Best Movies of 2011

There's not much point in having only a year end list only of books, to my way of thinking. We've got to include movies too. Not that I watched that many movies, but in looking back over my journal, there were some that definitely stood out above the crowd.

This list is based on what was new to me this year, not solely on what was a new release.

• Midnight in Paris - the Golden Age in the City of Lights from Woody Allen (my review here)
• Exit Through the Gift Shop - documentary about an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur film maker who attempted to befriend famed graffiti artist Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on him. Brilliant.
• True Grit (2010) - gritty, funny, and (I'm told) truer to the book than the original movie (my snapshot comments are here)
• The King's Speech - before King George VI of Britain was forced to ascend to the throne by his brother's Edward abdication, he struggled mightily with stuttering with the help of an unconventional speech therapist. The story is sensitively told and brilliantly portrayed by all.
• To Be or Not to Be (1942) - Jack Benny and Carole Lombard, directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupes helps track down a German spy. Really funny while making a definite statement about the tragedy of the Polish occupation. Watching this made me appreciate Lombard's acting skill.
• Up in the Air - corporate downsizer corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) lives an isolated existence traveling the country firing people and giving seminars on success. Even he balks, however, at the changes proposed by a young woman and when he is called up on to show her the ropes, both their lives change (my snapshot comments are here)
• Gone Baby Gone - This tale a a young couple detecting a little girl's kidnapping was as wonderful as critics said. The story was morally grounded and made me want to look for Dennis Lehane's books, as this was based on one of his. All round a wonderful movie.
• Waking Sleeping Beauty - how Walt Disney Studios went in a mere ten-year period from the depths of The Black Cauldron to the heights of animation in Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King is the subject of this behind-the-scenes documentary from the point of view of the animators (my review is here)

Best Books of 2011

Best to me, of course, not definitively "best," which is impossible to say.

This was the year I was not going to do a "best of" list.

Not. going. to.

Done and done.

And then The Anchoress challenged me and put her own book list up. Plus she put Brandon Vogt's 2011 book list link ... which further challenged me.

Darn it.

In general I tend to be puzzled by many Catholic's book lists. So many religious books, so few zombie books. Although, I note with approval that Brandon read the Harry Potter series last year. There is hope.

So here we go, top 10 books with descriptions in 10 words or less. Plus a few bonus items at the end.

1. Mystery of Grace by Charles DeLint
   Urban fantasy about Grace (the person) and grace (of God). (discussion/review at A Good Story is Hard to Find)
   
   
2. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
   Genesis, Cain, and Abel ... in California. (review at A Free Mind; discussion/review at A Good Story is Hard to Find)
   
   
3. Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
   Little things can make you a saint. (review at A Free Mind)
   
   
4. Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
   Red, white, blue, and zombies. (review at SFFaudio)
   
   
5. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
   Concentration camps and God from an unlikely storyteller. (review at A Free Mind)
   
   
6. White Cat / Red Glove (The Curse Workers series) by Holly Black
   When a touch can curse, gloves alone can't protect you (SFFaudio reviews: White Cat / Red Glove)
   
   
7. Declare by Tim Powers
   WWII, Cold War spies, and the supernatural with Catholic details. (discussion/review at A Good Story is Hard to Find)
   
   
8. The Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre
   What the title says. (review at Happy Catholic)
   
   
9. Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones
   Rattling good adventure in ancient Arabia with djinn and improbable heroes (review at Happy Catholic)

BONUS

AUTHOR DISCOVERIES

• Diana Wynne Jones - I never knew how fabulous her books were or how inventive or how different they were from each other. Thank heavens my pal D.J. took it upon herself to lend me carefully selected stories each month. YA fantasy that is a treat for any age to read.
  
  
• Norbert Davis - who wrote the short but memorable series featuring Doan and Carstairs. Doan is a short, chubby man in rumpled clothes who, despite appearances, is "the most dangerous little devil I've ever seen, and he's all the worse because of that half-witted manner of his. You never suspect what he's up to until it's too late." At least that what his boss says. Carstairs is his Great Dane who is one of the most intelligent characters ever included in mysteries. Together they are a duo to reckon with. And the stories are not only interesting but are tinged with humor throughout.
  
  
• Louis L'Amour - I grew up scorning Western stories, even though I did occasionally dip into Zane Grey along the way. I'm not sure what made me sample a few of Louis L'Amour's short story collections on my Kindle. I was surprised to find his stories compelling and so picked up this collection via Paperback Swap. He has a talent for making you speed to the end of the story even when you're fairly sure you know what will happen ... because you're only fairly sure and often he flips the story just a bit on you.

SERIES REREADING

Two words.

Harry Potter.

When the last movie came out, it made me suddenly realize that the Potter books probably were available in audiobook format. Sure enough they were and Jim Dale's narration was nothing short of inspired. I began at book one and "reread" them all. Surprisingly, I remembered only a few key elements of the last three books and so was able to experience them once again with breathless anticipation.

A truly wonderful experience.