By Thomas Willett
With everything about 2011 coming to a close, I have taken it upon myself to do some mental cleaning on what has stood out as important pop culture from the past 12 months. I’ve covered television, scores, overall disappointments, and yet I still have more to cover. You may ask yourself where I’m planning on going from here. How do you top an entry on the best of TV? Surely nothing was more phenomenal than Louie.
Of course, what you may not realize is that I have mainly covered television. The Nerd’s Eye View conglomerate is more than that. There’s an entire universe dedicated to movies. In truth, I am saving the big blog for next week, which will feature some surprises, but mostly obvious statements about stuff that you already knew. This week, we shall look at my favorite movie characters.
I started this idea last year with moderate success. What I love especially about this particular entry has nothing to do with a movie’s quality. In fact, last year saw candidates from Cop Out and Youth in Revolt: two subpar comedies. This year, there wasn’t a lot of memorable subpar movie performances, but what there was instead was a plethora of interesting leads. In a year where no one knows who will win the Best Picture Oscar (not the non-war War Horse movie!), it made for interesting niche projects to shine and likewise performances to enter the zeitgeist.
What I love about this entry most of all is that in a few years, these movies will enter their respective place in pop culture. However, the most enduring part will come from those performances. Think of all the times you heard about that small cameo that made the movie worth it. Think of that one cast member who brought some life to a dull movie. These will stand out as discussion points better than the movie does.
Example: Take last year’s Kick-Ass. While it has become a cult classic, what will the average person reference? Is it the scene where Kick-Ass (Aaron Johnson) saves the cat ? Maybe, though you’re more likely to find someone who knows Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). Her hyper-violent sass mouth and outfit have become popular cosplay and a questionable example of strong women. Because she has such complexity, the character’s legacy will outlast the movie, bar none.
It’s because of characters like Hit Girl that I find these entries to hold prominence as bookmarks for my memory. The following is 15 of my favorites spanning various genres. Unlike last year, I am trying to restrict myself to fictional characters that appear for the first time this year on screen.
What constitutes first time? Before this year, they have to never have appeared in a movie. Exceptions can be placed upon for a variation on the character that is radically different from the popular context. How so? Take Hemingway (Corey Stoll) in Midnight in Paris. While he is a real person, this version exists in a realm solely created by writer/director Woody Allen. While he portrays certain traits of Hemingway, he is not being copied dramatically from another performance of the Hemingway character. However, characters from Thor are based on existing properties and share similarities to former versions. Meanwhile, subsequent Thor characters such as Darcy (Kat Dennings) were created as exposition for the movie solely, thus they qualify as first time.
I know it’s a little pointless and complex, but that’s the rules I am trying to abide by. The following is a list of a few that stood out to me in some way. There is also a good chance that I will be referencing them in upcoming podcasts, which should be noted for anyone claiming to be on Team Thom: a group of noble laureates with a diluted world view and a thing for Ellen Page.
1. Super
Character: Boltie
Actor: Ellen Page
Was the last sentence supposed to be coincidence or segue? Either way, I have been obsessed with Super for months now. Since the April 1st release, I have not yet found one movie that has captivated me with their perverse, satirical nature as much as this one. It could largely be due to a superb cast delivering Rainn Wilson from my naughty list. It could also be that it brought Steve Agee and Ellen Page to be kindred spirits on his podcast . Or, it could just be the whole package is sealed together with a great performance from my favorite actress, in which she plays crazy at inspired heights that involve pointless violence and rape that make you question her sanity. It’s like if Hard Candy’s Haley Stark did things for the wrong reasons. It’s so infectious and dark, and it’s finally a relief to say that Page’s best superhero role was not X-Men: The Last Stand.
2. Drive
Character: Driver
Actor: Ryan Gosling
In recent weeks, Gosling has come out to the press of stating that he’s overwhelmed by his fan’s devotion. I argue it’s because he covered his bases perfectly with the women (Crazy, Stupid, Love), the political pundits (Ides of March), and the art house crowd (Drive). Of all of those, he most succeeded in Drive as a silent protagonist who takes out Albert Brooks, hasone of the best make-out scenes with Carey Mulligan, and promises you afive minute window . Even when I first saw the trailer before Attack the Block, I was convinced that this would be Gosling’s chance to get some Oscar notice. Luckily the movie delivered to everyone except one person . I feel that because of his compelling character and ability to be smooth, evoke with his face, and get the job done, he has become one of the most ambiguously moral and sensible heroes since Taxi Driver.
3. Attack the Block
Character: Pest
Actor: Alex Esmail
This summer, Joe Cornish’s debut film felt like it came out of nowhere with a premise sure to land it in b-movie schlock. No one expected it to be nearly as witty, grimy, violent, and fun as it turned out to be. A bunch of British hoods take out some “wolf gorilla motherf**kers” and immediately become memorable characters. While it can be argued that Moses (Jason Boyega) may be the actor going places, I felt that the most comedic relief came from the token white boy, Pest. Not only did he place that line into the lexicon, but he felt like the most sensible character. He took the pyromaniac youth that has become so cliché and brought life to it by using fireworks for logical weapons. To me, Moses may have been the hero, but Pest was the secret weapon.
4. Midnight in Paris
Character: Ernest Hemingway
Actor: Corey Stoll
It’s not common knowledge, but I don’t clap for too many movies. Besides finding the act a little obvious and self-serving, not every movie deserves applause (especially with none of the crew in the actual theater). However, when this movie was done, I did just that. I am not a Woody Allen buff, but what I have seen has impacted the way I write and look at cinema. For years, I had to sit through what I felt is a different director, though one that creates good movies like Vicky Christina Barcelona. While it has since become a phrase to loathe , I consider Midnight in Paris to be a return to form, and it notably has to do with his ability to turn historical figures into his own creation. To me, the stand out was Corey Stoll’s take on Hemingway, which I felt was very cocky and literate , but done so well that he played well against the typical Allen prototype lead (Owen Wilson). If anything, it’s because of characters like this that I am glad I still support the guy who made Annie Hall.
5. The Rum Diary
Character: Moburg
Actor: Giovanni Ribisi
For a Johnny Depp movie of recent years, it was actually pretty good, if a little slow. However, what made this movie worth a peek is the great performance by Giovanni Ribisi as Moburg, a corrupt journalist who drinks the hardest liquor and rarely shows up to work. In a world of Hunter S. Thompson characters, it was nice to see one outdo the Gonzo journalist in every way. While I always will compare Ribisi to his My Name is Earl character (which is similar), I mostly think it’s because he’s perfected the reckless abandon drunk routine so well that he makes even the drab moments seem interesting with pointless anti-political ramblings.
6. Red State
Character: Abin Cooper
Actor: Michael Parks
From a director that I feel needs to go off the grid for three years comes one really lame horror movie exploring homosexuality and cults. However, I cannot totally write this movie off on the basis that director Kevin Smith wasn’t lying about one thing. He made a really compelling villain in Abin Cooper, who managed to give the movie some promise with an extensive rant that not only made me believe it only took five minutes, but that there was a good movie in here. While the movie descends into a pointless shoot ‘em up flick, it’s the middle 20 or so minutes of Cooper’s rambling that brings intensity and fear into the movie. It can also be said that he was also so good that it possibly made everything else about the movie pale in comparison.
7. Hanna
Character: Hanna
Actor: Saoirse Ronan
This is probably the most surprisingly very good movie of the year. When you tell me that Joe Wright was directing this, I would have punched you and pointed out that Atonement was too dramatic to make this move sensible. However, it ended up with a really good story and most notably a fine performance by Saorise Ronan as the titular lead. Like Chloe Moretz and Hit Girl, I am almost sure Ronan will become synonymous with this role for years, and it’s easy to see why. She is ruthless, violent, intelligent, but unlike Hit Girl, she is also very fragile emotionally . In a year of bad female super spies (Colombiana), this is the one that stands above the rest and shows everyone how it’s done. If anything, it also shows Ronan’s range and gives her one of the more promising futures presented this year.
8. Hesher
Character: Hesher
Actor: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
It is hard to narrow down which Joseph Gordon-Levitt performance was the best this year. While 50/50 will be part of my Oscar campaign, I think that the overall character aspect goes to Hesher. No one knows where he came from, but he sure has a way of getting to you. He befriends the elderly, takes a walk with grandmas , and most of all restores esteem to poor grocery clerks (Natalie Portman) by lighting pool furniture on fire . While the actual story lacks a great structure, it’s hard to forget this character after a 90 minute joyride blasting Metallica.
9. The Way
Character: Joost
Actor: Yorick van Wageningen
After seeing this movie, I discovered that Yorick van Wageningen was set to play Nils Bjurman in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I was immediately surprised and personally upset. In the Way, I had just been presented possibly the nicest , purest character I will see on screens this year. He’s not necessarily funny, but with a massive size and a child-like sense of wonder, he manages to bring heart and warmth to every scene he steps in. I couldn’t find one bad critique about that character without immediately feeling some form of guilt. I loved him that much. I felt he adds to the charm of this underrated film, and it’s going to be awkward to watch him go from this to raping Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) next week.
10. Paul
Character: Keith Nash
Actor: Brett Michael Jones
Like Frigo (Matt Bush) in the seminal classic Adventureland, it seems that Greg Motolla has a thing for crotch shots. While the actual movie feels like a disappointing version of science fiction pandering, it did have a few bright spots to make it worthwhile. The most notable is the pointless in every way character Keith Nash , whose sole existence is to kick Jo Lo Truglio and Bill Hader in the crotch. It created a myth that left Imdb message boarders wondering if he was real (Simon Pegg says no ). In a few years, when the Nash name will return to obscurity, I plan to bring it back, if just to sound cool.
11. Hugo
Character: Station Inspector
Actor: Sacha Baron Cohen
In a movie full of stellar actors and cinephile wet dreams (I hope I wasn’t the only one who drooled over the color version of A Trip to the Moon), it felt hard to pin who delivered the best. However, the one who slinks ahead is the Station Inspector, who manages to take his dog and a mechanical leg and create one of the most sympathetic, comedic characters in this movie. While his story lacks the depth of the others, Sacha Baron Cohen manages to bring his A game and add a sense of whimsy to a role that could’ve resulted in dull and boring. Maybe it’s also a favoritism thing, but Cohen also gets some of the best camera shots in the whole movie. If you like staring at his face and foot, this is the movie for you.
12. 30 Minutes or Less
Character: Chet
Actor: Aziz Ansari
I came out of an advanced screening for this movie with the singular impression that this would be the breakthrough role for Aziz Ansari (from a movie standpoint). He was funny , ridiculous, and meshed well with a cast that included Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, and Michael Pena. While some may find issues with the story, I found it to be a rather solid, entertaining comedy that was only beat by Horrible Bosses for funniest summer film. There is little doubt that it wasn’t because of Ansari. While I haven’t seen it since that screening, I speak highly of it because of Ansari’s chemistry with Eisenberg, and I would love to see if it holds up now that it has been edited down.
13. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Character: Dale
Actor: Tyler Labine
It’s not too often that I find a good horror satire film that I just adore. In truth, I know little about it. However, when I was chosen to review this for Cinema Beach, I was immediately captivated not only on the different take of the slasher genre, but by the great, nontraditional red neck friends Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale. It was in these character’s hands whether this movie would sink or swim, and it did a backstroke blindfolded. While Tucker was an entertaining character, it was Dale, the real protagonist, who brought the charm to the movie by exploiting why red necks get bad reputations with a sweet, innocent core. If you haven’t seen this but love the Evil Dead series, what is wrong with you? It is brilliant, funny, and a loving tribute to the genre it parodies. See it now.
14. Rubber
Character: Lieutenant Chad
Actor: Stephen Spinella
Oh, director Quentin Dupieux, where did you come from? I will not claim to liking Rubber for more than premise alone, but Dupieux is an extremely weird man who deserves your attention. Even if the entire meta premise doesn’t do much for you, what should forever keep this movie in your consciousness is the opening parable where the rules of this world are explained and make the rest of the movie go down smooth. What’s the point of this movie? No reason. Why was it made? No reason. Even to this day, I cannot help breaking out into a rant answered by “No reason” because of those first few moments. I guarantee you that while this movie may not have much going for it, Dupieux made a movie worth talking about, and I hope in all honesty that Wrong is just as amazing.
15. Super 8
Character: Alice Dainard
Actor: Elle Fanning
Rounding out the list is a performance by the other Fanning. While I just got around to liking Dakota Fanning in the Runaways , it was in the latest J.J. Abrams flick that the younger one managed to hit on my radar. While it can be argued that this movie was very derivative, I enjoyed it quite a bit, even with the excessive nostalgia. It was most notably because of the kids, including Fanning, who plays the role convincingly well and makes me wonder if she has a bright future. If anything, I can count on Doug Benson to back me up on this pick.
That’s just 15 choices from the 71 movies I have seen so far this year. I regret to inform you that this list doesn’t include Young Adult, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Griff the Invisible, or any currently in limited release. I hope to get to those and update my list via my blog as soon as possible.
What characters stood out for you this year? Did any enter your consciousness and push out the section filed under trigonometry? Leave me some feedback and tell me whether you thought that this was a solid list, or if maybe placing Sacha Baron Cohen on this list was a mistake. Did I overlook something? Please feel free to leave feedback and we’ll get a dialog running.
You can read Thom’s blog every Wednesday and hear him every Tuesday and Wednesday at nevpodcast.com . Send your thoughts to nevpodcast@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter, @nevpodcast.
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