#1
Posted: 1/12/11 at 1:52am
For anyone who's interested. :)
10. The Kids Are All Right - Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are, by turns, hilarious and poignant as lesbian mothers in Lisa Cholodenko's uncommonly truthful and biting comedy about parenting, love, and family. The cast - also featuring Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, and Josh Hutcherson - is the very definition of ensemble acting, observant of one another and generous in their building of each specific relationship. In the past year, no mainstream comedy that I saw provided so many laughs, while sacrificing none of the story's integrity and social significance.
9. I Am Love (a.k.a. Io sono l'amore) - Directed with complexity and pulsating rhythm by Luca Guadagnino, this intoxicating melodrama essays an older woman's affair with a younger man and, in turn, her own sexual and spiritual re-awakening. No actress in the world is better at playing villains than the fabulous Tilda Swinton. But here, not only does she clear the indomitable challenge of mastering Italian in a Russian accent, but she also plays her warmest, most vulnerable character to date.
8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Acclaimed director Edgar Wright has outdone himself on the ambition scale with this all-cylinders, one-of-a-kind piece of outrageous cinema heaven. At once an ode to slacker comedies, comic book flicks, unapologetic fantasies, and overblown action fare, it is safe to say there has never been anything quite like it. Assembled with precision and ingenuity, shot with bravery and innovation, and conceived with its heart in the right place, this is sure to become a cult classic. And rightfully so. It would be a shame for something this entertaining and bold to go unrecognized.
7. A Prophet (a.k.a. Un prophéte) - Disarmingly violent yet fully absorbing, Jacques Audiard's prison saga of a soft-spoken and awkward young man who goes on to become a crime boss pops and pounces with volcanic aggression and imposing unpredictability. At it's core, though, is a soul-wringing transformation, and star Tahar Rahim is more than capable in showing us exactly what survival looks like.
6. Everyone Else (a.k.a. Alle Anderen) - Having been together for several years, an apparently happy couple experiences a very rough patch. You might think you've seen this movie before, but you haven't. Written and directed with insight and specificity, the film is ripe with frank observations of two frustrating yet authentic individuals who want to make their relationship work but find themselves often pretending to be people that they simply are not. And I can't stress enough the achievements of lead actors Birgit Minichmayr and Lars Eidinger, who not only understand their characters to the finest detail, but also play off each other's every nuance and line-reading in a way that amazes.
5. Mother (a.k.a. Madeo) - During the opening credits, a middle-aged woman saunters up to the top of a mountain and begins to slowly dance her cares away as she stares, blank-faced, into the camera. One can only imagine where the film will go next. The pace switches gears as the film reveals itself to be a murder-mystery, spiked with plenty of offbeat humor. But thanks to director Joon-ho Bong and a tour de force by Hye-ja Kim as the title character, the rug is pulled out from under us once again and the piece takes on yet another life: a heartbreaking, spellbinding abyss of pain, regret, and guilt.
4. Let Me In - Although critics and audiences were up in arms when it was announced that the Swedish-made Let the Right One In would be seeing a remake, director Matt Reeves exceeded expectations by making a film of unrelenting tension and painful longing, illustrating the relationship of a disturbed boy and a rather unusual girl with more than her fair share of unnerving secrets. Confidently made, dramatically forceful, and genuinely chilling, this is a rare remake that - dare I say it - surpasses the original in every respect. Not only the best horror film of 2010, but one of the best in years.
3. Black Swan - A perceptive character study wrapped in a macabre psychological thriller, director Darren Aronofsky continues his streak of leaving audiences visibly shaken. Gorgeously filmed and designed with thematic clarity, but the heart and soul of the piece is Natalie Portman who, in the role of a socially and emotionally withdrawn ballerina who desires nothing but to excel at her chosen profession, is exquisite.
2. The Social Network - Invigorated by a razor-sharp script by Aaron Sorkin and blissful direction by David Fincher, the film, detailing the rise to infamy of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is akin to running a marathon while hopped-up on Red Bull. Jesse Eisenberg is excellent as the cocksure and fascinating Zuckerberg, while Andrew Garfield provides sterling support as his business associate and betrayed friend. Dynamic, fiercely intelligent, and nimbly paced, it informs, enlightens, surprises, and provokes. American filmmaking at its most fluid and effortless.
1. Dogtooth (a.k.a. Kynodontas) - The plot is best left unexplained, but it concerns three twentysomethings living on a large estate with their parents. Within the first few minutes, though, the audience understands that absolutely nothing is what it seems to be. The dedicated ensemble cast clearly understands and believes in writer-director Giorgos Lanthimos's every nasty impulse and, as a result, so do we. The film works as a topical commentary on familial bonds, an eerily plausible horror movie, and, perhaps most prominently, a truly demented comedy. By never playing it safe and by taking risks every step of the way, Lanthimos and his actors have concocted a devious and brazenly original treat. No other film in 2010 gave me such an experience, leaving this viewer exhilarated, disturbed, and pondering what bat**** genius thought it up.
10. The Kids Are All Right - Annette Bening and Julianne Moore are, by turns, hilarious and poignant as lesbian mothers in Lisa Cholodenko's uncommonly truthful and biting comedy about parenting, love, and family. The cast - also featuring Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, and Josh Hutcherson - is the very definition of ensemble acting, observant of one another and generous in their building of each specific relationship. In the past year, no mainstream comedy that I saw provided so many laughs, while sacrificing none of the story's integrity and social significance.
9. I Am Love (a.k.a. Io sono l'amore) - Directed with complexity and pulsating rhythm by Luca Guadagnino, this intoxicating melodrama essays an older woman's affair with a younger man and, in turn, her own sexual and spiritual re-awakening. No actress in the world is better at playing villains than the fabulous Tilda Swinton. But here, not only does she clear the indomitable challenge of mastering Italian in a Russian accent, but she also plays her warmest, most vulnerable character to date.
8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Acclaimed director Edgar Wright has outdone himself on the ambition scale with this all-cylinders, one-of-a-kind piece of outrageous cinema heaven. At once an ode to slacker comedies, comic book flicks, unapologetic fantasies, and overblown action fare, it is safe to say there has never been anything quite like it. Assembled with precision and ingenuity, shot with bravery and innovation, and conceived with its heart in the right place, this is sure to become a cult classic. And rightfully so. It would be a shame for something this entertaining and bold to go unrecognized.
7. A Prophet (a.k.a. Un prophéte) - Disarmingly violent yet fully absorbing, Jacques Audiard's prison saga of a soft-spoken and awkward young man who goes on to become a crime boss pops and pounces with volcanic aggression and imposing unpredictability. At it's core, though, is a soul-wringing transformation, and star Tahar Rahim is more than capable in showing us exactly what survival looks like.
6. Everyone Else (a.k.a. Alle Anderen) - Having been together for several years, an apparently happy couple experiences a very rough patch. You might think you've seen this movie before, but you haven't. Written and directed with insight and specificity, the film is ripe with frank observations of two frustrating yet authentic individuals who want to make their relationship work but find themselves often pretending to be people that they simply are not. And I can't stress enough the achievements of lead actors Birgit Minichmayr and Lars Eidinger, who not only understand their characters to the finest detail, but also play off each other's every nuance and line-reading in a way that amazes.
5. Mother (a.k.a. Madeo) - During the opening credits, a middle-aged woman saunters up to the top of a mountain and begins to slowly dance her cares away as she stares, blank-faced, into the camera. One can only imagine where the film will go next. The pace switches gears as the film reveals itself to be a murder-mystery, spiked with plenty of offbeat humor. But thanks to director Joon-ho Bong and a tour de force by Hye-ja Kim as the title character, the rug is pulled out from under us once again and the piece takes on yet another life: a heartbreaking, spellbinding abyss of pain, regret, and guilt.
4. Let Me In - Although critics and audiences were up in arms when it was announced that the Swedish-made Let the Right One In would be seeing a remake, director Matt Reeves exceeded expectations by making a film of unrelenting tension and painful longing, illustrating the relationship of a disturbed boy and a rather unusual girl with more than her fair share of unnerving secrets. Confidently made, dramatically forceful, and genuinely chilling, this is a rare remake that - dare I say it - surpasses the original in every respect. Not only the best horror film of 2010, but one of the best in years.
3. Black Swan - A perceptive character study wrapped in a macabre psychological thriller, director Darren Aronofsky continues his streak of leaving audiences visibly shaken. Gorgeously filmed and designed with thematic clarity, but the heart and soul of the piece is Natalie Portman who, in the role of a socially and emotionally withdrawn ballerina who desires nothing but to excel at her chosen profession, is exquisite.
2. The Social Network - Invigorated by a razor-sharp script by Aaron Sorkin and blissful direction by David Fincher, the film, detailing the rise to infamy of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is akin to running a marathon while hopped-up on Red Bull. Jesse Eisenberg is excellent as the cocksure and fascinating Zuckerberg, while Andrew Garfield provides sterling support as his business associate and betrayed friend. Dynamic, fiercely intelligent, and nimbly paced, it informs, enlightens, surprises, and provokes. American filmmaking at its most fluid and effortless.
1. Dogtooth (a.k.a. Kynodontas) - The plot is best left unexplained, but it concerns three twentysomethings living on a large estate with their parents. Within the first few minutes, though, the audience understands that absolutely nothing is what it seems to be. The dedicated ensemble cast clearly understands and believes in writer-director Giorgos Lanthimos's every nasty impulse and, as a result, so do we. The film works as a topical commentary on familial bonds, an eerily plausible horror movie, and, perhaps most prominently, a truly demented comedy. By never playing it safe and by taking risks every step of the way, Lanthimos and his actors have concocted a devious and brazenly original treat. No other film in 2010 gave me such an experience, leaving this viewer exhilarated, disturbed, and pondering what bat**** genius thought it up.
Updated On: 1/12/11 at 01:52 AM
