2011 IN FILM - WHAT I'LL REMEMBER IT FOR

To quote Charlie Brooker; 2011 often felt like the penultimate episode to the end of the world season finale. Whether it was because of the the riots in England, the uprisings in the Middle East, a natural disaster of almost-biblical proportions in the Far East, an exodus of ethics in the tabloid press, a slippery-slope to financial Armageddon or the general hoo-ha over an overblown society-alienating royal wedding; the events of last year by in large proved to be one best served to cower under the table of a darkened room and weep inconsolably until the gunman on top of Edinburgh Castle finally brought it all to an uplifting end.

Cinema wasn’t exactly immune from problems or disappointments either, with the funding pinch affecting every aspect of the medium both in a creative and commerce sense. Yet as ever with this wonderful art form, there were still moments (and obviously films) that raised the spirits and reminded you that despite all the perpetual signs of doom and gloom – not all hope has been truly lost.

First of all though, in a sort of prologue to my own personal rundown of the 20 best films of 2011 (as well as the excellent ones that didn’t quite make it and the 10 absolute biggest pieces of filth I had the displeasure of sitting through), here is my take on some the key moments of the last cinematic year both locally and internationally.

BRITISH DEFIANCE

After the coalition’s decision to abolish the UK film council back in the summer of 2010, 2011 became an almost last hurrah for the now defunct film funding board to showcase the projects it had an invested interest in. Not only did one of its key features The Kings Speech run away with the Oscars, it proudly took its place amongst the three highest grossing films of the year in the UK, all three of which were of British origin - creating an unprecedented scenario given year after year tended to be dominated by the Hollywood machine. Commercial successes for the likes of The Inbetweeners and critical acclaim for a large number of indigenous works (more on them later) suggested a renaissance in British cinema. Whether that idea is maintained however remains to be seen, with 2012 marking the first full year of the BFI being in charge of the delegated lottery film funding.

THE WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE - A WASTELAND FOR IDEAS

A yearly box office made up of works big on budget but low on brain cells is hardly anything new, but 2011’s worldwide top ten made for especially depressing reading. With the sole exception of Rio; every single entrant was a sequel, a reboot, a remake or a new instalment of a well-established franchise. These entries included a racist comedy, a swashbuckling bore fest, a chauvinistic adaptation of a line of toys and a sequel to the one Pixar film no one other than John Lasseter wanted. Apparently 2011 was also the year the most sequels have ever been released (28 in total) and with the studios increasingly terrified to take any ambitious risks, expect that number to keep climbing as the years advance.

THE SUCCESSES & FAILURES OF THE FILM FESTIVAL

3. FLars Von Trier may have tried his very best, but Cannes in 2011 will thankfully be remembered for debuting most of the finest films of the year rather than his persona non grata exhibition. Much closer to home however, the Edinburgh Film Festival descended into complete disarray. Already handicapped by a funding hole caused by the demise of the UK Film Council; last year’s EIFF was hindered by a lack of leadership, a series of publicity disasters and a misguided binning of Cineworld’s state of the art screens in favour of some student lecture halls in George Square. These issues unsurprisingly resulted in an incoherent and desperately mediocre programme severely lacking in premieres and packed full of older works chosen by guest curators to which none bothered to turn up. One can only guess how 2012 will go for the once proud but now crisis-ridden festival, but with the decision to maintain hosting it in the deserted month of June – the signs aren’t particularly promising.

RISING & FADING STARS

Before the start of 2011, barely anyone had heard of Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain. Twelve months later, both are now two of the most prolific and in demand actors working in the industry. The year has also been a rather good one for Ryan Gosling; showcasing himself to much critical and commercial acclaim as an emotionally-damaged husband, a suave ladies man, a charismatic puller of political strings and a psychotic stunt driver. The same however cannot be said for Nicolas Cage; a man whose year will be best remembered for his vampire-origins photograph rather than the four box office flops attributed to his dwindling crowd pulling persona (The Season of the Witch, Drive Angry, Trespass, Justice).

(Mars Needs Moms : the 3D event of the year literally nobody went to see)

THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR DVD / BLURAY / 3D?

A combination of the rise of on demand services (Netflix, Zune, Lovefilm), the uncontrollable nature of internet piracy and the general attitude of feeling fed up having to purchase your favourite films in another format that’s “sharper, crisper and better than ever before” has seen the purchases of films in a home-viewing physical context fall to an all-time low - with many predicting that the end is nigh for both DVD & BluRay. It’s also been a miserable year for the much-maligned 3D format; despite the very best efforts of Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog and Martin Scorsese in trying to do something with it as opposed to the cash-fleecing retrofitted garbage that’s dominated the medium since its second coming around the time of Avatar. With reports of multiple cinemas across the globe having higher attendances in the 2D screens and with catastrophic flops like Mars Needs Moms suffering the greatest from that scenario, it’s little wonder that the studios have reverted to pushing for more IMAX screens in as many multiplexes as possible in order to give the moribund format a new lease of life.