The underrated movies, performances of 2011

The Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes have announced their nominations for the best performances of the year, and the big city movie critics have already tallied their Top 10 lists. Here in North Idaho, we anxiously await the year's final crop of prestige pictures, including "War Horse," "The Artist" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy."

Since we must wait, now is the perfect time to celebrate some of the unsung heroes of cinema in 2011 - the performances and movies from earlier in the year that have no real shot at awards consideration. Even better, most of these entries are already available for your viewing pleasure on home video.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick in "50/50"

For whatever reason, most have already forgotten this powerful and very funny movie about a young man (Gordon-Levitt) battling a rare form of cancer. Gordon-Levitt and Kendrick, who plays an inexperienced counselor, spark with chemistry in just a few scenes together. Maybe it's the presence of Seth Rogen (who is actually quite good in the film) that has people dismissing the film's merits.

Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent in "Beginners"

Co-star Christopher Plummer is the front-runner in the Best Supporting Actor category, playing an old man who, after the death of his wife, announces to his son that he's gay. Plummer is excellent and well-deserving of Oscar gold, but McGregor carries much of "Beginners," as an emotionally-reserved man dealing with his father's sudden announcement as well as his own budding relationship with an eccentric actress (the radiant and compelling Laurent of "Inglourious Basterds").

Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson in "The Sunset Limited"

This HBO film, an adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy play, debuted this past spring and was subsequently forgotten by the time Emmy nominations were announced later in the year. Too bad, because Jones and Jackson are nothing short of spectacular. Unfortunately, the movie won't be on DVD until February.

Young actors in "Win Win," "Terri" and "Super 8"

People always crap on child actors - generally for good reason. This year, however, we got a healthy heaping of quality performances.

The "Super 8" kids were most front and center thanks to some movie magic by J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg. It's the kids, not the monster, that make the movie such a thrill to watch. Elle Fanning, Moscow native Joel Courtney and the others are just as entertaining as "The Goonies."

Alex Shaffer of "Win Win" and Jacob Wysocki of "Terri" are given major assists by their co-stars, Paul Giamatti and John C. Reilly, respectively. Still, even without those indie headliners, the performances were unique and refreshingly off-kilter. Best of all, they don't look like the 30-year-olds playing teenagers on "Glee" or "Gossip Girl."

Documentaries that won't be nominated at the Oscars

Some of the year's best reviewed documentaries didn't even make the short list for Academy Awards consideration. The outsiders include Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," which takes a fascinating look at humankind's first artists. "Page One: Inside the New York Times" provides an insightful glimpse at the struggling newspaper industry. "Life in a Day" collects thousands of hours of footage from around the world and compiles it into a thrilling 90-minute mood piece. And Morgan Spurlock has good fun with product placement and advertising in "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold." All good films, and "Cave," "Page One" and "Life in a Day" are all available on Netflix Instant Streaming.

Dominic Cooper in "The Devil's Double"

Cooper convincingly plays two very different roles, one as sadistic Uday Hussein, and the other as the humane Latif, who is forced into serving as Uday's body double in war-torn Iraq. Cooper also steals scenes as Howard Stark in the year's best comic book adventure, "Captain America."

Andy Serkis in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

As he did with Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" series, Serkis proves that a motion-capture performance can be just as compelling as a live-action one. Playing a super-intelligent chimpanzee in the better-than-it-should-be prequel, Serkis commands the screen, especially when he leads an ape revolt in the film's thrilling final act.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a look at the best and worst movies and performances of 2011.

Ticket Stubs is sponsored by the Hayden Cinema Six Theater. Showtimes at www.HaydenCinema6.com. Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.