TOP 10 2010

[modage]

1. Inception
There's a nice symmetry when your Most Anticipated film of the year ends up being your absolute favorite.  Christopher Nolan's dizzying, ambitious epic is the reason I go to the movies.  It's huge, original, thrilling and has already embedded itself in pop culture.  I see countless movies a year, each time hoping to have my mind blown, each time leaving slightly disappointed.  Until I hit that one movie a year, if I'm lucky, that does just that.  In 2010, nothing else even came close.


2. Black Swan
Combining the ambitious theatricality of The Fountain with the intimate scale of The Wrestler, this film is absolutely the best-of-both-worlds.  Natalie Portman gives the performance of her career and Darren Aronofsky reasserts himself as one of my favorite filmmakers.  The last act is a stunning tour-de-force.  If you didn't love it, you're probably too old.


3. Toy Story 3
Pixar is becoming adept at making sure each film they release has one moment that will make you an emotional wreck.  This film has two: the sweet ending and the shockingly heartbreaking scene at the dump.  I'm still amazed at how the film actually makes you believe every character might be about to die, even though you know better.  And to think, at the beginning of the year I was actually worried if they could pull this off?


4. The Social Network
While it's not the "film that defines a generation" (or even as brilliant as the trailer), it is a fast moving, funny and extremely entertaining film about how Facebook was founded.  The cast is great, score is propulsive and dark and it's shot like Se7en.  What's not to love?


5. 127 Hours
Despite the evidence above I'm usually not a fan of true stories but Danny Boyle's intense, viceral film is indeed one of the best of the year.  Ten minutes in, you're completely tensed up and remain that way through the end.  Boyle is great at making feel-bad, feel-good films.  You go through hell first but come out feeling like life is beautiful.


6. Greenberg
I get it if you hate this movie, but I also think you're wrong.  Noah Baumbach's abrasive characters walk a very fine line, (loved them in The Squid & The Whale, hated them in Margot At The Wedding.) This film thankfully strikes the right balance and get's easier to watch (and funnier) through repeat viewings.


7. Exit Through The Gift Shop
A brilliant documentary.  Ostensibly about the rise of street art culture it's a film about art that forces you to question "what is good art?" without ever directly asking you that question.  I've still got no idea how much is real but it doesn't really matter. 


8. Please Give
This film deserves the kind of recognition being showered on the enjoyable (but overpraised) The Kids Are All Right.  The film is funny, surprising and doesn't wrap everything up into a little bow at the end.  A lesser filmmaker would sacrifice reality for convention, amping up situations for bigger laughs and forced dramatic confrontations but writer/director Nicole Holofcener remarkably resists these temptations and the film is better for it.


9. Red Riding Trilogy
Conceived as a mini-series for British television the Red Riding films are really unlike anything on American TV (or in theatres for that matter).  I had the unique opportunity of being able to watch the entire trilogy back-to-back at the IFC Center back in February and it remains one of my favorite experiences at the theatre this year.  A dark, absorbing mystery that plays like a cross between Zodiac and The Wire, (but British).  You can't help but get sucked in.


10. The Loved Ones
The most obscure title on my list.  The film has no US distributor but I was lucky enough to see it during FilmLinc's Scary Movies series in October and have been thinking about it ever since.  The film is a true original with several twists that elevate the movie beyond standard psycho fare and subplots that resolve themselves in surprising ways.  It's definitely for the adventurous but when you figure out what the title is referring to, you can't help but smile.



11. Blue Valentine
Emotionally devastating indie with great performances from stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.  The film examines the beginning and end of their relationship and the contrast between scenes is heartbreaking.

12. Kick-Ass
Not the spoof you might think, it's actually a relatively straightforward superhero story peppered with moments of dark comedy and shockingly over-the-top violence.  Features incredibly entertaining performances by Chloe Moretz and Nicolas Cage.

13. The Fighter
It looks like another bland feel-good boxing movie but it's not.  The film has a real energy and authenticity that sets it apart from typical sports films.  Christian Bale is a force of nature here and it's good to see David O. Russell back in the director's chair.

14. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
The darkest film in the series is entertaining whether you've read the books or not.  (I haven't.)  The cast have all grown into their roles and director David Yates seems to be wrapping up the series on a high note.

15. Never Let Me Go
Beautiful but emotionally distant dystopian sci-fi film from director Mark Romanek.  Cast Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield all do great work but the film's script is missing that little extra something to make it great.



16. The Town
Thanks to a great cast including Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm and Rebecca Hall, this is one of the most entertaining films I saw all year.  And with Ben Affleck's smart direction, (who would have thought?), I didn't even have to feel guilty about it afterwards.

17. Let Me In
Writer/director Matt Reeves very nearly succeeds in making a film that can stand beside the Let The Right One In as a worthy alternate version.  He creates a few sequences that are superior to the original but stumbles during a few crucial moments and doesn't quite get there.

18. Frozen
The only film to make this list that I didn't see in the theatre.  This thriller will have you on the edge of your seat literally talking back to the screen.  It's smart, has believable dialogue, great acting and a premise that will make you never want to ski again.  Please watch this one.

19. Animal Kingdom
Australian crime drama features multiple standout roles as each member of the Cody clan appears even more dangerous than the others.  It was a hit at Sundance but, like most Sony Pictures Classics films, got lost in it's theatrical run.

20. Waking Sleeping Beauty
A great documentary about the dark days of Disney Animation and their resurrection in the late 80's/early 90's.  It's fun to see future titans John Lasseter, Tim Burton and Brad Bird here but it's even more amazing to see the warts-and-all turmoil from the usually squeaky clean studio.  I have no idea how they were able to release this.

Notable: Best Worst Movie, Catfish, Four Lions, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, Un Prophet, Shutter Island, Somewhere, True Grit

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

Hard to follow a post like that, very comprehensive and well laid out.

Let me also point out Enter the Void and Wild Grass (at least its US release was in 2010, so that counts for me).

[samsong]

abandoning my u.s. release date rule and acknowledging films i didn't list before that came out this year:


1. certified copy
for an idea of just how good and unexpected kiarostami's latest film is, imagine before sunset as directed by luis bunuel, or last year at marienbad by way of woody allen in his prime.  easily the iranian master's most pleasurable film that manages to be so many things at once -- an essay on relationships/art/love/life, a display of deft surrealist narrative gamesmanship, a romantic comedy -- with such finesse that it reaches cosmic heights with seemingly little effort.  truly astonishing.  one of the best films i've ever seen.


2. a prophet
intricately detailed very much in keeping with bresson, and badass to boot.  jacques audriard's genre revisionism takes on a whole new ambition, scope, and confidence here.  impeccably crafted and so well acted. 


3. exit through the gift shop
deliciously facetious while being a substantive, informative, and engrossing documentary on its purported subject.  also the funniest movie of the year.


4. uncle boonmee who can recall his past lives
weerasethakul's managed to make a film more confounding than his others, which in and of itself is mind boggling in such a way as to elicit either blissful elation or suicidal frustration.  i go with the former. 


5. the illusionist
a potentially blinding bias is at work here: i love jacques tati and his films immeasurably.  chomet's adaptation is close to achieving the charms of a tati film while upping the ante on the melancholy to be almost intolerably sad.  an elegiac ode to one of cinema's greatest artists.


6. vincere
incendiary and passionate, not something we get much of anymore, and it's coming from 71-year-old marco bellocchio who doesn't show any signs of his age in his sensibilities or ability to execute.


7. secret sunshine
lee chang dong at his most scathing.  very emotionally draining and complex stuff with amazing performances.


8. true grit
a straight shooting western in the most classic sense, to the point where it itself feels like a movie from a bygone era of american cinema.  ethereal and visually speaking ranks among the coens' strongest efforts.   


9. blue valentine
ryan gosling and michelle williams are, indeed, incredible.  it's a bit too purple at times and despite the quality of the performances, the dialogue can feel overwritten, but it's very resonant and very wrenching.


10. jackass 3d
bill viola can suck on their collective wieners.  glorious, and sort of poignant with their being practically middle aged and still doing this shit.

honorable mention: scott pilgrim vs. the world, mother, hot tub time machine, the social network, the crazies, oceans, macgruber, winter's bone

[Champion Souza]

5. the illusionist
a potentially blinding bias is at work here: i love jacques tati and his films immeasurably.  chomet's adaptation is close to achieving the charms of a tati film while upping the ante on the melancholy to be almost intolerably sad.  an elegiac ode to one of cinema's greatest artists.

This will definitely be in my top 5.  Glad someone here liked it too.

[Pozer]

18. Frozen
The only film to make this list that I didn't see in the theatre.  This thriller will have you on the edge of your seat literally talking back to the screen.  It's smart, has believable dialogue, great acting and a premise that will make you never want to ski again.  Please watch this one.

will do specially since netflix says it's streamable come tomorrow.

[matt35mm]

5. the illusionist
a potentially blinding bias is at work here: i love jacques tati and his films immeasurably.  chomet's adaptation is close to achieving the charms of a tati film while upping the ante on the melancholy to be almost intolerably sad.  an elegiac ode to one of cinema's greatest artists.

This will definitely be in my top 5.  Glad someone here liked it too.

It's only open in New York City and maybe L.A. (?) right now, so most of us haven't seen it.  I'll definitely see it when it opens this month here.  I reckon there will be more love to come for this one.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

5. the illusionist
a potentially blinding bias is at work here: i love jacques tati and his films immeasurably.  chomet's adaptation is close to achieving the charms of a tati film while upping the ante on the melancholy to be almost intolerably sad.  an elegiac ode to one of cinema's greatest artists.

This will definitely be in my top 5.  Glad someone here liked it too.

It's in Chicago now as well, I think, or maybe very soon.  I haven't seen it yet, which is why I've delayed making an actual list yet.

It's only open in New York City and maybe L.A. (?) right now, so most of us haven't seen it.  I'll definitely see it when it opens this month here.  I reckon there will be more love to come for this one.

[Stefen]

I can't even imagine making a list until March. There is just too much stuff I need to see. I've seen the big stuff, but don't really feel comfortable only using them for my list since I was kind of disappointed with some of the stuff I was really looking forward to. If I had more time to fill out my xixax ballot last year, it would have looked completely different. Not making that mistake again.

[Stefen]

oceans, winter's bone

Both of these were just sent to me from Netflix. Oceans I'm sure I added when I was really stoned and forgot about it and winters bone is one I have been meaning to watch all year but never did. I'm sure they will both look great on blu-ray.

[samsong]

i'm somewhat ambivalent about winter's bone but decided to give it the benefit of the doubt.  there's enough i liked about it (john hawks in particular) to consider it one of the year's successes.  oceans is pretty heavy handed and pierce brosnan's narration is laughable but it's fucking gorgeous.

[socketlevel]

18. Frozen
The only film to make this list that I didn't see in the theatre.  This thriller will have you on the edge of your seat literally talking back to the screen.  It's smart, has believable dialogue, great acting and a premise that will make you never want to ski again.  Please watch this one.

will do specially since netflix says it's streamable come tomorrow.

it's clever enough, but the dialogue isn't believable and the acting isn't great. near the end the exchanges between the woman and the stoner are pretty good, but all the "funny" bantor at the beginning is uninspired and falls flat from being hip, cool or realistic.

as a low budget movie, it's good, but buried is better (and much lower in budget)

[modage]

it's clever enough, but the dialogue isn't believable and the acting isn't great. near the end the exchanges between the woman and the stoner are pretty good, but all the "funny" bantor at the beginning is uninspired and falls flat from being hip, cool or realistic.

as a low budget movie, it's good, but buried is better (and much lower in budget)

I didn't see Buried but I was really really impressed with Frozen.  I rented it during October not expecting much, since I hadn't heard much about it, and was surprised at how good it was.  For a contained thriller I thought it was exceptionally well done.  I'm not sure I thought anything in the beginning was that funny, I just thought it was fairly realistic dialogue and all the actors were convincing.  I also wasn't prepared for how suspenseful and cringe-inducing it got as it went along.  Instead of feeling like I was 3 steps ahead of the characters, they seemed to be trying anything I would think to try, so when some of those things failed I was right there with them.  Even the way it was filmed, with them up there in the lift, not on a soundstage someplace or in front of a green screen, just helped lend the believability to the whole thing.  Since almost nobody saw it I think it deserved better than that.

[pete]

buried should be versusing 127 hours right?
I remember reading the script for buried then seeing the trailer for 127 hours and thought, fuck, that ryan reynalds' always gonna get shadowed.

[Pas]

From what I've seen:

1: The Social Network
2: Kick-ass
3: The Town
4: Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
5: Inception

+1: Wall Street 2

[Reel]

^^ those picks suck

Black swan
Winter's bone
Greenberg
True grit
Cyrus
I love you Phillip Morris
Due date
Life during wartime
Trash Humpers
and.. The Social Network, for good measure