Absolutely one of the best films of the year. Now with one of the best one sheets of the year as well.

The official list of films eligible for the 2011 Academy Awards has been released.

To be eligible for 84th Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.

Feature films that receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release are not eligible for Academy Awards in any category.

As of this moment, I’ve seen 75 of the films in this list.  With the Oscars two months away (the telecast airs February 26th, 2012, with the nominees being announced January 24th, 2012), I should round that out to around 100.  Especially considering some of my most anticipated movies, like Shame, We Need to Talk About Kevin and A Dangerous Method, haven’t screened in my area yet.

How many have you seen?

ABDUCTION
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU*
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
AFRICAN CATS*
ALBERT NOBBS
ALOIS NEBEL
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED
AMIGO
ANONYMOUS
ANOTHER EARTH*
ANOTHER HAPPY DAY*
ANSWERS TO NOTHING
APOLLO 18
ARRUGAS (WRINKLES)
THE ART OF GETTING BY*
ARTHUR
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS
THE ARTIST
@URFRENZ
ATLAS SHRUGGED PART 1
ATTACK THE BLOCK
BACK DOOR CHANNELS: THE PRICE OF PEACE
BAD TEACHER*
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES*
BEASTLY
BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
BEAUTIFUL BOY*
THE BEAVER
BEGINNERS*
A BETTER LIFE
THE BIG BANG
BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
THE BIG YEAR
BLACKTHORN
BLOODWORTH
THE BOY MIR – TEN YEARS IN AFGHANISTAN
BRIDESMAIDS*
BRIGHTON ROCK
BUCKY LARSON BORN TO BE A STAR
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER*
CARANCHO
CARNAGE
CARS 2
A CAT IN PARIS
CEDAR RAPIDS*
CERTIFIED COPY
THE CHANGE-UP
CHICO & RITA
CIRCUMSTANCE
COLOMBIANA*
CONAN THE BARBARIAN
THE CONQUEST
THE CONSPIRATOR
CONTAGION*
CORIOLANUS
COURAGEOUS
COWBOYS & ALIENS*
CRACKS
CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.*
DAM999
A DANGEROUS METHOD
THE DARKEST HOUR
DAYDREAM NATION
THE DEBT*
THE DESCENDANTS*
THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE*
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES
THE DILEMMA
DIRTY GIRL
DOLPHIN TALE
DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK*
DREAM HOUSE*
DRIVE*
DRIVE ANGRY
THE EAGLE
ELEKTRA LUXX
EVERYTHING MUST GO
EXPORTING RAYMOND
EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE
FAST FIVE
50/50*
FINAL DESTINATION 5
FINDING KIND
THE FIRST GRADER
THE FLOWERS OF WAR
FLY AWAY
FOOTLOOSE
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS*
FRIGHT NIGHT*
THE FUTURE*
GAINSBOURG: A HEROIC LIFE
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
GLEE THE 3D CONCERT MOVIE
GNOMEO & JULIET
A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY
THE GRACE CARD
THE GREATEST MIRACLE
THE GREEN HORNET
GREEN LANTERN*
THE GUARD*
HALL PASS*
THE HANGOVER PART II*
HANNA*
HAPPY FEET TWO
HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2*
HELL AND BACK AGAIN
THE HELP
HIGHER GROUND
HITLER’S GRAVE
HOODWINKED TOO! HOOD VS. EVIL
HOP
HORRIBLE BOSSES*
HUGO
I AM NUMBER FOUR*
I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT
I MELT WITH YOU
THE IDES OF MARCH*
IMMORTALS*
IN DARKNESS
IN SEARCH OF GOD
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY
IN TIME*
INSIDIOUS*
THE IRON LADY
J. EDGAR
JACK AND JILL
JANE EYRE*
JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN
JOSE AND PILAR
JUDY MOODY AND THE NOT BUMMER SUMMER
JUMPING THE BROOM
JUST GO WITH IT
JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER
KILL THE IRISHMAN
KUNG FU PANDA 2
THE LADY
LARRY CROWNE
THE LAST RIDE
LE HAVRE
LIFE, ABOVE ALL
LIKE CRAZY*
LIMITLESS*
THE LINCOLN LAWYER*
MACHINE GUN PREACHER
MARGARET
MARGIN CALL
MARS NEEDS MOMS
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE*
THE MECHANIC*
MEEK’S CUTOFF*
MEET MONICA VELOUR
MELANCHOLIA*
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS*
THE MILL & THE CROSS
MIRAL
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL
MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS
MONEYBALL
MONTE CARLO
MOZART’S SISTER
THE MUPPETS
THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
MYSTERIES OF LISBON
THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER
THE NAMES OF LOVE
NEW YEAR’S EVE
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
NORMAN
OF GODS AND MEN*
OLIVE
ONE DAY
OUR IDIOT BROTHER*
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3*
PARIAH
PASSIONE
PAUL*
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
POM WONDERFUL PRESENTS THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
POTICHE 
PRIEST*
THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER
PROJECT NIM
PROM
PUNCTURE
PUSS IN BOOTS
RAMPART
RANGO*
REAL STEEL
REBIRTH
RED RIDING HOOD
RED STATE*
RESTLESS*
RIO
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES*
THE RITE*
THE ROOMMATE
THE RUM DIARY*
SALVATION BOULEVARD
SANCTUM*
SARAH’S KEY*
SCREAM 4
SEASON OF THE WITCH
SENNA
A SEPARATION
SHAME
SHARK NIGHT 3D
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS
THE SITTER
THE SKIN I LIVE IN*
THE SMELL OF SUCCESS
THE SMURFS
SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN
SOMETHING BORROWED
A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN
SOUL SURFER
SOURCE CODE*
SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D
STRAW DOGS*
SUBMARINE*
SUCKER PUNCH
SUPER
SUPER 8*
TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT
TAKE SHELTER*
TERRI*
THE THING
30 MINUTES OR LESS
THOR*
3*
THE THREE MUSKETEERS
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
TOWER HEIST
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
THE TREE OF LIFE*
TRUST*
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 1
TYLER PERRY’S MADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY
TYRANNOSAUR
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES*
UNDEFEATED
UNKNOWN
A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS
VIVA RIVA!
W.E.
WAR HORSE
WARRIOR
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS
THE WAY
WE BOUGHT A ZOO
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN*
WEEKEND
WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?
THE WHISTLEBLOWER*
WHITE IRISH DRINKERS
WIN WIN
WINNIE THE POOH*
WOMEN ART REVOLUTION
THE WOMEN ON THE 6TH FLOOR
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS*
YOUNG ADULT
YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE
YOUR HIGHNESS
ZOOKEEPER

The rich, of course, have endless amounts of time, and are very nearly immortal.   The poor only seem to be able to scrape together a few hours here and there.  They’re frequently close to time running out.  In this world, time is literally money.  Coffee, a tickets for the bus, rent, it’s all paid in hours, minutes and years.  With inflation increasing faster than wages, it seems inevitable that all the poor will die young, but pretty. Justin Timberlake plays the role of a man named Will.  Will is not one of the rich, and lives in a ghetto named Dayton (territories are strictly separated by wealth).  He lives with his mother (Olivia Wilde), with whom he celebrates her fiftieth birthday.  He dreams of taking her to a rumored district named New Greenwich, where no one ever rushes, ever has a hurried pace, since they literally have all the time in the world.

Will gets his chance when a sullen man named Henry (Matt Bomer) transfers over a century to him.  Henry is one hundred and five years old, and prefers this as a way out.  The opportunity comes too late, as Will’s mother’s clock runs out.  Alone, he travels to New Greenwich, becomes acquainted with one of the richest men in the world, and ends up kidnapping his daughter Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried) as a hostage to avoid questioning from police concerning his sudden wealth of time.

At this point, Sylvia and Will become a couple on the run, stealing from the rich (which happens mostly to be from Sylvia’s father, played by Vincent Kartheiser), and giving to the poor–trying to stay one step ahead of the authorities, led by Cillian Murphy.  Dialogue becomes stagnant.  Endless conversations about time, wasting time, running out of time, stealing time, become as uninteresting as the not-so-subtle commentary on wealth distribution.  What’s most unclear, however, is what Niccol’s was aiming for.  As much as Gattaca’s pace had an firm understanding of its own pacing and purpose, In Time seems as lost.  Energy levels go in between extremes, and the lulls are little too long.  Stylistically, this future, be it distant or near, is contradictory in fashions and technology.  There’s a lot of dark sunglasses, black leather, muscle cars without any door handles.  Less may have been more in this sense.  There are a few shining moments, mostly provided by the cinematography of Roger Deakins, and performances, particularly by Mr. Kartheiser.  I’m sure there’s a clever anecdote about wasting my time here.  Just imagine I took the time to think of it.

2 out of 4 stars

At one point in Jeff Nichols’ remarkable latest film, Take Shelter, one friend says to another, “You’ve got a good life, Curtis. I think that’s the best compliment you can give a man. Take a look at his life and say, ‘That’s good.” Michael Shannon’s character is Curtis. It’s his best friend Dewitt, Shea Whigham, speaking. Curtis does have a good life. He’s happily married to Samantha, played by Jessica Chastain. He’s the loving father of a little girl, who happens to be deaf. He has a modest home, and friends. Curtis is not a stereotype, it begs to be mentioned. Nichols keeps such things far away from this film. However, it can generally be agreed, Curtis has a good life.

This point is carefully established, without it being too in-your-face. And it sets up the truly scary story that follows. The risk of losing it all seems terrifying to the audience as the simple and logical story unfolds. Curtis, who’s mother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in her mid-thirties, all at once, begins having disturbing, life-like dreams that threaten to carry over into real life. In one dream, shadowy, dark figures surround the car he’s driving in with his daughter, Hannah. The figures break the windows and steal his daughter and he’s powerless to help himself or her. In another, similar figures attempt to invade his home, and while Curtis clutches Hannah, all the furniture in the room rises into the air and crashes down hard.

There is real horror in these dreams, both for the audience, and for Craig. His behavior becomes disorganized, and he becomes obsessed with the idea of turning his tornado shelter (Curtis’s family lives in northern Ohio), into something more substantial–as he’s sure something, an incredible storm perhaps, is coming. All he knows is its something bad. Very bad. Aware that he is not acting normally, he urgently seeks help from a family doctor first, then at a free mental health clinic. He even checks out materials on mental illness, and presents his therapist with an understandable self-diagnosis.

Despite his best efforts, Curtis’s life begins to unravel. And it’s frightening. If Curtis was crazier, if preached of the end of the world on the corner, or even showed signs of being rattled, the clever atmosphere of the film would not have reached such remarkable levels. Most unsettling is Curtis’s calm demeanor. His rational thinking (most of the time), and his strange duality in that he understandings he’s becomes deluded, but continues to build the shelter, as he can’t help but believe in his premonitions.

Shannon’s performance powers an all ready strong film. But here, he’s relentlessly brilliant. His haunted presence onscreen is truly unforgettable. Nichols, who also wrote the script, ends this film with a scene that unsettles by asking more questions instead of giving answers. It is a fitting end to such a heartbreaking and honest movie.

4 out of 4 stars

I’m always excited about a Werner Herzog documentary. Although I found flaws with The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, it’s still been one of my favorite documentaries of the year. If the blurbs for Into the Abyss are at all accurate, it certainly won’t be one to miss.

Shame is, by far, one of my most anticipated films of the year.  Michael Fassbender and Steve McQueen are synergy incarnate.  Finally the trailer has arrived, and it’s breathtaking.

As I left the theatre with a group of friends after seeing Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, when asked if I liked it, I said that I did. That I’m usually okay when a bit of substance is sacrificed in the name of style. Past examples of this exception included 300 (but only briefly), and Tarsem’s The Fall, although Drive is a far better film than either of these.  While I didn’t immediately put my thoughts about the film to paper, I thought about the film for several days following. I even downloaded the soundtrack, something I inevitably end up regretting (I’m shaking a finger at my fourteen-year-old self for spending birthday money on the Forces of Nature soundtrack).  Something about Drive stuck with me.  Since I’ve been feeling the need to see something in theaters for the last week, and considering my distaste for sports film (including MMA, and baseball-themed films), I decided to give Refn’s film a second viewing.

Leaving the theatre this time, I felt bad for my previous comment and no longer feel that Refn (or perhaps the credited writers, Hossein Amini for the script, and James Allis for the script) scarified substance for style. And that perhaps my opinion may have been skewed by reading A. O. Scott’s piece in the New York Times before seeing the film in the first place.   While style certainly rides shotgun (yuk yuk) in Drive, there is thoughtful dialogue and meaningful character development.  Cliches be damned.  Any sort of romance wrapped around a heist film is subjected to certain constraints of the genre, inevitably concluding with the final question of, will they end up together, or won’t they?  Refn makes it clear that the point of the film is not that some of these same devices or plot lines have been seen before.  The film aims higher than that, and it succeeds.

For those weary of another filmmaker directing a love story to the gritty side of Los Angeles (or any other city for that matter), I can guarantee you a unique film, despite the constant homages to the likes of Michael Mann.  The nature of  the art of filmmaking often encourages the creation of, with allusions to, but ultimately not representative of its setting.  Woody Allen’s New York, is not Martin Scorsese’s New York.  Refn has taken this pratice further than either of these directors.  Calling a location or inanimate object a character within a film is something I’m not generally a fan of.  But it’s impossible to call what Refn did to Los Angeles anything but this.  His Los Angeles is neon, it’s muggy, it’s filled with empty streets and sidewalks, only existing for those people in his story.  Jack Kerouac called Los Angeles, “the loneliest and most brutal of American cities.”  Refn seemed to take this description literally.  Despite being in one of the most populated cities in the world, these characters couldn’t be more isolated, brutal, or longing for some sort of meaningful connection.

At the center, of course, is Ryan Gosling, an unnamed stunt driver for the movies, a prodigy at his craft, who moonlights as a getaway car driver.  The film’s opening scene is pure driving joy, letting him show what he can do when behind the wheel.  He utilizes more than just speed and horsepower, but also dexterity and a firm understanding of when it is just best to turn off your headlights and stay put.  His longed for connection comes in the form of his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son Benicio.  Irene’s husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is absent while he’s serving time in prison for an unnamed crime.  Gosling and Irene relationship is innocently chaste, but it there’s a sexual tension nonetheless.  A tension that may never find a release after Standard is abruptly released from prison and returns home.  He brings with him some serious baggage, a mounting debt that threatens Irene and Benicio’s safety, the longer Standard is unable to repay it.  Gosling offers to help Standard settle the debt in the form of one last job.  Enter: the mob, a bag of cash, vendettas, betrayals, and non-sexualized nudity.

With these basics understood, it’s easy to imagine how Refn could veer into films like those of Oliver Megaton or Louis Leterrier.  But his skill as a director (and a true testament to the script) becomes evidence as he elevates the conceivably mundane to pure cinematic pleasure.  And not the guilty kind either.  Surrounding the admiring couple is a cast of supporting characters, all of which are interesting enough to warrant an entire film about them.  Bryan Cranston deserves a special mention for his turn as a kindly, but rough-around-the-edges mentor for the driver.  As does a wide-eyed Christina Hendricks who’s taciturn role as a smaller player in the seedy underworld doesn’t offer many lines, but has a constantly commanding presence.

The brutality of the film, and understand there is fork-in-the-eye, shotgun-to-the-head violence, remains a stumbling block for the more conservative.  And while calling it “artful” is a stretch for even the most desensitized movie-goer, it does serve an ugly purpose as its sudden , often unpredicted, presence provides the film with a necessary staccato that saves the film from getting lost in less worthy pursuits.  The violence cannot be disassociated from the film’s style.  And it’s this style, combined with outstanding performances, that raises Drive above its peers.

4 out of 4 stars