The Best of Film 2010: Let the Arguements Begin

 yes it was a good year for film lovers. my personal tastes vary and there was a lot to satisfy my movie going pleasure. i can't limit my 'best of' to ten. the following are just representing the treasure trove of movies that more than satisfied in 2010.

these films affected me in different ways. some are brilliant pieces of film making. a couple just made me smile. two made me shudder in a good way. one specifically dazzled my eyes and ears. some made me cry or a least shed a few tears. some made me think well after the film ended. but after all is said and done they all satisfied and touched me in one way or another. 

(argue amongst yourselves. my work is done)

1. the king's speech
simply the all around best. acting, directing, screenplay and characters you care for. give colin the oscar now.

2. Inception

a feast for the eyes and ears. what direction and editing are all about.

3. Black Swan

a psycho sexual feast. i just happen to love films that blur the line between reality and fantasy. a better descent into maddness has not been served up before. give natalie the oscar now.

4. Shutter Island

a mystery to die for. another film that blurs the line between what is real and maybe not so real.

5. Agora

does history repeat itself? see for yourself.

and the rest in no particular order



The Town

ben affleck triumphs in his sophmore directorial effort. why the hell is blake lively not getting supporting kudos?

 127 Hours

the film some are afraid to see. has no one ever heard of great editing. a triumph in cinema fotography

 City Island

a slice of life gem. andy garcia has never been better.

 Hereafter

no pronouncements or denouncements. just a call for thoughtful dialogue. clint eastwood amazes yet again.

 Fair Game

the truth can prevail.

 The Social Network

amazing on most levels. a bit overwritten and yet surprisingly underdeveloped characterization. the characters btw are some of the most despicable people i've ever spent two hours with.

 Remember Me

an indie with heart. robert pattinson is more than a vampire heart throb. he has the wounded soul of a montgomery clift.

 Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

i really did not want to see this film. i was more than pleasantly surprised.

 Letters to Juliet

a romcom for all ages. vanessa redgrave shines.

 Twilight Eclipse

the best of the trilogy. you may say well hell that's not saying much. well maybe not to you but it is to me.

 The Fighter

i went kicking and screaming. i was wrong. christian bale is worth the admission price.

 The Tillman Story

oh america the beautiful...not so much.

 Hiachi: A Dog's Tale

why the hell this little gem went straight to dvd i'll never know. if you ever loved a pet or had a pet love you this is a must.

Movie Star of the Year

last year this title belonged to sandra bullock pulling in a gizzilion dollars with both 'the blind side' and 'the proposal'

this year the honor goes to the ever growing talent of leonardo decaprio with two of his films and two of my favorite 2010 films, 'inception' and 'shutter island', pulling in big bucks. he deserves the title. he just keeps growing as an actor and is the best of his generation.

'inception'

'shutter island'

both films are currently available on dvd and blu ray

My Favorite Films of the Year

with a few films yet to see it's time to look back at some of my favorite films of 2010. are they the best films of 2010? well they are as far as i'm concerned. will they get oscar noms? not all of them but so what. they are films that in one way or another moved me, touched my spirit, made me laugh or cry or taught me something about real life, possible life or made up life. they all made me think. i would revisit all of them again and in some cases i already have and one of them more than twice revisited. they are the movies i've recommended over the past eleven months and still recommend. i am not a critic in the strict sense of the word although i am quite critical. i'm an opinionist. and i am damn opinionated. at some point after the new year i'll opinionate on my top films of the year. and the worst. and there were so many worst this year as there is every other year. but my worst are those that had the pretense to believe they could/would be the best.

a best:

'shutter island'

the first major film of the year starred the ever growing leonardo dicaprio. martin scorcese directed it and it was a whole new ballgame for him. i think it's his best film. i mean even he seemed to have had enough of gangsters and crooked cops. i'm glad he did. this is a masterpiece of storytelling. it opened in february so the short term memory of the oscar voters may forget it. they shouldn't.

besides the brilliant performance by dicaprio there is the wonderful michelle williams, mark rufalo in the first of two worthy roles this year ('the kids are alright') and the should be nominated as actress in a supporting role the always terrific patricia clarkson. 

simply put it's a story of madness. it's a mystery. i know it's a good mystery because i did not figure it out. therefore it went above and beyond the formular most films follow. not since 'the sixth sense' has a hollywood mystery caught me this much off guard.

i gave it ***stars when it came out. i should up it to ***1/2 stars as no other mystery surpassed it this year.
'shutter island' is available on dvd and blu ray.

i hope hollywood surprises me and gives this film it's due with noms come february. i just won't bet the house on it!

'Shutter Island' ***1/2stars Available on Blu Ray and DVD

the best film of 2010 so far. that really may not be saying very much due to all the crap that's come out but this is a damn good film. something different and if not completely unique it's the best of it's kind since 2005's 'the jacket'.

an excellent supporting cast is headed by leo dicaprio in a great performance the oscars will probably once again ignore. mark ruffalo as always is perfect and will be forever ignored by the academy.

max von sydow and ben kingsley support admirably. but it is the always good and always underestimated/underrated patricia clarkson that turns out the type of worthy of a nomination supporting role people remember.

personally i think this is martin scorsese's best directorial effort in years. truth be told he really lost me ages ago retreading the same old same old. here he tries something new with good results.

my verdict is rent it, make popcorn and get caught up in it's web.