My Year in Movies, 2010

In a normal year, this list (assuming I actually would put it together) would be ten movies long. However, 2010 was not a great year for movies. Sure, the six films at the top of this list were entertaining, thought provoking, and often times completely mesmerizing. And several more (such as The Kings Speech and Easy A sound like they would be good, but I haven't seen them. As it stands, I can only write the list based on movies I have seen, and not those I wish to see. Therefore, because these six films stand out above the rest I saw, they deserve a spot of honor. In no particular order, here are my six favorite films of 2010:

Toy Story 3
To be sure, this one made me nervous that Pixar would spew forth a mediocre cash grab with the third installment of this most venerable franchise. With tears in my eyes at its touching end, I realized how foolish I was. This movie had the most harrowing scene of any film I saw this year. Good job Pixar. Now, really surprise me and make Cars 2 better than bad.

The Social Network
The accuracy of this film is certainly debatable, as is the extent it makes Mark Zuckerberg look awful (or streets ahead awesome). However, it cannot be denied that this film wasn't great. It's exploration of innovation, friendship, fast success, and how all three can devolve into a bitter clusterfuck of betrayal and hard feelings was truly engaging. Great performances by Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, and Jesse Eisenberg, the thinking man's Michael Cera. Plus, it's always fun to see PHP on the screen.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Not to be outdone, the famous original Michael Cera stars in his own film on this list. I feel very confident in saying that this filmed, poorly received at the box office, will be looked at in a much gentler light as time goes on. Perhaps one day this film will be studied as a Generation Y Bonnie and Clyde. Perhaps a younger generation, more at ease with its style, will revere it like previous generations revere other classics. Perhaps a future me will stumble across this pretentious piece of fluff and smack his forehead, before wistfully remembering the days when people actually sat in dark rooms together and watched movies, instead of downloading it straight to Netflix on our iCortex. The fact that this film had Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick pretty much guaranteed a positive reaction from me, even if it turned out to be Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2.

Inception

Did the top stop spinning, or didn't it? Did it? Or didn't it? Were the kids at the end the same age as in his dream? Or were they different ages (two sets of kids were used, after all). In the end, I decided it really didn't matter, if only because it clearly didn't matter to Leo. The variable gravity fight was quite possibly my favorite scene of the year. I know, I know, real original, right?

True Grit
Were I to pick a favorite screenwriter, I would probably have to pick Charlie Kaufman. Were I to pick a favorite director, it likely would be a tie between Andrew Stanton, Brad Bird, and Pete Doctor. However, were I to pick my favorite director/writer team, that honor would clearly go to the Coen Brothers. Fargo, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, and most of their other films rank highly in my informal list of favorites, and each new film of theirs is on my "To See List". I've never seen the John Wayne film, nor read the book both movies are based on. People aren't wrong when they say this is a straight up western, without any of the usual Coen Brothers oddness. People also aren't wrong when they say this is a very enjoyable film. I can't say enough about the performance of the young female lead, and Jeff Bridges, is, well Jeff Bridges. The movie simultaneously made me want to visit late 19th century Indian Territory, and avoid the outdoors, especially caves where snakes dare to dwell.

Black Swan
No movie grabbed my attention so strongly as Darren Aronofsky's film about Natalie Portman's fragile ballerina. In many ways, this seemed like a companion to his earlier film The Wrestler. However, where Mickey Rourke's character was more about recapturing that lost feeling of success at the end of a career, Portman's journey was more about achieving perfection, about creating something worth remembering, even if it costs you everything in the process. There is no other actress who could have pulled off the role of Nina Sayers. Portman owns that role, and she deserves every accolade she may get.

One Line Awards
Biggest Surprise: How to Train Your Dragon
Favorite Sequel (Non Toy Story 3 Division): Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Part One
Favorite Comedy Starring Jonah Hill: Get Him to the Greek
Favorite Movie including John Slattery: Iron Man 2
Most Disappointing Film (tie): Jonah Hex, Alice in Wonderland, and The Tourist
Least Offensive Piece of Middling Sequel: Shrek Forever After
Movie most Likely to have made my Favorite List, if I had Remembered it Existed: Shutter Island
Favorite Movie with Amy Adams in track shorts: The Fighter
Favorite Movie about Waterborne Time Traveling: Hot Tub Time Machine
Favorite Movie about Plans Coming Together: A-Team
Least Favorite Movie: Cop Out
Favorite Fake Alternative Ending to a Film that is 100 times more valuable than the Movie that Inspired It: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6w0r-ScEG4
Film I Wanted to See, But Hasn't Played in Chattanooga (tie): The Kings Speech, Blue Valentine
Film I Wanted to See, But Dicked Around and Didn't See It: Easy A
Most Anticipated Film of 2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2