The Best Movies of 2010
The Best Movies of 2010
(in rough order)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One
Half-Blood Prince had the most glorious cinematography I’ve seen in a blockbuster, and Goblet of Fire gave Brendan Gleeson half the movie which made me quite happy, but this first half of Deathly Hallows is by far the fastest in the series. No subplots, no biding time; Harry and company know what they have to do and by God they’re going to do it. The problem with Deathly Hallows is, I can’t think of anything that happened. There were events, there were plot points, certainly, but for what? Or to what end? Harry, Ron, and Hermoine pretty much end the movie just as they started; such is the case with two-parters. I won’t deny it’s an enjoyable ride. The opening chase is spectacular, the coffee shop shootout was an unexpected delight, the Ministry infiltration is funny but still exciting; all wonderful scenes. But what were they for? (trailer)
Catfish
I’ve already written about this film at length, so I won’t again, but it’s certainly worth a viewing. (trailer)
The Ghost Writer
I don’t think anyone would disagree that Roman Polanski knows tension. He understands tension, so when he has the chance to direct a mystery, you know you’re in good hands. The Ghost Writer (like Polanski’s The Ninth Gate, which is a great movie until the last twenty minutes) is a very shadowy tale of The Last Honest Man fighting deception and sabotage with every question he asks. That’s it, that’s all the hero does wrong, and God does he suffer for it. The masochistic quest for truth and power of information are two tropes I’ll never get tired of, so The Ghost Writer is my kind of movie. A taut thriller, a well-paced mystery, a beautiful ending. If not for Inception, it’d have the year’s best final shot. Never did papers blowing in the wind mean so much. That’s Polanski’s talent as a filmmaker: showing you just enough to convince you something horrible is happening. (trailer)
The Social Network
The Social Network is a great film, but a smug film. It has a very conspicuous air of importance about itself and if not for the great script and performances, I’d dismiss it as pretentious. But I’ll admit it deserves that air of importance. Yes, the lines are puffed up with wordy, unrealistic, Dialogue-with-a-capital-D, but I won’t argue those lines don’t sound really, really good. Aaron Sorkin wrote a great script; he made computer code exciting, so power to him. David Fincher does a great job making the everyday seem otherworldly (his big and possibly only claim-to-fame, in my opinion), and Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, and Andrew Garfield’s Glorious Head of Hair show impeccable timing, style, and emotion, respectively. But the reason this movie isn’t at the top of my list is its protagonist. It’s hard to adore a movie with such an unlikable hero. I just wanted to see him fall; maybe that’ll be the sequel. (trailer)
44 Inch Chest
It’s not the Guy Ritchie glossy goody bag of crime and punishment. It’s a meditation; it’s psychological. This is a movie that was still in my mind a week later, and I can’t quite articulate why. It’s just a hypnotic and cryptic story. It brings together five of the best British actors working today with a beautiful script that teeters between contemplative and snarling, with a story that only progresses internally but never drops the pace. It’s the same brand of conflicted, angsty weirdness that made Sexy Beast so bizarre. I’ll be honest: I’m having trouble writing about it. It’s a strange little movie, and one I can’t help but admire. I just can’t explain why. (trailer)
The King’s Speech (late addition to the list)
A masterful drama. All the praise is going to Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, and rightly so. Firth succeeds with what must’ve been a trying character, with whom every line of dialogue bears an extra challenge; his stutter is impeccable and painful to watch, but far from off-putting. He plays as sympathetic what could easily be an insufferable character. Geoffrey Rush gets to work his strength as devious but playful, and exchanges between the two characters never fall into a lull; there’s an energy to all of their conversations, aided by an incredible script that constantly and effortlessly makes the switch from light-hearted to solemn without sacrificing any momentum. But the film’s shining scene is the titular speech. It’s an incredible moment of triumph, a true climax; it couldn’t have been acted, filmed, written, or scored any better. That speech makes you want to stand up and applaud. (trailer)
The Crazies
A genre picture done well. Not quite a zombie flick, not really an epidemic drama. A comfortable middle. Who knows what it says about me, but I love to see the world going to hell in a handcart, and The Crazies is a very well-orchestrated spiral into chaos. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a fan of Timothy Olyphant and (the vastly underrated) Joe Anderson, but The Crazies has too much to offer in such a modest story to be left off the list. It has more tension than scares - the sign of a great horror movie in my opinion - and the payoff is always a clever one. There’s more to horror than something jumping in front of the camera. The Crazies is Exhibit A; just watch the pitchfork scene. (trailer)
Micmacs
A second glimpse into the dizzying world of Amelie. The hero is a man this time around and the story is not of love, but revenge against two corporations, and, in other movies, the subject would be a heavy one, but nothing is heavy in this film’s universe. Everything is beautiful and colorful and fantastic, and it’s all so real; it’s not fantasy. It’s intoxicating. It’s a whimsical French Wonderland and it’s not a world you ever want to leave. I’ll be a big man and admit that Amelie - while it’s a great movie - is quite depressing when you realize relationships aren’t as fairy-tale perfect in the real world. Micmacs doesn’t need such a disclaimer. There’s no reality tugging at your enjoyment of this vibrant little world. (trailer)
Toy Story 3
I did not go into Toy Story 3 expecting an escape flick, but that’s certainly what it was. It’s a beautiful thing when a movie’s characters are already so well-defined that you can go distances with the story and the emotion; that’s this movie’s strength. It goes from coming-of-age tale to prison break to resurrection and reincarnation more gracefully than any live-action film I can remember with similar roller-coaster storylines. It is a very bold script for a kid’s movie, but it delivers like none I’ve seen before. Yes, I got teary at the end; it’s the third Pixar outing in a row to get me misty-eyed. THAT is filmmaking prowess. When you can go into an animated film’s second sequel and still have enough material to make the audience cry, you’re doing something right. The Pixar team has the best batting average of anyone in the business, and Toy Story 3 shows why. The guys know how to make movies. (trailer)
Inception
Ah, Inception. What can I say? Every word of praise this movie deserves has already been said. It’s clever. It’s very clever. It’s stunningly imaginative without losing its foothold in reality; a hard balance to maintain. There are plot holes, yes, there’s no denying them, but for me it doesn’t matter. Plot holes don’t stand a chance. The film doesn’t have to be airtight; it makes enough smart moves to overlook any slip-ups in the mechanics of the story. The movie does too many things right - gloriously right - for the wrongs to win out. Christopher Nolan knows what looks good; he knows how to make a crowdpleaser. He is the clockwork filmmaker. His movies just work: all the parts come together and act as one and the film ticks along as a near-flawless machine. It’s already left its mark on pop culture. The hallway scene? Iconic. The concept? Meme-worthy. The BRAHHHHHHMMM? It’s getting to be as recognizable as the Jaws theme. And that ending? Best ending of the last ten years. You couldn’t have closed that movie any other way; it wouldn’t have fit. That is precision, and that is greatness. (trailer)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
A polarizing movie, but I fall in favor of it. I left Scott Pilgrim like a spectator leaving the circus: overjoyed at a spectacle that knows it’s a spectacle. No pretense of art, nothing to take serious, just a hell of a show. The movie is kinetic: that’s the word that first came into my head. If Inception is a ticking clock, Scott Pilgrim is a Rube Goldberg machine. The motion never stops, the pace never slows, the action never ceases. Smash cuts, rapid pans, clever edits; the filmmaking is a joyously amped display of tricks and twists. But Scott Pilgrim’s strength is its flow, its consistency. If I wanted a quick pick-me-up, there’s no go-to scene I’d fast forward to. There’s no rotating hallway fight scene where the movie shoots its wad. It’s just one quick-witted vignette after another, filled not only with genius sardonic dialogue I wish I’d written, but absurd little details that sound flat on paper (Todd opening the door; Scott’s “wow” being cut off; “Bread makes you fat?”) but some way, somehow come to vivid life onscreen. They’re moments you couldn’t write into a script, but at times they outsmart the dialogue, and that’s saying something. To paraphrase a critic’s review of Juno: This is filmmaking on a high wire. It is, in my opinion, the best movie of the year. (trailer)
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I hardly went to theatres this year. I saw.
The Other Guys, Toy Story 3, Easy A…. I cant remember anything else. I passed on SP V TW.
I thought I’d be seeing something like this from you. :D
What did you think of Tron Legacy? Not heartful enough to make the cut?
You need to read the Harry Potter books, man.
I agree with you on all of these. While I only saw three of the movies here, I’ve heard many positive reviews from the others to develop a large appreciation for all of them.
However, I was surprised that Tron: Legacy didn’t make the list. Sure the movie didn’t have that much character development or plot depth, but it made your eyes explode with excitement and left you reeling long after seeing the film. The movie also had an amazing soundtrack and design, something that is hard to come by with most films these days. Just voicing my opinion on one of my favorite films of the year.
The Brick Guy
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/48721618@N05] I don’t think that’s happening; I’ve been more enchanted by the movies, personally.
I haven’t seen Tron yet, but I will tomorrow. If I need to amend the list, I will, but I haven’t heard great things. It sounds a bit like "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Edgar Wright went to my school, but I still need to see Scott Pilgrim. To Blockbuster!
My brother (He has his own movie blogspot, amazing critic) said Tron was the biggest piece of shit hes seen.
Interesting reading. I pretty much agree with the ordering of the four I’ve seen. Except I’d bump "The Social Network" up, just for its inclusion of a very short burst of "California Über Alles".
/beats description, skips to Inception
Totally agreed with Inception. Loved it. And now I want to see Scott Pilgrim XD
All the movies in this list that I have seen are indeed epic. All the ones that I haven’t seen are now on my ‘to watch-list’. In other words: I completely agree with this list.
Just one little nitpick: Micmacs isn’t a 2010 movie. I personally remember seeing it (on DVD) in December 2009.
Love the Macbeth quote Alex! only seen TS3 and Inception, I like Inception, one great film.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/nirdian] True, but Micmacs arrived in U.S. theaters in March 2010 - that’s when I saw it - so good enough for me.
My two favorites this year include The Ghost Writer and The King’s Speech. Both have fantastic plots, but I especially loved the cinematography in both, but especially The King’s Speech. I also really enjoyed Harry Potter, especially the wilderness scenes, which were absolutely wonderful, mainly because of the desolation portrayed there. What I hated, though, was that horny teenage couple two seats in front of me.
You gotta love Inception and Toy Story 3, great flicks, and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader wasn’t that bad either.
Aw, How To Train Your Dragon isn’t on the list? I for one thought it was way better than Toy Story 3. IMHO, TS3 was a good movie, but HTTYD was great.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/54746791@N06] I saw one movie this year. Avatar, on New Year’s Day. :P
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/cowpiesky] OOOH i saw Avatar as well :D
What, no True Grit?
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/-chuckc-] Good, but not great, in my opinion.
All the movies on your list that I’ve seen so far are truly amazing. I especially liked Toy Story 3! Chuckles is my favorite character!
i haven’t even heard of half the movies on this list. :o
Oh you did saw "Micmac a tire larigot" I love Jean Pierre Jeunet’s work. True grit is gonna be for 2011 in my country can’t wait to see it. What about Rubber ? Have you seen Black Swan ? (I didn’t, not released yet ).
I don’t agree with that (Inception)" it’s very clever. It’s stunningly imaginative". Nothing is imaginative in this movie. Every bit of idea have been seen in other movies. it’s just a pale copy of Matrix, mixed with Modern warfare 2. I was very desappointed, looks like Nolan never dream, if you want imaginative go for Gondry, but plz don’t say Inception is imaginative… About clever, the plot is really simple it just falsely complicated by adding some layers to the dreams, I was amazed by people who said: "wow it didn’t get everything, so it has to be a clever movie. The marketing team did well : "Inception the smart blockbuster, lol"
"Best ending of the last ten years" (wow u must be kidding, a very long and a very predictible ending, very annoying I couldn’t stand the Hanz zimmer song which seemed to never stop ^ ^). However I do recognize Nolan knows his job, it’s not a master piece (far from it) it’s a good movie that’s all. What I like the most about Nolan’s movie are the superb trailers. I remember watching a lot of times Dark knight’s trailer, same for Inception.
Maybe I just had too big hopes for this movie ^ ^
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/47018679@N02] Keep in mind that films like the Matrix were also inspired by previous movies that had been released almost 10 years prior (like Total Recall). The reason this film is clever is that Nolan manages to make the movie feel as real as possible. Besides the dream machine and some other aspects, hardly any part of this film falsely describes the experience of a dream.
The Brick Guy
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/46833859@N07] "hardly any part of this film falsely describes the experience of a dream" What do u mean, can u explain in other words. Matrix like every piece of art in this world is influenced by previous creation there is no exception. I don’t think Wachowski were influenced by Total Recall I never heard about that, and I don’t see where are similarities.
But Matrix did bring new things, new technology of filming, new special effects, the plot is an adaptation of a book but the meaning is very powerful and imaginative. Like I said Inception does not innovate or bring something new on the contrary I found it to be quite poor. A part from the hotel part (which I would like to know how they made it) nothing is new and original, and it’s a shame for a movie who talks about dreams. There is no challenge, the viewer don’t give a shit about the story bcse it’s not interesting (explore and discover a secret in the brain of smby) to compare in Matrix the human kind was in danger and we discovered that everybody was living a dream, it’s way more interesting. Matrix 2 was not interesting at all for example the plot was ridiculously simple (to find the key keeper…). To me they should have made only one.
"The reason this film is clever is that Nolan manages to make the movie feel as real as possible", I don’t get why making as real as possible is clever, really maybe I’m dumb, but to me it doesn’t make this movie smart….
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/47018679@N02] I think Inception is eye candy, when you boil it down, but I think it’s good eye candy; it’s not Michael Bay explosion porn and it’s not James Cameron CGI spectacle.
I’ll borrow someone else’s analogy here: when you go to McDonalds, they give you this really flimsy, rough, pathetic excuse of a napkin that barely does its job. It’ll wipe up the spills and whatnot, but it’ll probably fall apart after one or two uses. At In-N-Out Burger, on the other hand, they give you two full, thick napkins that will easily do their job without falling apart or ripping. Both burger joints offer you the same, inconsequential service, but In-N-Out puts an ounce of thought into their actions that is ultimately to your benefit.
The same logic applies to Inception. Personally, I don’t go to the movies to be challenged or to see something new and original or nothing at all. I go to be entertained, and Nolan could’ve taken the path of least resistance - the McDonalds route - and offered something that wasn’t well-planned or thought out but still entertaining; I see those kinds of movies all the time. He could’ve filmed the entire hotel scene on a green screen and added everything in post-production; similarly, in The Dark Knight, he could’ve flipped the 18-wheeler using CGI. But he didn’t. He had a rig built to actually flip that 18-wheeler over, and he had a hotel hallway built that could rotate in all directions. He put an ounce of thought and dedication into it; that much is clear from the shooting script and his original diagram of the plot. He could’ve cut corners, and he didn’t, and in my opinion, that’s admirable.
Long story short: Inception has its flaws, but I don’t believe laziness is one of them. Every aspect of that film (that I personally care about) got its due diligence, and while it’s far from a perfect film, it was well written, well acted, and well shot. That’s my holy trinity, and that’s what put it on my list.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoyvinmayvin] I couldn’t have said it better myself.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoyvinmayvin]
Thanks to your review, I persuaded my dad to buy Scott Pilgrim. He hates it, I love it!
Also, what plot holes?
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/teh-laygoez] Plot holes in Inception? There are a few along the lines of "Wouldn’t it be easier just to _______?" and "Why did they have to _______?"
Napkin theory. Love it.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/8344872@N05] Well obviously we do agree, I was discussing some points you did not mention again (imaginative, clever and best ending of ten years).
I said it was a good movie, but it is way overestimated, it’s not a clever or powerful plot, the plot holes confirm that, you have a pretty simple plot, you want to add twists so you falsely complicate the plot, by adding layers to the dream for exemple (you have to put yourself to the scenarist point of view).
It’s not imaginative, nobody can constest that.
I go to the movies for entertainement too ^ ^. About the challenge maybe I didn’t explain well, when you go to such a blockbuster you do expect a large scale, you do expect some powerful issues, turning points. The fact is that the viewer travel threw lots of countries in the world, to hotel, to the mountains, we do travel a lot but for what ? To enter an old man’s brain. Actually the idea of inception was powerful (implant an idea in someone, the cause of a revolution, it would have been interesting that Dicaprio has been hired to implant and idea and begin a world wide revolution for example) but it looks like they didn’t want to dig deeper on this, the exploitation of inception remains superficial.
So yeah I was expecting more from Nolan and Inception, of course it’s an eye candy, of course it has great special effects, of course I have great respect for this movie like any movie, when you know the work and the suffer that is behind the creation of a movie.
"He could’ve filmed the entire hotel scene on a green screen and added everything in post-production". He could but it wouldn’t have been good, even today it looks better when you do live effects than post prod. It’s not a question of laziness, it’s a question of production means. If the production doesn’t have the time and money to go for live special effects, Nolan wouldn’t have a word to say. Actually for a movie superior to 15M bucks, the director don’t have full control, actually the viewers decide during projections test. That’s the reason why brothers Coen never goes for a movie over 15million, they care too much to keep the final decision.
About your 2010 movie list, I’m a bit surprise to not find much asian and european movies, what about Thirst (park chan wook) or the Chaser (these are coreans). Mainly are Americains, only Micmac is from europe. Maybe you should watch more movies from other countries, I assure you there is a lot of pure beauties beyond US. However I’m a real fan of americain movies, I love them because the studio are real cinema enthusiast, they are able to put millions for genre Cinema. In other countries the producers are from other industries. US is the only country with a cinema enthusiast industry, I hope it’s going to be the same in other countries soon.
I’d argue that Nolan definitely had the time and money to go for special effects if he wanted to. He was coming off the billion-dollar Dark Knight; I doubt he had many limitations with regards to budget.
I personally haven’t seen many blockbusters that provide powerful issues and turning points. I don’t ever expect those from blockbusters; that’s the antithesis of the American blockbuster. Studios, as I understand them, will rarely risk alienating the audience with a polarizing issue (or a polarizing anything), especially when they’ve spent $100 million on the movie. Luckily, that’s where independent films enter into the picture. In my experience: the smaller the budget, the bigger the issues.
The Ghost Writer, 44 Inch Chest, and even Deathly Hallows are all British films; add Micmacs and that’s almost half the list. The reason there aren’t more Asian films is simply: they’re harder to find where I live. I know there are beauties to be found in international cinema - I have no aversion to them, I assure you - it’s just that Orange County is not kind to foreign or even independent films. I have no choice but to wait until the DVD, and by then… it’s too late to include it on the year’s top ten.
Yeah I agree, I’m quite sure the option he choosed is more expensive than post prod special effects, but Nolan and special effects guys know the results with green screen wouldn’t be that good, so he choosed the expensive way, it’s not about lazie or not lazie it’s about getting the best for a movie he had in mind for more than ten years.
"I doubt he had many limitations with regards to budget." Well I don’t think Nolan has he own production company. And I don’t think he invest his personnal fortune into his movie, even spielberg has some budgets limitation, maybe only Cameron now his beyond money, will see with Avatar 2 ^ ^.
"Studios, as I understand them, will rarely risk alienating the audience with a polarizing issue" For this part can you explain with other words, cause I don’t understand it, sorry even with translation it doesn’t make sense to me, english is not my first language ^ ^.
I don’t know about 44 Inch Chest and Deathly Hallows, but I did know Ghost Writer was not US of course (my bad), but it’s not a british movie either, here are the company producing:
R.P. Films (french)
France 2 Cinéma (french)
Elfte Babelsberg Film GmbH (german)
Runteam III Ltd (british)
Nowdays it becomes more and more complicated to know from which country a movie is from, it becomes more and more international ^ ^.
"I have no aversion to them, I assure you" I don’t doubt that, I know you have great taste and you are a real cinema enthousiast. That’s too bad you can not see movies from asia.
It’s great to talk with you about movies. And I do understand you can fell in love with a movie like Inception, but I just wanted to say that people tend to overestimated it because of false reasons.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/47018679@N02] My point was just that big studios don’t often want to risk millions and millions of dollars on a movie with a hot-button issue or a cause for debate. The big American example is: the Iraq war. It’s a sensitive topic, and studios are hesitant to make a big expensive movie about it because people’s opinions are so divided regarding the issue (not to mention the fact that Iraq war movies like Green Zone, Lions for Lambs, and The Kingdom have done poorly at the box office). Big Hollywood studios like to play it safe, with movies that don’t approach such sensitive issues; they’d rather make audiences happy than make audiences think. It’s sad, but true.
Nolan does have his own production company called Syncopy, which has produced all of his movies, and with Syncopy and Warner Bros. behind him with a $160 million budget for Inception, I think he could afford to do things his way.
So, it’s clear we have different thoughts about Inception, but because one of my big pet peeves is debates that will only end in a stalemate, shall we just agree to disagree?
Ghost Writer was one of my favorite movies of 2010 as well. Didn’t know it was well, new, until a few months later though.
I’m glad I wasn’t alone in seeing Micmacs! Anything by Jeunet is fantastic. Have you by chance seen Delicatessen?
Did you by any chance see The Town?
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tito0o0o] Haven’t seen Delicatessen, but it’s on my list.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/41569483@N02] Saw The Town, liked it. Nothing breathtaking, but it was enjoyable.
Ah, just wondering. I liked it, best movie that could be made out of the plot of it.
I can’t comment much on many of these, I haven’t seen most of them. How to Train your Dragon is definitely up on my list, as is Toy Story 3. Tron Legacy wasn’t my thing. I have to say, while it may not make any list for "the best movie of 2010", Despicable Me was a really fun movie romp.
"My point was just that big studios don’t often want to risk millions and millions of dollars on a movie with a hot-button issue or a cause for debate" Oh yes I agree with that, but some blockbusters talked about hot button issues and made lots of earnings The island (therapeutic clonage), Matrix (putting and end to AI technoclogy) even AI (replacing his son by a robot)….
Thanks for the info Syncopy. And yes we agree to disagree ^ ^.
Delicatessen is the best Jeunet’s movie of all time, a crazy thing you will never forget….
Tight list! Love them all… Here is my top 10 (a few were released in 2009 internationally but in the US in 2010)
10 Animal Kingdom 9 Get Low 8 The Fighter 7 A Prophet 6 Inception 5 The White Ribbon 4 The Social Network 3 Exit Through The Gift Shop 2 True Grit 1 Winter Bone
I’m glad I’m not the only one who totally loved the cinematography in HBP (that’s all I can say here, since I’ve unfortunately only seen Toy Story 3)