by Jaime Grijalba.
So, here I am, after all my talk about doing my list in february I’m doing it now. Why? Well, I was checking my blog archives and it turns out I always posted my list a couple of days after the Oscar nominations, an ocassion that always bring me some sort of happiness: I get to see a lot of films and everyone is doing their predictions, even if the nominees aren’t what you expect, you always root for something at the end of the day. Looking back, awards season has always meant something for me, and the Oscars have a special place in my heart, since usually I started going to school the next day, now university, and you always have something to talk about for a couple of days (and it’s an excellent conversation fuel with people you don’t know yet).
Now this should be the paragraph in which I talk about how a bad year for movies 2010 was, and how future looks dim and somber and how we are all going to die a sad death. I won’t do this to you, but I’ll say this, 2009 was a better year for movies, the range between good and bad films was very small and I have to say that any of my four favorite performances of last year (Nicolas Cage, Catalina Saavedra, Christoph Waltz and Maggie Gyllenhaal) are way better than the four performances that (for now) are my favorites of 2010. There has been a real disminishment in quality overall and I can’t explain why, there was no real technical dazzlement apart from the movies that make the first five spots in my list.
So, I bother you no more with my random thoughts and I present to you the better 20 films of those I’ve seen in 2010. Keep in mind that this list includes shorts, TV movies and miniseries as well, and they must’ve been released in the year 2010 period, no 2009 or 2008 movies that were unseen until now, no exceptions made whatsoever. Let’s start then.
20. Machete (Robert Rodriguez/Ethan Maniquis)
This is the first, and I really do hope not the last, movie based on one of the fake trailers that played during the course of “Grindhouse” (2007). While my favorite was “Don’t”, directed by the always awesome Edgar Wright, this one was a second favorite for me, and I was glad that it was being made by the same team that brought it together in its shorter version. This is a quality exercise in the new wave of movies that homage exploitation movies from the 60’s and 70’s, this time the mexploitation genre. There are two things that make this worthwhile seeing, one is the splendid cast, really surprising for a movie that is just a rehash of a B-movie with no art ambition (at first sight), Danny Trejo’s acting is truly amazing for the character he’s playing, this is Steven Seagal’s best movie in decades, Jessica Alba surprises after a bunch of bad choices, Michelle Rodriguez plays a character she has played before but with an interesting twist that makes it lovable, Robert de Niro is just there to be amazing and Don Johnson is there to be Don Johnson. The second thing is that it is aware of itself and its silliness, if it took itself too seriously, at the moment in which Machete goes and uses an intestine as an elevator would be unbearable.
19. You Don’t Know Jack (Barry Levinson)
This HBO TV movie features two great comebacks, both of them I’m really happy about. First, there’s Al Pacino, who gives an amazing performance as the controversial real life figure Jack Kevorkian, who assisted many suicides as a doctor for people who didn’t want to go on with their sickness. Even if you are for or against this procedure this movie is highly watchable for Pacino alone and to Levinson’s direction, which is the second comeback I’m talking about. The story feels unbiased, while it centers on a one-sided figure, it manages to talk about what’s wrong with the issue, and that balance is direct responsability on how the elements are played by the director, and in that way this is Levinson’s best project in over a decade. Pacino’s performance has been recognized in many places as one of his best in his career as he combines all the aspects and doubts that a person like Kevorkian would have in his everyday life, being this his best performance in years and one of the strongest of 2010. For those against this issue, don’t worry (I’m still doubtful about this one) it doesn’t try to convince you otherwise nor it tries to embellish Kevorkian as a white knight when it all comes down, as it is expected.
18. The Ghost Writer (Roman Polanski)
What it’s so great about the latest film of Roman Polanski? Is it the always present sense of danger even in the safety of the house of an ex-prime minister? Is it Desplat’s splendid and captivating score? Is it the perfect chemistry-antagonization between Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan? The way the weather seems to reflect the suspicions and plot movements in the story? How we are kept guessing until the last moments who did what and when? The surprisingly good Olivia Williams playing the always faithful wife of the ex-prime minister? Eli Wallach? That excellent piece of camera work and score that makes the delivery of a piece of paper one of the most exciting action scenes of the year? The nihilistic ending? The way it talks about things we know and yet at the same time it never mentions them? How we all thought this was going to be the last Polanski film? Was it the minimalistic yet splendid set decoration? Choose five.
17. Salt (Phillip Noyce)
“Ok, let’s see how bad this movie really is…”
“Oh… wow.”
“Hmmm… interesting.”
“Hey! That’s really cool!”
“Woah, daring.”
“What? Over?”
“I want more?”
That was an aproximate rendition of my reaction to this film. Who puts faith in a movie like this? No one, yet I’m not alone in seeing this as a pleasant surprise and one of the best action movies in years, and that’s because it’s quick, to the point, and at the same time, relevant (even if the russians are in the mix). Angelina Jolie makes a good case for female action heroines, and she was already showing it with her earlier efforts in the two Tomb Raider movies (obviously, less succesful).
16. Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese)
Sane or insane? Does it matter? This film has proven to be an argument starter, many think that it demonstrates the downfall of Scorsese’s career during the last decade, while the other side struggles between the ‘very well made thriller’ and ‘love card to cinema’ argument. As you can see, I am more on the possitive side, and while I agree with the positions assumed here, I think there’s much more to it, as I consider this to be one of Scorsese’s best films. Maybe it was the cinematography, the excellent musical choices, or the surprising Di Caprio’s performance as a mentally unstable U.S. Marshall. This movie stands more than in its eternal quandary of what is real in Teddy Daniel’s mind, as it manages to speak about many other things like, for example, what it means to be a man in today’s society in which the female figure is definitively more important in every aspect of modern life, just see how the displacement, the speech and the death of the femenine characters in the movie are the fuel of every action made by their male counterparts, and how every change in their situations changes the plot. And for my money, this one is better than ‘Goodfellas’, just putting that out there (mafia films aren’t usually my cup of tea).
15. Day & Night (Teddy Newton)
As worth seeing as the movie that came after this short, and just as worth of rating among the best work of the year, this short animation came before the Pixar release of the year, ‘Toy Story 3’. Using 2D and 3D animation, this reminds of a Chuck Jones cartoon in which the characters don’t talk but there’s a narration through it, like ‘The Dot and the Line’, it is said that it was one of the few reasons to see Toy Story 3 in 3D (I couldn’t possibly know, I saw it on 2D). Its message of tolerance and acceptance towards the other, as well as impressive animation work and just seeing how much fun this two characters are having on the screen makes it one of the best animation shorts by Pixar so far.
14. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright)
Is this the future of movies? I hope not, because this is way too original visual wise to be a trend I could follow. This impressive visual effects show is really little else, and while I am in the generation that this aims to, I was left cold with some of the references made here: I was not a kid of the Nintendo, I was more of a PlayStation guy, the music is not of my liking, indie music has never appealed to me, as it does appeal my friends. I can see why someone can find this movie ‘hipster’, but it didn’t strike me as much as I thought it would, something that did happen with a Spike Jonze short from this year ‘I’m Here’, which I found almost unbearably hipster. The story of Scott Pilgrim and the 7 Evil Exes may sound tiring, even formulaic in some sense, but as it went on, I managed to see something else, as they were preparing to fight, or even while they fought, the dialogue seemed to have been lifted off from hundreds and hundreds of kung-fu films from the 70s, you know, Shaw Bros stuff, and that was something I found neat and more than a show-off, a labour of love towards a generation, a ludic generation, a generation that lives and breathes the stuff that Scott Pilgrim is made of, even if some people don’t like it.
13. How to Train Your Dragon (Dean DeBlois/Chris Sanders)
This was the big surprise of the year, no one would have guessed that this would become one of the most acclaimed movies of the past year, an animation feature from Dreamworks Animation, a studio that doesn’t always rank among the best animation works of any given year, but with this sweet charming adventure they have achieved their best work yet. With a nordic feel akin to Dean DeBlois prior work, the documentary ‘Heima’, about the musical tour of the icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós in their home country looking for new sounds and doing spontaneous concerts. I felt the movie was really good because I felt I was inside of a new world, fully created, just for this movie, and while that achievement could be thankful to the series of books it was based on written by Cressida Cowel. It’s important to say that famous cinematographer Roger Deakins, who helped the directors into giving this film a ‘live-action feel’, which feels completely realized on the big screen. I was told, once more, that this was another movie worth seeing in 3D, I hope they had a nice time. At the end of the year this manages to be a movie that gathers a lot of incredible technical talent to bring us one of the best animated motion pictures that it’s not from Pixar, the only fault I can find is the voice characterization, the voice I listened to couldn’t possibly come from that character.
12. The Social Network (David Fincher)
The critical darling, the one that’s receiving all the accolades from all the critic circles from all over the United States, and even in some places as far as my country, Chile, is being given the status of ‘masterpiece’ and ‘Oscar winner’. Well, it is good enough to make into my list of the best of 2010, but not in the top 10 (which, after all, is what really counts for everyone, the extra 10 usually show how ecclectic/good/bad taste someone has). As a Facebook user since late 2007, I was part of the first batch of chileans that became part of this social network, and I was completely ignorant about who created it, or what kind of struggles it went into, I was just angry and sometimes happy about the many (many) changes it went through in its interface and modus operandi, so seeing how it all came together and the libels going around between all these group of people really put this webpage in perspective. I kinda hated how it all begun, there was no real emotion, and by that I mean other than the need of a payback because you were dumped, and this movie really managed to capture that emotionless group as it went along through the Facebook opening and explosion. The movie is extremely well done, with absolutely fantastic cinematography, an invigorating score (by a couple of guys I don’t really like), rapid and electrifying dialogue, and the one of the best ensemble casting of the year, lead by Eisenberg and Garfield. As I said, this emotionless group was portrayed so well, that the direction tone felt emotionless as well, and that distance from the material what brings me to not liking it as much as everyone else.
11. Film Socialisme (Jean-Luc Godard)
I’ll use the commentary I wrote under JAFB’s top 10 list of 2010, which featured this film on the spot number 2. This movie represents the cinema of the past. This movie is the last movie, the last movie from the past, because it is a deconstruction of all its formal qualities: dialogue, cinematography, plot, characters, lighting, sound, editing, everything becomes palpable, the filmmaking method is made visible, everything may seem ridiculous or completely serious, the movie doesn’t try to hide its themes over layers and layers of plot, it makes the characters (are they characters?) say what Godard wants us to understand about how the world is working, how is the state of filmmaking, how the movie of the past, the movie with all those elements, is dead, and must search another way to move forward. This was one of the most important movie-going experiences I’ve had in my life, because I managed to see that I can’t make a movie that’s similar to this, neither I can make a film that’s similar to anything that has been done before, because this is the last straw, all the elements are there, there is nothing more to do, everything has been done, and if you don’t like ‘pastiche’, you might as well start to think how to invent the wheel again.
Now you wanna know my top 10, right? Well… you’ll have to move from here to my blog here, where I continue with my top 10, in spanish, but as usual, there’s a little button at your right that allows you to translate my musings to your idiom of choice. Oh, and if you wish to comment on my choices, do it in both places, as you can separate between this 20-11 and the 10-1 there.
See my 10-1 choices and other stuff about 2010 here.
Very fine list, Jaime. This is further proof that Black Swan has it’s passionate adherents. Great to see films like Certified Copy and Never Let Me Go, and a few others that I remember seeing reviewed like The Trip and Wisdom Teeth. And I was happy to see Toy Story 3 in there.
Well, thanks for the double comment Frank!
I have only seen like 15 films from 2010, but already I’ve got the feeling it’s going to be a great year. I just saw another great film a couple days ago as it made its way through town. I can never really tell if it was a good year or not until about 3 years later, after I’m able to see all the films that got limited releases or none at all. Still, with Enter the Void, The Temptation of St. Tony, Dogtooth, Alamar, Everyone Else, and Scott Pilgrim it’s shaping up to be a great year. I’ll find out in 2 years or so. Meanwhile, 2008 was…
I used to think that, but for some reason after I watch movies from the year I’m in, I don’t go back to them unless they’re very good or really excited about them. If I watch something that’s not from the year I’m in (most of what I see) I prefer it to be at least a decade old.
I have a better solution – Don’t look at the year! That solves all the problems. The biggest problem with this sort of thing is that all of the bad Hollywood films get assured wide releases and many of the great independent and foreign films get none at all, so I’d be left hoping for a rare Hollywood gem or living solely off of the limited supply of independent and foreign films that come through town. That would make every year look pretty bad. My 3 favorite films from this year played on 1 screen at 1 theater for 1 week in my town, and my fourth favorite didn’t play at all. I ignore the year, ignore the mediocre looking stuff, and just focus on what looks unique.
Very fine and personalized list. Great to see shout-outs for The Trip and You Don’t Know Jack as well, since limited television programs and TV films are often lost in the shuffle. With the popularization of DVD and now instant streaming services, such things are readily available for home environments. And because — let’s face it — TV critics are more than routinely ignored, when television produces something that’s great, film critics should champion those selections as well.
Good TV should be taken as seriously as movies by film buffs, specially when film favorite directors or actors are doing it more and more.
It’s always a special treat to have T.S. comment here!
Nice art house and multiplex blend. You’re not the only one I’ve seen who thinks this way of “Black Swan.” Some of the film like “Toy Story 3” have many followers, though others have barely been heard of. That’s what makes this list unique. The write ups are excellent.
Thanks Peter, I’m flattered.
At a very young age Jaimie you have established yourself as a great writer, an ultra-prolific movie watcher and reader of great literature, and have energized on the university front for some remarkable creative ventures. While there are a few in these parts who see many films week after week, you seem to be driven by that glorious curse known as “completism” and your list showcases a respect for the popular, while promoting the audacious masters. I still have not rushed to watch FILM SOCIALISM, as I’ve known by my own rules it will qualify for 2011 (when it will first be released in USA theatres. There is an intellectual slant to your list, but there’s a place for the films that moved you the most too (THE TRIP comes to mind first) I loved all the personal applications in your extraordinary short essays, and hold out the one you penned for THE SOCIAL NETWORK as a model.
Fantastic right down the line!
Well, you might as well discovered me! I am a completist, as you say, and I’m really proud of my madness that will definitively follow me to the grave. I kinda accepted that I can’t read every good book around, I’m not as good a music listener as I thought, but I have a thing with movies, I have a hunch that somehow I’ll end up seeing every movie I wanna see (about 4,000 including shorts and ten TV series).
Thanks for the praise Sam! I’m not sure if Socialisme will end up being your kind of movie, but still is pretty damn interesting at least.
I re-read my paragraph on The Social Network, yeah, quite personal stuff there! You like that kind of flavor in reviews, don’t you?
Thanks to you Sam for giving me the chance to write this.
Jamie:
I like Godard, but not to the extent that so many bloggers have. I find his films alternately fascinating and excrutiatingly tedious, with a few as clear masterworks. But yeah, I do not greet his latest releases as the second coming of Christ as others do. He is brilliant for sure, but he is also maddeningly uneven. I would take Bresson, Rivette, and other French masters over him any take of the week on balance.
How old are you, Jaime? (Unless that’s a personal question)
Love the inclusion of Scott Pilgrim (my #1 of the year), Hertzfeldt (obviously), Ghost Writer, and token Pixars, though I didn’t get much out of Inception. Haven’t seen the rest
I’m 21, just recently, my birthday was the 23rd.
And thanks for the kind words!
Nice list, lot’s of trash in here I wouldn’t consider but a few new ones that make for some interesting thoughts.
‘Film Socialisme’ is interesting, and what you say about it is interesting… it being the last movie. I mean couldn’t you put WEEKEND or almost any of his statement films post that one into that paragraph and it would work? I just saw his EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF from 1980 that I haven’t been able to shake… it seems like both a ‘comeback’ film and an epilogue film for him. Yet that was 30 years ago!
“lot’s of trash in here”.
So close, yet so far. Our names are so close, yet we are different and the both of us hold wisdom, at least I’m sure you do.
I like my trash well done, if it’s not, I don’t like it. I like being entertained and I love technical stuff, but if I’m not being entertained I don’t care about technical things.
Maybe that’s not a popular position, but it’s how I see movies, why would I otherwise? That’s the reason “Salt” and “Machete” are in my list, but no “True Grit”.
Good thinking on Film Socialisme, but I think that all is way over disjointed compared to earlier Godard efforts.
Well what I meant by the ‘trash’ is actual trash. There is good trash like ‘From Beyond’ or ‘Re-Animator’ (which I think you seem to be evoking) then there is just bland consumerist trash like ‘Scott Pilgrim’.
Though since you do like horror a bit, I’ve been trying to see a few more I missed from last year: ‘Amer’ is a great giallo update, ‘The Temptation of St. Tony’ is pretty unreal, then ‘Enter the Void’, which I’d seen but just received the official uncut mastered dvd. it’s better then I even thought. can’t wait to really study that one.
OH and the dig about ‘True Grit’ is fair as it’s piss poor.
“bland consumerist trash like ‘Scott Pilgrim’.”
Well, I disagree, this ‘trash’ is well made and it entertained me, it is for sure a generational product, and I am part of that generation.
“OH and the dig about ‘True Grit’ is fair as it’s piss poor.”
Jamie, Maurizio, especially, will not want to hear this kind of talk!!!
hahahaha!
LOL, Sam.
Interesting I had dinner and coffee with Jon the other night where we discussed, among things, how bad TRUE GRIT was/is. It was quite an interesting conversation as we talked broader about art and photography (we both agree that Deakins is generic and workmanlike there), whereas Jon gave a great argument about the films plot structures and how flawed they are. Great stuff.
I’m surprised to see ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ included and ‘Carlos’ left off. But who can always agree? Outstanding work with the writing! Most enjoyable.
Thanks for the flattering words!
I haven’t seen “Carlos”, that’s why it’s not in my list.
I can’t figure all you guys out. The Social Network is the best movie I saw all year.
Joe, we had this discussion in school, right? Ha! You’ll be happy to know you are in the extreme majority, actually even more than extreme! What’s up stranger?
Not me.
Estoy contento de ver Black Swan en el número 1. Sí, “como una pitón una presa su”.
Gracias! That’s how I felt!
Commentario estupendo, Antonio!
An Interesting mix of films Jaime. There are some films which I quite liked and a few that I am still eagerly waiting to see such as Nostalgia de la luz, Biutiful and Film Socialisme. Yeah it was amazing to see the impact a piece of paper made in The Ghost Writer and that final shot in the film is haunting and beautiful.
You will be glad to know that another film has been made from a fake trailer in the Grindhouse film although the trailer for Hobo with a Shotgun was shown in Canadian theaters. As per this following article, the trailer may not have shown in the U.S but maybe it was added later on DVD?
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2007/04/03/grindhouse-trailer-eisener.html
The film version recently premiered at Sundance so it should start making its way this year via festival venues.
I did saw the Hobo with a Shotgun trailer on Youtube, but it’s not an official part of Grindhouse, because it was a fake trailer added because it won a contest.
Nevertheless, I am interested in seeing that.
Sachin: (and Jaimie)
I will finally be seeing BIUTIFUL tomorrow morning (Sunday) at the Chelsea Cinemas in Manhattan at 10:45 P.M. with my good friend Kaleem Hasan. I will have a full report on the Monday Morning Diary. I’m anticipating a terrific Javier Bardem performance, but as I liked BABEL more than many others, I am always game for Innaritu’s newest effort.
If you don’t like it you can blame me, remember! Ha!
For anyone interested in Asian/Chinese Cinema, LISTS:
http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/horse-announces-greatest-chinese-films
This is a great list, although it it encompasses recent films.
Well most older movies there tend to be forgotten or not readily available.
My erratic hours as a school custodian won’t allow me to visit the theatre much. But I do rent movies on netflix, and have seen a number of these. I like the mixture of your list. I don’t watch many foreign films, but the independents are on my radar. I’ve argued with Sam about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I love it, he hates it. I’m glad you are on my side or vice versa. My young son and daughter can’t get enough of How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3.
I must check out Black Swan.
I am on your side alright! Maybe not for the same reasons, but I love the movie as well.
Do check Black Swan, masterpiece on my opinion.
Great hearing from you Ricky! I told you you’d find some SCOTT PILGRIM support here! LOL!!!!
You can add me to the list of SCOTT PILGRIM supporters as well. The humor was ironic and over the top (particularly every time Scott sat up in bed with his roommate to reveal another in a long string of sex partners for his roomie) and the flash cutting, reminiscent of comic book framing, added a perfect sense of surreal nature to the whole film. Micheal Cera was perfectly cast as the lothario nobody would believe could land as many hot babes. Frankly, I though this film was fucking hysterical, if not just a little too load for my tastes in the end…
Personally I think they should’ve skipped making a movie out of “Scott Pilgrim” and gone straight to the video-game. I’ve downloaded the demo off of PSN, and it’s pretty fun.
Part of me has a lingering feeling that the same might be true of “Summer Wars”– I love it dearly, but there’s a great RPG to be made out of that movie.
Jaime, I’m writing this in the midst of participating in the Global Game Jam, which makes it ironic that I don’t share your love of “Scott Pilgrim”. I had my own gaming-culture picks on my list, of course (“Tron Legacy” and 2009’s “Summer Wars”), and in all honesty I really kind of love the fact that gaming is big enough in our world that it can become a major element in movies of all ilk– not just the big blockbuster bonanzas but also the smaller, indie fare.
At the very least, I’m happy to see “Salt” get some more appreciation.
You know I love “Summer Wars” as well, it is my 10th favorite animated movie of all time!
And “Salt” deserves a lot more than it has been given, it is a damn fine thriller.
I was glad to see a guilty pleasure like SALT make the list as I probably would have been so inclined to place it on a list of my favorites as well. I think alot of people look away from a film that is meant, purely, to be fun and have lost sight of their inner youth when they, in fact, probably loved films like SALT when they were kids.
I also could not agree with you more on HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON which, despite DREAMWORKS abhorant track record with animation (SHREK, SHARKS TALE, KUNG FU PANDA), finally gave the guys and gals at PIXAR something to be slightly frightened of. The film has a wonderful narrative, terrific characterizations and splendid visual style. Add to that, the pacing is gee-whizz frenetic yet the moral center of the story remains unscathed. I’m not saying that PIXAR should keep looking over its shoulders, their own TOY STORY 3 was one of the three or four best American films of the year, but it just goies to show what can happen when the students and fledgeligs pay attention to the instructors.
I, for one, happen to think the SOCIAL NETWORK is some kind of a terrific film, far better than Fincher’s over sentimental and predictable BENJAMIN BUTTON. While it might not be quite as good as his FIGHT CLUB, SE7EN, ZODIAC or PANIC ROOM, the director illustrated that he could use the architectural structures of his earlier thriller work and apply it to a subject nobody would have ever thiought it would perfectly adhere to. I still think the film is the gonna land the BEST PICTURE prize at this years Oscars and, remembering this film, I cannot see why anyone would be upset by its victory.
SHUTTER ISLAND is amazing precisely because of how well it rips off and borrows from other films and, for those that can see past its terrific plot (or see it again after they have ingested it), it proves that the only real originality in film art is how you combine the elemnts of te masters before you. Now,, some would question if that really is art? I say yes. When everything has already been done, you turn to history for guidance. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this is Scorsese’s best film or ewven one of his ten best films. However, I don’t see any of todays new “artists” coming up with something as visually ecclectic, emotionally disturbing and as brilliantly and nastily fun as this romp through the petrified forrest that Martin Scorsese takes us through with this film. I’ll also go as far to say that Leonardo DeCaprio finally gave a riveting “mature” performance in the lead role.
I loved the use of the music from Kubrick’s THE SHINING as the opening credits theme…
Well, here’s where everyone is gonna kill me. I’ll just say it and be done. TOY STORY 3 was the emotional high water mark in popular cinema for me this past year. No other film tweaked my heart and covered such a range of feeling than this farewell to our childhood. It is, along with RATATOUILLE, THE INCREDIBLES and WALL-E that rare recent animated film that can speak louder and more authentically that 99% of the live action movies striving for the same reaction.
There comes a time in every persons life when we turn away from line that divides us from our chioldhood and our adult life and we look over our shoulders with bitterweet remorse at a period we can only remember even though the memories never leave. On top of that, and you’d think there couldn’t be more, the ingenuity of the plot, the blisteringly funny in-jokes and tremendous voice work (Tom Hanks will never find a role better suited to him than Woody and veteran character actor Ned Beatty sails one over the park bench with his menacing turn as new character “Lotso”) all add up to an admition that, like em or lump em, PIXAR just can’t seem to get it wrong (well, not unless you count CARS). I saw the film 3 times. Once with SAM alone as he was dying to see my response. Second with Sam and his kids, so we could gauge the reactions. Third time, with firnd of mine from work who hates animation completely but loves film and on all three counts the response was exactly, delightfully and heartbreakingly the same.
WE ALL LOVED IT!!!!
Say what you want…
But, how many films made in a decade can touch as many human chords, remain supremely entertaining, and satisfy the film scholar at he same time with it’s visual splendor and film history refrence???
Not too many.
I’m sorry I didn’t get to this wonderful post by JAIME sooner. I have been sick with a bad case of the flu and only just now got a chance to read through it. It reminded me of many of the great films that were released this past year…
Amazing comment Dennis! Thanks!
How to Train Your Dragon really shaked the groung for Pixar, they shouldn’t be so sure on now on.
The Social Network felt over-cold for me, but it’s amazing on its own. I’m kinda sad because this is the movie that earned the accolades for Fincher and not any of the other genious works he has done.
Shutter Island was a product of love to the movies and that’s what I love about it and that’s the reason I like Tarantino so much, I find in the referencial code the new language of cinema, I find that there’s more resemblance between Eco and Tarantino than anything else.
Loved your reaction to Toy Story 3, this is for sure one of the most emotionally bindinf movies ever.
Thanks a lot again Dennis!
thank you for sparking off such a conversation Jaime!!!!!
Nice list – and thoughts – I like your Salt description and it reminds me that expectations (low or high) can impact our perception of a film greatly. Great 11-20!
It really does play a lot for me!
Another boost for Black Swan. Outstanding reviews. I have only seen four of your choices posted at the two sites.
Black Swan is a hell of a movie!