With the Oscar nominations today, I thought it’d be the best time for a long, rambly post about the films that affected me this year, the classics that I caught up on, and the 2010 releases that I got the chance to see.
THE 2010 BEST PICTURE NOMINATIONS
Really, 2010 was a fairly crappy year for film. There was nothing this year that remotely touched 2009’s Inglourious Basterds, or hell, A Serious Man for that matter. Sequels and reboots ruled the day in the cineplexes, with Iron Man 2 dropping a big greasy turd on audiences before Harry Potter showed up and left me baffled. It seems every day, there was an announcement for a new comic book movie, or reboot of a comic book movie, or reboot of a board game based on the comic book adaptation of a video game. If there are two words to describe this year, it would be “Derivative Shit.”
However, the Oscars still have to happen, so here’s the 10 nominees they scrounged up:
Black Swan – Darren Aronofsky uses the exact same style he used to make The Wrestler to create its mirror image, with Natalie Portman the beautiful flipside to Mickey Rourke’s grungy weirdo. Both films are about people sacrificing for their professional obsessions, with Black Swan being as macabre as The Wrestler is heart-wrenching.
The Fighter – A well-acted, impeccably cast version of a movie I’ve seen 9 billion times. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo are excellent (as is Jack McGee, who didn’t receive enough love), but to me, Amy Adams has always been a bland wisp of air. Bonus points for best use of that “How Ya Like Me Now” song.
(SIDENOTE: Mark Wahlberg is awful in this, like he is in all his other movies.)
Inception – My favorite movie of the year, hands down. One of the few films that didn’t feel like something I’d seen a million times before. Plus, it only gains in esteem each time I see it, which is a key trait of every movie I love. People found this movie boring and confusing, primarily because listening, thinking and paying attention have become really, really hard. If you use your brain as more than just your daily poop reminder, you’ll enjoy this movie.
The Kids are All Right – Didn’t see it.
The King’s Speech – The “Classy British Historical Drama” entry this year, as well-acted and involving as all of the other Classy British Historical Dramas that have been nominated. Like the rest of them, I liked it, and I’ll probably never watch it again. Still, if this wins Best Picture, I won’t mind, and it’s nice to see Helena Bonham Carter take a break from being Tim Burton’s Goth Muse to play an actual human being.
127 Hours – I loved, loved, loved 127 Hours. Danny Boyle’s hyper-active, jittery style pairs well with the story of a guy stuck under a rock. Gripping and involving. For whatever reason, James Franco’s talent always surprises me, ever since Freaks & Geeks.
The Social Network – Quite possibly a perfectly made film. The script, direction, casting . . . All perfect. When it was over, I said “Wow, that was FANTASTIC.” So why hasn’t it lingered with my like other films? No idea. I think The Social Network could very well be the best film of the year, but it’s not my favorite. Does that make sense? Probably not.
Toy Story 3 – I liked it fine, and even teared up a couple of times, but I also haven’t given it a moment’s thought since I saw it. In the future, I’ll prefer putting in my copy of Up over this.
True Grit – An excellent film, but people calling this the Coen Brothers’ best movie are out of their minds. Those who call it their “best” are trying to say that it’s their most comfortably mainstream, and they didn’t have to be burdened by heavy philosophical questions afterwards, even though after that ending, I don’t think they’re right about that, either. It’s merely better than 90 percent of the films made this year. Sometimes, that’s enough.
Winter’s Bone – Haven’t seen it, but my co-worker told me that it was awful while he was also telling me that Jonah Hex was awesome. I’m going to go ahead and assume that it’s great.
(Fun fact: In the past year, my co-workers have recommended 3 movies to me: Jonah Hex, Meet The Spartans and The Tooth Fairy. Thanks, guys.)
OTHER FILMS OF 2010
Dinner For Schmucks – The most mis-marketed movie of the year. One of those flicks where the story was thrown out in editing and they replaced it with comics riffing. A two-hour slog, with the dinner taking up only the final 20 minutes, and a large chunk of the other 100 minutes devoted to Paul Rudd’s relationship with some chick whose name I didn’t catch. It was tolerable at the time, but the more I think about it, the more I don’t want to see it again.
MacGruber / The Other Guys – There weren’t any great comedies this year, but these two were very good. For sheer insane, offensively stupid gags, check out MacGruber. For those looking for a comedy that ends up being more than the sum of its parts, check out The Other Guys, which is as much a critique of Wall Street as it is a showcase for Will Ferrell acting goofy. Plus, it’s got Michael Keaton reciting TLC lyrics.
(SIDENOTE: Mark Wahlberg is awful in this, like he is in all his other movies.)
Iron Man 2 – aka The Lazy Cash-In Strikes Back. Destroys all of the goodwill that the first Iron Man built up. I’ve never seen a cast look so bored.
The Town – Perfectly fine, average crime drama that was somehow thought to be a Best Picture nominee by some folks. I assume those folks spent their childhoods chained to a bed, not watching movies. Oh, and can we put a moratorium on movies that showcases awful BAHSTAN accents?
Alice In Wonderland – AIDS on toast. Someone needs to put out a restraining order to prevent Depp & Burton from working together again.
Clash of the Titans – I don’t remember much about it, but I recall it sucking. Enjoy this review that I don’t recall writing.
The A-Team – Parts of it are more fun than it has any right to be, then Jessica Biel shows up and I don’t care. She’s truly Hollywood’s most beautiful charisma vacuum.
Youth In Revolt / Scott Pilgrim – It’s too bad that Jesse Eisenberg has taken the reigns of America’s Favorite Michael Cera-Type from Michael Cera, but Cera did kind of deserve his fate after the milquetoast pile of bland known as Youth In Revolt, a film that was clearly murdered in the editing room, or possibly in the script phase. However, Cera came back with Scott Pilgrim, one of the most visually inventive films of the year that didn’t deserve to be such a bomb. I’m sure that’ll be a cult hit as time goes on.
Shutter Island – In spite of my reservations about the ending, this was one of the best films of the year, visually lush, with Scorcese taking a B-movie story and sending it to operatic heights. Unfairly forgotten, it contains one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s best performances.
The Crazies – Dumb, but I like Timothy Olyphant. My Examiner review here.
Hot Tub Time Machine – Lots of people liked this movie. I invoked the Life’s-Too-Short Clause and turned it off after 30 minutes.
Date Night – Bland crap, but it got Steve Carell & Tina Fey new houses. Good for them.
Kick-Ass – A two-hour nerd boner that I kinda hated. A movie for anti-social trenchcoat-wearers. If you’re a lonely dick, check out Kick Ass!
Predators – The last movie I saw with my Uncle John. It’s probably lousy, but that’s not what I remember about it.
FILMS OF 2010: NETFLIX DIVISION
The growth of Netflix Instant Watch has allowed me to finally catch up on so many films that I’d neglected for way too long. Some of those include:
Barry Lyndon – Stanley Kubrick’s mesmerizingly slow 3-hour opus about a man whose destiny is destined to be denied. Kubrick shot the film using nothing but zooms, with his vision of the 18th century looking similar to paintings from the period. Not for all tastes, but I loved it. (CONFESSION: It is divided into 2 parts, so I was able to take a break and get back to it. That may be why the length didn’t bother me.)
Blow Out – Holy hell, Blow Out. My favorite Brian DePalma, and it comes out on Criterion in April! WOOHOO! A showcase of DePalma’s obsessions, with sequences of visual flair colliding with homage and a look into the art of filmmaking itself. Just plain awesome.
Shotgun Stories – A wonderful low-budget film featuring a performance by Michael Shannon that doesn’t revolve around him being a super-creepy goofball. My review here.
Pickpocket – Classic film by Robert Bresson that I should have watched in film school. Such a unique, flowing style to the film. Eager to see it again soon.
The Vanishing – The original made in Holland, not the craptacular crap-bucket remake with Keifer Sutherland, which takes all of the mystery and intrigue of the original and poops on it. If you haven’t seen the remake, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE see the original first.
Laura – Otto Preminger’s crackling film noir, featuring dialogue with an All About Eve-level of sophistication and an intriguing mystery that still leaves me slightly baffled. Gene Tierney? ROWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRR
The Five Obstructions – Lars Von Trier is one of those classic artists that likes to provoke and agitate, but if you ever called him on his bullshit, he’d probably cry and run away. Still, this documentary, where he forces his mentor to remake one of his short film using rules that Von Trier devises, is fascinating, and an insightful look into the artistic process.
Man With The Movie Camera – a 70-minute collage of sound and image made by Dziga Vertov in 1929. Avant-garde, and filled with camera effects and editing techniques that would impact all film that came after it.
Miami Blues – Alec Baldwin’s first breakthrough role, a film noir set in Miami, featuring a great supporting turn by Fred Ward.
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore – Martin Scorcese’s most underrated film, featuring a wonderful performance by Ellen Burstyn. Ended up inspiring the sitcom Alice, but don’t hold that against it. A minor masterpiece.
REVELATORY FILM MOMENT OF 2010
Re-watching 2001: A Space Odyssey after my uncle passed, and finally understanding it, followed by buying the film on Blu-Ray and sitting there, slack-jawed in awe and admiration. One of THE great films of all time, maybe the greatest.
SECOND-MOST REVELATORY FILM MOMENT OF 2010
Re-watching Midnight Run on cable and realizing that it’s one of the great, unsung films of the 80s. I’m a sucker for cross-country road pictures, and this is one of my favorites. I bought the DVD the next day.
GOALS FOR 2011
- Catching up on Criterions. There are so many classics I’ve read about yet haven’t seen.
- Taking a break from comic book movies. Seriously, I’m exhausted at this point.
- Filming something, anything, of my own.
IN SUMMATION
Above is just a small sample of the stuff I stared at during 2010. Look for me to talk about TV stuff once my fingers stop hurting.
Blow Out (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
(WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
3 comments:
Matt made me watch Kick Ass. Your description made me laugh.
wow - I thought I was the only one who watched Shotgun Stories. Dug it as well.
Marky Mark was good in The Departed - no?
It was high-level performance . . . for Wahlberg. Same with Boogie Nights. We grade Wahlberg on a sliding scale, especially if we remember him as The Funky Bunch guy.
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