The 25 Best Movies from 2010
Out of the hundreds (?) of films that I saw this year, these were the best.
No, Black Swan or Winter's Bone didn't make it. Black Swan isn't too far off, top 30 perhaps, but its story was too weak and unoriginal. Winter's Bone doesn't even come close - drugs destroying people's lives isn't interesting to me. I didn't see Toy Story 3 because I'm not big into animation. I also haven't seen Blue Valentine or Another Year but it doesn't look like Blue Valentine will get a wide enough release for me to see it and Another Year isn't coming to my area until February, so they will just have to fight for a spot in the 2011 list.
I have also included an explanation (to the best of my knowledge) for the movies that are technically not 2010.
No, Black Swan or Winter's Bone didn't make it. Black Swan isn't too far off, top 30 perhaps, but its story was too weak and unoriginal. Winter's Bone doesn't even come close - drugs destroying people's lives isn't interesting to me. I didn't see Toy Story 3 because I'm not big into animation. I also haven't seen Blue Valentine or Another Year but it doesn't look like Blue Valentine will get a wide enough release for me to see it and Another Year isn't coming to my area until February, so they will just have to fight for a spot in the 2011 list.
I have also included an explanation (to the best of my knowledge) for the movies that are technically not 2010.
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- DirectorJ BlakesonStarsGemma ArtertonEddie MarsanMartin CompstonA rich man's daughter is held captive in an abandoned apartment by two former convicts who abducted her and hold her ransom in exchange for her father's money.Alice is kidnapped, and then writer and director J Blakeson continued to tell not only a riveting thriller, but an astoundingly intelligent exploration of three characters.
Had a festival release in 2009, and then a UK theatrical release in spring 2010 and then a North America DVD release in fall 2010. - DirectorDavid FincherStarsJesse EisenbergAndrew GarfieldJustin TimberlakeAs Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.The college dynamics that Sorkin and Fincher captured made the characters so interesting that the film is one of the best of the year.
- DirectorTom HooperStarsColin FirthGeoffrey RushHelena Bonham CarterThe story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.Such an interesting historical story told well and performed even better.
- DirectorNigel ColeStarsChristopher WalkenAlessandro NivolaSharon StoneThe son of a thrifty conman begrudgingly joins his father on the road.I fell in love with Alessandro Nivola and Christopher Walken all over again. $5 a Day was a comedy on the surface, and then after it was over I realized how perceptive it was into the insights of the characters.
A festival release in 2008 but didn't get a distributor until 2010 for a straight-to-DVD release. - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioEmily MortimerMark RuffaloTeddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.Shutter Island created such an enrossing atmosphere that I was riveted by every detail in the film, and it is one of the best suspense thrillers of all time.
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckRebecca HallJon HammA proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold an assistant manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.One of the best thrillers because of the real characters that were added who are just as important to the story as the plot developments.
- DirectorMark RomanekStarsKeira KnightleyCarey MulliganAndrew GarfieldThe lives of three friends, from their early school days into young adulthood, when the reality of the world they live in comes knocking.Never Let Me Go was just so well done that I was captivated by the film and curious about the characters and story.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsZac EfronClaire DanesChristian McKayIn 1937, a teenager is cast in the Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar", directed by a young Orson Welles.Richard Linklater created the perfect blend of coming-of-age and theatre. My living room became a theatre house and I was transfixed by Christian McKay and Zac Efron.
A festival release in 2008, followed by a very small theatrical release in 2009 and then a DVD release in 2010. - DirectorLisa CholodenkoStarsAnnette BeningJulianne MooreMark RuffaloTwo children conceived by artificial insemination bring their biological father into their non-traditional family life.A cute story that they turned great by having the right amount of comedy all performed well by the cast.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.Christopher Nolan may be a genius, but only in the sense that he can create an abstract story that attracts the masses. Inception has not only style, but substance too.
- DirectorDerrick BorteStarsDemi MooreDavid DuchovnyAmber HeardA seemingly perfect family moves into a suburban neighborhood, but when it comes to the truth as to why they're living there, they don't exactly come clean with their neighbors.Such a unique, creative and smart premise that I couldn't help but fall in love with The Joneses.
Festival release in 2009 and got picked up for a straight-to-DVD release in 2010. - DirectorMax MayerStarsHugh DancyRose ByrnePeter GallagherAdam, a lonely man with Asperger's Syndrome, develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth.A tumultuous relationship story that was hard to watch, but I had to because it was just so well written.
Released at the end of 2009, close enough to 2010 for me. - DirectorRichard KellyStarsCameron DiazJames MarsdenFrank LangellaWith the press of a button, a wooden box bestows riches and death.The Box certainly struggled with audiences because what genre was that supposed to be? But it was extremely intelligent in places and I fell in love with James Marsden again.
Released at the end of 2009, close enough to 2010 for me. - DirectorBlayne WeaverStarsTricia O'KelleyPatrick J. AdamsRyan DevlinA Seattle weather girl freaks out on-air over her cheating boyfriend, the morning show anchor, and moves in with her little brother.Weather Girl was just so cute and extremely self-aware for a romantic comedy that I have to give it credit as a well done film.
Released at the end of 2009, close enough to 2010 for me. - DirectorStephen FrearsStarsGemma ArtertonLuke EvansDominic CooperA young newspaper writer returns to her hometown in the English countryside, where her childhood home is being prepped for sale.As oddball British comedies go, Tamara Drewe was pretty good. Gemma Arterton was sexy and great as Tamara, and then coupled with her performance in The Disappearance of Alice Creed, she is easily the best actress of the year.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsAnthony HopkinsNaomi WattsJosh BrolinSally's parents' marriage breaks up when her father undergoes a mid-life crisis and impulsively weds a prostitute. Meanwhile, Sally's own marriage also begins to disintegrate.I am a Woody Allen devotee, so no matter what he puts out, I will find his humour and intelligence in it.
- DirectorTony GoldwynStarsHilary SwankSam RockwellMelissa LeoA working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.Conviction kept to its true story, and gave me a film that was shot well, told well, and performed even better. Just a well done film in every aspect.
- DirectorAaron SchneiderStarsRobert DuvallBill MurraySissy SpacekA movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party... while he was still alive.Robert Duvall and Bill Murray are two of the best subtle actors out there, and the low-key humour in Get Low made it quite enjoyable, especially from a first-time film-maker.
Festival release in 2009 and then a fairly wide theatrical release in 2010. - DirectorNicole HolofcenerStarsCatherine KeenerOliver PlattRebecca HallIn New York City, a husband and wife butt heads with the granddaughters of the elderly woman who lives in the apartment the couple owns.The characters in Please Give were all so well written, that I was able to find pieces of myself in all of them.
- DirectorPhilip Seymour HoffmanStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanAmy RyanJohn OrtizA limo driver's blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples.Jack Goes Boating was clearly a play originally, and it was well adapted to film. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Ryan played such a real and genuine couple that they were adorable and heart-breaking at the same time.
- DirectorAnna BodenRyan FleckStarsKeir GilchristZach GalifianakisEmma RobertsA clinically-depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.It's Kind of a Funny Story is a teen version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and it's smart, funny, and endearing.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsJames FrancoAmber TamblynKate MaraA mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.Danny Boyle made another spectacular story of the human will.
- DirectorAnton CorbijnStarsGeorge ClooneyPaolo BonacelliViolante PlacidoAn assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.A character study disguised as a thriller. George Clooney kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to figure out what he was all about, and the final character developments were worth it.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsMadeline CarrollCallan McAuliffeRebecca De MornayTwo eighth-graders start to have feelings for each other despite being total opposites.A very cute story of young love that was structured so well it remained interesting.
- DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsReese WitherspoonPaul RuddOwen WilsonAfter being cut from the U.S.A. softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy in crisis competes with her current, baseball-playing beau.One of the more thoughtful young adult career-based romantic dramedies out there.