So, as I just mentioned, I have officially finished the 2011 Oscar Viewing Project. I have to admit this is a big accomplishment for me-while I still have a couple thousand films left in the project (2,232, to be exact), this is my first finished year, and though it's not a lot of films that I had to see, as we go through the categories, keep track of how many you've seen, and let me know which ones are still left on your "To View" list.
But first, it's important that we get in a 2011 "State of Mind," and so like any good-theater experience, we've got to have some previews. So, remember back nine months ago, into 2011. Get out your "Occupy" signs or your "Herman Cain for President" banners (depending on where you are on the political banner), remember the space launches of Juno and Curiosity, and the formal end of the Iraq War. Get out your copy of Adele's 21 and start "Rolling in the Deep." And also, of course, remember the movies.
Box Office
This is what the Top 10 at the (Domestic) Box Office looked like:
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1
4. The Hangover Part II
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
6. Fast Five
7. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
8. Cars 2
9. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
10. Thor
As you can see, it was a very, very franchise-heavy year at the Box Office. All but Thor were sequels, and that was part of the Avengers-brand that would tear up the Box Office the following year. This isn't to say that that there weren't successful original films at the Box Office-female-centric plots in particular were very successful in movies like The Help (the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee) and Bridesmaids. Rio and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo may have kicked off additional franchises as well.
Precursors
Though we'll soon be seeing what Oscar deemed most worthy (though, I suspect if you're this far into the post, you probably already remember), let's also keep track of what the precursors were discussing. The Golden Globes were clearly huge fans of the The Artist and The Descendants, giving them their highest honors, the SAG Awards were all about The Help, Cannes was crowning The Tree of Life with its top honors, and BAFTA couldn't get enough of the silent antics of The Artist. The NYFCC awards were agog with The Artist, while LAFCA was equally impressed with Alexander Payne's The Descendants.
The Films I Missed
While I obviously have seen every one of the OVP films, there were of course films that I missed. Looking at the Box Office, I'd say that the biggest misses were Cars 2, Fast Five, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Since they are precursors to the Oscars themselves, I obviously did much better with the critics and the Globes, though I still missed some of their nominees, including The Guard, Carnage, Arthur Christmas, and In the Land of Blood and Honey. Though Cars 2 and Carnage are on my "to view eventually" list, if any of these are must-sees, please call it out in the comments.
And there you have it-a brief preview of 2011. Now, onto, Oscar!
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