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Monday, December 6, 2010
FILM
The Ten Best Films Of 2010
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Monday,
December 6, 2010
IN 2010 audiences may have escaped to the movies to temporarily insulate
themselves from the cold grip of a deepening recession, but they often witnessed
reality staring back at them on the big screen. Perhaps compromised by
economic restraint, many films in Hollywood had a harder, rawer edge to them,
and independent films were as usual more daring and powerful. There were
excellent films like "Blue Valentine" and
"Exit Through The Gift Shop", one of the year's
most clever concoctions.
"The Tillman Story" and
"Inside Job" were downbeat but very important,
as was "Fair Game".
"The Illusionist" was dour, animated beauty.
"127 Hours",
"The American" and
"Please Give" were energetic and alive, but all
for different reasons.
Only three of the films on this list were released after October. Most of
the ten -- actually, nine and a half films -- on this list reflect a serious
tone, but in each there are moments to make you smile, and even laugh loudly.
10 "I'M HERE" "DAY & NIGHT"
Sienna Guillory, Andrew Garfield in Spike Jonze's "I'm Here". A scene from
Teddy Newton's "Day & Night".
Smirnoff, Pixar
Okay, so this is a cheat; neither of these is a feature film. They are
short films and together they represent love and idealism beautifully.
There's not a human in either, to the best of my memory, but the themes in both
are universally human.
In "I'm Here", Spike Jonze's excellent 28-minute
short, a love story between robots in Los Angeles, and the unconditional,
undying devotion that ensues, touches the heart, amidst the harsh and cool of
Tinseltown. Sweet, gentle and tender, "I'm Here" may seem absurd to some,
but it communicates more in its 20-plus minutes than the 2008 feature film
"Seven Pounds" ever could, and is far less ridiculous. The film stars
Andrew Garfield and Sienna Guillory. Debuted at this
year's Sundance Film Festival and released on the Internet later in the year.
Teddy Newton's "Day & Night" is the best animation
story I saw this year, and it played as a companion lead-in to
"Toy Story 3", a
widely-acclaimed animated film. Virtually wordless, it features two
Casper-like figures who live in opposite worlds: one in the night, the other in
the day. Each is curious about the other, and fearful and resentful.
This priceless six-minute musical comedy adventure is colorful, bristling with
fun, warmth and visual splendor. The ideas conveyed are simple and
eloquent, and the results are nothing short of beautiful. It's a treasure
of a film. U.S. release date: June 18, 2010.
9 "BLACK SWAN"
Natalie Portman as Nina in Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan".
Fox Searchlight
Darren Aronofsky penetrated the mind of an ultra-competitive and childlike
ballerina in 2010 with his visually arresting and demented
"Black Swan",
something of a cruel joke in the face of those ballet sophisticates who love
"Swan Lake" in its purest form. Mr. Aronofsky pollutes that ballet classic
with pleasure however, horrifying us with this claustrophobic tale of mania,
identity and possession. Many want to possess ballerina Nina, who wants to
be both swan queen and black swan. Ms. Portman's amazing work comprises
the physical, emotional and psychological realms so completely that it
singularly -- except for some disturbing images -- powers "Black Swan" to
greatness. It's a jarring psychodrama of jealousy, sex, lust and innocence
lost. Also starring: Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and
Winona Ryder. U.S. release date: December 3, 2010.
8 "SOMEWHERE"
Elle Fanning as Cleo and Stephen Dorff as Johnny in Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere".
Focus Features
Sofia Coppola's best film to date is "Somewhere", a funny satire about pampered
movie stars in Hollywood. Her direction of the film is its most impressive
asset, with long, unbroken takes in a keenly observed character piece.
Bristling with wit, irony and Kubrickian flair, "Somewhere" is set in Los
Angeles, and features a famous actor-stuntman (Stephen Dorff) who balances his
banal routines with the visit of his daughter (Elle Fanning). Music score
by Phoenix, with perfect placement of The Strokes' song "I'll Try Anything
Once". U.S. release date: December 22, 2010 (select
cities).
7 "ANOTHER YEAR"
Lesley Manville as Mary in Mike Leigh's "Another Year".
Sony Pictures Classics
"Another Year" is an incisive drama by the improvisational and incomparable Mike
Leigh, and his film is about pretension, reality and the chasm between rich and
poor in modern-day England. Chronicled in four seasons of a calendar year,
there's humor, sadness, tension and pain. Cleverly rendered, visually
rich, perfect in tone and pace, "Another Year" is a superb adult drama in which
affluent characters gently patronize and indict, while more modest souls sit
quietly in isolation or tell the agonizing truth. An ensemble drama full
of great performances, most especially from Lesley Manville, unforgettable as
Mary. You can feel her heart ache and break, and yours does too.
U.S. release date: December 29, 2010
6 "FISH TANK"
Kate Jarvis as Mia in Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank".
IFC Films
Andrea Arnold captures the British working class in such a nakedly honest way it
feels too personal. In her sophomore feature
"Fish Tank" she chronicles 15-year-old Mia (the
impressive debut of Kate Jarvis, above), who lives in Essex in council flats
with dreams of being an aspiring hip-hop star and dancer. She stays with
her wayward mother during a summer and meets one of her boyfriends (Michael
Fassbender). The most impressive things about Ms. Arnold's coming of age
drama are the performances of Mr. Fassbender and Miss Jarvis, and Ms. Arnold's
outstanding direction. You feel the sweat, heat and passion of Miss
Jarvis's character in this raw, abrasive and confrontational film. Ms.
Arnold's characters may not be sympathetic but they are real human beings, never
caricatured for the audience's comfort. U.S. release
date: January 15, 2010.
5 "THE SQUARE"
David Roberts stars as Ray in "The Square", directed by Nash Edgerton.
Apparition
A taut, tense noir echoing films like "A Simple Plan",
"The Square" is a tightly-executed,
well-written drama about a criminal plan interrupted by a love story (or is it
the other way round?) The film, adeptly directed by actor-stuntman Nash
Edgerton and co-written by his brother
Joel (who also has a part in the film),
captures the suffocation of a character who seems to be death-proof if not
dilemma-proof. Released in Australia (its country of origin) during the
summer of 2008, "The Square" not only symbolizes the ethical and psychological
box the film's characters are trapped in, but it's also the nickname of Ray, the
lead character pictured above. David Roberts stars in the title role and
he rivets us with a quietly commanding performance.
U.S. release date: April 9, 2010 (limited release).
4 "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"
Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher's "The Social Network".
Sony Pictures
Jesse Eisenberg explodes the enlivening cyber drama
"The Social Network", David Fincher's crackling
tale about the true story involving the two lawsuits Facebook co-founder Mark
Zuckerberg was embroiled in. Mr. Eisenberg has the look, manner and
cadence of Mr. Zuckerberg down to a tee in a superb dramatic performance, and
the film pulses on the energy of razor-sharp inventions and brilliance of the
minds that uncover them. Morality tale, ethical dilemma and funny, caustic
human drama all rolled into one, "The Social Network" is as visually alive a
film as you'll see all year. The film's pace, especially some of
the opening
scene dialogue, is Hawksian breakneck and breathless. Mr. Fincher's
direction is both subtle and distinct, as is the cinematography by Jeff
Cronenweth and screenwriting by Aaron Sorkin, based on Ben Mezrich's book
The Accidental Billionaires. Also starring Andrew Garfield, terrific
as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, Justin Timberlake, great as Napster's
Sean Parker. With Rooney Mara and Armie Hammer.
U.S. release date: October 1, 2010.
3 "JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK"
Joan Rivers in the documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work", directed by Ricki
Stern and Annie Sundberg. IFC Films
Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg directed a documentary that doesn't feel like a
documentary, at least not a typical one. If an entertainer talked about
her life on film it would of course document events, but this living, breathing
memoir on celluloid about Joan Rivers' first person account of life in the
entertainment industry feels like one of her classic stand-up comedy routines.
"Joan Rivers: A Piece Of
Work" is an unabashed showcase of Ms. Rivers at her best and worst,
at her most tragic and triumphant. More than that, it is a painfully
hilarious journey through the meat-grinder of show business. Ms. Rivers is
sympathetic, fearful, confident and unabashedly in your face. She'd
probably bristle if you said she was in the twilight of her career. Not
even close. Joan Rivers is just getting warmed up.
U.S. release date: June 11, 2010 (limited release).
2 "THE GHOST WRITER"
Ewan McGregor in Roman Polanski's
"The Ghost Writer". Summit
Embattled or not, Roman Polanski threw a great political thriller onto the big
screen in 2010, one that he expertly co-wrote (with Ghost author Robert
Harris) and directed. A ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) succeeds where the
previous ghost writer failed: completing a memoir about fictional British prime
minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), but the rest of the time he's drawn into a
mystery about some of the very people who hired him. Cheeky, satirical and
intelligent, "The Ghost Writer"
shows off Mr. Polanski's vintage style and atmosphere, from start to
finish. The film percolates with Alexandre Desplat's riveting score and
strong ensemble performances by Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall and Tom Wilkinson.
U.S. release date: March 19, 2010.
1 "ANIMAL KINGDOM"
Evolution, devolution: Luke Ford, Sullivan Stapleton, Ben Mendelsohn in David
Michôd's "Animal Kingdom". Sony Pictures Classics
The law of the jungle applies in the tough-minded and gritty Australian crime
drama "Animal Kingdom", from first-time feature film director David Michôd, who
astutely observes human behavior as it disintegrates into a battle of survival
of the fittest within a crime family of blood relatives. A nephew, Josh
"J" Cody stays with his aunt Janine, a matriarch with incestuous ties to her
sons, and becomes ensnared in the family's criminal hunting season as it tries
to extricate itself from several murders. This arresting and poetic film
is defined by suspense, powerful drama and phenomenal acting from Jacki Weaver
as the matriarch and Ben Mendelsohn as one of the brothers in the Cody crime
family. Mr. Michôd's writing is so good, and his characters behave on
impulse and in a credible manner. Also starring Joel Edgerton and Anthony
Hayes (both in "The Square"), Guy Pearce, and introducing James Frecheville as
"J". He is memorable in only his second feature film.
U.S. release date: August 15, 2010.
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