25. Let Me In
I must say, I was as skeptical as everyone else when Matt Reeves, director of Cloverfield, said his next project would be the English remake of the phenomenal Let the Right One In. But Reeves was able to keep the subtle nuance and quiet beauty that made the original so great. While Let Me In doesn't surpass the original, it does work great as a companion piece, which is better than I think most people would have expected.
24. Best Worst Movie
For some time, Troll 2 was ranked on IMDB as the worst film of all time. While that may be pretty harsh, most of the cast would probably agree. Probably the biggest believer of this would be Michael Stephenson, the child star of Troll 2 and the writer/director of Best Worst Movie, about the underground success of this terrible film. Stephenson follows his cinematic father, George Hardy, as he follows the surprise popularity of Troll 2, reunites several members of the cast and tries to figure out what went wrong. But Best Worst Movie becomes a moving documentary with endearing characters and becomes more about making the most of life and the things that bring us together rather than just being about some horrible film from the nineties.
23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
In the penultimate film in the Harry Potter franchise, the wizarding world is going to hell, Dumbledore is dead, and Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the lam while running away from the school they once help so dearly. This first part of the Deathly Hallows film continues the franchises evolving into a dark, more mature franchise. The film takes its time and allows the characters to breathe for once, which leads to some interesting character developments. While most of the films have the trio working towards some larger goal, here they are confused and terrified teenagers, as they should be. With Part 1, director David Yates does a fine job showing the calm before the final storm in Part 2.
22. Black Swan
Director Darren Aronofsky as made a name for himself by creating flawed characters who attempt to succeed in their occupations, but it is those jobs that ultimately destroy them. For example, Jared Leto in Requiem for a Dream and Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. But with Black Swan, Aronofsky adds one important element: the goal of being perfect at that job. Portman's much deserved Oscar-winning performance is one of the year's best and is at its most interesting when focusing on that goal of perfection rather than whether or not her character is still sane. While Aronofksy does borrow heavily from his past films, Black Swan is still a great movie from one of film's greatest auteurs.
21. Somewhere
Sofia Coppola has always had a pension for films that are elegant and seemingly airy, but in a good way. She lets her characters take their time in their spaces, as seen most effectively in Lost in Translation. Her characters were in no rush, other than to learn about each other in their limited time. In Somewhere, Coppola explores this same type of relationship between a father and daughter, played by Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning, respectively. While very little plot-wise occurs, the duo's relationship slowly matures, which is beautiful to watch. Somewhere is a simple, possibly too much so, film, but Coppola handles it with perfect grace.
20. The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights
When The White Stripes released this documentary about their tour of every province in Canada in early 2010, it brought about a certain anticipation about the hopeful return of Jack and Meg White. However when it was announced at the end of 2010 that they would no longer work together as The White Stripes, it took on a whole other level. The White Stripes give their all in these final performances, from boats to bowling alleys and emotional piano renditions of some classics. The power and perfect simplicity will always live on in their music, but now with Under Great White Northern Lights, the greatness of their live performances has been gorgeously documented.
19. Winter's Bone
I'll be honest, the first time I saw Winter's Bone, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. Sure I thought the acting was incredible and the unique background for what was essentially a film noir was interesting, but I didn't get why many outlets were calling it the best film of 2010. Then I saw it a second time. Watching it again, the performances popped even more with the knowledge of what every character knows and what they are hiding to protect themselves and their community. No doubt the film would be nothing without Jennifer Lawrence's desperate performance as Ree, who is trying to save her family from being evicted, and especially John Hawkes as Teardrop, who with one masterful role moves himself from character actor to one of films' greatest assets.
18. Four Lions
Every year, some of the best comedies come from across the sea. In the Loop became one of the greatest comedies of 2009 and in 2010, that title went to Four Lions. Directed by Christopher Morris, one of the geniuses who brought us "The IT Crowd", Four Lions is about a group of jihadists who attempt to take a stand by performing a terrorist act in England. The problem is, they're all idiots. Four Lions is a ridiculous comedic premise that works brilliantly and is about as dark as a dark comedy can get, but excellent casting and a great script make this one of 2010's best comedies.
17. Rabbit Hole
It's very unusual to imagine that John Cameron Mitchell, the director who brought us such ground-breaking and unusual films as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus would make a seemingly straight forwards film about a couple losing their only son. But Mitchell makes a film where the subject matter is handled in a completely refreshing way. The husband tempted by cheating doesn't act on his impulses, even though his marriage may be breaking apart. A couple who goes to therapy laughs at the similar stories of woe from other couples. Even changing the idea that the wife must be the sympathetic one by making the husband the one filled with loss. Rabbit Hole is a conventional idea done unconventionally, which is a great change from modern dramas.
16. The Kids Are All Right
Much like Winter's Bone, The Kids Are All Right took more than one watch for me to see what all the fuss was about. What makes The Kids Are All Right such a phenomenal film is that it isn't about a family with two lesbian mothers, their sperm donor and kids, it's a film about family and how at its core, we all deal with the same issues and problems. The five ensemble actors work beautifully together, making every combination of them just as interesting as the last. Mark Ruffalo, who has been a supporting actor for too long, creates a character that is both sympathetic and despicable and Annette Bening gives her best performance since American Beauty. The Kids Are All Right is simply a great story about family and the different iterations that institution can take.
15. Cyrus
Directors Mark and Jay Duplass have been at the forefront of the "mumblecore" genre of independent cinema ever since their incredible debut film The Puffy Chair. With Cyrus, the duo broke into the mainstream and made a film with just as much heart and great character as their small, personal films. It's finally nice to see what Jonah Hill can do in a more serious role and his role as the title character shows that Hill has more depth than he has shown in the past. John C. Reilly once again makes it known why he is so perfect melding comedy and drama into his great roles. Cyrus is one of the most sincere and hilarious comedies of 2010, and hopefully that will lead to more successes for the great Duplass brothers.
14. The Fighter
The Fighter is a perfect example of a trend that permeated 2010: films that instead of trying to break new ground, decided to do tried and true stories well. With The Fighter, we get an underdog story in the world of boxing, an idea that has been done countless times. Ever since 1931's The Champ, boxing has been ripe for the guy down on his luck making good. The Fighter doesn't break any new ground, but it tells this story we've all heard with beautifully handled performances (even though Melissa Leo's is far too overrated) and great directing from David O. Russell takes the most basic of stories and furthers it into one of the years' best.
13. Kick-Ass
When you get right down to it, there are no weirder characters in film than superheroes. Through some of the most unusual situations and defects, they decide to go to the streets and fight crime and villains, many of which are even more messed up. Batman watched his family get shot. Spider-Man was bitten by a super-spider. Captain America was engineered by the government. What Kick-Ass does is shows just how fucked up superheroes would truly be in the real world. Director Matthew Vaughn turns the most unlikely actors into some of the most interesting superheroes film has seen. McLovin as a supervillain? The little vampire girl from Let Me In nonchalantly shooting adults? It all makes sense in the world of Kick-Ass, which is a testament to just how great the film is. Vaughn creates a realistic, yet brutal look at the world of superheroes while always making it grounded in reality, no matter how screwed up that reality may be.
12. The Tillman Story
I have never had any interest in football. Ever. And quite honestly, I rarely am interested in stories about the military. But after watching The Tillman Story, Pat Tillman is almost a personal hero to me. Tillman defied expectations. Tillman enjoyed learning just as much as he did partying. He was a person who couldn't be pinned down and the more the film shows about this intricate man, the more it captured my imagination. Tillman gave up a football contract to fight for our country. However when he died due to friendly fire, the government decided to use this "all-American" man as a propaganda tool, saying he died in the front lines to protect America. But the Tillman family would rather have the truth out about their son/brother/husband instead of making him into a false hero and the film follows the Tillman family as they attempt to get the truth out about Pat. This beautiful documentary is captivating from start to finish and is one of the most fascinating tales ever put into the documentary form.
11. Get Him to the Greek
A spin-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall could have been absolutely terrible. But one of the greatest thing about that film was Russell Brand's ability to be both the "villain" and also be a charming and likable guy. Thankfully that still resonates in Get Him to the Greek, where Brand's Aldous Snow has fallen off the wagon and must be transported to a concert by Jonah Hill. The film is quite possibly the funniest film I saw in 2010, thanks to what always makes Apatow films great: hilarious story-based comedy, with actual touching moments thrown in. Brand and Hill once again show that their chemistry is palpable and a surprisingly great turn by Diddy as himself makes Get Him to the Greek one of the great spin-off comedies.
Coming soon: my top 10 films of 2010. Can you guess what will take the final ten positions? Check back soon as I finally wrap up the best of last year.
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