Hugo
There is a wave of nostalgia sweeping the movie theaters and nothing embodies that sentiment more than the visual feast that is “Hugo.” It’s a grandiose adventure blending animation, live-action and classic film.
The great thing about “Hugo” though, is that you can appreciate it for more than just the sum of its parts. Sure, on one level it’s a kid’s movie about a Parisian orphan boy named Hugo (Asa Butterfield) who befriends a broken old man (Ben Kingsley) and tries to fix him, but on another level, it’s an appreciation for film and silent cinema.
Altogether, “Hugo” is a majestic film that weaves together a tale about a few lost people trying to find a purpose in life with a few nudging winks and references to classical film, held together by Butterfield’s emotive performance and Martin Scorsese’s brilliant direction. A candy-colored and dreamlike visual masterpiece, “Hugo” is the rare kid’s film that makes you feel more intelligent after you walk out the doors.
–Hoai-Tran Bui
Bridesmaids
It seems like the storyline that everyone knows: a group of off-kilter bridesmaids sorting through the chaos that is modern-day wedding planning. But, this year’s release of “Bridesmaids” took the seemingly overused story and crafted it into one of the funniest comedies of 2011.
Although almost the entire cast is made up of women, this movie is not a simple chick flick, but instead talks about love and life in a hilarious way that both guys and girls can relate to. And with a cast that includes Saturday Night Live alumna Maya Rudolph and current cast member Kristen Wiig, where could you possibly go wrong?
In the end, my favorite movies are the ones that can truly make me laugh, and going along with that criterion, “Bridesmaids” definitely got the job done.
–Kendall Breitman
Submarine
Richard Ayoade’s first full-length film is a sparkling gem amongst the trashy teen fodder that gets pushed into theaters. Based on the novel of the same name, “Submarine” revolves around Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a 15-year-old boy who is part planner and part dreamer and thinks about his life far too much. His goal is to get a girlfriend, get his parents close again and just generally survive his inept friends and brawny bullies.
Ayoade’s aesthetic is both dreamy and light-handed, filmed in Swansea, Wales. It’s a drama with a funny streak, that doesn’t get bogged down by taking itself too seriously. The film does a great job in really portraying the headspace of a 15-year-old, and viewers are filled with Tate’s own neuroses and viewpoints and find themselves both bewildered and amused.
Plus, be sure to keep your ears perked for the luscious soundtrack, which has six songs provided by a softly crooning Alex Turner (lead singer of Arctic Monkeys).
–Yohana Desta
The Trip
Spoiler alert — I haven’t seen a movie in months. In 2011, I saw the movies that everyone else saw too. I shed a few tears at the ending of “Harry Potter.” Old ladies glared at me for munching on popcorn too loudly during the “The Tree of Life.” I glumly watched “The Hangover II” insult my intelligence by being the same movie as the first “Hangover.”
But when I did step out of a multiplex and into my neighborhood indie theater, I stumbled upon the year’s best buddy comedy, “The Trip.” Starring British comedy B-listers Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as themselves, the largely improvised movie follows the two men on a hilariously fancy restaurant tour of the English countryside. Along the way, Coogan and Brydon offer honest takes on fame, family and growing old, all wrapped up in a sense of humor that’s always droll and often insightful.
Everything about the movie feels real, from its patient, slow-moving pace to its lack of a real plot and especially the authentic and mature rapport between the two stars.
But what made this movie my favorite of the year is the pure delight of being the third person at Coogan and Brydon’s table for two, laughing uncontrollably as they go tit-for-tat with dueling Michael Caine impressions.
–Maeve McDermott
