We here at ME-Movies decided to give you the top 15 films we saw in 2011 as well as some of our own awards. And that’s not it -we also count down some of the worst films in every genre. Thanks to delayed release dates in the region, there are some well-reviewed films like ‘War Horse’ and ‘The Artist’ that we haven’t seen yet but we tried to see everything possible.

Let’s see what made the cut.

Who is to say ‘The Avengers’ won’t be an utter dreck? Well, it probably won’t but you get my point. Here are some of the biggest disappointments as well as some of the surprises in terms of movies in 2011.

The film starts off in the early 1900’s and follows John Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his ambition to create a system that would revolutionize the way law enforcement would work forever. His ideas to create a unified database through the use of fingerprinting and forensic analysis led to the founding of the FBI. But Hoover was a mysterious man in private, having a very strong relationship with his mother (Judi Dench) who he lived with until he was forty. The film follows the cases he solved along with his relationships with his assistant (Naomi Watts) and a very strong relationship with newcomer Clyde Tolson (Arnie Hammer).

The character of John Edgar Hoover is certainly a fascinating one and there’s a great story to tell with him about the founding and the early days of the FBI and how one man ended up shaping some of the technology that’s so instrumental in catching criminals today. But on the personal side, he was notorious for being a very controversial figure whose life was mostly shrouded in mystery. And to that effect, the movie definitely justifies its existence but the problem here is that the story isn’t told nearly as effectively as it could have.

Here’s the biggest problem with ‘J. Edgar’ – narrative structure. Instead of being a straight biopic about the man which would have been much more emotionally engaging to the audience, the film takes an odd approach to the narrative. We start off with Edgar in his old age narrating his life to a writer. We suddenly flash back into his narration and are introduced to the film. If only the film would have stopped right there and continued with the story, it would still have been very effective. However, the screenplay does the mis-step of constantly forwarding back to the present J. Edgar and spending way too much time in that storyline than the much more interesting backstory that’s waiting to be told. This totally takes the viewer out of the story and the constant shifting makes the viewer dis-attached. The present sequences of the film are bland and have almost nothing interesting that moves the plot forward which leads to boredom. If only the screenwriter would have decided to tell the story in the traditional manner, it would have led to a much stronger film in the end.

And it is the flashback sequences that make the film as strong as it is. We see Edgar as a determined young man who has a unique idea for forensic analysis and does research on other people’s crime scenes. We see his rise in the police department and how he gets promoted to assistant director thanks to his hard work. But most importantly, we see how clueless he is with females and never really had a real relationship in his life aside from his aging mother who he loved a lot. This emotional aspect of the film is hands-down the strongest element which not only leads to some very emotional and well-written scenes but also concludes with a hard-hitting and powerful scene that’s memorable to say the least. The second most important element is Edgar’s powerful relationship with Clyde Tolson and how Tolson is the only person he can ever trust and forms a strong relationship with him. There are homosexual undertones which could have been a risky affair, but they’re handled subtly and with a lot of class here by screenwriter Dustin Lance Black who previously also wrote ‘Milk’. There’s a pivotal blow-up scene between both of them that stands as one of the most memorable and powerful moments of the film. Another such moment is Edgar’s foolish proposal and the moments that follow. But even then, there are moments where the narrative just skips over and moves to years later and this forms a disconnect for the audience. This story would probably have been better told in a mini-series format and would be more effective that way since there’s clearly a lot to tell despite the overlong runtime of the film.

I’ve already mentioned why the present day segments of the film are weak and narratively awkward, but one of the main reasons those moments do not work is the awful make-up job the film has done. With millions of dollars in budgets, the film has such astoundingly bad make-up on almost all of its characters to make them look old that it completely takes you out of the movie and is extremely jarring at first. Leo gets probably the best of it yet it still looks freakishly amateur and not worthy of a film of this grandeur. In the end, it’s very clear that it’s Leo with some plastic make-up one and fails to convince one bit. But the most horrific one is the make-up on Arnie Hammer to make him look old. There’s a reason it was never revealed in the trailers – it’s extremely bad and almost makes the sequences look like comedy. And even Arnie Hammer is clearly uncomfortabe with it as he hams through those scenes and tries to overract to compensate which leads to some unintentionally hilarious moments. Which is a shame, because that one major scene of him in it was the only decent part of that storyline. I still cannot get my head around how this make-up got approved past the first day.

Performances are where the movie really shines. Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of the best performances of his career with his excellent portrayal of the reclusive John Edgar Hoover. He’s extremely intense in scenes that require this from him and isn’t afraid of taking risks like he does with a scene at the end of the film. It’s a powerhouse performance that is bound to get him Oscar recongition, although the chances for that would have been stronger in quality. Arnie Hammer also proves that he’s just more than the Winklewoss twins from ‘Social Network’ and gives a suitably strong perfomance here that only escalates as it goes on. Naomi Watts is unfortunately given next to nothing to do after the first quarter of the film but does a good job with what she has. Judi Dench is commanding as the mother as well.

‘J. Edgar’ scores in terms of some very emotional relationship moments and strong performances, which almost compensate for the weak time-shifting narrative that never lets the audience latch on to the characters. It’s a good film that could have been a classic with a few changes.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Set in an Emirati seaside neighborhood in Ras Al Khaimah, the film follows two 16-year old best friends Mansoor and Sultan. Mansoor likes Kalthoum who’s from a richer family, but the shackles of tradition and culture in the society doesn’t let him express it to her straight away. As he begins to figure out how to portray his affection with advice from Sultan, a number of shake-ups in the community sends them on a journey of self-discovery.

While ‘City of Life’ was more about the metropolitian life in the region (and a very good one at that), ‘Sea Shadow’ takes  a different approach and decides to be a much more personal film about the rural village side of the region which makes it a fresh story to tell. Though there are a number of supporting characters, the story is primarily about the journey of Mansoor and how he handles his love for Kalthoum like an introvert but also forms a crush on someone else. The setting of the film works very well to its advantage, and it’s the first time someone sees a character in UAE that actually doesn’t know about Virgin Megastores or is alien to Dubai. There’s a genuine authentic quality to the film, which is probably because it’s more in tune with the writer’s upbringing and every scene feels organic to the community it shows and not a work of someone trying to make things up. This vibe is the key in immersing the audience in the setting of the film and ‘Sea Shadow’ more than achieves this.

As far as the screenplay goes, it does have a strong story to tell and despite being a coming of age drama at the core, it has enough new elements to make it a fresh experience. There’s an element of humor and innocence maintained throughout, especially the witty dialogue between the friends. The film never becomes too dark or bleak because it would go against the tone that it’s trying to achieve, but certain dramatic events during the third act of the movie are impactful and effective. The only scene of violence in the film comes at such an emotionally charged moment that the viewer is visibly affected by it. There are some minor flaws, including some cliches and a section in the second half of the film where nothing much is happening and the pace seems to drag. Also, a particular character takes a drastic decision towards the end that doesn’t feel organic, and it’s resolved at the last minute by a a little too convenient appearance.

There’s some quality acting here by the young actors in the film, which are particularly restrained and never over-the-top. Especially beautiful is the cinematography and the visual look of the movie, which feels unique and adds a new dimension to the film. Also of note is a very memorable and fitting soundtrack that plays during the beginning and at the ending, and complements the mood of the film greatly.

‘Sea Shadow’ is yet another milestone for Emarati cinema and proves that whether it’s a more independent production or a studio movie like this, there’s plenty of stories to tell. And when it’s as well-scripted and beautifully directed as this one, international audiences are bound to take notice.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The film follows Eva (Tilda Swinton) and her husband who give birth to their son named Kevin. But just from the outset, Eva realises that Kevin is indifferent and rude to her to the point of evil. We follow the child growing up and realize that there’s a very sinister layer to Kevin that Eva has to tackle which ends up affecting her marriage. But it’s nothing compared to what Kevin is about to do, which will become one of the most brutally evil events in history.

Without spoiling much, there have been variatons of this story in Hollywood before, most notably Gus Van Sant’s high-school set ‘Elephant’ and quite a few real-life versions of the event. But ‘Kevin’ takes a different approach to the film and works extremely well. It does this by using a non-linear narrative structure and tell the story from the point of view of a struggling mother who wants to connect with her son but sees absolute terror inside him. It spans around twenty years from the birth of the child until the child reaches the age of sixteen and fills the timeline with memorable moments that clearly show that something is very wrong with Kevin.

The non-linear narrative makes the storytelling even more interesting. Because we are constantly switching between past and present, we see an emotionally tormented Eva in the present reeling in from the hate the society is giving her for some mysterious event that Kevin did. They splash red paint onto her wall as a symbolic reference to a brutal event. We then flash back to see moments in Kevin’s childhood that thematically fit the scene we saw before it. There’s a lot of visual references to bloodshed and such elements, which is done amazingly and in a disturbing manner. When the film begins, the audience feels disoriented and unable to piece together the timeline of the film but as it goes on, it starts becoming much clearer as hints to something horrific are given in small doses.

Suffice to say that ‘Kevin’ is a very dark and haunting film, possibly one of the most bleak films I’ve ever seen. There’s a constant sense of gloom and dread and the state of Eva in the present and what she’s forced to face is nothing short of depressing. While in the past, we see absolutely unbelievable response of Kevin on simple things and it’s hardly a laughing matter. But therein lies the strength of the movie – it’s strangely attractive and manages to disturb the audience without alienating them. The finale is spooky and eerily directed and the entire audience was gasping as it went on. The film ends on an ambigious note that puts doubt in the audience’s mind on who to sympathize with.

Absolutely amazing acting is another reason why the film works so well. Tilda Swinton gives an award-worthy performance with many shades to her character as we see both her states in the past and present. It’s an extremely hard role to play with a lot of demands and only an actress like Swinton can pull it off the way it is done here. John C. Reilly does a great job in a limited role, but doesn’t seem very comfortable in a movie so dark and bleak. But the highlight of the movie of course is the performance of Ezra Miller as the teenage Kevin who is a revelation in his creepy demonic portrayal of the character. One look at the actor in the role and it speaks a thousand words about the character’s intentions and that’s not an easy thing to pull off. Credit also goes to the young actor who plays the six-year old Kevin and manages to nail the dark portrayal of the character at such a young age.

‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ is must-see viewing that is bound to get some major awards when the season arrives. It’s dark, haunting, brilliantly directed, expertly structured and written, with A-grade performances. It’s one of the best psychological thrillers to come from Hollywood and hands-down one of the best films of the year.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The film follows a hard cop played by Woody Harrelson, who works in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division which is already scandalous for its corruption cases. As he manages to struggle with his personal life, he gets embroiled in a police brutality case and a murder case after that and his life begins to unravel both personally and professionally.

I’ve always believed that Harrelson is an extremely underrated actor who has shined in almost everything he’s been in whether as a small part or big, whether it’s comedy (Zombieland) or a hard-hitting drama. But he’s never gotten the recognition that he deserves and a film that he alone could really carry. ‘Rampart’ is his first chance to do a character-based drama that depends solely on his astounding performance. I just wish it was a better movie on its own.

The problem with the film is that it works with a weak script that lacks the dramatic punch that it’s trying to achieve. It’s definitely set in a real world basis with the Rampart police department actually being a corrupt one, but it fails to realize that  ‘corruption in LAPD’ movies have already been made quite a few times in Hollywood and done much better. To differentiate from them, one really needs a different hook or a quality film. Unfortunately, no such hook is to be found here. There aren’t that many surprises and the film is happy working in safe territory, with the cliches of a policeman’s separation and estranged children coming into play. Nothing much really happens throughout most of the movie and towards the end the scenes border on repititiveness, with most of the supporting characters never getting any sort of resolution.

Add to that some very questionable direction and it only makes things harder. Looking to mimic the natural handheld look that most dramas do, the director here overdoes the handheld with some very odd shots that take you away from the action. For example, the camera zooms way too close into the character’s faces for some reason during intense dialogue scenes and ends up being very jarring and distracting. There are a lot of editing issues with the film with the placement of some angles not capturing the essence of the scene at all.

What saves this from being a disaster is of course Harrelson’s multi-layered performance and the character itself. It’s appreciated that the writer decides to put a lot of shades of grey to the main character and makes him do some questionable acts yet still expect the audience to experience the film from his point of view. Most movies try to keep their protagonist as positive as they can and leave the negative shades to the villainous characters, but here the audience is really kept in doubt whether they should empathize with the sometimes manic behavior of the cop or not. But then again, the ending is extremely anti-climactic and doesn’t resolve most of the plot points that it set up itself.

‘Rampart’ is worth a look for excellent performances and some memorable scenes that stand out, but is unlikely to make a lot of splash during the awards circuit thanks to an underwhelming screenplay and weak direction.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The film follows the couple Nader and Simin who are headed for a separation but the judge doesn’t allow it. Simin wants to leave Iran with Nader to abroad before their permit expires, but Nader wants to stay in Iran with his dad who has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t want to give away custody of his daughter Termeh. As the couple stays separated, Nader has to hire a caretaker for his sick father while he’s gone to work. And this spirals an unexpected set of events that have bigger ramifications than it seems.

‘A Separation’ is grounded in reality and that’s where its true strength lies. It never tries to be grandiose in scale and stays true to the human story that it’s trying to tell, and in turn the audience can completely relate to the events that happen. As we watch the couple separation, we see the effect it has on their 11 year old daughter and how Nader feels the lack of a woman to take care of the house.  At the same time, we see the plight of Simin as she waits for Nader to call her back home but doesn’t want to say it. It’s the well-written human elements like these that make it a grounded and emotional drama that will appeal to any audience regardless of race or gender.

But even leaving that aspect aside, there’s a surprisingly well-written courtroom drama at the center of the film that unfolds at a strong pace and has quite a few twists and turns to change the direction of the film. As Nader gets into a legal brawl with his caretaker over mishandling of his father, we get to see both sides of the story as the judge tries to give the fair decision. Secrets are revealed slowly through supporting characters and this aspect of the film itself is engrossing enough, but the director uses this as a means to further show the ramifications of the couple’s separation and the extremes that it led to as well as give social commentary over issues like gender, class and even religion in modern Iran. It’s truly excellent as a piece of art and there’s no denying that there’s going to be strong Oscar love for this gem of a film.

‘A Separation’ is brilliant from start to finish and shows the power of Iranian cinema when done without any censorship. It’s masterful writing and direction coupled with excellent performances on all fronts makes for one of the best movies of the year.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Told as a modern adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ set in contemporary Indian, the story follows the simple young girl Trishna who lives with her family working at a farm back in Rajhistan. When a NRI tourist comes to her and takes a liking for her, he invites her to come and work with him at his father’s hotel. From there begins Trishna’s journey and a romantic relationship that takes a strange turn as it goes on.

After the success of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, there have been quite a few attempts at foreign directors coming and shooting a movie in India. But somehow, the movies always end up feeling like a foreigner’s point of view of the country or city instead of an organic Indian film. And this is where ‘Trishna’ impresses the most – it looks and feels just like an Indian movie should. Right from the dialogue, filming style, the way the story progresses right down to the locales and minute details, it looks like the work of an Indian-born filmmaker instead of a UK filmmaker which it really is. There’s a calm quality to the narrative that’s reminiscent of the independent Bollywood movies set in villages, and all these add to the movie’s feel to a great extent.

As for the storyline, it’s simple but never lets itself drag. From the get-go, we meet Trishna and are instantly attached to her ways of the world. There’s no meandering around and an incident happens soon enough and the plot kicks into motion. As a viewer, we are thrust into her world and experience the things she experiences and the events are never uninteresting or repetitive. There’s no grand twists (except one, but I’ll come to that later) for the most part which leads to a very easy-going storyline that is still engaging to watch.

As he enter the final act of the film though, things take a turn for the dark and that’s where the film’s only flaw lies. As the events of the film begin to take a tragic turn, a particular character decision comes out of left field that unfortunately doesn’t feel organic. Now it is a novel adaptation and I’ve heard that this action happens there as well, but here the events before it don’t naturally lead to the conclusion that the film decides to take and in turn looks forced and unnecessary. A better set-up leading to the event which feels out of place from the tone of the rest of the film would have been a better choice, but it’s not a big of a flaw that mars the entire film.

Freida Pinto is back once again in her home territory and gives the best performance of her career by far, proving that she has genuine chops for acting if she’s given the right role. She carries the film all the way through with the right emotional prowess and her grasp of her character is strong enough to take the audience along for the ride. It’s refreshing to see her speak raw Hindi and carry a de-glamorised look after having seen her glossed up in a few Hollywood movies that she did recently. The rest of the cast is adequate, but Pinto is clearly the shining star here.

‘Trishna’ is a strong film that feels real to its roots despite being adapted from an English novel. The final act takes a few wrong turns, but Pinto’s excellent performance and the filmmaker’s strong grasp of the country makes it a successful effort.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars