For reasons of full disclosure here is a partial list of films I am interested in seeing that I haven't yet. Some of these may warrant top ten consideration after I do see them but I'm sure most would not:
Biutiful
Due Date
Hereafter
The Illusionist
Mother
The Next Three Days
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Somewhere
Tangled
Tron Legacy
Unstoppable
Now that that's out of the way, here are some quick thoughts on a bunch of movies I liked but aren't in my top ten. In alphabetical order they are available after the jump.
The American
Buried
Far from the action movie it's advertising made it out to be, The American is actually a slow moving, European styled, art house film about an assassin. The pace is sure to bore a large number of people but I found it to be a interesting and beautifully shot character study.
Buried
The concept is interesting and there's a lot of good stuff as far as lighting and camera placement is concerned. Ryan Reynolds also gives the best performance of his career but the movie doesn't hold up well for an hour and a half and it's easy to lose interest by the end.
The Crazies
This was my favorite horror movie of the year. It's much more exciting than the original George Romero version and I almost always enjoy Timothy Olyphant. It's not really scary but there's a good amount of tension throughout.
Cyrus
Cyrus is a lot more serious than the trailers would have you believe but still features some very funny moments. All three leads are excellent and while it won't satisfy anyone looking for a lot of plot development it's a successful attempt to bring mumblecore to the mainstream.
Easy A
The Ghost Writer
Easy A was one of the biggest surprises of the year. I haven't laughed this consistently at a teen comedy in a long time. Emma Stone is great and while it helps if you've seen a lot of 80's teen comedies, the movie should still work if you haven't.
I won't give my thought on Roman Polanski the person but I will say that Roman Polanski the filmmaker is very good at his job. The Ghost Writer is the best political thriller of the year. The direction, pacing and performances are excellent with only a slightly anti-climactic ending holding it back.
Greenberg
Ben Stiller gets to remind us that he can actually act in Greenberg. Far from the over the top characters he has been generally associated with, Roger Greenberg is neurotic, annoying and hardly sympathetic but Stiller makes him somewhat likable. Like most Noah Baumbach movies, Greenberg won't appeal to everyone but I enjoyed it.
I Love You Phillip Morris is pretty much a gay version of Catch Me If You Can. Jim Carrey is great and the story is certainly interesting. The subject matter is likely to turn off a number of people as the movie doesn't hold back on depicting homosexual relations but anyone who can't handle it will be missing out on an excellent con artist tale.
Kick-Ass is the most gloriously violent movie of the year and also one of the most fun to watch. There's no real emotional impact involved but for surface thrills there's not a lot more you could ask for.
The Kids are All Right
Annette Benning will surely get an Oscar nomination for her performance but that's only one of many reasons to see The Kids Are All Right. The film hits on a lot of themes involving family and relationships and does so in an unconventional manner. The movie is both funny and touching and features great performances from the entire cast.
Micmacs
This French film -- a satire on the international arms race -- comes from the Terry Gilliam school of weirdness. There are plenty of strange characters and directional flourishes throughout but the movie never loses track of it's soul either. Micmacs was a funny and pleasant surprise and is well worth seeking out.
Rabbit Hole
For a film about parents dealing with the loss of a child, Rabbit Hole isn't nearly as depressing as I thought it would be. There are a lot of (small) humorous moments scattered throughout and Nicole Kidman is probably going to get an Oscar nomination. I wouldn't call the movie uplifting or anything but don't be afraid to see it for fear of it dragging you down.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
I wasn't sure I'd enjoy Scott Pilgrim as I don't really get into video games anymore and I knew the movie was full of video game references. I couldn't have been more wrong. While people who have never played original Nintendo games will likely be lost, everyone else is in for a very unique, funny and action packed movie. I've literally never seen a movie like this. Director Edgar Wright deserves an Oscar nomination but there is zero chance of that happening.
Solitary Man
Solitary Man is worth seeing for Michael Douglas' acting alone. The movie lives or dies with his performance and he manages to make what should be a very unlikeable character, seem somewhat noble. This is probably the best character study of the year.
There were also a large number of excellent documentaries released this year. Even though there are a couple major ones I've not had the chance to view yet, these two in particular are standouts. I've been going back on forth on which one is better for the last few weeks.
There were also a large number of excellent documentaries released this year. Even though there are a couple major ones I've not had the chance to view yet, these two in particular are standouts. I've been going back on forth on which one is better for the last few weeks.
Exit Through the Gift Shop
For pure entertainment purposes this is the best doc of the year. I'm not sure if it's a legit documentary or a hoax (there are rumors and denials galore on this subject) but either way it doesn't paint a great picture of the art community. One other thing is for certain, either real or fake, Thierry Guetta is one of the most memorable film characters of 2010.
Restrepo
Restrepo puts the viewer right in the middle of the war in Afghanistan and is surely something anyone who watches will never forget. It gives a whole new perspective on what it means to be a soldier and the emotional impact these men go through. The movie doesn't take a stand and just lets these soldier's lives play out in front of the camera. You may not agree with the motivations behind any war but watching Restrepo will certainly give you an appreciation for the people fighting.
And now my ten favorite films of the year.
10. Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is my least favorite of the franchise but it's still an amazing movie. There's a definite darkness on display here that I certainly wasn't expecting. That darkness might make it a little less fun than the previous Toy Story films but it also gives it an unexpected emotional weight too. Visually it's obviously very impressive and the voice cast is once again superb. Toy Story 3 is easily the best animated movie I've seen this year.
9. Black Swan
I was really excited after seeing Black Swan and was convinced I would surely consider it a top five movie of the year. After a bit more reflection and a mental review of the other films I was considering, it dropped a bit. Natalie Portman is a shoo-in for a Best Actress nomination and director Darren Aronofsky should get one as well. The visual style is impeccable, the supporting performances are all very good and it features a high level of intensity throughout. On the downside, the movie could have been a lot more grounded in reality at times and I think that hinders some of it's impact. Even with it's negative qualities, Black Swan is still a great film I will be revisiting again.
8. The King's Speech
I'll just start by saying that Colin Firth is going to win the Best Actor Oscar and it won't even be close. His portrayal of King George VI is simply amazing. It would be really easy to make his stammer seem mannered and forced but it always feels natural. Firth certainly has to be considered one of the finest actors working today after this performance. I don't want to make it sound like The King's Speech is a one trick pony. Geoffrey Rush in particular is great as the the King's speech therapist and the movie is equally parts moving and very funny. I don't usually love this kind of film but a great movie is a great movie. This is a great movie.
7. The Town
If The King's Speech isn't the type of film I usually love, then The Town is it's polar opposite. A Boston based crime flick that features Jon Hamm? Sign me up immediately. Director/star Ben Affleck again proves that he has what it takes behind the camera and also turns in one of his best on screen performances of his career. The action scenes are the highlights of the movie but there's enough character development and dramatic weight on display here to make The Town worthwhile beyond the action. The only thing that holds it back from being a true classic crime movie, is it's inability to break loose from genre conventions. There's nothing new on display here but what is done, is done at an extremely high level.
6. Shutter Island
A lot of people complained that the ending to Shutter Island was predictable and that, that predictability spoiled the movie. I guess I don't understand what these people were watching for the other two hours of runtime then. Maybe it's because I had read the book, so I knew the ending before walking in the theater but knowing the ending didn't spoil the movie for me at all. In fact I've found that Shutter Island gets better with subsequent viewings. The first time I saw it, I got lost in the films story (even though I knew what it was) and the acting. The second time, I was really focused on Martin Scorcese's direction and was blown away by his work (again). The third time I picked up on so many subtle clues scattered throughout the film that I had never noticed before. This is a very layered film and the "twist" is only a very small part of it's enjoyment.
5. True Grit
True Grit is the most straight forward genre piece the Coen Brothers have ever made. It's a straight up Western with no nods to anything else and without a hint of the irony that the Coen's are known for. There are still a lot of quirky touches and the movie is very funny at times but it never strays from the Western blueprint. Jeff Bridges is an absolute riot as Rooster Cogburn and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld more than holds her own as she goes toe to toe with Bridges. Since I've seen the original True Grit it was fun to pick out the little differences between the two but I was suprised how similar the plots are. I much prefer the tone of the Coen's version and it's humor is lot less "jokey" than the John Wayne version. I'm not ready to place True Grit at the top of the Coen's canon but it's a fantastic western nonetheless.
4. The Fighter
I'm far from a boxing fan so I was happy to find out that The Fighter is a lot more about the people in it's world, than it is about actual boxing. The fight scenes are very well done and they are exciting but it's the character stuff that makes this such a great film. Mark Wahlberg is fine as Micky Ward but it's Christain Bale as his half-brother Dicky Eklund who steals the show. You won't be able to get Bale's eyes out of your head for days. His performance is such a live wire that it would be easy to overlook the rest of the cast but they are all up to the task. Melissa Leo in particular is great as Micky's mother and manager. The film really does transplant the viewer back to the 90's and director David O. Russel deserves a ton of accolades. I did think the movie went to the montage well one too many times and if you know the real story, some of the creative licence taken might bother you but these are very minor nitpicks. I enjoyed The Fighter immensely.
3. The Social Network
"The Facebook movie" really has no right to be as good as it is. There are practically no sympathetic characters and, come on, it's a movie about the creation of a social networking site. Most of the credit has to go to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and Director David Fincher (both will be nominated, I'm sure) as they do a great job of creating tension and giving the movie a dramatic weight that doesn't seem possible from the concept. The cast is all excellent -- I've heard complaints that Justin Timberlake is really annoying but this is all intentional, you're not supposed to like his character -- and I'm sure there will be at least one Academy nomination but I don't know who. The Social Network easily earns it's place in my top 5.
2. Inception
Director Christopher Nolan has been lauded as a genius for quite while now and Inception just further proves that point. This is easily the most imaginative movie of the year and one of the best sci-fi action movies to come out in a long time. I'm sure that everyone has seen it by now -- probably multiple times -- so you've all got your own opinions on what the ending means and what is happening in the film. My current stance is that it doesn't matter what's real and what's a dream, it all works so well, both viscerally and mentally. There might be a lack of emotion going on underneath it all but Inception keeps both your mind and eyes so busy it's almost impossible to notice. There just aren't enough good things I can say about this movie.
1. Winter's Bone
No other movie this year grabbed me from the opening shot and held my constant interest throughout it's runtime more-so than Winter's Bone. This story of a teenager searching for her missing meth dealer dad in the Ozarks is not a happy one by any means but it is totally engrossing. Jennifer Lawrence is a revelation in the lead role. The part is far from an easy one to play and she brings it to life in a way that's both tough and sensitive. The supporting cast is excellent as well. The film's themes of family, poverty, and self reliance are universal and the movie hits a lot of emotional nerves along the way. This is the only movie this year that made me want to re-watch it the minute the credits rolled. It has been stuck in my brain for months now and those are the main reasons it earns the number one spot on my list. You must see his film.
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