The guidelines:
- Any movie viewed in the year 2010 that I haven’t seen before qualifies for the list.
- I balance artistic merit with a swinging good time.
- In order of importance I rank artistic brilliance, “re-view-ability”, and only then “a swinging good time”.
- I do twelve top movies. Consider it cinema calendrics.
- I never agree with my rankings three months down the road, but this list is at least a first impression ranking.
1. A Serious Man (2009)
Chock full of all sorts of interesting things. Depressing, hilarious, frightening, mysterious.
2. Winter’s Bone (2010)
Every now and then I watch a movie that melts my face. Not since 4 luni, 3 saptamani, si 2 zile have I been so blown away after a movie. Like 4 luni it does not broadcast its themes quite so explicitly as A Serious Man, but it’s a rich and rewarding movie.
3. Secrets & Lies (1996)
Some directors are inspired by Irene Jacobs, some by Penelope Cruz, but Mike Leigh’s muse is Timothy Spall. The director of one of my favorite films from last year (Happy-Go-Lucky), nails me to the wall again with this tale of family crisis.
4. In the Loop (2009)
Easily one of the most crass movies I watched this year, but unavoidably hilarious. Peter Capaldi snip, sneers, and snarls his way through a political-farce so false it’s real. Spot on performances from all.
5. Being There (1979)
Another farce whose humor has aged so well in the current climate it feels believable. Perfect execution that carries just the right amount of Dasein to add a mythical element.
6. Doubt (2008)
Sometimes it’s entertaining to sit back and watch two master craftsmen chew the scenery with their talents. PS Hoffman and M. Streep set the place on fire.
7. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
An underrated film with the best trailer in years. Spike Jonze does the book better than the book does itself.
8. Un Conte de Noel (2008)
If The Royal Tenenbaums was a French film.
9. True Grit (2010)
Perhaps the greatest skill the Coens possess is the ability to find stories most conducive to their style. The movie has its faults but it isn’t because of Jeff Bridges, who is flawless. Hailee Steinfeld is a perfect foil.
10. De battre mon coeur s’est arrete (2005)
12. Toy Story 3 (2010)
To me the first Toy Story was one of the most tightly written, creative movies in years. Toy Story 2 was a dull sequel, with little heart and cheap jokes, but the third and final installment was a return to the creative heartfelt humor of the original. It’s rare to have a lovesong to capitalism and materialism these days, but Pixar continues to stand out from the crowd.
the Whole Garden Will Bow 
Just a few comments. I haven’t seen all of these, but I like your list for the most part, which seems odd:
1.So then, are the Coen Brothers commercial filmmakers who happen to have a ton of exceptions, or what? I readily admit, I didn’t fully understand this film. I enjoyed it in parts, but I thought it too strange and abrupt in spots.
6.I wasn’t sure what the filmmakers here were aiming at (similar thoughts to #1). I agree, PSH and Streep were incredible, but I’m not convinced the material served their talents well enough for me to anoint it a top movie of any year. But like ASM, I am open to suggestions/convincing.
7.Agreed on the trailer, though perhaps not the movie. I enjoyed it, but I think a theme that winds through your picks is that the films have to have some sort of strangeness, which this had in spades (not surprising with Jonze). Again, I could perhaps be convinced, but to the point of rewatching this…I really have no desire to sit through it again.
9.So I assume you disagree with Zach P.? I’m with you, I thought it entertaining, poignant a time or two, and Bridges’ performance elevates it (as usual).
11.After all these years, you still refuse to give Tarantino any credit. That makes me smile, particularly in light of the elevated themes that continue to weave their way into his movies, despite his best efforts to keep them out with revenge/violence/sex/etc. I suppose you would agree that he knows what he’s doing in the nuts-and-bolts of filmmaking, at least? Regardless, I agree with you on this film, of course. Superb – but aside from the obvious (Pitt and Waltz), who would you say impressed you with their performance? The only thing that disappointed me was the “heroine” and her lover dying, and Waltz going free (even with his tattoo). I thought there was room there to make it better.
12.Agreed on TS3, and Pixar, though I think TS2 is excellent as well (having had to sit through it about 75 times now, due to my eldest’s obsession with TS).
I totally agree with your #1 pick.
Best movie I’ve seen all year… and you are the first of any of my friends who I know have seen it.
Melton:
1. Why can’t I like commercial films? The Coens are very competent, entertaining directors. They’re Spielberg without the splosions.
6. PSH, in Doubt, is like an adult version of the rocketship rides at a grocery story. But more Bad-ass-er. Amy Adams continues to do more with her coin than Meryl does with her ten, but I thought all three lit it up. My appreciation of the film is purely that. They could’ve made a better movie by reeling in the talent, but they would not have gotten better performances.
7. I’d like to watch it a second time to verify, but I think neat-o things are going on.
9. No, I think I agree with Z. Problem is it’s supposed to be Mattie’s story, but she doesn’t change and is boring, so they leap to Rooster’s character, but he cannot carry the narrative. It’s a road movie and while I’m glad the Coens mostly avoided their sin of sequential gonzo-isms (looking at you Bear-man), it’s still a flawed narrative. But I love the Dude. I love the Dude so much that I watched Men Who Stare At Goats, which was dreadful.
11. Elevated themes? No, QT is a child, but he’s consumed enough cinema to retread every half-witted shot from the last sixty years. Performance wise, I really liked Melanie Laurent and August Diehl too. Pitt wasn’t acting, he was just being cheesy and it was great.
12. Nah, TS2 went for the easy jokes. There wasn’t a shred of sincerity in the whole shebang.
Jon:
We’ve all seen it. We’ve just been lying to you.
1.I never said you can’t like commercial films – you liked the mission impossibles, toy storys, etc. My entire point was that the Coen Brothers may make a commercial film every now and then, but they are not commercial filmmakers. ASM is not a commercial film, amongst others. This hearkens back to the comment you made on my list, and I was looking for a little clarification.
9.I think the Coen Brothers set out to do 2 things: remake the original (which was Mattie’s story) but make it more about Rooster (because they, like us, love Jeff Bridges). I thought they did both very well, and that’s why it’s a top movie of our year. I don’t buy that Rooster can’t carry the narrative, and I don’t buy that it’s flawed. You merely stating that doesn’t make it true, much as you might wish. My bottom line: the stuff going on at the end is pretty cool, but aside from that, it’s pretty standard fare – good (and well-done), but not great. It seemed to me that ZP was claiming that it wasn’t even all that good…which makes me think that you disagree with him, since it is on this list. And yes, The Men Who Stare At Goats was just plain awful.
11.I don’t have time to slam dunk you on all the stuff going on in QT’s movies. But I didn’t disagree with you about Pitt…I never said he was acting. I was impressed with his performance, and that’s what I said: it was cheesy, hilarious, and fantastic.
12.Disagree. We’ll leave it at that.
Sorry, perhaps I’m not being clear. Rooster could’ve carried the movie had the movie been about him. I’m not saying he wasn’t entertaining or wasn’t entertaining enough, but his character wasn’t written to carry the movie. It’s either a flaw or a calculated mirror trick (the Coens hope people either miss or don’t care that it’s nobody’s movie). That doesn’t mean you can’t like it, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person to not care that it’s flawed. I like plenty of seriously flawed movies, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s flawed.
Z is just saying that True Grit is overrated. I can agree since it’s been the most positively reviewed of their trifles.
I’ve only seen half of these – and those six are definitely gold (still after months and months).
Secrets and Lies has been in my top ten since I saw it in the 90s. A Serious Man had me reeling for days. Wild Things has a killer soundtrack too, and it was even better the second time.
Do you compile a list? You should. Pass it along if so.
I’ve seen many great movies in 2010 – some on your recommendation from last year.
Foreign:
Yiyi
I’ve Loved You So Long (Il y a long temps que je t’aime)
The Son’s Room
Departures
The Class (Entre les murs)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Necessities of Life (Ce qu’il faut pour vivre)
As it is in Heaven
Documentaries:
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
Hoop Dreams
Grizzly Man
Into Great Silence
Reel Injun
Other:
Alice in Wonderland
Half Nelson
Sling Blade
True Grit
Paris, Texas
Inglorious Basterds
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans
Badlands
Inception
Kick-Ass
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Crazy Heart
A Serious Man
The Young Victoria
and Encounters at the End of the World – definitely up there on my list!
Yiyi is one of my alltime favs. Sling Blade too.
If you haven’t seen Lars and the Real Girl then you should. It’s the other side of Half Nelson.
Thanks for sharing.
Just watched Winter’s Bone last night. Not sure what all the fuss is about? It’s a decent enough film, but depressing as hell, and most of what it’s got seems to be on the surface? Can you enlighten us on why it’s so face-melting? Because I honestly don’t see it.