The 10 best films I saw last year.

[broadway86]

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. Updated On: 1/12/11 at 01:52 AM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 4:16am

I haven't seen any of them. I only saw Burlesque(loved it), Sex and the City 2(loved it), Avatar(hated it) and Inception(hated it). Totalling 4 movies during 2010.

[tazber]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 6:16am

Those are all good films. I really loved Mother also. Definitely one of my favorite films of last year. And I can't praise Hye-ja Kim's performance enough.

Everyone Else was notable for the two performances to be sure, but I felt the last 20 minutes or so went a little astray (the scene in the kitchen with the two women and the knife felt particularly inauthentic). But as a depiction of a relationship falling apart it was much more truthful than Blue Valentine, the year's other relationship implosion drama.

Seeing Animal Kingdom on Tuesday when it hits dvd, can't wait.

Haven't been able to track down Doogtooth yet, but everything I've read/heard has praised it gushingly.

I would add:

Make Out With Violence
Winter's Bone
Lebanon
Kick Ass
Exit Through The Gift Shop

Updated On: 1/12/11 at 06:16 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 10:10am

My favorites:

Black Swan
The Kids Are Alright
Winter's Bone
Inception
Kick Ass
The Social Network
The King's Speech
Easy A

I haven't seen The Fighter, The Town, True Grit or 127 Hours yet.

Updated On: 1/12/11 at 10:10 AM

[AC126748]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 10:20am

My top ten:

1. Io Sono L'Amore
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
4. Never Let Me Go
5. Cyrus
6. Life During Wartime
7. Please Give
8. The Town
9. Wild Grass
10. True Grit

Best Performances:
Actor--Jeff Bridges, True Grit
(Honorable Mention: Russell Brand, Get Him to the Greek)
Actress--Tilda Swinton, Io Sono L'Amore
(Honorable Mention: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right and Mother & Child)
Supporting Actor--Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
(Honorable Mention: Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go)
Supporting Actress--Hailee Steinfield, True Grit
(Honorable Mentions: Allison Janney, Life During Wartime; Keira Knightley, Never Let Me Go; Amanda Peet, Please Give; Melissa Leo, The Fighter; Barbara Hershey, Black Swan)

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 10:50am

I actually cannot really decide my #1, so:

Toy Story 3
Best Worst Movie
Marwencol
Black Swan
True Grit
Winter's Bone
Kick-Ass
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
The Social Network
Gomorrah- This is one of the best mob movies in years. Technically had been out since 2008 but screened to critics Fall of 2009 and finally, had a wider release last winter.

Seeing The King's Speech this weekend.

Want to see: Never Let Me Go, I Am Love, Cyrus, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Life During Wartime, Mother, Buried, Exit Through The Gift Shop, Animal Kingdom, and 127 Hours

[clever name]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 12:45pm

I'm happily surprised how much I loved Scott Pilgrim. I also loved
127 Hours
Inception
The Social Network
True Grit

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 1:33pm

Sorry guys, but I found I AM LOVE to be one of the most pretentious films I've ever seen. It was as if the filmmakers made a movie using ever cliche you could think of for a "foreign film", multiplied it by 10 and put it on the screen.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 1:40pm

I'm having a hard time coming up with a Ten Best this year -- it may have to be a Couple Of Best films, so many of the films I saw this year were forgettable at best (THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT and INCEPTION and TRUE GRIT) and vile at worst (BLACK SWAN).

For what it is worth, here it is so far --

TOY STORY 3 -- the miraculous film from Pixar that managed to be funny and moving and intelligent, taking familiar characters and situations and breathing fresh life into them. A joy to behold, an unprecedented feat, the only trilogy of its kind that never flags and doesn't fall apart in the final installment.

WINTER'S BONE -- the little movie that could, a dark little missing persons thriller that never descends into mere plot mechanics as so many of the more popular big-budgeted films of the year did. There's more humanity in this film about the terrible effects of poverty than in a dozen INCEPTIONs or SHUTTER ISLANDs or BLACK SWANs.

THE ONION FUTURE NEWS-- available via Itunes, a brilliant sharp satire of all things going on, brilliantly written, brilliantly produced. The idea is that they are able to tap into a future newscast, where the world is in really bad shape. You have to see it to believe it, and you really should see it. Essential viewing.

Honorable mention -- NEVER LET ME GO, the little film that kind of vanished without a trace and deserved better than to be swept under the rug. MOTHER, as mentioned above, an admirable little thriller that goes to interesting places. And I'll go ahead and note ENTER THE VOID, which has managed to stick in my memory in a way that other better received films haven't (I have to keep reminding myself that I saw THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT and THE SOCIAL NETWORK -- they only cross my mind when I see them mentioned on Best lists).

All around though, the best films I saw in 2010 were largely older films, like ROTAIE, METROPOLIS, etc.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 1:40pm

I think the only things I saw this year were:
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter
Tangled

I feel like I *might* have seen something this summer. But, clearly it didn't leave any impression on me if I did.

That said, the best film I saw all year was "Can't Stop the Music" featuring The Village People, Valerie Perrine, Steve Guttenberg, Bruce Jenner, Marilyn Sokol, Tammy Grimes and June Havoc.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 1:58pm

I'm astounded by Roscoe's praise for Toy Story 3. But I guess it makes sense since I really didn't see anything special in that film (or any of the Toy Story movies). I think the first film is notable for its artistic feat, creativity and innovation. But I never connected with them the way I did with A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo or Ratatouille (Pixar's finest in my opinion).

There's more humanity in this film about the terrible effects of poverty than in a dozen INCEPTIONs or SHUTTER ISLANDs or BLACK SWANs.

I'd have to agree with that statement, but none of those films were created with the same intention. Winter's Bone is about humanity, poverty and a US demographic we try to ignore. I'm not sure why you compare that specific aspect of the film to Inception, Shutter Island or Black Swan.

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 2:04pm

1. Toy Story 3
2. True Grit
3. Inception
4. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 1
5. Tangled
6. How to Train Your Dragon
7. Alice in Wonderland
8. Despicable Me
9. Babies (Documentary)
10. Shrek Forever After

[Roscoe]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 2:07pm

Simple enough, really. I found myself, on a simple basic level, giving a damn about what was going on in WINTER'S BONE in ways that I never did about the bullsh*t plot mechanics of the insanely overpraised INCEPTION and BLACK SWAN.

And if I don't give a damn about what's going on, what's the point?

Yeah, there's a big difference between WINTER'S BONE and INCEPTION etc. Apples and oranges, maybe, but WINTER'S BONE strikes me as a brilliant round shiny delicious nourishing apple, while INCEPTION etc. are just really dried up withered juiceless excuses for oranges.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 2:20pm

See, I watch movies for very different reasons. Winter's Bone may be an apple, but Inception is Gummy Bears. Sometimes, I crave Gummy Bears. They may not be healthy, like an apple, but they can be just as satisfying. Black Swan is pizza. But Tron was hospital food.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 2:29pm

No problem with good Gummy Bears. I like good Gummy Bears. INCEPTION is a really sh*tty Gummy Bear.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 4:21pm

My Top 3:

3.) Mother and Child-Annette Bening does far better work in this than "The Kids.."
2.) Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work-a legend gets her story told.
1.) Please Give-Amanda Peet gave one of the best performances of the year and will be sadly overlooked.

[tazber]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 6:08pm

I liked TS3 but don't quite get all the hoopla. I actually found myself a little bored during the middle section.

But the epilogue was one of the most beautiful scenes in recent movie history.

As far as other Pixar films go I thought Wall-E and Up were both superior (I think Wall-E may be one of the best movies I've ever seen period).

Totally agree with Roscoe on Winter's Bone. There wasn't a minute in the film that didn't feel completely real and organic. Even the rather gruesome moment in the row boat felt 100% real. Brilliant filmmaking.

Btw, I thought Dale Dickey gave the best supporting performance of the year hands down.

[broadway86]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 6:17pm

These were other movies I loved, but couldn't fit:

127 Hours
Animal Kingdom
Another Year
Catfish
Enter the Void
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Father of My Children
Fighter, The
Fish Tank
Four Lions
Frozen
Ghost Writer, The
Greenberg
How to Train Your Dragon
I'm Still Here
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Loved Ones, The
My Dog Tulip
Please Give
[REC] 2
Secret in Their Eyes, The
Tangled
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Unstoppable
White Material
Winter's Bone

[tazber]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 6:34pm

Oh, and I finally saw Thirst this year. It was released last year I believe.

It's a Korean (they are really making some damn fine cinema there) film about a priest who gets a blood transfusion and ends up becoming a vampire. Sounds silly and genre-ish I know, but it is goes in a direction that I never saw coming.

I still love to be surprised by movies more than anything and this one really went to some crazy places. It meanders a bit in the beginning, but I can't recommend it highly enough.

Also, I have to give props to Ok-bin Kim who gave one of the most unhinged performances I have ever seen. I would give anything to see her and Hye-ja Kim (from Mother) team up and make a mother/daughter drama of some sort.


I'm Still Here, Frozen, and Greenberg left me wanting my time back.

The Loved Ones and [REC]2 are both high on my must see list (as I think everyone here knows I love horror)

Four Lions was hilarious and uncomfortable. As it should be,


The only film mentioned that I haven't heard of in your list is My Dog Tulip.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 6:42pm

MY DOG TULIP was great, a hand-drawn animation based on a book by J.R. Ackerley, about his life with his dog Tulip. Ackerley is a rather quiet literary type who finds his unlikely soul mate in his rambunctious dog. Anyone who has ever had an emotional attachment to a dog will appreciate this film.

A real joy. Seek it out. Christopher Plummer's narration alone is worth the trip.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 7:34pm

1. Toy Story 3
2. Black Swan
3. The Social Network
4. The Ghost Writer
5. Easy A
6. 127 Hours
7. Frozen
8. Joan Rivers A Piece of Work
9. Catfish
10. Piranah (yes thats right, i thought it was a brilliant nod back to the 80s exploitation films)
11. Unstoppable
12. The Kids Are Alright
13. Inception
14. Despicable Me
15. Exit through the Gift Shop

Worst
A Nightmare on Elm Street (they messed with a brilliant movie and turned it in to s**t)

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 8:34pm

tazber, how did you get to see The Loved Ones? I have been really wanting to see that film the moment I saw the trailer online. I trust your horror instincts, I loved Thirst too.

Completely forgot about Fish Tank. Came out so early last year. But there can never be enough Michael Fassbender (well, except with Jonah Hex).

[tazber]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 8:53pm

I haven't seen it yet, strummer. It's on my must see list along with [REC]2.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 9:02pm

Oh, gotcha.

[elphabelle07]

Posted: 1/13/11 at 12:55pm

In no particular order,

King's Speech
Inception
Black Swan
Winter's Bone
The Kids Are Alright
Toy Story 3
How to Train Your Dragon
The Social Network
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (yep. i said it.)
Despicable Me