The MacGuffin

With 2011 officially in the books, it’s time once again to look back and reflect on some of the best films that have come out in the past year. As with all movie writers, coming up with a list like this is usually expected, but also damn near impossible. To me, reading and writing these types of articles are only beneficial in spreading word about titles that really had an effect on me, while stirring up debate between those who strongly agree with my choices, or vehemently disagree. No one list is ever truly definitive; what is considered great to one may not register the same way to another. The only real truth is that 2011 had a wide range of very interesting and fascinating films, and just like every year, there’s always a good handful worth noting.

It’s often much more difficult to evaluate a screenwriter’s career than that of a director or an actor. Sure, movies are always collaborative—the actor hopes the director and editor choose good takes, the director hopes the producer doesn’t insist on modifying their vision, etc, etc—but the screenwriter is often the one who has done the most to begin shaping the film, and has the least control over what their contribution ends up looking like. Most screenwriters end up less known to the public than their directing counterparts; it is also uniquely possible to make a living at screenwriting and never see any of your sold scripts actually hit the screen.

Another Top 5 segment from The MacGuffin. This time Brandi and Allen share their top 5 female villains.

This segment is also available on Stitcher, iTunes, and Zune. The audio version can be downloaded directly from here. After you’ve watched the video please vote in our poll and share which one you think is the best.

Sometimes it’s nice to see a film that provides the warm glow that a good romantic comedy can, but without romance actually being the focus. Morning Glory, from director Roger Michell, serves up that feeling in a breezy sort of fast motion, acted out by a lot of extremely talented people who look like they are having a great time.

Despite some confusion surrounding the name of this film, it is not about a certain adult film star’s younger lesser talented brother. It’s about Sherlock Holmes, the world greatest detective and his sidekick, Dr. Watson. They solve a variety of crimes thanks to the amazing gift of combining minute pieces of information/evidence together into a story. This film iteration of the literary series stars Robert Downey Jr. playing Holmes and Jude Law playing Watson.