Well, it's
once again time to ramble on about what I liked most at the
theater in 2010. Overall I feel as though 2010 was a
fairly week year (especially in the "blockbuster" category),
but there were a good chunk of really fantastic releases
that I know I'll want to one day place in my library.
Read on!
Top 25 Movies Of 2010
10. Winter's Bone
Despite the fact that there's
a movie in my top ten that's based on the true story of a
guy cutting his own arm off, this was the most "real'
feeling film that I saw this year. There's just
something about the cast of people in it that makes
Winter's Bone seem more legit than usual. Maybe
it's my deep East Texas upbringing? Hopefully not.
Anyhow, consider me super interested in whatever director
Debra Granik decides to do next.
09. The
American
Most people I know ended up
not being a fan of this. Personally, I blame the
marketing. It was billed as this sort of moody action
flick with George Clooney caught up in some elaborate
scheme, but in reality it was a very slow paced,
classic-themed love story. I can't wait to pick this
up on blu-ray.
08.
127 Hours
I suppose James Franco seems
like the obvious choice for all the glory in regards to
127 Hours, as he is fantastic in it, but I think most of
the credit should go to Danny Boyle, who dared to follow-up
the success of Slumdog Millionaire with such a
challenging film. Talk about something that will make
you appreciate life ... and your arms.
07.
Micmacs
Just an amazingly vibrant
comedy/caper from Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie).
Micmacs was one of the few movies this year that made
me want to repeatedly cheer out loud in the theater.
Sort of a shame that it didn't get a better reception during
its very quick run here in the US.
06.
Inception
The fact that Christopher
Nolan was even able to convince Warner Bros. to give him
nearly $200 million (and who knows how much for marketing)
to do this dream-themed pet project should be enough to
warrant a spot in anyone's list. But, for the sake of
providing the credit that Nolan would prefer, the movie was
great. Good luck finding anything cooler in 2010.
05.
The Social Network
This kind of surprised me. Sure, the talent involved
was at an almost can't-miss level, but I just didn't see the
tale of Mark Zuckerberg and his little social site as being
all that interesting. I was wrong. Although,
some would argue that The Social Network isn't as
much about Facebook as it is a study on an incredibly smart
kid and his quest to be popular/accepted/respected.
04.
Toy Story 3
When I think of this movie I
immediately begin to marvel at how Pixar was able to
resurrect the franchise after all these years and
possibly make the best entry in the series. Then I
immediately switch my brain over to the "furnace scene," and
I further marvel at how Pixar's little film about toys
contained the single most emotionally powerful moment in any
movie in 2010.
03.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
There were two movies this
year that made me giggle like a school child. The
first is this adaptation by Edgar Wright, who seems to know
how to perfectly push the buttons of every geek in the
world. It's an amazing skill, really, especially when
you consider how moody and angry most nerds are about the
things they hold dear. Also, and this is perhaps an
even more impressive feat, he made Michael Cera look cool.
That's no easy task. Too bad this totally ate it at
the box office.
02.
True Grit
And the other flick that
caused laughter fits? This remake by the Coen's.
They seem to be unbeatable right now, and this is proof of
that. Who else could take a beloved John Wayne film
and actually make it better? No one. And don't
even get me started on how unbelievably great Jeff Bridges
is in this.
01.
Black Swan
Being a huge Darren Aronofsky
fan probably doesn't provide much of an unbiased opinion
from me here, but this was easily the most intense and
enthralling film that I saw all of 2010. And Natalie
Portman? Brilliant. She couldn't have turned in
a better performance. You need this.
11. Kick Ass 12. Get Low 13. A Prophet 14. The Town 15. Iron Man 2 16. The King's Speech 17. Shutter Island 18. The Fighter 19. The A-Team 20. Exit Through The
Gift Shop 21. I Love You, Phillip
Morris 22. Four Lions 23. Buried 24. Mr. Nice 25. MacGruber
- The Biggest Disappointment Of 2010 -
1. Tron Legacy
- The 5
Worst Films I Saw In 2010 - 1. Clash Of The Titans 2. Legion 3. The Wolfman
4. Cop Out
5. Meek's Cutoff
- The Two Best Films From
2009 That I Saw In 2010 - 1. The Secret In Their
Eyes 2. The Secret Of Kells
- John Laird
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