2010 was a fun year at the movie theater, with a variety of engaging films filling up the Top 10. So let's get to it, with some quick house-cleaning to do first...
A Blast from the Past: My Top 10 Movies of 2009
10 Potential Listbusters (some films I didn't see, but heard were good): The American, Blue Valentine, Biutiful, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, The Kids Are Alright, Never Let Me Go, The Runaways, Stone, The Tempest, Winter’s Bone
16 Honorable Mentions: Barney’s Version, The Book of Eli, Buried, Conviction, Despicable Me, Easy A, How to Train Your Dragon, I Love You Phillip Morris, Kick-Ass, Let Me In, Megamind, Mesrine: Killer Instinct, Monsters, Shutter Island, The Town, Tucker & Dale vs Evil
And now onto the feature presentation…
My Top 10 Movies of 2010:
10. 127 Hours
An adventurous mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.
James Franco gives an electrifying performance in this horrifying true story. Scenes of the trapped protagonist are interposed with scenes from the character’s past, which give the film momentum as hours turn to days for Franco’s character. The actual scene of Franco cutting off his arm was not as gruesome as I had heard it was going to be. News outlets reported that people were actually passing out in the theater, but I really didn’t think it was that bad (but then again, I liked Saw, so…). Overall, Franco’s strong performance is what really gives this film its year’s-best quality.
9. The Karate Kid
Work causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.
What’s truly impressive about The Karate Kid is how it showed Hollywood how a remake can really be done well. I may being the minority here, but I found this reboot to be an improvement on the original. The training and fight sequences are accomplished on a much grander scale while displaying the beauty of both Chinese landscapes and culture. I absolutely loved Jackie Chan in his supporting, mentorship role to young Jaden Smith, who also gives up a strong performance. I’d say this is one of the strongest performances of Chan’s career. Don’t bet on any Oscars for this one, but get hopeful for the sequel.
8. The Fighter
A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.
Christian Bale. See this movie for Christian Bale. And also for Melissa Leo, but mostly for Christian Bale. His electric performance is carrying The Fighter all the way to Oscar gold and Bale himself is pretty much guaranteed to win Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Leo is also a strong contender for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, even though Amy Adams has also been nominated in the same category for her own role in The Fighter. Regardless of who takes home the gold, The Fighter remains an emotional story constructed by actors and filmmakers of the absolute highest caliber.
7. Tangled
The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is.
2010 was a great year for animated movies, including Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon, Megamind, and - yes - Tangled. The newest release from the House of Mouse, along with last year’s The Princess & the Frog, demonstrates that the studio has finally recaptured that Disney movie magic of old, following a decade of pedestrian features. What really elevates the film to the category of animated modern-day classic is the music, with credit going to Disney legend, Alan Menkin. “I See the Light,” nominated for an Oscar for Best Song, delivers what is perhaps the most touching romance scene of any Disney movie, rivaled only by Menkin’s own “Beauty and the Beast” song. Whatever it is that has made so many Disney cartoons great, Tangled has it.
6. Toy Story 3
The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.
This is Pixar is at its finest. I don’t really think much more needs to be said than that. Toy Story 3 proved to be just as funny as the first two films in the series, but with action on a grander scale that makes it the perfect conclusion to this trilogy. And as with many Pixar movies, here’s a customary warning about the film’s emotional influence: you will cry at the end. I’ll let you find out for yourself if those will be tears of sorrow or joy!!
5. The King’s Speech
The story of King George VI of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.
No other film has gained as much momentum and Oscar-buzz over this past month as has The King’s Speech, buoyed by incredible performances from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Firth is all but assured the Academy Award for Best Actor at this point and if anyone can beat Christian Bale in the Supporting Actor category, its Rush. The King’s Speech has also rocketed in front of the pack as the front-runner to win Best Picture, due to a masterfully constructed script that offers a unique insight into the real-life relationship between a king and his therapist. See the movie and I guarantee you’ll watch the last five minute cheering.
4. Inception
A thief, who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology, is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO.
I think the totem falls… Of course, not exactly knowing how the story ends is the perfect conclusion to a movie that blurs the lines of dreams and reality. As always, director Chris Nolan (The Prestige, The Dark Knight) assembled in all-star cast -- including Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Marion Cotillard -- to bring his cutting-edge film to life. Few other films have as much depth of story as Inception and any film that that leaves audiences buzzing so much as the credits roll deserves to be on everyone’s Top 10 list.
3. True Grit
A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.
After winning an Academy Award for his role in last year’s critically-acclaimed Crazy Heart, Jeff Bridges joined with Joel and Ethan Cohen -- themselves winning Best Director honors for 2007’s No Country For Old Men -- for a remake of John Wayne’s True Grit, which won The Duke his own Oscar in 1969. Whew, that’s a lot of gold!! Bridges was great as lawman Rooster Cogburn, supported by engaging performances from Matt Damon and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. Funny and action-packed, my favorite part of this film was simply listening to the bitingly clever, southern-twanged dialogue that makes it one of the very best films of the year.
2. The Social Network
Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, but is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and the co-founder who was squeezed out of the business.
And who would have ever thought that “the Facebook movie” would have audiences around the world so intimately captivated?? In fact, no other film has ever captured the essence of our entire generation as fully or accurately as The Social Network. Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield capture their roles perfectly, particularly Eisenberg as he creates a persona that we can understand, yet with whom we simultaneously struggle to empathize. Aaron Sorkin, acclaimed writer of The West Wing (the best television show ever made), has written a brilliantly clever script, with dialogue wittier than any seen this year. See. This. Movie.
1. Black Swan
A committed dancer wins the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" only to find herself struggling to maintain her sanity.
At number one, Black Swan was the most well-made film of 2010. Natalie Portman is flawless as a ballerina fighting for her career and reputation, who finds herself slowly succumbing to insanity in a character-arch that poetically parallels that of the swan characters in the ballet. Mila Kunis reaffirms her talent as Portman’s rival and Darron Arnofsky, the director who last year introduced us to The Wrestler, has earned himself the respect of the entire industry. There is really no other way to describe the film other than it being a fully complete work of cinematic art, gripping and compelling from start to finish.
No comments:
Post a Comment