Tag: Best of

2010 Movie of the Year List

Posted on by Remy

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)

If Scorsese were French he would’ve made this film.

 

I dislike Tarantino as a filmmaker and disdain revenge-porn as a genre, but even I have to admit that I.B. is  pretty compelling film. Replete with exploitative violence as is his habit, but coupled with outstanding performances, rich when needed, cheesy-over-the-top when asked for.

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.