First off, special thanks to Jason Eaken for giving me the idea to include movie posters in my top ten list AND for allowing ties. I have a feeling once I see Toy STory 3, 127 Hours, Rabbitt Hole, etc I will have more ties.
If my list seems a little too "normal" that's because, well, it is normal. Most of the films I was able to see were thanks to the SAG awards. Between free screenings and free home screeners I was able to see a great deal but I know there are many small independent films out there that should be on the list.
This is by no means a complete breakdown but here are some thoughts on each film, NO SPOILERS!
Get Low- Got to a screening f this complete with a Q&A with Robert Duvall himself. I really wonder where this film was in all the awards hoopla. Great writing, acting, sets, makeup, etc. But it was a small movie that couldn't afford the Weinstein public relations machine that I'm sure didn't help King's Speech at all (cough, cough). Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and a great supporting cast of mostly unknown actors turn in a highly enjoyable film from beginning to end. I could go on about Duvall but don't want any spoilers
Solitary Man- I'll be honest, I'm not a huge Michael Douglas fan. Nothing against, he's always decent but I never fell for one of his perfomances. With the (slight) ferver over Wallstreet2 this one got left behind which is a huge shame. As you watch him spiral from wealthy married guy to single desperate guy you get rooting for him to wake up and change his ways. He even gets you to feel sorry for him despite his obvious self-destruction. And Danny DeVito is always a plus for me.
Voyage of the Dawn Treader- One of my biggest all-time movie pet-peeves is how in thisHarryPotterTwilight mania we live in that the Narnia series is barely a blip on the radar. I love Harry Potter and what it's down for both books and films (especially for young actors) and for that matter I loved Lord of the Rings. SO it just baffles me how the fans of those films don't line up for Narnia. It's got good young talent, great effects, solid story, I just don't see why it got shunned by both the box office and the awards crowd. But I have the feeling even if it was widely seen there just may not be enough room for it right now. I wush they'ad waited a few years to start ther series
The Town- I have a like/hate thing with Ben Affleck. He's a decent actor, a better director, he just needs to pick better projects. Well he has one here. What could have been a run of the mill robber flick turns into a great character study where even the obligatory love story works just fune. ANother great supporting cast down to the smallest part and specific direction makes it a surprising but fitting part of many such lists.
Inception- I think it another year, past or future, Inception could have been a real Best Picture threat, It was a huge blockbuster that still managed to be revolutionary and engrossing. Confusing yes, but you really don't care, you make an attempt at least to accept each reality as it comes up. Also, I love me some Tom Berenger
Winter's Bone- I almost didn't see this movie but I am so glad I did. Probably the biggest surprise of my year. I went to the SAG screening because John Hawkes was giving a Q&A afterwards and he is a fav of mine. This small film about a young girl is rural Missouri left to take care of her entire family while trying not to get killed (thanks to her deadbeat dad) had me from the beginning. Great perfomances. Also the film was in a often misused word- real. The "sets", the people, it all screamed reality. I learned from John that the little girl in the film actually lived in the house they filmed in, hence she got the part. Jennifer Lawrence, who I was not familiar with was incredible and John Hawkes would later get a well deserved Oscar nod.
Black Swan- Yes the Natalie Portman ballet movie where she "hooks up" with Mila Kunis. But it is also a hard hitting, engrossing film that doesn't really let you go until the end. Whether you "figure out" the end doesn't seem to matter, in fact its almost better if you do. I found myself thinking of ways she could turn things around right up until the end, it kept be guessing. Great directing and Portman's incredble acting mad ethis one worth it, even if there are a few parts you may not care for.
Blue Valentine- Let me say this first off, this is my pick for best acting of the entire year. Ryan Gosling was robbed of a Oscar nod (I blame Jeff Bridges but only a little). I have not been a huge fan of Michelle Williams but she was flawless in this movie and was my "should win but won't" pick for Best Actress. It is not an easy movie to watch, it runs the gamit from slightly uncomfortable to so uncomfortable I had to turn away for a few moments. It's like you were in each scene with them and again, even if you figure out the ending you still root for them to change it.
The Fighter- A friend saw a early test screening and told me "I didn't expect to like it and I didn't, I loved it." I feel the same way. It would have been so easy to make this another mediocre sports film that you appreciate because its a true story and everyone loves an underdog, but it ended up being so much more. Yes Mark Wahlberg is over shadowed by pretty much every other actor in the film but he still manages to turn in a solid performance. Christian Bale won a very well deserved Oscar. Amy Adams shows us she's not just a frail Disney princess. Melissa Leo took what could have been only a caricature and tutrned it into a real character and won an Oscar in the process. Yes I think she stole it from Adams (who was the only actor other than Bale who succeced in playing against type)
King's Speech- I go back and forth on this movie. I loved it, in fact I'd use the word "flawless" but I see no difference between it and a well made HBO or TNT made for TV film. It's the type of film that gets made just about every year, in that you love it, can't find any cracks in its facade but still not blown away by it. It makes #2 on my list, even though I wanted to bump it back at first, because it was in a word, flawless. It had a great cast and a story that was so touching that it made me wish I had lived through it. I would not have given it the Best Picture Oscar but Oscar loves British dramas over American dramas and in the end nothing could stop its momentum. I will say though that it doesn't hurt when you have the proven Weinstein team pushing for you, they know how to win Best Picture Oscars. I am reminded of Shakespeare In Love beating out Saving Private Ryan but at least Speilberg got a Oscar for his direction. Tom Hooper is talented but with a director-proof script and a talented cast, anyone could have directed this film.
The Social Network- I figured I would like this movie but I mainly went because some friends were extras in it and with my main man Aaron Sorkin writing the script I knew it would be decent. It was more than that, it was incredible. I was one who laughed upon hearing about "the Facebook movie" but the careful scene selection between past and present got me hooked. Exceptional acting from a mostly young cast handled Sorkin's writing with energy and excitement. I never had anything against the cast members I was aware of but now I can't wait to see where they go from here. Special mention goes to Rooney Mara who did more in two scenes than most lead actors achieved this year. Can't wait to see her in "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" I walked away from the Oscars pleased with Aaron Sorkin's screenplay award and oddly content with the film's loss to King's Speech. Social Network will live on without question while I think King's Speech needed Best Picture to make sure it didn't get lost in the countless British dramas that preceeded it. Also contemporary films had a much harder time at the Oscars. The past decade had more winners than usual what with American Beauty, Crash and The Hurt Locker, but its still hard for contemporary films to compete with period dramas and if they happen to be British, forget about it.
I still have yet to decide if this year had more films I liked than last year and I think its because I saw so many more this year. And I feel that though most of the acting awards were the usual forgone conclusions, there were still no shortage of well deserved nominees that easily could have won in another year. Can't wait to see more movies and see how my list gets shaken up.
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