FILM 2010
Films I thought Were Good Last Year
So….
Lets start with “Cracks,” which I know was released on the cusp of 2009 BUT it didnt make it to my local arthouse cinema until 2010, so for me, that counts. I frequently go the cinema alone because its pointless to socialize in dark rooms and the lack of a normal 9-5 job means there aren’t many people willing to bunk off work to see the daytime showing of a film about psychotic lesbian teachers… (or are there?)
Anyway, lonesome cinema trips are a cathartic experience for distracting me out of what ever bad mood I have found myself in and at that point, early 2010, I had a case of mild heartbreak (emo music! Moping! etc) and this film lifted my spirits. It is a cheesy sentiment yes, but none the less true..
Winters Bone
A film about meth, squirrels and snow. Wonderfully underplayed and I was pretty smug throughout because I snuck in my own penny sweets.
Toy Story 3
I had so much doubt with its lack of Josh Whedon on writing credits and it’s presentation in pointless 3D but luckily it was great. I also think its nice for Tim Allen to have something to do.
Youth in Revolt
Do you dimly remember when Michael Cera was in Arrested Development and you thought “he’s good, i see a bright future for him as long as he doesn’t get pigeonholed as the same character in everything and become really annoying…plus he looks a bit like a dinosaur.” Well, our fears came true. Pigeonholed and more dinosaur like everyday, which is why it was a surprise to me when I enjoyed his dual performance as the protagonist Nick Twisp and the protagonists French moustache twirling alter ego Francois in this well written and silly film. Plus he manages to perform in it without ruining a comic franchise.
BONUS.
The Social Network
Thought it was gonna be okay, but it was actually better then okay and overcame that whole nasty Benjamin Button misfire by Mr Fincher, and I also think its one of the only films i could happily sit through twice in the space of a week.
Fish Tank
I feel there is a theme of cheating in this because once again this film came out in late 2009 but once again it was not avaliable for most Cardiff based mortals to view until 2010. Andrea Arnold has made a few films about put upon women and this film details the dancing ambitions of a girl who becomes embroiled in a very inappropriate relationship with her mothers boyfriend. Step Up it is not. The star of the film Katie Jarvis is much like 90’s star Shola Ama.
Jarvis was “spotted” after Arnold witnessed her arguing with her boyfriend at a train station much like Ama gained a record deal after she was heard singing on a tube. But I have higher hopes for the career of Jarvis.
The Runaways
I double billed this film with something else I cant remember, so that couldn’t have been as good…. Kristen Stewart proves she isn’t all mumbly hair sucking and she kind of rocks this
Kick Ass
This film made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside many many times.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I confess I have not seen the rest of the millennium trilogy but this first effort was a well constructed who dunnit which may have felt televisual but if its good enough to require a America remake for those who cant read subtitles then that’s something….
Whip It
I saw this film when we were trapped in London because of the DAMMED VOLCANO. I was feeling pretty distraught about fate sending me back to Cardiff when I really wanted to be in New York so I needed some escapism.
I swallowed my reservations about this possibly being shit and gave it a go….and its bloody amazing. It doesn’t follow the generic “girl coming of age” formula I expected plus has a line I can really relate to.
“I didn’t have a Barbie-roller-skates-phase, I had a fat-kid-sits-inside-and-reads-phase.”
The Killer Inside Me
It always feels strange to see a film alone in the afternoon about a sociopath who brutally beats up Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson, but sometimes your just in that kind of mood. Much like “Lust, Caution” I went to see this film based on the controversy that surrounded it, and much like “Lust, Caution” I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was, and how a few well publicised scenes do not dictate what a film is actually about. Though Michael Winterbottoms film is brutal and tough viewing it is also very good and at time hilarious, and the horrific violence of those few scenes did not feel like a effort in misogyny from the director, rather an effort in showing how truly unfeeling and narcisstic Casey Afflecks character is. The ending is pretty insane as well.
Monsters
When watching this I was aware of a building sense of unrest within certain fractions of the audiences, they were turning to each other and asking “is this title perhaps a bit misleading? There are definetely less monsters and more soft focus then I was expecting…Shall we sit here and giggle inanely instead of watching the film because we are too stupid to appreciate it? YES LETS.” Loved this film.
Of Gods and Men
I dragged my mother and sister along to this telling them a French film about Trappist monks in Algeria could be a bit of a laugh. Subtle and beautiful and I cried my eyes out like a little baby during the scene soundtracked by Swan Lake.
Other Notable Mentions
Eclipse
Harry Potter
Buried
Another Year
Ponyo!
Worst film Eva
Sex and the City 2
Look at Samantha’s Face
Ellen x
no mention of toronto’s own scott pilgrim?
Agree with your opinion on Kick Ass and Toy Story 3. If you haven’t seen True Grit, you should see that.
i often go to the cinema myself too…..mostly on days off work when other people are busy or whatever….i dont mind….any way…good list there
Fish Tank, Youth in Revolt, Whip It, The Killer Inside Me, Monsters; I’m suprised by how many great films you included here! Let us hope 2011 is a great year for film. Andrea Arnold is supposed to be releasing a new film called “Wuthering Heights”, based on the novel. Lars von Trier should also be debuting “Melancholia”, which everyone should go see!
I loved Sex and the City 2…and I’m a straight guy! *hangs head in shame*
i didn’t mention Scott Pilgrim or Inception because I was disappointed by them, I enjoyed them to an extent but the impact they left on me was unremarkable. I wanted more.
I am very excited about both Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre next year, hopefully they both be amazing-Arnolds take should be interesting plus she got an OBE
but b-b-b-b-but scott pilgrim has blood red shoes in the soundtrack!
went to see kick-ass and loved it
saw youth in revolt and came out in stitches, think I’m the only kid not to have seen toystory 3 
eclipse was okay but the whole rwilight thing is getting over-rated… again I think I must be one of the few who hasn’t seen Harry potter… girl with the dragon tattoo was amazing 
best film I’ve seen all year though is a silly little kids film called despicable me 
you must watch it 
xxx
No Black Swan eh? Is it one of those movies that has yet to be released in Cardiff?
Kick Ass yes yes yes yes yes! Tears were running down my face I wa laughing so hard. I don’t know what it is about ridiculous amounts violence but it’s great! I did get many stared from the people around me but but fuck them! Other than that this is one of the best lists I’ve seen. I had no desire to see The Social Network but maybe I’ll give it a try now. I also loved Black Swan and Tron. Black Swan was super creepy which is always good. Natalie Portman also is just amazing. Tron similarily to Avatar is pretty to look at with a horrible story. The differences however are that it airs on the side of cheesy instead of awkward, Daft Punk’s soundtrack is like music porn, and so far I don’t feel like punching everyone who mentions it.
I strongly recommend “I am Love” with Tilda Swinton… one of the loveliest films I’ve seen in years.
no good comic book films exept scott pilgrim and kickass this year that i can remember.
Was iron man 2 out this year??
Don’t really matter cuz it was crap
SCOTT PILGRIM. It was everything I like, (except Los Campesinos!) How did it dissappoint you????? Cast, soundtrack, TORONTO!, Kieran Culken (who was so good he has to be mentioned seperately), it was totes badass!
Good choices =) well if I was in the area I’d offer to go with you but that might sound stalker like sorry. & I wish I had an art house cinma to go its rather odd also seeing I live in a town with a massive film deparment but ahh well
I found Monsters to really fail when it came to atmosphere. I knew it wasn’t a creature feature – the director was actually telling people it was a romance – but you still expect to feel the presence of the aliens a bit more often.
‘warn and fuzzy’ exactly sums up how I felt about kick ass. The one massive omission though is Heartbreaker (or originally L’Arnacoeur). This beautifully filmed french romcom is the first good thing to happen to the genre for as long as I can remember, with characters who you grow to care about and some genuinely funny moments. Well worth a watch!
I’m just going to begin complimenting you, Ellen, on being generally awesome and saying I actually anticipate this at the end of the year from the blog, as it’s always my favorite post. I love that one of my favorite bands also has a bit of a movie geek.
We also agree on a lot more this year! and I don’t have to feel like a mad man for trying to defend 500 Days of Summer! (Scott Pilgrim met my expectations tho, but it is nice to see I’m not alone on Inception)
I still have a few of these I want to check out but am waiting for, hadn’t even heard of Cracks or Of Gods and Men but will definitely give them a look. I was sort of teetering on The Killer Inside Me cause of what’d I’d heard but maybe I’ll give it a go.
I’m still in the mapping out & catching up stages of my Film 2010 list thingymabobber but have most of these on mine too, loved Toy Story 3, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Kick Ass, The Social Network and Fish Tank.
I also dunno if they’re out there yet or maybe they were 09 or whatever, but I’d also highly recommend
Black Swan, which was just a very effective psychological thriller/horror movie, completely self-indulgent and over-the-top at times but I just found it more fun and enjoyable for that. Also probably opens with one of my favorite scenes of the year.
Greenberg – I can see most folks equally loving or loathing this, apparently some theaters here in the states amusingly even posted signs at the box office saying they won’t refund tickets for it, guessing this is a good example of people not getting what they were expecting. I found it really moving and funny though, just two very different people at different stages of their life find themselves, or not, but great writing and Greta Gerwig was just incredible
How To Train Your Dragon – For me it was just nice to see a good animated flick from someone other than Pixar or Miyazaki, the action scenes at the end maybe go on a bit long but I loved the world and the characters of it and the first half hour or so, some of the quieter scenes where the boy and the dragon bonded I found really charming and beautiful (I know, I know, but really they were quite sweet).
Since I know you’re not averse to subtitles, I’d also recommend A Prophet which unlike a lot of recent foreign crime films (I’m talking about Gommorah, mainly Gommorah) actually is entertaining and has human characters to go along with the crime world it crafts. It’s at once stylish without overly glamorizing violence and effectively deals with it’s consequences.
The Secret in Their Eyes – This is the one that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film and definitely deserved it. Basically a modern film noir mixed with Casablanca-esque romance, it’s the kind of film old people are referring to when they say “They don’t make em like they used to”. It’s also just visually stunning, it’s running time is a bit long but every second just flew by for me, not really dull for a moment. Just yeah, bit in love with that one, excuse the hyperbole
Also since I don’t want to end up just taking up the whole comments with a ramble again, I’d just say that The King Speech was fantastic and not the dull Oscar bait it could’ve been, really loving Tom Hooper’s approach to period pieces and films about friendships and nice to see Helena Bonham Carter outside of a Tim Burton “Look at me, I’m wacky” role. Also Buried was more than just a gimmicky thriller & tho I’m not claustrophobic the last 15 mins got to me more than most thrillers have for awhile. Lastly True Grit was just a hell of a lot of fun and much funnier than I was expecting.
Again, great list and look forward to more in the future too if you guys still have the time, Thanks.
Hello, Black Swan is sadly not out here yet, but I am very excited about it due to my deep admiration of Mr Vincent Gassel.
I really need to see The Secret in Their Eyes and A Prophet, they were on my list to watch, as im sure i would love them.
Also The Kings Speech is not quite out here but yes, another one i cant wait to see.
I will give how to train your dragon a try, as i loved loved loved cloudy with a chance of meatballs, so if its anything akin to that…..
Also I in general loved the tv show Sex and the City but the film was just…so….
Ellen x
x
Sex and the City was so disappointing, and Samantha’s face looks like the Devils. Youth in Revolt. If the book didn’t exist then I think it would have been a good movie, but since they ruined the book. The book is amazing and please read it if you haven’t. Its so good. The Kings Speech, The Fighter, and 127 hours are really good and if you get a chance go see any of them. Harry Potter! The part well they tell the story of The Deathly Hallows that was animated was so great. Side note Waking Sleeping Beauty is a really good documentary about Disney animation. Super good.
Yo,
Vanessa i will read the book, it kind of explains how I felt about the whole Scott Pilgrim thing…i would have enjoyed the movie more if i felt that there was not a better platform the story had not been told on, which the film did not match or live up to. It looked good yes, but it felt a bit overbaked and I did not believe in the romance of the central twosome at all (which is essential) Maybe the difficulty lay in packing the whole six books into one film, but this is only my limited opinion after all.
Maya, I did see Tron and enjoyed it loadssss more then i thought i would, but it wasnt my favourite film this year at all by a long shot, but it was better then I expected (which was not a lot.) Also the social network is much more enjoyable then you would imagine, it seemed like something i had no incentive to see which is why it suprised me by how amazing it was. Plus Trent Reznor does the soundtrack and i have a soft spot for him.
I was surprised by your inclusion of the killer inside me. I am a fan of Jim Thompson and Casey Affleck, so it was a must see for me. I enjoyed it. Casey Affleck is great in it. And it is a good interpretation of the book.
Social Network was surprisingly one of my favorite movies of the year. Although I haven’t seen that many.
I really want to see True Grit, Black Swan, and Winter’s Bone.
ohgoodgod! completely forgot to mention a town called panic in my earlier post, best film this year