Best of the Rest: The Top 5 Movies of 2010

 

Disclaimer:   The below top ten list is my opinion and my opinion alone.  If your favorite movie of 2010 isn’t on here; it probably means you’re opinion is dumb, and that you’re too stupid to know any better.  If you think that, in reality, I am the one who is stupid, then feel free to tweet, google or email me your opinion.

Welcome to Best of the Rest.  Research tells me that people on the internet like “best of” lists, so I’m going to start doing that.  My first “best of” is the best of 2010, I hope you enjoy!

 

Honorable Mention:  The Other Guys

Will Ferrell has always annoyed me in an uninteresting way.  I can’t really explain it, he just does; but in The Other Guys his grating comedy style works surprisingly well.  He mostly plays off Mark Wahlberg (another actor I’m not crazy about,) and the contrast between the two personas makes for some surprisingly hilarious moments.

What works best though is the writing and the supporting roles.  Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson and Steve Coogan all put in some of the best comedic performances of their individual careers.  And they are all given some legitimately brilliant comic scenarios to play around with.

The Other Guys may not be a great comedy, but its fun, quotable and incredibly re-watchable.  It definitely deserves an honorable mention.

 

#5  Scott Pilgrim vs the World

In 2010 Edgar Wright put together one of his most commercial to date, Scott Pilgrim vs the World.  Is it as funny as his other movies? No.  Is it as smart?  Not even close!  But despite its shortcomings compared to the rest of Wrights output, “Scott Pilgrim” shined through at the end of a shockingly mediocre summer and right before the beginning of an unremarkable awards season. 

Much like Sin City, Scott Pilgrim uses its tremendous amounts of digital effects, in a fun creative way that makes you feel like you’re living in a weird digital nerd world of awesomeness.  The CGI adds to the aesthetic instead of taking away from it.

There really isn’t too much deep meaning to this one, though there isn’t a lack of it either.  It’s a pretty smart action comedy with a unique plot, creative direction and surprisingly few notable faults.  Edgar Wright hits it out of the park . . . or at least in to the #5 spot on this list.

 

#4  Shutter Island

 

Shutter Island has been swept away from public consciousness almost entirely, and I’m not sure why.  Martin Scorsese pulls off mind blowing third act twists much better than Shyamalan ever has.  He creates a dark foreboding atmosphere, and a singularly intruding pacing that makes this one a must watch for horror and thriller fans alike

In the hands of another director this plot would have been hokey and annoying, much in the same way that the recent Now You See Me was.  But Scorsese knows his stuff, and it’s always fun to see him take on a genre and style that deviates from his usual three-hour crimetastic character studies.

It’s a fantastic underrated thriller that, Surprise! Is deserving of the fourth spot on this list.

 

#3  Inception

 

 

It is rare to find a movie that instantly becomes not only an instant classic of its genre, but a pop culture phenomenon as well.  Yet I don’t think that Christopher Nolan’s directorial follow up to The Dark Knight was destined to be any less. 

Inception has some of the most memorable sequences In modern cinema, a character driven story and most importantly Nolan’s patented breakneck epicness that have become the trademark of his work in the last decade.

Science fantasy seems to be mishandles nowadays in my opinion.  Inception is one of only a handful of movies that I’ve seen in recent years to really use it’s concept in a way that is both thought provoking and boundlessly entertaining.  Many people have said that it is one of the best movies ever made, and while I wouldn’t agree with that, I would certainly be willing to call it the third best movie of 2010.

 

#2  Blue Valentine

 

 

There was a stint of great movies released a couple times a year there for a while that all starred Ryan Gosling, and it all started with Blue Valentine.

Blue Valentine is not a very happy movie.  It’s about relationships, yes, but it’s not the kind of movie that makes you feel lovey-dovey at the end.  It’s a representation of two real people in a real relationship, and sometimes real relationships go sour.

I really ought to right a full review of this one someday since there is so much to talk about.  We really do get to know, and love, the two main characters.  And the deathly believable and horrifically real fallout between the two is mind shattering.

A lot of movies use manipulation and tricks to try and effect you emotionally, but they are almost always hokey and see-through.  Blue Valentine on the other hand is brutally real, I never for once questioned that what I saw on the screen, and it takes tremendous skill and craftsmanship to accomplish that.  It’s sad but true, Blue Valentine is the best choice for #2.

 

#1  Black Swan

 

The nutty directors are the most fun to follow, and Darren Aronofsky Is one of the nuttiest who has ever gotten a humongous budget.  Fortunately for the movie going public, he’s also one of the most talented directors working today.  And even more fortunate for the movie going public in 2010:  Black Swan was, and is, one of the best movies he has ever made.

I’ve always loved character study movies, and I’ve always loved surrealist movies; and luck me Black Swan is both of them.  It’s Similar, in a way, to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and it’s distortion of reality through the lens of its protagonist.  It’s also similar to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining in its stylized violence and carefully controlled pace.  A brilliant combination that meshes style and substance in a way seldom seen in cinema.  It’s a brilliant cinematic wonder, and my favorite movie of 2010.

 

Thank you so much for reading!  If you have your own opinions about the 2010 cinematic year, or just hate people who dislike Will Ferrell, feel free to email me at atchleyosaurus@gmail.com!  Check back in a couple weeks for more reviews facts and fun!