posted by
connielane at 04:15pm on 31/12/2010
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I believe, if I can count properly (which who knows), that I saw 66 new, newly-released films this year all in all. 55 of those didn't make my Top 10 post, but I feel they deserve a mention, especially since I'm not as good about reviewing as I used to be and some of these just never got mentioned at all. (I am forever indebted, by the way, to
uponadream from whom I stole the idea a couple of years ago of cataloguing every single film I see each year. I forget so much!)
So here it is - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 2010, as I was able to see it. All categorized and everything!
KID STUFF (worst to best)
The Downright Awful: The Last Airbender - So horrible even Rifftrax couldn't make it bearable.
The Pretty Good: The Sorcerer's Apprentice - A little less flash and a little more story would not have gone amiss.
The Good: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Despite its resemblance to HP and annoying satyr sidekick, this is enjoyable.
The Better Than Expected: Diary of a Wimpy Kid - My life at age 10. Trufax.
The Really Quite Good: Despicable Me - IT'S SO FLUFFY!
The Great: Tangled - Hurrah for strong Disney heroines!
The Excellent: How to Train Your Dragon - Critics have been a tad hyperbolic in their praise of it, but it is truly wonderful.
The Sublimely Beautiful: The Secret of Kells - Wonderful story with some of the most beautiful 2D animation I've ever seen.
FOREIGN FAVES (English titles)
A Prophet - Not what I was expecting, in the best way possible.
Mother - Great story, with even greater performances.
The Secret in Their Eyes - Wonderful mystery and love story; absolutely INCREDIBLE fluid master shot in what must have been a challenging location.
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE
Splice - I'm all for original ideas, but I hated this movie and its very disturbing gender issues.
Catfish - Seriously, people who are shocked by this need to meet Msscribe.
REMAKES
A Nightmare on Elm Street - I'm still on the fence about the direction they took this.
Karate Kid - Bad title, good movie.
The A-Team - Crazy fun, just like the TV show.
Let Me In - All studios who want to do remakes, please watch this film and the original and take notes.
COMEDY
She's Out of My League - Not as horrible as you might think.
MacGruber - Funny but pretty stupid.
Date Night - Not as good as I was hoping, but much better than people give it credit for.
Get Him to the Greek - Pretty clever, good music.
Hot Tub Time Machine - Gimmicky, but lovable.
The Other Guys - Really quite good.
Wild Target - Lovely, delightful, and reserved. Very British. The Grint is precious.
Four Lions - Brilliant biting satire.
Micmacs - So sweet and quirky I can hardly stand it (and I mean that in a good way).
Easy A - Truly brilliant. Best teen comedy in years.
DRAMA
Hereafter - Good moments, but doesn't quite work.
The Town - Wonderful. Why can't all mainstream movies be this good?
Harry Brown - Moving and surprisingly badass.
Never Let Me Go - So sad but so good.
ACTION JACKSON
The Expendables - Dumb but fun.
The Book of Eli - Interesting story, but "meh" movie.
Iron Man 2 - A lot of fun while you're watching, but pretty forgettable.
Red - Really amazing, and I so don't get the hate. HELEN MIRREN ROX.
Machete - Super-violent and super-amazing.
HORROR
Daybreakers - Interesting extension of vampire lore.
The Human Centipede - Great B movie; not terribly shocking if you already know the premise.
The Last Exorcism - Interesting twist on the demon possession formula, but it would be better if it knew what kind of film it actually wants to be.
DOCUMENTARY
Waiting for "Superman" - Evidence that I don't know nearly enough about the education system in America.
CRAPTASTIC ROM-COMS
*sigh* Leap Year - The leads make it bearable, but just barely. Really not good.
*cringe* Sex and the City 2 - Too much flash, not enough city. Or sex, for that matter.
GREAT PERFORMANCES IN NOTABLE FILMS
Get Low - Robert Duvall's best work in years, though the big reveal is a little underwhelming.
The Kids Are All Right - I was really impressed with this movie at first, but the more I think about it the more it feels like great performances (especially by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) in an okay movie.
The Fighter - Christian Bale is so great he overpowers the movie he's supposed to be supporting.
The American - I've never really seen George Clooney like this - so understated he almost disappears (by design) into a very understated movie. Le Samourai reminded me a lot of this film.
Animal Kingdom - Brilliant, diabolical performance by Jacki Weaver in a pretty great movie.
127 Hours - This very nearly made the top 10, but I think I like James Franco's performance more than the film itself.
Shutter Island - Shame on me for not seeing this after BNAT. Leonardo DiCaprio's best work yet, in my opinion, in a really great movie (don't believe the critics).
WHAT THE BIG SCREEN WAS MADE FOR
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Sweet bubblegum goodness. I like it a lot, but don't adore it like so many other people do. I think I've finally figured out why, though.
Enter the Void - Gaspar Noe is a sadist, but he does things with film you've never seen before.
Tron: Legacy - Say what you want about the story, the visuals are incredible.
TOO LATE TO MAKE IT ONTO A LIST, BUT MIGHT HAVE IF I'D SEEN THEM EARLIER
Blue Valentine - A punch in the gut, but very good.
Another Year - Another Mike Leigh masterpiece. Oh, Lesley Manville, you amaze me.
Rabbit Hole - Beautiful; Kidman's getting all the attention but Eckhart and (OMG) Wiest are excellent as well.





















![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
So here it is - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 2010, as I was able to see it. All categorized and everything!
KID STUFF (worst to best)
The Downright Awful: The Last Airbender - So horrible even Rifftrax couldn't make it bearable.
The Pretty Good: The Sorcerer's Apprentice - A little less flash and a little more story would not have gone amiss.
The Good: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Despite its resemblance to HP and annoying satyr sidekick, this is enjoyable.
The Better Than Expected: Diary of a Wimpy Kid - My life at age 10. Trufax.
The Really Quite Good: Despicable Me - IT'S SO FLUFFY!
The Great: Tangled - Hurrah for strong Disney heroines!
The Excellent: How to Train Your Dragon - Critics have been a tad hyperbolic in their praise of it, but it is truly wonderful.
The Sublimely Beautiful: The Secret of Kells - Wonderful story with some of the most beautiful 2D animation I've ever seen.
FOREIGN FAVES (English titles)
A Prophet - Not what I was expecting, in the best way possible.
Mother - Great story, with even greater performances.
The Secret in Their Eyes - Wonderful mystery and love story; absolutely INCREDIBLE fluid master shot in what must have been a challenging location.
DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE
Splice - I'm all for original ideas, but I hated this movie and its very disturbing gender issues.
Catfish - Seriously, people who are shocked by this need to meet Msscribe.
REMAKES
A Nightmare on Elm Street - I'm still on the fence about the direction they took this.
Karate Kid - Bad title, good movie.
The A-Team - Crazy fun, just like the TV show.
Let Me In - All studios who want to do remakes, please watch this film and the original and take notes.
COMEDY
She's Out of My League - Not as horrible as you might think.
MacGruber - Funny but pretty stupid.
Date Night - Not as good as I was hoping, but much better than people give it credit for.
Get Him to the Greek - Pretty clever, good music.
Hot Tub Time Machine - Gimmicky, but lovable.
The Other Guys - Really quite good.
Wild Target - Lovely, delightful, and reserved. Very British. The Grint is precious.
Four Lions - Brilliant biting satire.
Micmacs - So sweet and quirky I can hardly stand it (and I mean that in a good way).
Easy A - Truly brilliant. Best teen comedy in years.
DRAMA
Hereafter - Good moments, but doesn't quite work.
The Town - Wonderful. Why can't all mainstream movies be this good?
Harry Brown - Moving and surprisingly badass.
Never Let Me Go - So sad but so good.
ACTION JACKSON
The Expendables - Dumb but fun.
The Book of Eli - Interesting story, but "meh" movie.
Iron Man 2 - A lot of fun while you're watching, but pretty forgettable.
Red - Really amazing, and I so don't get the hate. HELEN MIRREN ROX.
Machete - Super-violent and super-amazing.
HORROR
Daybreakers - Interesting extension of vampire lore.
The Human Centipede - Great B movie; not terribly shocking if you already know the premise.
The Last Exorcism - Interesting twist on the demon possession formula, but it would be better if it knew what kind of film it actually wants to be.
DOCUMENTARY
Waiting for "Superman" - Evidence that I don't know nearly enough about the education system in America.
CRAPTASTIC ROM-COMS
*sigh* Leap Year - The leads make it bearable, but just barely. Really not good.
*cringe* Sex and the City 2 - Too much flash, not enough city. Or sex, for that matter.
GREAT PERFORMANCES IN NOTABLE FILMS
Get Low - Robert Duvall's best work in years, though the big reveal is a little underwhelming.
The Kids Are All Right - I was really impressed with this movie at first, but the more I think about it the more it feels like great performances (especially by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) in an okay movie.
The Fighter - Christian Bale is so great he overpowers the movie he's supposed to be supporting.
The American - I've never really seen George Clooney like this - so understated he almost disappears (by design) into a very understated movie. Le Samourai reminded me a lot of this film.
Animal Kingdom - Brilliant, diabolical performance by Jacki Weaver in a pretty great movie.
127 Hours - This very nearly made the top 10, but I think I like James Franco's performance more than the film itself.
Shutter Island - Shame on me for not seeing this after BNAT. Leonardo DiCaprio's best work yet, in my opinion, in a really great movie (don't believe the critics).
WHAT THE BIG SCREEN WAS MADE FOR
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Sweet bubblegum goodness. I like it a lot, but don't adore it like so many other people do. I think I've finally figured out why, though.
Enter the Void - Gaspar Noe is a sadist, but he does things with film you've never seen before.
Tron: Legacy - Say what you want about the story, the visuals are incredible.
TOO LATE TO MAKE IT ONTO A LIST, BUT MIGHT HAVE IF I'D SEEN THEM EARLIER
Blue Valentine - A punch in the gut, but very good.
Another Year - Another Mike Leigh masterpiece. Oh, Lesley Manville, you amaze me.
Rabbit Hole - Beautiful; Kidman's getting all the attention but Eckhart and (OMG) Wiest are excellent as well.




















