Is it too late for this?? Just noticed it in my draft folder and thought, publish or be damned woman!
So, these are movies that were released in Australia 2010, and also (of course) the ones I saw... difficult to review an unseen film...
1. Inception
The throbbing sound, buildings crumbling, textures changing, floating, swimming in the air, falling, killing people, running for your life - these are all common themes of my dreams (and menacing floating wooden puppet heads...yep, that one's a doozy). This made the movie incredibly relatable, as well as smart, visceral, uncomfortable, thought provoking... Leo is brilliant as always. And Nolan's direction is perfectly considered and demurely magnificent. Does that last bit make sense? I mean kinda subtle but still WOW awesome....wot eva.
2. The Road
Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Got a bit of the Rob Sitch's dinner party guest happening there.... (Has anyone seen The Last Days of Chez Nous. Brilliant. Brilliant. Yes. I recently saw Rocky IV. Brilliant. Brilliant?)
Erm, back to the review. Brutal, sparse, uncompromising - this is a beautiful rendition of Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name. I could just keep reeling out adjectives to describe how powerful and raw this film was. Robert Duvall was...brilliant. Sorry.
3. The Hurt Locker
Simple yet complex. Of all the war movies out there, this is one of the best. Truly conveyed the boredom, the excitement, the luck, the brutality, the camaraderie - and more importantly the impact of all of this life and death stuff on the men and women (and their families back home).
4. Fantastic Mr Fox
An adult children's film based upon the Roald Dahl classic. All the Anderson quirks and neurosis.
5. The Social Network
Subtle, well acted. Like other Fincher works, this movie is a class act.
6. Shutter Island
Liked it. Looked great, and is probably the best of the Leo/Scorcese collaborations in my opinion.
7. Avatar
All the hoopla aside, this was still a great flick. There were slight 'midi-chlorian count' problems, but basically I enjoyed the journey and the world.
8. A Single Man
I'm a bit partial to Colin Firth, and he did look pretty fine in this film. An elegant and poignant movie - heartfelt and beautiful to look at.
9. Crazy Heart
Makes the cut only just. One of the more cliched portrayals of alcholism, as well as a particularly awkward older man younger woman screen pairing. Jeff appeared clearly uncomfortable and embarrassed in his intimate scenes with Maggie ... I just don't think he's that kind of bloke.
10. Stingray Sam
I'm allowed to have one pretentious movie in here. Do yourself a favour, watch it.
Notable mentions:
Exit Through The Giftshop
What is art? and what is an artist? Clever, not too cynical ... a little cynical ... docu/mocku/fiction film.
Bran Nue Dae
Didn't see Animal Kingdom, so this has to be my Australian content. I really loved this film. It was pointed out to me not that long ago that I'm a big musical fan, something I hadn't quite joined the dots on. And on top of that, this particular musical has a bit of a sentimental place in my heart ... however all that aside, this was a really sweet and charismatic film. Ernie Dingo is fantabulous. Who knew?
Kick-Ass
Started off strong, but seemed to loose it's way.
The Town
Thought Gone Baby Gone was better. Still good though, and Jeremy Renner is awesome.
The Good Guys
Good laughs. Good times. Good guys.
Some of the worst:
The Tourist
Shithouse. In so many ways.
Up in the Air
Just crap really. George Clooney is better than this ... is he? Or he certainly makes better movies than this; Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Good Night and Good Luck, just for starters.
Sherlock Holmes
Worst British accent ever. Downey at his ADHD worst.
Nice list. I used to write my own Top 7 list for my favourite movies of the year. Then I had kids and it became my Top 3. Which became my Top 3 I wish I'd seen but will definitely catch on DVD, well, I'll add their names to my Watch List anyway. One day. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I agree with everything on your Top 10, except those four I haven't seen (Shutter Island, A Single Man, Crazy Heart and Stringray Sam. Stringray what now? I'll google it.)
The one Notable Mention I must respectfully disagree with (besides Bran Nue Dae which I refuse to see because it's a musical and I'm musical intolerant) is The Town. I'd heard such good things about it and was greatly disappointed when I finally saw it. I mean, I thought it was much better when it was released sixteen years ago and was called Heat! Seriously, it was almost a direct remake, with nothing to add but a cheesy and improbable ending. You could excuse it if it'd come before Heat, but it didn't! My. Jeremy Renner was great though.
One movie I'd definitely include (if I was still compiling my own list) is Toy Story 3. Did you see it, or do you share Hutch's bewildering dislike of all things Pixar? I loved Toy Story 3. The whole series actually. One of the few series were I couldn't choose a favourite from between them. Actually… [rummages through an old drawer]… I wrote about it over here, if you're interested.
I'd also add Where The Wild Things Are. (Hey, if you can have Avatar, I can have Wild Things.) :) I know this film disappointed MANY people, but I loved it. I actually think the book is over-rated – so-called CLASSIC though it may be. I felt the film was a wonderful, subtle exploration of the emotions, of the fears and dreams, of a young boy. I loved it when he came home and his mum didn't say anything, she was just… there, waiting for him to return. I was fearful we were about to here some speech about what lessons they'd both learned from this, but no. Words were not needed.
And I'd give an Honourable Mention to Scott Pilgrim vs The World. A film which actually gave me feelings of affection for Generation Y. It's cute how nostalgic they are for the trappings and symbols of my childhood. Bless. :)
Ah! *hear some speech. Proofread, proofread, proofread!
ReplyDeleteCrap, just accidentally navigated away from this page and lost my response. And believe me it was awesome. Ugh. Now what was conversational and easy the first time around seems a little rehearsed and contrived, especially because it is (or what I could remember is)... damn computers and their crazy non-mind reading ways.
ReplyDeleteYay! Someone other than my husband read my blog!!! Okay calm down, get a grip, be professional woman.
So, I agree with you about The Town. It was kinda predictable shit, and the ending was definitely pure cheddar. Hmm, not sure why I included it really - I think it was the Renner factor. I hear you about Heat, but crime movies are essentially a retelling of familiar stories and characters - so I'm not sure I can hate The Town for being unoriginal. But I can have a problem with it adding nothing new to the conversation. Also, I'm not a big fan of Heat, I actually prefer Michael Mann's Collateral (I guess you can't have Collateral without Heat nine years before it...?). Maybe I lose credibility by admitting to that - but who I am kidding - I didn't have much to begin with. And anyway, wasn't Heat just a glorified shootout? Or is it that I can't watch Al Pacino butcher, I mean act (notable exception of Donnie Brasco) in anything without nervously awaiting a Hoo-Ha. Seriously, how useless is that man. I mean, he can't even make his lines in a coffee commercial.
Didn't see Toy Story 3 - and not because I'm anti-Pixar - just didn't get around to it. Probably because I didn't particularly love the first and second. But I did like them, so I will check it out...when it comes on TV....and I remember to record it.
I did think Wild Things was lovely - and I agree with you about the book. But I was just a bit bored by it, and found it a bit aloof (maybe because I'm not, nor have I ever been, a young boy?). It did look beautiful though, and it was a faithful adaptation of the book.... boring.
I wasn't a fan of Scott Pilgrim - it was just so eager to be liked, and frantic, and ultimately soulless - I just wanted to get it over and done with.
And no proofreading necessary, on my blog, we accept all brain vomits - however they come into this word. World.
Maybe I'll declare this a no-proofread zone?
Thanks for reading, and for posting! smiley face
Mr Apostropher,
ReplyDeleteIn the immortal words of the Zucker Brothers; 'Where the Wild Things Are in your top 10 list, surely you can't be serious?'
Okay that might not be an accurate quote but did you really like it that much? I found it very slow, excruciatingly boring and a bit too happy with itself. Who was it made for? I'm not sure young children would want to sit through so little action and unless you liked that Andy Warhol movie where he filmed a bloke sleeping for 5 hours I doubt most adults would have enjoyed it either.
I can't find one good thing to say about it, except that I did laugh when that wild thing got his twig arm snapped off.
But you gotta put your money where your mouth is, so here is my Top Ten for 2010. Some similar films to EmTertainment in there but that's gonna happen.
ReplyDelete1. The Road
A toss up between this, the Hurt Locker and A Single Man for my best film of the year. This was one of the most underrated and least talked about films in years. The performance of Viggo Mortensen was best actor worthy and Robert Duvall's small role was amazing. The film was beautifully shot by John Hillcoat bettering his work with The Proposition and the Nick Cave score finishes this off as a fully realised work that I'm not surprised Cormac McCarthy was happy with.
2. The Hurt Locker
Like A Single Man and The Road, a well paced journey that I enjoyed being taken on.
3. A Single Man
Firth probably deserved an Oscar for this as much as The King's Speech. The most impressive part of this film however is the direction by Tom Ford. There is not an element of detail in each frame that hasn't been considered.
4. Inception
How does Nolan 'dream' up this stuff? An absolute mind f%ck. I was hooked from the opening scene, the 'high concept' gave me a bit of a headache as the film progressed and the climax was a bit drawn out, (how many times do we need to check back in with Joseph Gordon-Levitt floating in the lift?) but it certainly stayed with me for a long while afterward.
5. The Social Network
A measure of a good film is to still be fully engaged with it, despite the subject matter that you have little experience with or interest in. The film seemed a bit documentary in its feel with Fincher's economical and functional direction supporting this. His direction compliments the performances rather than being another character in the film and his ability to maintain the audience's interest in a film that is set mainly indoors with a lot of the 'action' taking place on a computer screen is impressive.
6. Avatar
It wasn't just the 3D technology that immersed me in this tale. Or should I say 'tail'? But it helped.
What's wrong with the classic good v evil, greenies (sorry blueies) v big business/governments/power/america? It worked for Star Wars and worked for me.
7. The Town
I love a good heist flick, especially one where the bank robbers wear crazy masks (I couldn't help but think of Point Break whilst watching). Not much here that we haven't see before but setting it in Boston's underbelly with their distinct accents and blue stone buildings gave it a fresh-ish feel.
8. Kick-Ass
I had no idea what to expect here but a new genre is born. Comic books for adults. Hang on, this is what balding fat guys with pony tails have been sticking pages together over for years. This was so much more enjoyable than any Sam Raimi Spiderman could ever hope to be.
9. Crazy Heart
Slow and overrated with no chemistry between the two leads (Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal). Jeff Bridges was okay but he certainly was just getting an Oscar for a lifetime of work rather than this performance specifically. Maybe the Academy finally got around to renting The Big Lebowski just before seeing this. The film seemed to go nowhere and the music frankly wasn't that good and I thought Colin Farrell was totally miscast. But it was interesting at times. Almost like The Wrester-lite. ie not as good. Similar to The Road; Robert Duvall was an unexpected highlight.
10. Fantastic Mr Fox
Fun and with the signature Wes Anderson style and sense of humour.
Honourable Mentions
Exit Through the Giftshop
Stingray Sam
The next film from the guy who made American Astronaut. Another other worldly black and white musical with ridiculous characters.
Ah yes, I've done that many times myself. I now compose all online replies in TextEdit, and then cut and paste when I'm done. Much safer.
ReplyDeleteRe: Heat v The Town: nothing is original any more, (don't "they" say there are only seven stories in Literature, anyway?), so the only thing that matters is how well you tell your unoriginal story. Sure, the plot of Heat is nothing new, (so un-new it's a remake of Mann's earlier L.A. Takedown), but I'd argue Mann and his crew told their unoriginal story far better than Affleck and his bunch.
I loved Collateral, although I recall being quite disappointed in the ending. It seemed too Hollywood, too neat, too formulaic. The rest of the film felt authentic, dangerous, unpredictable, and then everything came together in such an implausibly coincidental way. I felt let down, like Mann had compromised, taken the easy way – the Multiplex way? – out. Or is that me being snobby?
I've never really thought of Pacino as a butcher, more an over-actor, but yeah, you could be right. I liked him in Glengarry Glen Ridge, err, Ross, although that wasn't exactly a restrained performance. A few hoo-has wouldn't have been out of place at all. I liked Insomnia, but I don't actual remember his performance – which could mean it was restrained, but more likely I was focussed on Robin Williams. Hmm, besides that... not sure. That coffee commercial was terrible, though.
I'm sorry to upset you, Hutch, but I did really like WTWTA. Looks like you picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue. This far removed from my viewing it's hard to recall specifics, but I remember leaving the cinema satisfied.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't slow, it was measured. It wasn't boring, it was crammed with drama, pathos and subtext. It was a bit too happy with itself, but then isn't everything Spike Jonze does? (And I say that with affection.)
Who was it made for me? It was made for me. No, it wasn't a kids film, but neither (I would argue) was Fantastic Mr Fox. Perhaps it's part of a new genre – in the same vein as Kick-Ass: kids films made for adults. Or rather grown-ups films made for the kid still inside us. Well, the kid still inside me. I haven't grown up yet. Putting it off as long as I can. :)
Yes, the boy was an obnoxious little brat, but there was a reason for that (parents splitting up, loss of relationships), and it wouldn't have been much of a journey of growth/maturation if he wasn't. As I said up above, I loved the final scene, which I felt was filled with warmth, love, reconnection and hope. That's enough for me. :)
A good list, Hutch. Sounds like I'll have to add A Single Man to my To See list.
ReplyDelete"Slow and overrated with no chemistry between the two leads..."
Have you mixed up your Best and Worst lists? Or were there so few good films in 2010 you've had to put one you're whacking in at #9. Wait, can't be because you've got one of the best - Fantastic Mr Fox - at #10.
"The next film from the guy who made American Astronaut."
Yikes. Thanks for the warning. [Removes recently added Stingray Sam from To See list.] :)
Howdy,
ReplyDeleteThere are some amazing titles in this list, but I think both of you strangers are missing Get Him to the Greek in your lists. An omission of which I find borderline offensive (the omission, not the movie, duh). With outstanding performances by comedy crackpot Russell 'Katy Perry' Brand and Jonah 'Mini Seth Rogan' Hill, and a utterly riotous cameo by Hip-Hop Mogul P-Diddy, I don't see why this isn't better than Fantastic Mr Fox. Puppets vs Russell 'Katy Perry' Brand? C'mon...
PS. Yes, another reader, Em. Hutch obviously hasn't passed on that there are a few subscribers in this office.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteApologies for my tardy response. Your zeal for such a badly reviewed film makes me wonder if you aren't messing with me...but I choose to respond seriously. I have since watched Get Him to the Greek, and I must stand by it's lack of inclusion. It did have some good moments, but it just meandered along so aimlessly with no discernible script that ultimately it just wasn't good enough. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was heaps betterer. And no more messing with me, you know sarcasm doesn't translate on the interweb.
I liked your list. We share some of the same picks, but I've got a couple unconventional favorites of my own. They are here: http://movieworship.blogspot.jp/2013/02/top-10-films-of-2010.html in case you're interested.
ReplyDeleteShane
movieworship.blogspot.com