Best of 2010

Out of the 123 I saw...

20. Daybreakers--Creative and exciting, this is a notable entry in the vampire genre and a great film for most teen and adult audiences.

19. The Last Exorcism—It’s a little abrupt at times; but this fauxumentary horror is riveting, thought-provoking, and original.
18. Extraordinary Measures--Artistically this medical drama may struggle; but it is still an exciting story of what is justifiable when saving lives. It does not appear that the combining of several different characters truly upset anyone, seeing as they changed the name and events.
17. Iron Man 2--The second installment in the blockbuster super-hero genre; Iron Man 2 improves on the atrocious original by effective retconning, better themes, and faithfulness to the comic. In other words, they added War Machine.
16. The Winning Season--While its tone shifts a bit too much, this story of an alcoholic coach (Sam Rockwell) of a high school girls basketball team becomes a touching and down-to-earth sports dramady.
15. The Warrior's Way--The nice themes provide a great bonus to the artistically magical action extravaganza featuring ninjas fighting cowboys. Ninjas vs. Cowboys!
14. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole--Zack Snyder's beautiful animated fantasy epic manages to make talking owls perform legendary action in a fool-proof (if predictable) story that delights the post-five-year-old kids as well as anyone fortunate enough to check it out.
13. City Island--This hilarious darkish comedy manages to bring along a nice message on family.
12. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader--It may be far inferior to its predecessors as well as far too tame, but the third (and probably last) installment in the big screen adaptations of C.S. Lewis's fantasy epics keeps much of the book's powerful messages and is entertaining to boot. I really give the creators of this film my appreciation for not editing out the movie's powerful spiritual themes.
11. It's Kind of a Funny Story--This dramady of a boy who checks himself into a psychiatric hospital is touching, funny, moving, and enlightening.

10. Monsters--The ending is unnecessarily grim and the engaged girl's kiss to another man is, despite the circumstances, a bad message. Why is Monsters a good movie then? Well, there are a lot of reasons. The film is engrossing and the character interactions (between real life couple Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able) are believable. The decision to show a post giant monster attack movie not where everyone is reacting the attack but where the people are still struggling to get by is a new take done in a creative way. The messages on US indifference to Mexican troubles is done so effectively it is not preachy and I believe could get a few people to act. The improvisational dialogue from ordinary people hired by Director Gareth Edwards right off the street makes the movie relatable and disturbingly realistic. The octopus-like aliens are believable and original. And the whole movie was shot for the incredibly low $500,000--an amazing feat. Definitely one to check out!

9. Animal Kingdom--One of the best crime dramas of all time, this film is an excellent representation of what motivates and runs modern gangs. On top of that, it is a powerful story with magnificent performances (especially Jacki Weaver, who has been nominated for an Oscar for her work in this film). A should-be classic, this Australian picture barely touched American theaters, but the DVD is something that should be at the top of every American's wish-list.

8. True Grit--The story is intense and entertaining. The acting is perfect all-round. The cinematography is excellent. The directing (done by the Coen Brothers) is brilliant. Furthermore, there is the awesomeness of a good, straight-forward western coming around when the genre was nearly dried up. But best of all is the fact that the movie does its job of exploring what true grit really is.

7. Toy Story 3--I do not think this is a family movie. I think it is far to intense and emotionally taught for children. I think Toy Story 3 is such a complex, heart-wrenching tale of moving on and the flow of life that it is meant for older audiences and anyone trying to right it off a tear-jerking kid fair should really take a closer look. I am saying this since I doubt anyone has not yet seen it.

6. The Karate Kid--The most fun movie of the year, this is the perfect family film. But it is also a truly great movie with some truly great morals that do not need to be difficult to see. I have never seen an audience laugh more, cheer more, and have a better time than at this movie.

5. The King's Speech--This is a feel-good story, but it is also more. It is about getting treatment for and overcoming one's problems. It blends story and themes with ease. It is something you should definitely see.

4. The Joneses--Both a powerful drama and a bitingly funny dark comedy, The Joneses provides a great metaphor on the commercialization of society and how it secretly affects us.

3. The Book of Eli--I completely agree with the belief that like True Grit this is a great 21st century western. It has some of the year's best action and an exciting plot. But what is more, this post-apocalyptic thriller has powerful messages on God and spirituality. Best of all, it uses them in a story that people really do want to see.

2. Let Me In —I nearly picked this as my top choice, and if I had it would have been very deserving. This is the story of the corruption of innocence; the entry of evil. Make no mistake: It is also an excellent horror fantasy and a true vampire story. The reason it is so incredible, though, is the themes it has to back it up.

1. Winter’s Bone—I had a very, very hard to pick my top choice and I only just decided on this movie. On first viewing Bone is very good, but it is only months later that you realize the true impact it has. There are, of course, the deep explorations of family and drug addictions—themes which in and of themselves make for a great story. Deeper, though, there are the ideas of responsibility and the little amount of control we have in life. Ironically, this movie is a great contrast to my favorite film from last year, The Brothers Bloom. While Bloom cheerily showed how in many ways we have far greater control over our destinies than we think, Bone grimly depicts the ways in which we should not fight the path we are on. There is hope, though, in its story. Ree, the teenage protagonist who is raising her siblings in a dark and dangerous area of the rural Ozarks, sees that she is always bound to the Ozarks and her family (including the violent extended relatives). There is a hint, though, that this does not have to be something to despair over—that everyone, like Ree, always has the choice to do everything we know we should and then spend the rest of our time simply viewing in wonder at the rest. The last scene in Winter’s Bone explores these ideas so deeply, ties everything together so well, and has such a profound impact months later that when you think back on that moment it is clear just how amazing this movie is.