Movies I Liked: 2010 Edition

Since Oscar nominations are out tomorrow, I thought it was time for my annual list of favorite movies of the year. Overall, it was a terrible year for movies, but thankfully there were a handful of great ones that salvaged it. So without further ado, here we go.

Honorable Mentions: In no particular order, Scott Pilgrim v. the World, The King's Speech, Get Low, Toy Story 3, and Despicable Me (which I actually enjoyed more than Toy Story 3) would round out my top 10.

5) The Social Network. This was a great mainstream film. I look for it to take home the Oscar, although I don't necessarily think it's the best movie of the year. I love all things Aaron Sorkin, and he delivered a flawless screenplay. His ability to consistently write amazing dialogue is unparalleled. The screenplay was executed to perfection by all involved. However, I didn't really think a thing about it after I walked out of the theater. I think the love for this film is amped up because of the current social media craze. Twenty years from now when we're far removed from today's facebook obsession, I think this film becomes a forgotten footnote in the history book letting the reader know that they should check out The Social Network for more information.

4) True Grit. I loved this movie for two reasons: 1) Fort Smith in the movies! and 2) The dialogue. I've never read the book, but my understanding is Portis wrote the novel in the eloquent, almost Biblical language used in the film. Bottom line, I loved it. I'm not a big Coen Bros fan, but they do such a good job with Americana. They capture the spirit of a region and don't mock it, which can't be said for many people who set stories in Arkansas or Minnesota or Mississippi among others. I was blown away by Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross. The girl deserves an Oscar and I'm hoping she snags it.

2b) Inception. I couldn't decide how to order the next two movies, so I've decided they tie for #2. Inception was the only summer movie I was looking forward to. I love Christopher Nolan and will watch anything he makes. He's the most gifted storyteller we have today. He does it all. He writes. He directs. He takes too long between projects! But I'm ok with waiting because it's always worth it. I don't think I need to say why I like Inception. Everybody saw it. It made you think. I love that Nolan makes smart films and assumes the audience can keep up. Inception delivered, now on to Batman 3.

2a) Winter's Bone. Did you see this movie? I hope you did. I know it made it to Fort Smith because I told my parents about it and they saw it. This film was Southern gothic/noir at its best. What I was most struck by was the authenticity. It was shot entirely on location in the Ozark mountains of Missouri. The cinematography is breathtaking, and the filmmaker perfectly captured the poverty of the area. Like the Coen Bros, the filmmaker did not make any judgements on the area. She simply told a compelling story and captured a slice of rural America not often seen in films. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

1) Black Swan. I never want to see this movie ever again. Now I realize that's not something you would say about your top movie of the year, so let me explain. I don't like Darren Aronofsky films, so I didn't expect to like this. In fact, I didn't even want to see it. But what I discovered was a mesmerizing psychological thriller. If ever there is a case for film as art, Black Swan should be one of the prime examples. Everything about the film, from the writing to the acting to the camera shots to the editing to the music, took you along for a ride into the maddening descent of Natalie Portman's character as she came to literally inhabit her role. It's not for the faint of heart and if you don't appreciate film as art, then you probably didn't enjoy the film and I can understand that. For me, however, it was beautiful and haunting and disturbing...but I never want to see it again.

Well folks, that about sums it up for me. Wonder what 2011 has in store?