Sunday 1 January 2012

The Best of 2011

As my last post of the year,I would like to list my Top Films and TV shows of the year along with the best performance of the year in both films and TV.Check it out!!

My top films  of  the year in no particular order:

1.We Need To Talk With Kevin

2.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

3.Martha Marcy May Marlene

4.Melancholia

5.Weekend


6.Shame

7.Contagion

8.Drive

9.The Help

10.Hugo

11.Midnight in Paris

12.J.Edgar

13.Take Shelter

14.The Tree of Life
15.The Artist
Some of the best performances of the year and many actors and actress took bold risks to play bold scenes and actors like Kirsten Dunst and Ryan Gosling tried something new this year and excel in it.

Best Male Actor:
                                                          Michael Fassbender,Shame
-Michael Fassbender gave us a look on the inner struggle of a sex addict in the film Shame by his bold and honest portrayal of Brandon.He definitely deserves an Oscar nod this year for his amazing work in 2011 especially Shame.
                                                          Leonardo DiCaprio,J.Edgar
-Leonardo DiCaprio captured both sides of J.Edgar in the biopic film.He exudes confidence in his speech and body language when he is the FBI director and showcase vulnerability with his mother and his love Clyde Tolson.
Best Female Actress:
                                                          Kirsten Dunst,Melancholia
-Kirsten Dunst played a depressed bride in  the film Melancholia.She manages to showcase sadness and emptiness just through her eyes as the character Justine rarely speaks in the first half of the film.
                                             Tilda Swinton,We Need To Talk About Kevin
-Tilda Swinton was amazing as the mother of a psychopath in the film We Need To Talk About Kevin.Her raw portrayal as a mother who struggles to reconnect with her son as well her doubt something his wrong with him.
Best Male Debut:
                                                               Tom Cullen,Weekend
-Tom Cullen thick accent and his performance as a closeted gay guy in the film Weekend is one of the pluses of the film.Unlike Chris New his co-star who is loud ,his subtle performance depicting his struggle to accept himself,affection toward this guy he just met and awkwardness.
Best Female Debut:
Elizabeth Olsen,Martha Marcy May Marlene
-Elizabeth Olsen proved she is a better  actress than the Olsen twins by playing a paranoid woman who just escaped a dangerous cult.She was in almost all the scenes  brilliantly playing both  experience of Martha,Marcy May  a innocent woman who gets brainwashed into the cult and Martha Marlene a paranoid woman who fears the cult leader is still following her.

Actor of the year:
Michael Fassbender,Shame,A Dangerous Method,X-Men,Jane Eyre
-Playing a sex addict in Shame,he  gave a subtle performance as Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method.While X-Men gave him more exposure,playing Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre got him more female fans.
Ryan Gosling,Crazy Stupid Love,Drive,Ides Of March
-Three critically acclaimed performances from Ryan this year.While in Drive he played a mysterious stuntman,he played a campaign manager who finds himself corrupted in the world of lies and deceit.
Actress of the year:
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter,The Help,Tree Of Life,Texas Killing Fields,Coriolanus,The Debt
-Jessica appeared in many critically acclaimed films this year and playing so different roles in each one of them,such an chameleon.
                                               Mia Wasikowska,Albert Nobbs,Jane Eyre
-The best portrayal of Jane Eyre so far,Mia with her pale complexion brought Jane alive.
Shocking Performance of the year:
Kirsten Dunst ,Melancholia
-Kirsten Dunst who had been appearing in romantic comedy films in her adult career(except Crazy/Beautiful), played a depressed bride facing the end of the world.
Carey Mulligan,Shame
-Carey Mulligan played a very different character in Shame along with some bold nude scenes which was necessary to the plot.
 Saoirse Ronan,Hanna
-The innocent Saoirse tried action,playing a assassin who has been taught from small to kill a specific person.
 Ryan Gosling,Crazy Stupid Love
-Ryan Gosling tried something new this year,comedy.Surprisingly he was so good in it.
Best young performer:
                                                             Saoirse Ronan,Hanna
-Saoirse Ronan playing a cold assassin in Hanna.
 Elle Fanning,Super 8
-The only girl of the bunch of boys in Super8,she manage to stood out with her subtle performance and reminds us she has the acting gene as her sister Dakota.
  Asa Butterfield,Hugo
-Asa Butterfield with his big teary eyed,carried the film Hugo  with his honest portrayal.
                                                        Shailene Woodley, Descendants
-Shailene was superb playing George Clooney rebellious daughter in the Descendants which could give her first Oscar nod!
                                               Bailee Madison,Are You Afraid Of The Dark
-She was great in the Bridge  to Terrabithia and was equally good in Dont be Afraid of the Dark.She even outshone Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes in the movie.
Favourite Scene:
The opening sequence, Melancholia

 The prince tale ,Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

 Elevator scene,Drive

                                          J.Edgar & Clyde Tolson fight and kiss scene,J.Edgar

 The train crash scene,Super 8

  Chocolate pie scene,The Help

Shocking Scene:
                 Martha walking in her sister and brother in law making love,Martha Marcy May Marlene

                                                          Cissy suicide scene,Shame

Worst Film Of The Year:  Jack and Jill
                                        Twillight saga:Breaking Dawn Part 1

Worst Actor of the year: 
                                 Taylor Lautner,Abduction,Twillight Saga:Breaking Dawn Part 1

As you can see Games of Thrones seem to be my favourite TV series of the year.Its the fantasy series for the adult.The rest of the TV series I seem to like this year  are the new ones.A very good year for the new shows.
                                      
Favourite TV series of the year:
                                                            Game of Thrones
-The TVseries of the fantasy genre for the adults packed with a great cast,dragons and direwolf.
                                                               Walking Dead
-A zombie Apocalypse where it focuses on how human changes internally  and zombies as their backdrop.
                                                              Happy Endings
-Another friendship based TV series.The pilot was Okay but as the series goes on,it get better and better.I love the portrayal of all six main characters especially Max the best portrayal of  a gay character in television history(unlike the usual flamboyant depictions of gay,Max is a masculine,normal gay guy) and the control freak sister Jane and the desperate for marriage Penny.
                                                                  Terra Nova
-Although it didn't fulfil my expectation I had for it,I start liking it as the series progresses.Both Steven Lang and Jason O'Mara performances was one of plus of Terra Nova.
                                                                     Revenge
-A daughter's revenge to avenge for her father death packed with brilliant performance by Madeliene Stowe and Emily VanCamp
                                                                  Royal Pains
-A very original concept about concierge medicine infused with comedy
                                                   How I Met Your Mother
-One of  the funny sitcom that always makes you laugh.I love Barney and Lily but I think its time for us to meet the mother.
                                                                      Fringe
-It is so surprising that Fringe one of the best made TVseries and well acted still struggle to have viewers
                                                           Being Human US
-Shockingly,I actually loved this series even though I had already watched the British version.In fact I loved the Us series more as I felt  it is more stylish and the three lead especially Sam Witwer and Meaghan Rhath.
Best Actor: 
                                                Dominic West(The Hour,Appropriate Adult)
-Dominic West was so superb playing the serial killer Fred West in Appropriate Adult..Same last name,what a coincidence!
                                                         Sean Bean(Games of Thrones)
- Sean Bean was great as usual playing the Lord of Winterfell and carried the series by himself.An Emmy deserving performance!
Best Actress:
                                                        Kate Winslet(Mildred Pierce)
-Kate Winslet in her first Emmy winning role playing the mother during the Great Depression trying to open a restaurant and at the same time trying to win the affection of her daughter who realises it and began to use her mother affection to her advantage.
   Naya Rivera(Glee)
-Naya Rivera not only can sing well and dance,she portrayed the coming out of her character so well!
Best  TV Debut:
                                                        Emilia Clarke(Games Of Thrones)
-Even though its her TV debut,she played the Queen Daenerys with elegance .Her subtle performance during the first half of the series and  then giving  a more loud and brave performance as her character and the series progresses had been applauded by the critics.
Best Young Actor:                      
Maisie Williams
-Maisie Williams with her innocent big eyes charmed us throughout the series especially the scene where she watches he father being called a traitor and getting executed  at the sept.
                                                                       Sophie Turner
-Sansa Stark one of the hate character of the Starks due to her ignorance and naive.However,Sophie Turner gave a convincing portrayal of the character especially the scene where she tries to push Prince Jofferey.
Richard Madden
-The Scottish actor playing Robb Stark in The Games Of Thrones looks promising.He was really good in the woods scene after knowing his father was executed.


Favourite episode:  Baelor & The Pointy End(Games of Thrones)
                              Hipster episode(Happy Endings)
                              Finale(Walking Dead)
                      
Shocking scene:
Ned Stark execution scene(Games Of Thrones)
-They killed the freakin lead character!
 Sophia becoming a walker(Walking Dead)
-Although I knew the directors would made Sophia turned into a walker as speaking of logic,how can a 8 year old survive by her own in that world without getting bitten.The surprising thing is,I never thought she would be walking out the barn at the end.
                    
Favourite character: 
                                                           Daryl Dixon(Walking Dead)
-The most interesting character in the walking dead due to the fact that the audience doesn't really knows whether he is a good guy or a bad guy.
                                                         Arya Stark(Games of Thrones)
-Many girls can relate to Arya Stark and I felt it was George R.R.Martin's way to show his feminist side through Arya by making her not to fall to the womanly roles given to her in Westeros.
                                                               Santana Lopez(Glee)
-The only character in Glee that have the best,'bitchy' lines especially the ones that she speaks in her mind.


Worst Actor: Cory Monteith(Glee)
                     Lea Michelle(Glee)
-While Rachel Berry becomes annoying and so desperate to get a boyfriend ,Lea Michelle gets more annoying off camera screaming for attention.
-Cory playing the dumb jock,is equally terrible.


 Favourite Music Video: Someone Like You, Adele
                                      You and I,Lady Gaga
                                       The One That Got Away,Katy Perry
                                        Paradise,Coldplay

So what is your favourite films,performances of the year? Leave some comments!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
May this year bring everyone joy and happiness.                   

               
    
               
                 

9 comments:

Aguilar Elliot said...

quite a list! drive is my number 1 from last year.

ilovethatfilm said...

Wow brilliant list, very comprehensive! Though I might have to wait a while now till I watch Game of Thrones as I may know a bit too much about it! Interesting to see Drive not in a number one spot.

Ryan Fernand said...

I really like all of the love you gave Game of Thrones, especially Sean Bean who doesn't get the credit he deserves for his performance.

I also forgot about the train crash scene in Super 8, but now that I saw it on your list I remember it was a very strong scene.

Great lists.

F.FRANKLIN said...

@Aguilar Elliot Thanks for visiting the blog..I too loved Drive,it is the proof that a film can be packed with action scenes but at the same time be good

@Pete do watch Games Of Thrones when you can...my top films are not in any particular order..if i was gonna rank them,of course Drive would be in my top
3
@Ryan, Thanks mate!Its bad Sean Bean will not be appearing in the next season,hope there is some flashback scenes and Sean Bean does a cameo!

3guys1movie.com said...

Some quality films and performances on that list. I disagree on a few but differnt strokes for different folks. Enjoyed checking out your blog.

F.FRANKLIN said...

@threeguys1movie.com....Thanks.. I would like to know which one do you disagree,we could debate about it friendly....Thanks for checking the Blog!!

NeverTooEarlyMP said...

This is really impressive. I still need to see We Need To Talk About Kevin (hasn't opened here yet), and I also hope that at some point I'll catch up with Weekend (which I think I'll love) and Melancholia (which I'm less sure about but still want to see).

Great to see Being Human on this list as well. I'm digging that show too!

F.FRANKLIN said...

@NeverTooEarlyMP...you would love both the films..as for Melancholia,its not a film everyone would like but if you watch the film after knowing its theme ,,you would enjoy it..the theme is about how calm a depressed person can be in a stress situation..Too bad i didnt have enough time to write a review on all the movies I watched..hopefuly in 2012,I'll managed to blog about all the films i watch

F.FRANKLIN said...

Great to see you too loved Being Human