And finally: The Top 10 Films of 2010

No setup necessary- let's just do this thing.

10. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Although you won't see this film discussed in any Oscar circles, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World definitely deserves some recognition. It's rare to find a film that is so eclectic and, at the same time, not a bit smug about its electiveness. SPVTW didn't have to market to the "indie" crowd to be successful- it just had to be itself. Which is, at its core, just a brilliant, fun movie. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is not just for comic book nerds, video game shut-ins, or hipsters who recognize the Frank Black song in the soundtrack or Scott's reoccurring Smashing Pumpkins shirt...it's for everybody.


9. Winter's Bone

I didn't realize how intense this movie was until after it was finished. Everything starts out so calmly paced, and then, before you know it, people are getting coffee thrown in their faces. Sundance's Best Picture winner sneaks up on you in a way that is truly admirable, and it has pretty much scared me away from the rural Missouri area for life. If the plot doesn't capture your interest (daughter chasing her deadbeat, meth-cooking dad), at least check this one out for newcomer Jennifer Lawrence's Golden Globe-nominated performance for Best Actress. Although Natalie Portman will most likely take the title for her work in Black Swan, Lawrence is definitely one you want to keep your eye on.


8. Inception

While I remain a firm believer that this film is extremely overhyped, I can't honestly look myself in the face and say that it wasn't one of the best films of the year. Even though I had my issues with the convoluted plot and bloated love story (seriously, way too much time devoted to that), Inception is clearly a Christopher Nolan production. What do I mean by that? It was sleek, ambitious, original, and ingenious, just like everything Nolan has ever done.
I don't believe that Inception will win Best Picture or any acting awards, but Nolan has a very good chance at winning the Best Director and/or Best Screenplay awards.


7. How to Train Your Dragon

Who knew that an animated movie about a dragon could make me cry? TWICE? I was dragged to the theater for this one, and I have to say that I left it completely awed by how surprisingly good this film was. It may appear to be a children's movie about a cute dragon, but HTTYD is so much more. It's a movie about self-confidence, father/son relationships, friendship, and love. And if you're not at all moved by it, I question the existence of your heart.


6. The King's Speech


The King's Speech is painful in the way that, from the very beginning, it puts you right in front of the problem. Before I saw this film, I wondered how a movie about a speech impediment could really be that good. But man. The opening scene is brutal. Sure, having a stutter sucks, but having a stutter and being forced to speak publicly on a regular basis? At a time in history before most people had the sensitivity to forgive you for it? Yeesh. The reason this film works is because we feel the gravity that this stammer has on King George VI (Colin Firth). We can see how much it has, basically, ruined his life. And it makes you want to root for him.
The King's Speech will be a big contender for Best Picture, and I'm pretty much calling Colin Firth's win for Best Actor. Geoffrey Rush will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but I don't think he'll get it (only because one other nominee slightly out shined him, which...I'll get to later).


5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1

Just when I'd written off the Harry Potter movies as complete and utter crap, the second-to-last one came out and basically blew me away. After several years of progressively bad releases, the Harry Potter franchise closes the last stretch and suddenly decides that it wants to be good again. Actually, even better than it's ever been. It's the only one on the list that I wrote a full review of, and you can read it here: http://bit.ly/91fOB6


4. True Grit

Finally, the Coens reign themselves in and deliver a full, dense, and brilliantly executed story. No weirdness for the sake of weirdness, no loose ends for the sake of loose ends- True Grit is a rare Coen film in the fact that they didn't write it and, therefore, it doesn't seem distinctly Coen. And, the way that I personally look at Coen films, that's a good thing. Having seen the original, I have to say that this version is much better, and that Bridges plays a much more grizzled and complex Rooster Cogburn. Fans of John Wayne might find that sacrilege, but hey, what can you do. Matt Damon and 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld (Maddie) are pretty outstanding, too, and if any of them receive acting nominations they'd be well-deserved. The Coens may be nominated for Best Director, but, as good as True Grit was, I think that award belongs to Fincher or Nolan.


3. The Social Network

Before I saw this film, I was bewildered by all of the buzz. Seriously, how could a movie about Facebook be that good? I'll tell you how. With a talented cast, an amazing director, and a screenplay that's whip smart and expertly paced. This film isn't a history lesson about Facebook. It's a character study of Mark Zuckerberg, brought brilliantly to life by Jesse Eisenburg. We see how ingenious he is and how, in a way, his intelligence directly combats with his social life. Mark is too cerebral to sit and have a friendly chat with a girl he likes; his smart mouth and quick tongue will get him into trouble regardless of his intentions. Another aspect I really loved about this film is its entrepreneur, capitalistic-friendly message. If you're smart enough and you have the ambition, you can do anything you want. I'm not sure if The Social Network will win any major awards, but I'm telling you right now it will be nominated for everything.


2. Toy Story 3

The other film on this list that made me cry. THRICE this time. I don't know what it is, but those animated movies really get me. Much like Pixar's entry last year (Up), Toy Story 3 had me emotionally unstable throughout the entire thing. You feel the sadness at Andy's growth and disinterest in his toys, you feel the defeat in the middle (not going to get into the details), and, lastly, you feel hopeful about where these characters are going in the end. Again, I don't want to give away too much, but there is one scene in this movie that KILLED me. Let's just say that they're all holding hands. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. Pretty heavy for a 'kids movie'.
As good as How to Train Your Dragon was, Toy Story 3 is pretty much a shoe-in for Best Animated Feature.


1. The Fighter

The Fighter took my top spot for a number of reasons. First of all, I was completely blown away by Christian Bale's performance as Dickie Ekland, Mark Wahlberg's crack-addicted, fading star of a brother. Christian Bale may be credited as a 'supporting actor' in this, but to me, he stole the show. That's not to say that this movie is only good because of the acting, though. The Fighter is inspiring and uplifting without being cheesy or obvious about its message. Unlike similar, based-on-true-story success films, The Fighter isn't about making the audience feel good or empowered. It is about Mickey (Mark Wahlberg) and Dickie's story as two brothers fighting for two different things- success and sobriety. And neither one can succeed without the other.
While I hope this film takes the title of Best Picture, I'm not sure if it'll win. What it WILL win is the Best Supporting Actor award for Christian Bale. I'm calling it now, and if that award goes to anyone else, I will honestly be very upset. Melissa Leo will win the Best Supporting Actress award, too, I think, as Mickey and Dickie's tough-faced but fragile mother Alice.

MOVIES YOU EXPECTED TO SEE ON THIS LIST BUT DIDN'T:
-The Town. I felt very meh about The Town, mostly because it felt like so many things I've already seen before. The only thing noteworthy to me about this film was Jeremy Renner, who will most likely receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
-Black Swan. I mentioned earlier that I think Natalie Portman will win the award for Best Actress, and I say that because I think she deserves it. Her acting is superb. So much of me wants to trash Black Swan because I didn't like it, but really, it has nothing to do with the merit of the film. I just personally didn't like it. I found it much too disturbing and depressing to enjoy, but that certainly doesn't mean it wasn't good. It's an effective film, just not one that I liked.

HONORABLE MENTION:
- The Other Guys. I have a soft spot for dumb comedies, and this film starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg honestly made me laugh out loud a lot. Unfortunately it starts to lose steam by the last thirty or so minutes, but if you're not in a thinking mood and you just want to laugh, go with this one. And if you're not a Ferrell or Adam McKay fan, please consider enduring this for Michael Keaton, who made me cackle obnoxiously.
-The A-Team. Before you get all snooty and preachy on me for including this, tell me: what's wrong with a big, fun action movie? There's nothing brainless about this film. In fact, in terms of its genre, it's pretty smart. The cast is magnificent and, as a huge childhood fan of the TV series, I was very pleased with the outcome. Also, please put Sharlto Copley in more movies, Hollywood.

ONES I MISSED:
-127 Hours. Unfortunately I missed this one when it zipped through theaters, and I think I've got a long time to wait before it's available on DVD. Still, I feel almost certain that I will enjoy it, and I'm extremely bummed that I didn't have a chance to catch it before awards season. When I do get around to seeing it, expect a review, and, if necessary, an alteration to this list.

IN CONCLUSION, MY OSCAR PREDICTIONS:
Best Picture: either The King's Speech or The Fighter
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Best Director: either Christopher Nolan for Inception or David Fincher for The Social Network
Best Screenplay: either Christopher Nolan for Inception or Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Thoughts?

My MINOR problem with '500 Days of Summer' that has caused outrage

Okay. Let me set up this story.

So, over the weekend, I saw the movie 500 Days of Summer. And it was...okay. There were things about it that I thought were really clever, there were things about it that I thought were cute- all in all, I'd say it was a good movie. Nothing spectacular, but definitely not bad. Just an enjoyable, light, predictable romantic comedy. And there's nothing wrong with that (and actually, is it even possible for a romantic comedy not to be predictable?).

While I was watching it, though, one scene stood out to me. The scene where Tom (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is singing karaoke. Actually, all the scenes where anybody was singing karaoke, other than the drunk dude singing "I'm Proud to be an American". I'm not familiar with the song Zooey D...?'s character was singing, but Tom was singing a Pixies song. Here Comes Your Man. In a karaoke bar.

I don't think so. Tell me, have you ever encountered a karaoke bar that plays indie music? Alternative music? Don't even bother telling me the answer, because I know it's no. At a karaoke bar, you hear top hits. You hear drunken people ruining Michael Jackson songs. You know why? Because EVERYBODY knows 'Billie Jean', and EVERYBODY can be amused by some drunk chick slurring out the lyrics. What kind of uppity, smug karaoke bar would have "Here Comes Your Man" preset on their machine? Only a handful of people in the bar would be familiar with the song, and everyone else would be going, "...what is this?"

I'll tell you why Joseph Gordon Levitt's character is singing a Pixies song- because 500 Days of Summer wants to be an "indie movie". And guess what- it IS an indie movie! The soundtrack consists of alternative music, the way they tell the story is inventive and creative, and it wasn't made with a huge budget or, necessarily, A-list stars (although I would argue that JGL might be classified as A-list post-Inception). The makers of this movie thought that they couldn't have the characters singing 'Billie Jean' or 'Private Dancer' or what have you because a popular, mainstream song wouldn't be "indie enough".

To me, this scene took me out of the movie. It shows me the hand of the creators. Everything else about this film was organic, but that scene was unrealistic on purpose for the sake of appeasing smug viewers. There, I said it.

Apparently I've upset some people with this opinion and been told that I have a problem "suspending reality". Well, my favorite book series is Harry Potter and I grew up watching Star Wars, so I find that doubtful. Yes, there are fantasy scenes in the film, but they are clearly fantasy scenes. Most of the scenes in 500 Days are based in reality. Flirting at the IKEA store, sitting on a bench and looking at buildings, getting in fights with your significant other, singing karaoke at a karaoke bar. Like I said, it's an obvious play by filmmakers afraid to have anything remotely mainstream in their movie, and it bugged me.

Honestly, it wasn't even a big deal to me, but the moment I mentioned it I had rabid fans telling me I couldn't suspend reality and that I was wrong. For the record, again, I liked 500 Days of Summer. Some people love 500 Days of Summer. Either way, I should be able to critique it however I want and not be accused of misunderstanding something.

THAT IS ALL. Thoughts?