The gifts are unwrapped, the champagne glasses are washed and put away for another year. The holidays are over and it’s time to return to normalcy, except…something is gnawing at you. Something is… missing.
Ah, yes. Jack’s list of the top movies of the year gone by. This is the second time I’ve publicly shared the list, and the same rules apply. Basically, I can love a movie and you can hate it, and we’re both right. And vice versa. On with the show.
10) Shutter Island Martin Scorsese’s homage to the artful gothic thrillers of the 1950s. Teeters on cliché and silliness, but have faith in Scorsese, he knows what he’s doing. Highly entertaining. With this, Inception, and Black Swan, 2010 may have been the year of blurring the line between fantasy and reality.
9) Alice in Wonderland Tim Burton dialed down his usual brand of insanity just a little bit, you know, for the kids. But this was still a wildly fun time, and it looks great. Yes, yes, as in every other kids’ movie, the message is: “It’s OK to be different!” But Burton gives that notion an extra dose of weird.
8 ) The American A beautifully shot mood piece from director Anton Corbijn, perfectly framing a tale of solitude, sin, spirituality, paranoia, and the ever-present quest for love. Bonus points for Clooney playing a guy named Jack. Too slow for some but I dug it.
7) 127 Hours This one is all about James Franco’s incredible performance. Otherwise I might not have cared too much about a risk-prone person who, surprise, winds up…uh…between a rock and a hard place. But Franco lets us inside the character’s head, displaying the full range of human emotion.
6) True Grit Not as strong as other Coen brothers offerings, but that’s still way above most filmmakers. Young Hailee Steinfeld really impressed me. There are laughs and action during this quest for vengeance, and when all was said and done, there was an unexpected emotional impact.
5) Mesrine Actually two movies: Killer Instinct and Public Enemy #1. It’s the epic story of Jacques Mesrine, who was France’s public enemy no. 1 in the 1960s and ’70s. Vincent Cassel, who we’d later see in Black Swan, is excellent as the equally charming and terrifying Mesrine. We are encouraged to root for him and then are chastised for doing so. The first movie is a bit stronger but taken together it’s a powerful story arc. If you can handle four hours of subtitles.
4) Greenberg Of the movies I saw this year, Greenberg had the biggest personal impact on me. I related strongly to Stiller’s cranky aging loner. His story is told with humor and compassion, and boils down to: Can we who are set in our ways drop our defense mechanisms and open our hearts just a little?
3) Black Swan I love that many people think this movie is fantastic, while many others think it’s an utter piece of shit. The movie took chances, and it’s up to you whether Darren Aronofsky succeeded or not. Yes, totally over-the-top, sometimes laughable, occasionally heavy-handed… but also thrills, sensuality, and terrific explorations of competition, control & release, youth overtaking age, etc. Natalie Portman is outstanding, and the ending was great. Just a real good time at the movies, I thought.
2) The Runaways This should be required viewing for high school girls, as the key word here is empowerment. (Put down those smartphones and pick up a guitar, willya?) Beyond that it’s also about the power of music to sustain us, and the importance of history, as one band influences another influences another influences another… as the torch gets passed. And I have to mention an absolutely killer performance by Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett.
1) The Social Network I was extremely impressed with this film: performances, direction, sound, script, seemingly impartial presentation of the warring factions’ tales, etc. But the fact that it so tapped into this strange and evolving moment in history, capturing who we are right now, for me made it the movie of 2010.
Biggest gripe: No great comedies. Was underwhelmed by Dinner for Schmucks, The Other Guys, Get Him to the Greek, MacGruber, and especially…
Worst movie: Cop Out
Current releases I saw in the theater in 2010: 33
Are there 2010 movies I haven’t seen yet that might’ve made the list? Sure.
Cool – I was debating whether to rent The American the other night. Will do so now that you’ve recommended it. The slow-moving, atmospheric stuff sounds a little like Ghost Writer, which I enjoyed.
And I forgot to see Ghost Writer, so thanks for the reminder!
I was just struggling with my queue when you popped up to save the day! I have seen some of these, and hence have the capability to disagree with your assessment in a couple of instances…me no likee that creepy Alice in Wonderland! We shall debate these further in the new year…ah yes, we shall.
Have you seen The Town? It’s full of awesomeness (if you can suspend disbelief regarding the romantic element.)
You should do a PG-13 and under list for Media Darlings!