LUCIDMEDIA

Top Ten Films Of 2010

Written by Phil Brown Tuesday, 04 January 2011 12:42

As 2010 slowly stumbles to a close it’s time to look back at the year in film. While nothing immediately jumps out as an instant classic, there’s actually a strong line up of titles to compete for critics and juries affections as the end of the year awards start being doled out. Any of the ten films on this list are guaranteed to get your drunk on movie-love during the holidays and the collection of honorable mentions aren’t to shabby either. Now you all know what DVDs to get me for Christmas. I’ll be patiently waiting for your packages to arrive…

1) Inception: Christopher Nolan continues his quest to develop the intellectual blockbuster and arguably tops his expert work on The Dark Knight. Though hardly impervious to criticism (the constant exposition masquerading as dialogue can be grating and has deservingly been parodied many times), few films came close this year to matching the visceral thrills or cranium straining thought experiments found in Inception. Not even the irritating hispster-scarf wearing Ellen Paige stunt casting could bring this baby down.

 

2) Black Swan: Darren Aronofsky swung for the fences with Black Swan and ended up with easily the finest film of his career. His mix of psychological horror, melodrama, and back stage ballet expose is one of the most unique, moving, disturbing, and visually exquisite films to come around in quite some time. The emotions might be heightened well beyond anything resembling reality but if you can accept that, it’s hard not to be impressed.  Leave it to Aronofsky to prove that the world needed a sexed up and blood-drenched remake of The Red Shoes.  

3)    127 Hours: The worldwide box office smash and Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire was a tough act for anyone to follow, but somehow Danny Boyle managed to return with an arguably superior film. This claustrophobic study of Aron Ralston’s harrowing story of being pinned by a rock in an isolated canyon for 5 days before cutting off his own arm to survive was one of the most intense and inspiring movies of 2010. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to convince people to go to a movie that revolves around self-amputation for fun, but despite the gore this is a film that absolutely cannot be missed.

 

4) The Social Network: This semi-critical bio of semi-asshole Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is undeniably the film of the year. Tapping into online social networking at it’s peak and doing it with uncommon intelligence, wit, and style, The Social Network instantly defined itself as the movie of the moment. It will sweep awards season and deservingly so. Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay in refreshingly unsentimental in it’s presentation of a less-than-heroic protagonist (though it does suffer from just a little bit of his “nails-on-chalkboard”-style gratingly clever dialogue, especially during the nauseating opening scene), David Fincher directs with a suitably cold visual style and uncharacteristic restraint, and the young cast all turn in stellar performances (especially the long underrated Jesse Eisenberg and Armie Hammer in an impressive dual role as the Winklevi). With all the praise heaped upon it, The Social Network will inevitably end up feeling overrated by the end of awards season, but at least that’s actually happening to a movie that deserves it this year.  

5) True Grit: The Coen Brothers can seemingly do no wrong these days, now taking on an iconic John Wayne Western and turning in a movie that effectively erases the original from memory. Armed with their typical razor sharp dialogue and stunning visuals, the Coens played it relatively straight this time to deliver probably the best Western of the decade (unless you count the astounding HBO series Deadwood, of course). Sadly it already seems like this title will be lost in the shuffle during awards season following a bizarre Golden Globes snub, but any fan of the Coens or a never better Jeff Bridges is required to see True Grit for pure cinematic joy.

 

6) Kick Ass: Who could have guessed that an ironic comic book movie made outside of the studio system would end up being easily this finest superhero movie of the year? Kick Ass is an absolute blast to watch, pure and simple. The writing is sharp and witty, the performances are lovingly over-the-top, and the action is brilliantly staged. Anyone who isn’t giddily entertained during Kick Ass needs to check their pulse. Even Nicolas Cage turns in a strong performance and that should qualify as a mini-miracle in and of itself.  

7) Exit Through The Gift Shop: Iconic British graffiti artist Bansky made his filmmaking debut this year with Exit Through The Gift Shop. Though the film starts as a fairly straightforward documentary about the early days of the graffiti art movement, it quickly turns into the study of a sell out artist named Mr. Brainwash who may or may not be a Banksy creation designed to gently mock the art movement he made famous. By the end, it’s almost impossible to determine if the film is a fascinatingly candid documentary or an elaborate stunt. Either way, it’s a fantastic debut that hopefully won’t be Banksy’s last crack at filmmaking.

 

8) Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: Edgar Wright’s candy colored love letter to youthful indiscretion, first relationships, kung fu movies, and video games may have been a disappointing failure at the box office, but soon that will just be a foot note for this cult film in the making. An almost indescribable combination of Billy Liar and Kung Fu Hustle, this is one of those movies that will either instantly become one of your favorites or seem like a jumbled mess. For those in tune with Scott Pilgrim’s unique style, prepare for geek nirvana.  

9) Mother: Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s follow up to the slapstick monster movie/political satire The Host returns the filmmaker to the urban crime morality play of his debut Memoires Of A Murder. The story revolves around a mystery involving a developmentally challenged man accused of murder and a mother convinced of his innocence. The film explores the lengths a mother will go to save her child as Kim Hye-ja (in a remarkable performance) turns into a detective to save her son and then takes her quest one step further. A disturbing, touching, and surprisingly funny effort that confirms Joon-ho’s place as one of the leading talents in the amazing South Korean film industry. 

 

10) The Fighter: A simple boxing movie elevated high above its humble genre origins by the unpredictable director David O. Russell (Three Kings) and an astounding cast. The screenplay may stumble its way through obvious boxing movie conventions in the final act, but up until then it’s a riveting and hilarious study of a dysfunctional family. Mark Wahlberg is a strong quiet lead and both Melissa Leo and Amy Adams deliver excellent character work cast against type. However, the movie is stolen away by Christian Bale, who vividly transforms himself into the world’s most charismatic crack head. The guy will win his share of trophies for the role and hopefully it will erase the black smear left on his resume by a certain viral video.  Bale and I are no longer “done professionally.”  

Honorable Mentions: Winter’s Bone, Toy Story 3, Catfish, Marwencol, Greenberg.