The Best of 2010

It was a really strong year for movies at the box office, at least in my mind. When putting together my yearly top 10, I found a number of films that equally deserved to be in the list, but didn’t make it. While there weren’t a lot of films that stood head and shoulders above the pack; there were some great films released this year.

Almost on the list were the “island” films like Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese delivers an intriguing film from early 2010 with great performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) and City Island (The comedy about a different kind of family where everyone has their own quirks starring Andy Garcia).

The amazing animated offerings of 2010 included the spy comedy Despicable Me with the voice talents of Steve Carell; Tangled the story of Rapunzel with the voice talents of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi and especially How to Train Your Dragon that surprised everyone with its beautifully animated film that caught everyone by surprise all got cut at the last minute.

Comedies like Hot Tub Time Machine (yes, it’s here, yes I’m a child of the 80s, what’s it to you); Greenberg featuring a really solid and different performance from Ben Stiller and Greta Gerwig and Please Give starring the amazingly talented Catherine Keener along with Oliver Platt and Amanda Peet all had different great qualities about them, and came close to making a statement.

Dramatic films, that are always on the list had near misses like Solitary Man with Michael Douglass delivering an amazing performance as a man living a truly solitary existence; Never Let Me Go looked at the world that could be with Carey Mulligan and sees it not as a very pleasant society; The Way Back from Director Peter Weir was an unflinching look at a journey through all environments by some very brave individuals and the soon to be released The Company Men which totally took me off-guard as a very real look at today and how real people exist on all levels of the economic spectrum that are affected by the downturn with Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner among others.

Documentaries are always one of my favorite groups of films, and it was a strong year for them! Exit Through the Gift Shop was a Banksy film that took a colorful look at street art and an even deeper look at what makes some “art lovers” tick; Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work showed a very real look at a show biz icon and her motivation and drive to keep going, and the education film Race to Nowhere taking a look at homework and the constant stress we place on our kids all touched a nerve with me but fell short.

There was even a horror film that almost made it, Let Me In was a remake, but it was done so well it was not to be forgotten.

And some of the very last films to fall off the list included the amazing Black Swan featuring a groundbreaking performance by Natalie Portman that earned her a Critics’ Choice Award Nomination and had many talking for days after seeing it; the incredible True Grit from The Coen Brothers that showed us we could do a very capable remake with truly talented actors (Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon) and a spectacular newcomer in Hailee Steinfeld, and the gut-wrenching Rabbit Hole that examines ground that no parent wants to take a look at with two immensely talented performers in Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart.

So what did make the list?

10. The King’s Speech (Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush)- Ok, so it has a very bad title. But it is a truly inspirational film about a man at a point in history and his determination to lead the nation. Colin Firth got a Critics’ Choice Award Nomination and should be in line to do the same with the Academy.

9. Easy A (Emma Stone) – My favorite comedy this year. It does a really solid job of showing the audience how today’s technology can influence all those around us, while making us all laugh. The performances are solid from top to bottom. (I would love to see a film with just Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson’s characters). Oh and did I mention Emma Stone is bound to be a star!

8. Waiting for Superman – It’s scary and real. This film examines our education system in a way like very few films have dared. It is heartbreaking to see kids that want to learn, being forced into systems that are bound to fail them because of the lock of a lottery. It is disturbing to see teachers who want to teach being held back and maybe even more so to hear of teachers who don’t care being kept on payrolls. Oh and John Legend’s song Shine over the end credits is magnificent.

7. Toy Story 3 (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen) – It’s been awhile since we saw Andy’s toys, but we flocked back to the theater to see them. A film that is as identifiable with children as with their parents who experienced it the first time around. This has a real heart and will emotionally grab even the toughest parent.

6. The Town (Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall) – I tried, time and again, to find a reason to not include this film on my list. But each time I thought of it, I liked it just a bit more. Ben Affleck as a directory takes us into the city that he knows and it shows. I always felt like I was there, watching as friends fought and crimes were committed, and that makes for a good film.

5. Restrepo - No documentary captivated me more this year than this film. We sit in our homes and watch reality programming on television thinking that is the best look at reality. Watching the news we see footage from war that doesn’t really tell the story except for what a reporter filters. When you watch this film, you see the real, unfiltered look at the human beings who put their lives on the line for our country. You see real bullets flying overhead. You see real emotion at the loss of life. You will see nothing this year quite like this film.

4. Winter’s Bone (Jennifer Lawrence) – This is a raw and gritty film with Jennifer Lawrence leading the way. I was amazed at how intently connected I was with the story of a woman fighting to take care of her family, while not being much beyond the age of a little girl.

3. Inception (Leonardo DiCaprio and Director Christopher Nolan) – A Mind-blowing Masterpiece, director Christopher Nolan takes an amazing environment and turns everything upside down, literally! The visuals are stunning throughout and the attention to detail will really turn movie viewing on its head. I was transported into this world that is within and when it ended, I didn’t want to leave.

2. The Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield) – Facebook me! This film takes a look at our environment today. How did Facebook come to pass? Who is Mark Zuckerberg? And while the real Mark Zuckerberg takes some issue with what goes on in the film, it is an entertaining story told in an entertaining way.

1. The Fighter (Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale) – Nothing I saw this year quite compares to this film. From top to bottom it is filled with great acting. Mark Wahlberg is the driver as Mickey Ward, and yet no one talks about him when they talk about this film…that’s because he surrounded himself with some of the best performers working. Christian Bale deserves all the credit in the world as Mickey’s brother, and Amy Adams and Melissa Leo show us how strong women’s performances CAN be if given the right opportunity and the right role. Sure I was a fight fan before I saw this film, Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti’s fights are legendary in my mind, but I didn’t know the story behind Ward, and this film just delivers from the opening bell.