Finishing 2011

Since going to Sundance and moving to New York, I have lost track of this blog a little bit.  So I'm going to try and catch up.  I saw three more films in 2011 that I'd like to give small reviews of.  Small because I don't remember a whole lot.  None of them really stood out.

Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy:  I was really excited about this film, since my recent obsession with British television.  British made movies don't get a whole lot of playing time in the U.S., so when one catches on, I'm always grateful for the chance to see it.  I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.  I think I need to watch it again to catch everything.  I won't say I was lost, but I definitely didn't follow it after a certain point.  Gary Oldman was sublime.  Well deserved Oscar nomination.  Score:  7/10

The Descendants:  After Michael Clayton in 2007, I have become a George Clooney fan.  And I have to say, he let me down a bit in 2011.  The Ides of March was less than stellar, and I felt that The Descendants wasn't as good as it was played up to be.  He was great, and so were many of the other actors and actresses.  But I didn't really get what was so special.  I didn't understand why it stuck out to so many people.  I found the setting interesting.  You don't find many films set in Hawaii.  And it was well written.  I don't know why all of these strong components didn't add up for me.  Sometimes, I just don't connect.  Don't know why.  Score:  7/10

A Dangerous Method:  I love all three main actors of this film:  Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightly, and Viggo Mortensen.  The acting was great.  And the characters interesting.  But again, I didn't feel a connection to it.  I wanted to.  And it was the first film I saw after moving to New York.  I'll probably always remember it for that.  I just wished I liked it more.  Maybe it's because I don't find psychology all that interesting.  It was about Freud and Jung, after all.  Score:  7/10

All of these films were ones I was expecting to like.  Maybe that was the problem.  Expectations get in the way sometimes.  I hate that.  Oh well.  On to 2012.