The Best Films of 2010

Well, it's Oscar night, so I think it's time I look back over the past year, and pick out my favorite films of 2010. Yeah, I know, it's nearly March, and most people do this sort of thing at the end of December. You know, when lists like this are relevant. But, as a regular paying filmgoer, I choose to hold off on this list until I get to see as many of the year's films as I can. And since many of the big films released at the end of the year usually expand slowly (sometimes very slowly) into wide release from December-February, I prefer to wait until the day of the Oscars to post my picks.

As usual, I will be naming my favorite film of the year, followed by listing the great films. The great films can be anything that really grabbed my attention, so they can be dramas, comedies, kid's films, whatever. Then, I'll be listing the "honorable mentions" (all the runner ups), and my 10 favorite actor and actresses performances of the year. Aside from "Best Film", all of these choices are listed in no particular order.

So, with that out of the way, let's get down to the really important stuff - The movies.


THE BEST FILM OF 2010

THE SOCIAL NETWORK - I question how people will view this movie in future years. It's very much a product of its time, and will most likely be seen almost as a curiosity in the future, due to its subject matter, which is sure to become dated at some point. But, relevant or not, I cannot deny that this is the tightest, best written, best edited, best directed, and best scored movie I saw in 2010. Director David Fincher, along with screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, made a film that could speak to anyone, even those who have never been on Facebook, by focusing on such universal themes as personal isolation, ruthless business tactics, geek culture, and emotional rejection. Not only is it a joy to watch, thanks to Fincher's direction, and the wonderful performances of the entire cast, but it's a joy to listen to as well. Sorkin's dialogue is whip-smart, funny, and brings us into the world of the characters. The Social Network is a rare Hollywood instance of everything coming together to create a whole experience.


THE GREAT FILMS OF 2010 (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER):

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT - If this was a movie about a traditional family unit, The Kids Are All Right probably would not have been seen as an "art film", and be hailed as one of the funniest and most honest films about families in a while, which it is. But the angle that the parents in this family are lesbians (which the movie wisely does not draw attention to or make a huge deal out of) makes it stand out even more. Throw in the memorable performances by Annette Benning, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo, and you have something very special. Director Lisa Cholodenko (who co-wrote the script) gives the film a light tone, while never sacrificing the honesty and the drama that the characters find themselves in. This movie is a rare treasure.

THE GHOST WRITER - This tale of a fictional British prime minister (modeled after Tony Blair), and a ghost writer working on his memoirs, is the sharpest thriller to come along in a while. A lot of this is due to filmmaker Roman Polanski's decision to go with a no thrills, gimmick-free approach to the storytelling, and also to the direction. Everything feels so honest, we can't help but get wrapped up in the increasingly complex web that the writer (played by Ewan McGregor in the best performance of his career so far) finds himself drawn into as he begins to dig into the prime minister's (Pierce Bronsan, also great) past. Tight, polished, and unsettling, this is a perfect example of the mood the filmmaker creates adding so much tension to the story. No matter what you may think of Polanski personally, you can't deny after seeing this that he is a master craftsman when it comes to film.

INCEPTION - Christopher Nolan's mind-bending summer blockbuster got it's share of supporters and naysayers, which is to be expected. But, what cannot be denied is how well thought out and executed it was. Inception is not a movie that guides you by the hand, but instead is a wonderful puzzle to figure out. This is the rare summer movie where the ideas and the plot interested me just as much as the visuals. And the visuals are indeed beautiful, as city streets bend, twist, and defy gravity (as do the characters eventually as they venture back and forth between the real world and a dream world). Emotionally rewarding, thrilling, and exciting as hell, this was one of the rare movies where you got the sense that the director was not only challenging his audience, but also himself. If that's not the mark of a true filmmaker, I don't know what is.

THE OTHER GUYS - My pick for my favorite comedy of last year. Many comedies start out strong, but lose momentum. Some take a while to find their momentum. The Other Guys was the rare comedy where I found myself laughing just as much near the end as I was at the beginning. Will Ferrell (a hit or miss comic actor with me) finally found the perfect role to play, as his deadpan delivery of the script's hilarious lines make it all the more funnier. Mark Wahlberg surprisingly holds his own as his partner on the police force, as they get wrapped up in and try to solve a financial fraud case. The movie won me over with it's off beat humor and dialogue. It almost sets itself up as a parody of cop buddy movies, but instead of going over the top, it keeps the characters grounded in some sort of reality, as they say the most absurd things. The key to the movie's success is that the actors pretend they're not in a comedy, and that makes many of its moments twice as funny.

BLACK SWAN - This one caught me off guard in a lot of ways. I loved the way that director Darren Aronofsky used a handheld camera that follows its heroine Nina (Natalie Portman), so that we feel like we are almost seeing what she sees. I loved its depiction of her slow descent into madness as she struggles to find the darker recessions of her personality to fill a challenging role, while also dealing with the drama in her personal life, due to a controlling and manipulative mother (a fantastic Barbara Hershey). I loved the performance of Mila Kunis, as Nina's professional rival (or is she?), which I feel largely got overlooked by Portman's obviously wonderful lead performance. Basically, I loved everything about this wonderful psychological thriller. Black Swan grabbed me as few films can, and transported me into its dark and wonderful world.

LET ME IN - A melancholy coming of age story, and also easily one of the most haunting and atmospheric looks at adolescence I've seen. Despite it's horror undertones dealing with vampires, this is really a bleak but strangely heartfelt film about a young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who feels alone and isolated from the world, until he befriends the young girl who moves in next door (a fantastic Chloe Moretz), who is actually a vampire that has lived for hundreds of years. He is drawn to her by her unnatural worldly and wise nature, and the film itself becomes a fascinating character study as the boy and girl's friendship deepens, and they become dependent on each other. This film (a remake of a Swedish film, which itself was based on a popular novel) is not romanticized, like the inferior Twilight films. The little girl is dangerous, yet at the same time compassionate. It creates a form of tension, as we know she could turn on the boy at anytime. More than that, it holds the best child performances of the year outside of True Grit. Chilling, complex, and compelling, Let Me In deserves to be discovered on DVD after it's too brief theatrical run.

That concludes this year's list of great films. Now let's take a look at the Honorable Mentions of 2010.


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Youth in Revolt, Shutter Island, Green Zone, She's Out of My League, How to Train Your Dragon, Date Night, Oceans, Just Wright, Letters to Juliet, Shrek Forever After, Splice, The Karate Kid, Toy Story 3, Cyrus, Winter's Bone, Despicable Me, Salt, Ramona and Beezus, Dinner for Schmucks, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nanny McPhee Returns, The Switch, Machete, The Town, Easy A, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Red, Hereafter, Megamind, Unstoppable, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1, Tangled, The Warrior's Way, Tron: Legacy, True Grit, The King's Speech


MY 10 FAVORITE PERFORMANCES BY AN ACTOR IN 2010:

Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Pierce Bronsan (Ghost Writer)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Jonah Hill (Cyrus)
Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)


MY 10 FAVORITE PERFORMANCES BY AN ACTRESS IN 2010:

Annette Benning (The Kids Are All Right)
Barbara Hershey (Black Swan)
Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right)
Chloe Grace Moretz (Let Me In)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Emma Stone (Easy A)

That's it for this year. Enjoy the Oscars tonight, and may the best film win!

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