Biutiful
True Grit
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Fighter
Another Year
Rabbit Hole
Blue Valentine
Animal Kingdom
 |
| Sorry Marky Mark, I'll see "The Fighter" eventually...I promise. |
Many of these are likely to crack my eventual final 10 of the year. So I know what you're thinking: "Doesn't that make this list more or less pointless?" Good point, but no.
I can't just assume, because then I'll end up with a "Juno" situation. You know, where everyone says it's awesome and you think you'll really love it because Jason Bateman is in it, then it turns out to be just OK.
With that in mind, I present you with my current Top 10 films of 2010:
10. Never Let Me Go
What a beautifully made movie. Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield deliver two of the greatest (and most overlooked) performances of the year. Even-handed throughout, but still chilling and disturbing. I didn't leave the theater in absolute awe of this movie, but as more time passed, my appreciation grew. It's sad how it has basically fallen by the wayside.
9. City Island
I've got a really weird and non-car-owning spot in my heart for movies about New Yorkers. Andy Garcia is at his absolute best (and I'm counting Godfather III) as a prison guard/father who discovers he has a son--conveniently enough, an inmate in his prison. I love this comedy so much because it's so real and heartfelt. There's nothing about it that says "typical family comedy." Probably the most under-discussed movie of the year.
8. Shutter Island
Can we really blame Leo Dicaprio for being so good the past decade? I feel bad for him, because he's been so consistent picking winners the past ten years that we've come to call anything less than "Oh-my-God-Marlon-Brando-in-Streetcar" good from him to be "Leo being Leo." Consult his filmography since 2002: Gangs of New York; Catch Me If You Can; The Aviator; The Departed; Blood Diamond; Body of Lies; Revolutionary Road; Shutter Island; Inception. Those are literally all the movies he's been in over the course of the past nine years. There are no movies like The Men Who Stare at Goats (George Clooney and Jeff Bridges). No Mamma Mia! (Colin Firth). Could it just be possible that he's a consistently good actor who gets the shaft on a regular basis because we never see him do a bad job?
Point: this was a good movie. Alas, I digress.
7. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Probably the most polarizing movie this year. It was about 50/50 between "This movie was so bad I left the theatre" and "This movie was amazing." Sure, Michael Cera plays...well...Michael Cera, but is it really his fault he pigeonholed himself from such a young age? He tries to get out of his awkwardly quiet box, but not many gave Youth in Revolt enough credit. We don't not see movies just because Matthew McConaughey is in them! Oh wait...I do that. Nevermind.
The visual effects are fantastic. The story is intentionally ridiculous and over-the-top. It comes from a graphic novel, people; it's not supposed to be realistic. If you want another stupid mass-produced teen rom-com, watch Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist again. I'll go for something original.
6. Winter's Bone
This was #2 on my list for about 4 months, and for great reason. Jennifer Lawrence gives an unbelievably mature performance as a young girl setting out to find her father after the bank threatens to take her home. John Hawkes is unstable in all the right ways. One of those movies that will never be seen by Joe Q. Moviegoer, because it's too emotionally challenging and moves slowly, but lacks a big name. If great filmmaking was the main determinant of box office success, this would be one of the biggest films of the year. I just wish Lawrence didn't have to be in an X-Men movie to further her career from here.
5. The Town
I've been a Ben Affleck enthusiast ever since Gone Baby Gone, so I was excited to see this one. One of the best heist movies of the past 15 years. A really rock-solid performance by Ben as the good-guy-in-bad-guy's-clothing we see so often in movies. Jeremy Renner is getting plenty of credit for his wicked awesome accent, but where's the love for Rebecca Hall? Ever since Vicky Cristina Barcelona, she's been deserving of star status, but just can't get there. She's the emotional heart and soul of The Town, and she brings a dignity to this role that really ties the whole thing together. And who knew Blake Lively could act? Seriously good.
4. Toy Story 3
Here's the statement of this list most likely to get the most hate: I think TS3 is overrated. Wait, wait! Put down the rock and hear me out. I laughed, I cried (bawled is more appropriate), I gasped in terror. But for one reason or another, the final chapter in this very successful (and very good) franchise is being hailed as one of the greatest animated movies of all time. It's beautifully animated, but on an emotional and writing level, I wouldn't put it far above Finding Nemo or Monsters Inc., two other recent Pixar releases. It's great, but it's not the greatest thing ever.
3. The Social Network
"An American Classic!" "A landmark!"
I think reviews like these ^ are a bit overboard. I love me some David Fincher, and I think he's made a really snappy, smart movie here. Likely to become the movie of our generation, sure, but not because it's the best of our generation; it's because we spend all our time on Facebook, and that's what the movie is about. Jesse Eisenberg basically plays a douche, which apparently is worthy of a Best Actor nomination. Armie Hammer (and his twin, Armie Hammer) and Andrew Garfield are amazing. You'd think Hammer actually is two separate men, which is incredibly difficult to do in film. Andrew Garfield brings so much to Eduardo Saverin that you end up rooting for him. Justin Timberlake shows he can do something other than beatbox and/or wear a box covering his nether-region. A great movie, and justifiably the Best Picture winner, but it's not my top choice.
2. Inception
Maybe I spoke too soon when I said Scott Pilgrim was the most divisive of the year. Inception earned consistently good reviews, but there was much argument over whether it was "good science-fiction" or a "great film." I think it's the latter, for two main reasons:
1. The writing. This is an intricate, intricate, beast of a movie. Christopher Nolan proves he's one of the greatest minds in Hollywood today with this screenplay. There are detractors out there who will tell you it's got holes here and there, but if film isn't about the suspension of disbelief, I don't know what it's about. Is there really a better action sequence in the best 5-10 years than Joseph Gordon Levitt's zero-gravity fight? I have a hard time thinking of one. And if you want my Leo review, see #8 above.
2. Emotional depth. No one looks at this aspect of the film, but it is truly rife with emotion. If we took out the whole dream aspect of this film and had a story of a man separated from his kids for being accused of committing a crime he didn't commit, it would be strong. If you added the red-hot chemistry between Marion Cotillard and Leo (see: ledge scene), you have one of the best dramas of the year. Leonardo doesn't need to play a simple southerner or a man with AIDS to tug on your heartstrings (sorry, Tom). He proves it in Inception.
1. Black Swan
I've heard criticism that says this movie relies too much on cheap thrills to be considered great, but I think that's not completely accurate. For the entire film, from the opening dance dream sequence to the very end, Darren Aronofsky delivers a product which is absolutely terrifying. If you're not on the edge of your seat the whole way through, you're either too busy Facebooking or you probably should have rented Yogi Bear instead, because that's probably more your speed. Natalie Portman is hypnotizingly good in this drama, and I think any performer can relate to the story. As it swelled to an emotional high point and then ended, I only wanted to watch it again. And that's why it's great.
 |
| And it also had the best posters of the year! |
No comments:
Post a Comment