Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Movies: 2010 Review

Despite the fact that we are now 18 days into the new year, I wanted to wait until I had seen True Grit, a 2010 release, before doing my year in review for the movies of 2010. I will post my top 10, with short reasons why, and then conclude with random awards, which will probably change each year depending on what fits. Also, as a preview, I am planning on kicking off the 2011 movie season by seeing The Green Hornet, so a review for that one will most likely be coming shortly. On to the best of 2010:

10. Unstoppable (directed by Tony Scott; starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine)

This movie was quite a fun one that resembled Speed crossed with a disaster film. The near-constant suspense is its greatest strength, but Denzel and Pine also contribute some nice acting. The rather bland ending was the weakest part. It's one of those movies that I'll probably forget about, but when reminded of it, will think "yeah, that was a pretty good one."

9. The Other Guys (directed by Adam McKay; starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlherg)

This was one of the only traditional comedies that I saw this year. I'd say it's one of Ferrell's better movies (and his performance is certainly one of his best), but it didn't get to the level of an Anchorman or Elf. Wahlberg is truly terrible in a comedic role, but the situation is made all the funnier seeing him opposite the sublimely deadpan Ferrell. The first third-to-half or so is really great here, but the humor disappointingly falters in the last stages.

8. Megamind (directed by Tom McGrath; starring Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, et. al.)

This may come as a surprise considering how much I raved about it earlier; but since then my opinion has leveled out some. That said, essentially movies #4-8 are all super close in my opinion, and could be interchangeable based on my mood. The particularly strong parts of Megamind are the perfect choices for voice acting all around, the superhero-turned-on-its-head theme (also done in Despicable Me, apparently, but I missed that one), and the humor.

7. Inception (directed by Christopher Nolan; starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, et. al.)

For some reason, I have always wanted to nitpick this one to death since I saw it (same way I felt about District 9). Perhaps my hopes for it were just too high. The biggest problem I had with it was the startling lack of any emotional connection; I also thought the winter fortress scene was too drawn out and very Bond-derivative. That said, the dream concept is extremely intriguing, most of the pacing is very good, and there are more than a few "whoa" scenes.

6. The Social Network (directed by David Fincher; starring Jesse Eisenberg, et. al.)

This might be the best film from a filmmaker's/Oscar's perspective on my list. The dialogue is great (written by The West Wing guy), it focuses on the people rather than Facebook itself, and Eisenberg's performance was one of the best I saw all year. That said, like Inception, there wasn't any emotional connection for me (though perhaps that's unfair based on the kind of film) and it's not one that will stick with me (I forgot to even put it on my list, initially!).

5. Shutter Island (directed by Martin Scorcese; starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, etc.)

The immediate comparison here is to Inception. Both star DiCaprio, whose character is similar but superior in Island. Both have reality-bending premises; both are really neat, but Inception's is certainly more ambitious. Shutter has tremendous suspense; Inception has tremendous "whoa" factor. What puts Shutter Island ahead for me is its inclusion of genuine, powerful emotional connection to the point of tears.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One (directed by David Yates, starring the usual)

I'll be honest, this would probably be several spots lower if I weren't such a big Harry Potter fan. It's hard for me to judge it against other movies, as I'm both more critical but also so fond of its various characters and elements. Still, if nothing else, this is definitely the best of the films yet, undoubtedly due to the extra time given it by splitting the last book in two. We finally got great action, trademark Potter magic, and character development all in one.

3. True Grit (directed by Joel and Ethan Coen; starring Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, et. al.)

Now we get to the big three. And even though I just saw this one, I don't think I'm overrating it. There's nothing tricky about this one, it's just damn good. The story is a simple structure around which to hold fantastic performances, particularly young Steinfeld; a surprising amount, quality and appropriateness of humor; and, again, emotional impact. It seemed like the Coens wanted to try to make a straightforward yet brilliant film, and they succeeded.

2. Kick-Ass (directed by Matthew Vaughn; starring Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, et. al.)

This is probably my most controversial pick. And perhaps I'm just in the right demographic for this one. But this film is well named, because it did kick my ass. There are so many things to say about it, and the first is a warning: yes, it is quite violent, and some of that violence is inflicted both by and upon a young girl. But that young girl is not, nor is the rest of the film, used in any kind of voyeuristic fashion. Beyond that, I'm not sure how to describe this film in an accurate yet brief way. So, if you can stomach the violence (and I think most people reading this can), give it a shot (to further intrigue you, I actually almost always hate movies this violent; the film overall overrides this for me). At the very least, I doubt you'll be yawning by the end.

1. Toy Story (directed by Lee Unkrich; starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, et. al.)

Surprisingly, but perhaps appropriately, I don't remember the specifics of this film very well. I was 9 years old when the first Toy Story came out and I saw it, and I do remember that this third installment was made to sort of feel like that time span had elapsed. Here are two descriptions by others that I thought were good: A) it's about the fundamental truth that we start to lose things as we age; and B) it was like seeing old friends again, but realizing you all had changed. And yet it's not a sad movie; it still has Buzz and Woody and the gang's cheer. Some movies almost seem destined to be classics before you even see them, and this is one of them.


Now, for random awards for other films:

Worst Movie of the Year: Get Him To The Greek (you know, I don't mind jokes about sex and drugs. But when a film relies on them exclusively and without any subtlety? Goodbye.)

Most Overrated Movie of the Year: How To Train Your Dragon (I remember not being interested in this, then seeing it get over 90% on RottenTomatoes. Since Up! and Wall-E followed the same pattern for me, and they are two of my favorite movies recently, I thought I'd give it a try. Dragon isn't bad... but 98%? Really? There is absolutely nothing special about this movie and the formula has been done to death.)

Most Disappointing Movie of the Year: The A-Team (I was expecting really crazy, really fun. I got a little crazy, a little fun.)

Honorable Mention (fun movies not in the top 10): Knight And Day, Iron Man 2



Overall, a very good year at the movies I think, although I didn't see quite as many as I usually do. Have fun Netflixing the top ten!

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