The Best Movies of 2010

So,

I've been quasi-ill for pretty much the entire Christmas break, and there's not a whole lot to do around my parents' house. My thumb has a new callus from playing Mario Kart with my little brothers, I've read five novels, and seen three movies in theatres. This is exactly what I want out of Christmas break, to chill and get fat and hang out with my family.

The blog post I've been waiting to write for the last month is my annual list of the Top 10 movies. There were four movies I knew I had to see before finalizing it: True Grit, Black Swan, The Fighter and Blue Valentine.

As it turns out, Blue Valentine isn't coming out until January, so even though it will be eligible for this year's Oscars, I'm not counting it in my list. (I have a feeling it might have a shot at the top spot, though.) If you haven't seen a trailer yet, you should check this out:



Anyways, I finally went with Cody to see Black Swan this afternoon. I had to take him to Little Fockers afterwards, which was absolutely awful but fit his 17-year-old tastes a little bit better.

I'm chilling for a few hours before going out for New Years, so here it finally is:

#10. Daybreakers

I almost forgot about this movie. And to be completely honest, if this was a better year for movies, Daybreakers would come nowhere near this list.

However, I'm a huge Ethan Hawke fan. If you haven't read his books The Hottest State and Ash Wednesday, you should. He's a little bit one-note as an actor, and he's gotten a bit weird-looking, but the guy knows his way around a good movie. (Training Day, Gattaca, Dead Poet's Society, to name a few.)

This movie is a bit cheesy, and it devolves into a ridiculous, gory splatter-fest. But it's fun. Sam Neill makes a great villain, there's some cool cinematography, and if you look closely you'll notice Lafayette from True Blood. And Willem Defore has some hilarious lines.

I think our whole society is feeling vampire overload, but Daybreakers stands out among the rest.

#9. The Fighter

The script in this movie is pretty weak, and it's about twenty minutes too long. But the performances--especially by Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, are awesome. And it's a pretty solid, straightforward boxing movie. Mark Wahlberg is a bit of blank slate, but I think that was the point. And of course, Christian Bale steals pretty much every scene he's in.

I know this is off-topic, but I just looked this up: Amy Adams in Junebug, from a few years ago. I think this is one of the best performances I've ever seen, and my favorite scene starts at the 5:10 mark. Seriously, watch it:



#8. Inception

If I was making a list of 2010's cooooolest movies, then Inception would definitely be #1. But it still falls short of other head-trippy movies like The Matrix and Fight Club.

The last time Christopher Nolan took a break from the Batman movies, he made The Prestige. (Have you seen it? No? Go rent it.) I guess Nolan wants to switch back and forth between Batman movies and other projects, so it's not the only thing he's known for. Which is cool, but I want to know who the new Batman villain is!

My two favorite things about this movie: the music and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. That dude is too fucking cool. And obviously Leonardo Dicaprio is THE MAN.

Check out the video below to learn something cool about Inception's score:



#7. Winter's Bone

This is a creepy, disturbing movie and showcases some of the best acting of the year.

Mark my words: Jennifer Lawrence (the star, pictured above) will be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. Her portrayal of a young girl trying to track down her meth dealer father so that her house won't be repossessed is brave, understated and totally engaging.

But what I remember most from this movie: John Hawkes.

You might recognize him from Deadwood, as the dorky Jewish sidekick to the sheriff. He's been in a ton of movies, usually as some sort of fumbling, weak dipshit. But in this movie he's a grizzled, meth addicted freakshow named "Tear Drop". Man, he's awesome in this movie.

Winter's Bone is like a backwoods gangster movie with a teenage girl as a heroine. I loved it.

#6. True Grit

How many reasons do I need to love this movie?

The production is flawless, the scenery beautiful and the script pitch-perfect. Hailee Steinfeld is awesome (and 14!) and holds her own against twin powerhouses Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.

I was really stoked when Barry Pepper showed up near the end. Barry Pepper is one of my favorite actors, and I think he's had a dearth of projects and respect since he showed up in Battlefield Earth. That's going to take him a while to live down. But for one of his great performances, check out his Bible-quoting sniper in Saving Private Ryan.

One of my favorite youtube videos to show people this year was the 100 Greatest Insults of All Time, which included one from John Wayne in the original True Grit. When Jeff Bridges barked the same line in the new version I giggled like a little girl in the theatre. Check out the John Wayne version at the 4:50 mark:



The Coen Brothers can do no wrong.

#5. The Kids are All Right

 
Julianne Moore is 50-years-old. 50! She is one of the most beautiful and talented actresses in Hollywood, and she only gets hotter (and better). My favorite performances by her include her role as Jack's girlfriend in 30 Rock and as Colin Firth's drunk divorcee friend in A Single Man last year. I'm kind of in love with her.

Mark Ruffalo has been one of my favorite actors for years, ever since his performance in You Can Count on Me with Laura Linney. This is probably my second favorite performance by him. And I've never liked Annette Bening very much, but I bet you she'll win the Oscar this year. And she will deserve it.

I thought this was a unique, beautiful drama that never felt like it was exploiting the whole gay-Moms thing. The kids' performances were sweet, it was funny and unpredictable and yeah, I cried. A lot. Like in front of my friends. Cuz that's the kind of guy I am.

#4. The Social Network

The real star of this movie: Aaron Sorkin. He wrote the best script this year, somehow taking impossibly dry subject matter (a movie about Facebook, really?) and making it funny, challenging and emotionally poignant. Holy shit. And no one writes dialogue like him.

I find myself thinking about this movie all the time. It just stayed with me. It was completely original (in a year full of sequels and remakes) and David Fincher proved, once again, that he's one of the best directors out there.

Also, for the record: I fully support Justin Timberlake's film career. The guy is awesome.

#3. Kickass

The most fun I had at the movies this year. I saw it twice in one week, and loved it MORE the second time. A superhero movie, a comedy and a gangster movie all rolled into one, brought to us by the guy that directed Layer Cake! Yes, please.

In my opinion, the movie should have centered around Hit Girl instead of Kick Ass. Chloe Grace Moretz is fucking awesome. You might recognize her from 500 Days of Summer and Let Me In, but her performace here was just too damn perfect. (I agreed with my friend Max when he said: If Hit Girl was about ten years older, she would easily be the sexiest female superhero ever.)

You know that saying that if you bring a gun on stage, you need to use it by the end of the show? Well, in Kickass it's a bazooka. A BAZOOKA!

#2. Black Swan

This movie is IMPORTANT.

As far as I'm concerned, I have NEVER seen a better performance by a woman. Natalie Portman easily outshines Mickey Rourke's turn in The Wrestler--both roles relied on the performers to show us the crazy limits a human can push their body through. Portman fully immerses herself in the role, and there wasn't a single off moment.

(Not to mention, how long did it take her to learn how to dance like that?!?)

I've always loved Natalie Portman, but this movie changes everything. With all due respect to Meryl Streep, we are looking at Hollywood royalty.

And, okay, the chick from That 70s Show can act? Since when? She was also in The Book of Eli this year (potentially the worst movie of the year) and her performance was a joke. I loved her in Forgetting Sarah Marshall but I had no idea she can actually act!

Add Vincent Cassel to the mix, who I've loved since I saw Eastern Promises, and you have the strongest cast of the year.

Darren Aronofsky turned a BALLET movie into one of the trippiest, heaviest, most disturbing movies I've ever seen. I would expect nothing less from the dude that brought us Requiem for a Dream. I would follow Darren Aronofsky into Hell: and now I have, multiple times.

#1. The Town

This pick should come as no suprise to anyone who knows me.

There's no movie I've quoted more, talked about more, raved about more. Ben Affleck wowed me with Gone Baby Gone a few years ago, and when I heard he was following it up with another movie about his hometown of Boston, I was stoked. I was a little bit hesitant when I found out he was starring in it, too. But the guy really came through. Ben Affleck: I forgive you for Gigli.

Jeremy Renner will take home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and he'll deserve it. If anyone thought The Hurt Locker was a fluke, you'll be convinced by this movie.

"If we get jammed up, we're holding court in the streets."

And holy shit, Jon Hamm. Is there anything you can't do?

I know this particular observation is a little controversial, but I happen to believe that Blake Lively proved with this movie that she can act. Someone I watched it with said she didn't need to act, that it was an easy role. But I thought she was superb. Her performance reminded me of Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone, a role that earned her an Oscar.

Seriously, I've seen this movie three times now and it just gets better. It makes me want to hold a notepad and write down all the cool lines. Or maybe to move to Bahstan, so I  can pick up their wicked accents.

Thank you, Ben Affleck.

Well,

That's it, that's all, folks. Do you agree? Disagree? I'd like to get more comments on this blog, rather than on Facebook, if you don't mind. I'd like to hear other people's lists, too.

Happy 2011!

Will!!