Your top 10 fav films of 2010

Cafe Society
1

Hm…I don’t SEE a thread here, so I guess I’ll kick this off:

  1. The Town — proof that Ben Affleck IS still relevant in Hollywood. As a bank employee, it’s always interesting to see heist films, and this one worked very well.

  2. Kick-Ass — One of the funnest theater going experiences of my life. I got big screen tickets primarily to see how many parents would be dragging their kids out of the theater within the first 10 minutes, but everybody had a great time watching it.

  3. Unstoppable — one of the worst trailers ever, for a fun and inspiring film that could have easily held its own if it was correctly marketed that way

  4. Piranha 3D — I still don’t know how this movie managed to get an R rating. Once again, a really fun theater going experience. It’s just SO over the top, that you can’t believe what you’re actually watching, but it kept a smile on my face the entire time.

  5. The Black Swan — one of the strangest films I’ve ever seen, and it continues to haunt me. I still need to read the thread on it.

  6. Toy Story 3 — both animated films I bought a ticket for this year were excellent. The only thing really holding this film back is that it’s more of the same. But man, does Pixar know how to do CGI!

  7. Inception — the most thought-provoking film I’ve seen this year. I still need to go back for a second helping, I’m just worried the experience might not hold up on a repeat view, so I want to cherish this film for as long as I can. I’ve loved everything Chris Nolan has ever done.

  8. Winter’s Bone — best acting job on the list. This is one subculture of America which seldom gets a realistic viewpoint, except in parody. The only film on the list I’ve already watched twice.

  9. Tangled — Disney is finally back!!! Best one since Emperor’s New Groove, and hottest Disney princess EVER.

  10. The Social Network — this is one of those films where all of the pieces fit together perfectly. I’ve always been a big fan of both Sorkin and Fincher, and combining those two forces was a brilliant decision.

2

I haven’t seen it yet, but doesn’t Piranha 3D have a shit-ton of nudity?

3

Yes, it’s nothing but 90 minutes of blood and tits. Not that that’s a bad thing…

4

So then you know exactly why it got an R rating. And I agree, not a bad thing at all.

5

I mean JUST an R rating. That film made Rambo 4 look like Sesame Street. I think the only way they were able to get it rated is because it was SO FAR over the top to be taken seriously. Like I said, I had a SMILE on my face the entire time!

6

Another vote for Unstoppable.

Pumps the heart along nicely. No message, just action! action! action!

7

Man, I didn’t even see ten movies this year…and Kick Ass was this year? Really? Wow, I thought it was 2009.

I guess if we include Kick Ass, then all the movies I saw this year were:
Kick Ass (on DVD, no less)
Inception
Tron: Legacy
Iron Man 2
The A Team
Hot Tub Time Machine (DVD)

Yeah…so out of those, only 2 are on your list, and even without seeing any other movies, I’m not sure I’d put Kick Ass on there anyway. I mean, a lot of movies I didn’t see still looked they were good, like The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Black Swan…but then you did say top ten favs of 2010, not best movies of 2010, so that is a bit different, isn’t it.

But at any rate I think we all know the clear winner for best movie of 2010 is Human Centipede.

8

Yikes, not a great year for movies in my opinion. I’d say the best ones I saw were…

  1. True Grit
  2. 127 Hours
  3. Toy Story 3
  4. Inception
  5. The Social Network

I saw some others but they either weren’t great or just weren’t memorable so I don’t feel they deserve to be on the list.

9

I am not all that interested in the development of Facebook or the backstabbing that occurred along the way.

Should I still see the Social Network? If so, what makes it good? Thanks!

10

In random order (some were showing in ‘09 on the festival circuit):
True Grit
Restrepo
Winnebago Man
Who Is Harry Nilsson (and why is everybody talkin’ about him)
Toy Story 3
127 Hours
Winter’s Bone
Best Worst Movie
Let Me In
Hereafter

11
  1. Winter’s Bone
  2. Black Swan
  3. Inception
  4. The Social Network
  5. The Town
  6. Four Lions
  7. Buried
  8. Greenberg
  9. Monsters
  10. Kick Ass
12

I’m not limiting myself to theatrical releases, but my list would include (in random order):

Camp Rock 2 – Disney Channel Original Movies are kind of an acquired taste, but this one was good (plus Demi Lovato before going bonkers).

**Unstoppable **-- I’m a big fan of Tony Scott’s style, and it’s nice to see him getting a commercial success again. Plus, it got me to kind of understand his current obsession with trains.

Easy A – This comedy is better than it should have been. Emma Stone is cool (but Aly Michalka is better), and the writing was terrific.

**127 Hours **-- I’m a Danny Boyle fan too, but was curious how this was going to work as a movie considering the premise. But it kept my rapt attention the whole time, it actually made me physically ill at one point ("No work without an aggressive character can ever be considered a masterpiece.”), and it had Amber Tamblyn!

Blue Valentine – I happened to see this just because of the scheduling at the New Orleans Film Festival, having heard nothing about it. Fantastic acting, and even the end credits were interesting!

**Black Swan **-- I missed this one at the New Orleans Film Festival, and had built it up too much in my mind, but being a ballet, Darren Aronofsky, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Matthew Libatique fan, this one was still a no-brainer for my list. Flawed, but very very good.

Inception – Good, especially once it gets into the multiple levels of dreams and the different settings for each. The time-shifting was a great touch.

The Social Network – I didn’t expect much, but I was enthralled the entire time. Very good story, and the surprise of Justin Timberlake’s character.

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop – Cool!

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – OK, this wasn’t great, although I did appreciate it more after hearing Oliver Stone’s commentary. Not my favourite Stone (my favourite director) movie by far, but it had its moments, especially its insights into the world of finance.

I also really want to see Carlos, but I haven’t gotten a chance to yet.

13

Crap, I knew I forgot something…

I’m surprised to see Hereafter listed as a favorite. Both times I had to sit through that trailer I thought “I’m not going near that hunk of drivel with a 10 foot pole”

I had a similar attitude when I heard they were making a Facebook movie. However, it was just done so well. Excellent script (if you’ve ever liked anything Sorkin’s done, you know what I’m talking about) with great directing & editing, and even the acting was decent - Jesse Eisenburg & Justin Timberlake play just the kind of arrogant nerds that you would expect these characters to be, without hamming it up. I finally fell in love with in when in one of the opening scenes, Mark hacks a local web server for images of cute girls by doing a brute force filename scan - the exact same thing I used to do on boring Sunday nights in college.

14

I didn’t see many this year, but Toy Story 3 was outstanding.

Inception
The Social Network
Were also good.

15

Ah, my kind of thread. :slight_smile:

I’ll have to resort to putting these in alphabetical order myself – it’s too hard for me to rank them – but here we go:

Book of Eli – Denzel’s still got it.

Devil – Don’t dismiss it because you think M. Night is played out. This one isn’t just his work, and it was well-done.

Hereafter – And I hate films about life after death. Somehow this film pulls it off, though.

Inception – Dizzying, but wonderful.

Let Me In – Redefining the vampire movie in marvelous ways.

Megamind – Yeah, it’s technically a kids’ movie, but it’s also an interesting look at good versus evil.

Predators – I’m not even sure I can explain why, but I really liked this one. It isn’t quite a traditional monsters vs. humans flick.

Red – Not getting older, getting better.

Shutter Island – I used to hate Leonardo DiCaprio, but he really knows how to choose a script.

Unstoppable – Denzel’s still got it!
And thankfully, this reminded me to put together my official best and worst of the year before we run out of year. Heh.

16

Haven’t seen nearly enough movies this year, but here are the good ones:

  1. Toy Story 3- Totally engrossing, the characters are as sharp as ever, and the delicate balance between comedy and pathos is perfect.
  2. The Social Network- Great dialogue, great acting, and awesome editing.
  3. Black Swan- Portman and Aronofsky was a genius combination.
  4. Exit Through the Gift Shop- Awesome documentary that truly provokes thought about the connection between art and commerce.
  5. The Ghost Writer- Underappreciated thriller. The last image is truly haunting.

And some good-ish ones:

  1. The Kids Are All Right- Great ensemble family drama.
  2. Love and Other Drugs- Gyllenhaal and Hathaway show more chemistry in any fifteen minutes of this movie than has been evident in the last five years of big studio romcoms. So what if it’s messily edited and strangely plotted.
  3. Inception- Bigger doesn’t equal better for Nolan, but he hasn’t made a dud yet.
  4. The Runaways- Most didn’t pay much attention here, but it’s energetic and watchable if nothing else.
  5. Burlesque- The screenplay sucks save for some great one-liners, but Christina can sing and Cher can be Cher, so what’s the harm?

Biggest disappointments of the year: Shutter Island, Tangled, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

17
  1. The Town
  2. The Social Network
  3. Winter’s Bone
  4. Let Me In
  5. Machete (delicious cheese – perfect drive-in fare, which is where I saw it)
  6. Get Low
  7. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
  8. Despicable Me
  9. Shutter Island
  10. The Book of Eli

The first four are really high-quality films. The rest are good films worth the price of admission.

Some well-reviewed movies I saw and did not care for: The Ghost Writer, Inception, The Kids Are All Right

Still a lot of good ones I haven’t seen yet: True Grit, The Fighter, Black Swan, Restrepo, 127 Hours, The King’s Speech, Toy Story 3.

18

Oops. Looks like Get Low is actually a 2009 release. I saw it in 2010.

19

Several things mentioned haven’t opened yet in Australia. Things I actually saw and liked, in no particular order:
*The Town
The Social Network
Shutter Island
The Ghost Writer
Inception
Easy A
Kick Ass
The Disappearance of Alice Creed *- English low budget thriller. Admirable for it’s economic efficiency. A cast of 3 people, very few sets but a great script and great performances. Hardly released anywhere.
Animal Kingdom - Aussie family/crime drama told with chilling honesty. Creepy, creepy people.
The King’s Speech

20

Avid movie goer here so I make a point to see everything that gets nominated for all the awards…

In no particular order:

The Ghost Writer
King’s Speech
True Grit
Black Swan
Toy Story 3
Never Let Me Go

I’m stopping there. I liked Social Network but didn’t think it was “all that and a bag-of-chips.” Winter’s Bone was forgettable for me. Haven’t seen *127 Hours *yet. The Kids Are All Right was beyond mediocre.