no...
U.S. Release Date: 2011-01-28
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Violence)
Genre: HORROR
Director: Mikael Håfström
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O'Donoghue, Alice Braga, ...
There are times when the story behind the making of a film is more interesting than the finished product. This is one of those occasions. The Rum Diary was written by Hunter S. Thompson in the 1960s but was not published until 1998, after actor Joh...
U.S. Release Date: 2011-10-28
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity, Sexual Content, Nudity, Drugs)
Genre: DRAMA/COMEDY
Director: Bruce Robinson
Cast: Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, ...
Wilde Salome and its companion piece, Salome, may rightfully be considered Al Pacino’s “lost film”. Although made more than a decade ago in 2006, the movie wasn’t fully edited and ready for showing until 2011. Despite making some fest...
U.S. Release Date: 2018-03-30
MPAA Rating: "NR" (Sexual Content, Nudity, Adult Themes)
Genre: Drama/Documentary
Director: Al Pacino
Cast: Al Pacino, Jessica Chastain, Kevin Anderson, ...