10. Chloe- In some ways you could classify this film as art film trash. However, that would deny the film the real good qualities that it brings. What you get is a steamy, high-toned, erotic thriller where character's motivations may not always be quite what they appear to be. Both female characters operate in the sex field. Chloe is a call girl, and the woman who hires her is a gynecologist who believes her husband is cheating on her. Between the two women they learn to understand where their own conflictions with sexual feelings lie. Moore is her usual excellent self and Seyfried opens eyes here with her performance. In the end the film provides some emotionally raw films that are handled with an adept style by the director. It's not a film that will probably leave you feeling good by the end of it, but you'll probably have a better appreciation for the characters and how their motivations drift into your own thought process.
9. Easy A- I'll be up front and say that I love Emma Stone. It's wonderful then that she got a movie that not only moved her from supporting player to top billing star, but also propelled her into the A list film stratosphere. This is a film that in many ways is so much more enjoyable than the typical teen comedies. It reminds me in many ways of when Juno blew up the other year. There everyone raved about the dialogue written by Diablo Cody, but the catch there is that no one in high school talks the way Cody writes. This film is written the way kids that age would talk. Emma's character dreams of a romance out of a John Hughes film but she misses the fact that she is far smarter and funnier than any female lead of a John Hughes film. The movie has flaws, but it really feels like it was made for teenagers who don't need to be talked down to. It's a whip smart, quick witted film that addresses the larger social issues of sex in a high school and touches on certain ideas as to why kids are treated differently. All through the eyes of a great, hot, red-headed actress.
8. Let Me In- Yes it's a remake, and yes it probably didn't have to be made. However, director Matt Reeves does a great job mixing the original film with pieces of the novel and churns out something that creates its own identity despite the various forms in which it already exists. I would say that the Swedish version of the film is near perfection, and this one is slightly better. It trades out a few things that don't work in the first one and adds a thing or two that makes the film a little tighter. The CGI stuff is corny as all hell but it usually is. The young boy is looking for a friend because he is lonely since his parents divorce and the precocious little female vampire next door fits the bill. Chloe Mertz is excellent here and she adds a nice mix to the character. Everything about the film feels authentic, even down to the generic corner of America that Reeves selects and then matches all the designs and music too. The film works, and it has enough creepy stuff going on to always be interesting.
7. Inception- It's a smartly innovative film that relishes in showing the audience one thing and then yanking the carpet out from under them repeatedly. It is a cinematic chess game as Christopher Nolan carefully moves pieces around lulling the viewer to let their guard down before screaming checkmate and hitting you with the climax. And man is that one awesome extended climax. It has seemingly a million things going on at once and really isn't quite as hard to follow as you would think. It is becoming the rare film too that has great visuals without relying on the trappings of 3D. However, the film does feel a little overstuffed at times and might have benefited from about a ten minute trimming. Plus not quite everything works well, and the ending feels like just trying to create discussion rather than offer a real conclusion (Although I do have my ideas as to what the ending means). It's a film that will be wondrous to watch even if the first time you see it is on your television at home.
6. Kick Ass- I can understand the problems have with the film. It is a little jarring to see a 12 year old use some of the language that Chloe Mertz does in here. However, I think the site of the same girl getting the crap kicked out of her was far more jarring to see. But beside that blip towards the end you have a movie that is essentially a violent fantasy film about the times in which we live. The film is fast, very funny, and yes gratuitously violent. It's not an innocuous comedy and it's not a film that talks down to the audience. It mixes together several strands of different genres and creates a completely re-watchable piece of pure entertainment.
5. The Town- It is simple to just say that Ben Affleck is in love with Boston, but that underplays it. Affleck is interested in all the nuances of the town. He wants to see all the underbelly of the town- both good and bad. He wants to understand why the people are there and how they make the town tick. in his latest attempt at that he gives us this film which is a riveting and explosive crime thriller. It's driven by one of the best car chase scenes in recent movie history, a rare pass to the insides of Fenway Park, and a fascinating performance by Jeremy Renner. Ben's character is trapped by the town in many ways and sees this whole mess he is in as his ticket out. What rises it above standard action fare is the brilliant script which is a complex character study. That sits at the heart of everything and gives all the action sequence a more dire set of circumstances to operate within. The film could be a dark horse Best Picture nominee at The Oscars this year.
4. How to Train Your Dragon- I know people like to say that all the non-Pixar animated films suck, and really for many of them I would have no argument. But now when people say that I can offer up this film as the exception to that rule. This was another film that really used its 3D style to full advantage. It's an adventure story that includes a deft balance of fantasy and teen angst but never loses its sense of contemporary humor. It's a thrilling action-adventure film on top of that and includes gags that are both new and old but they all feel fresh in the hands of the co-directors here. It's charming, funny, and exceedingly well made and wil truly appeal to the kids and adults alike in the audience.
3. The Fighter- I can't say I expected much when I went to this film. I looked at the director, the actors, and was already familiar with the source material but still just looked at it as a traditional sports movie. I've seen that film numerous times over and it has devolved into cliche ridden nonsense in many cases. But man was I totally wrong about this film. Wahlberg does what he can with the lead role of "Irish" Micky Ward but really he is sort of understated in the role. I'm not sure if that was a calculated choice or whether it was just Mark being Mark. But I'm glad he did play it small because it lets all the supporting characters be big and defined and the movie is worlds better for all of that as it never feels like they are stepping on each other's toes. Christian Bale is great as the brother who was the family jewel and blew his chance at the big time by sniffing drugs. Melissa Leo is great as the mom who always wants to diminish the little brother so big brother gets the spotlight. The gorgeous Amy Adams plays feisty here and finds all new areas of her acting skills and I think comes off as a revelation of sorts. The fights with her and the sisters of Ward are hilarious pieces of filmmaking and I only wish they had more of those in there. This film will have a huge following one day as its funnier than you would think, has more heart than you would think, and is not nearly as cliched as you would think. Also, hopefully it leads people to read up on Micky Ward as he was a pretty interesting character in the boxing world.
2. Toy Story 3- The first Toy Story came out in 1995 and in 2010 you are real close to those who saw the first film as kids moving off to college or entering the adult portion of their lives. The question at the heart of this film then is: what happens when you have to move on from your childhood and have no use anymore for those toys you loved playing with? I think it's a universal thing people experience. I had a similar experience this past summer as I was cleaning up stuff and came across a bunch of old stuffed animals from my youth. There was a Kermit the Frog, a Roger Rabbit, and Alf, a Donald Duck- and I had to wonder "Do I throw these out?" I didn't because I plan to pass them on to my kids someday but here Andy faces a similar question as he moves off to college. Does he keep those toys and give them nothing to do or pass them to a new generation of youngsters ready to play with them? It's a surprisingly touching story and the last half hour finds a couple different ways to drum up the water works from the audience. It's a nice final chapter to the Toy Story films and in some ways signifies Pixar moving to the next phase of their film creation. They've experimented the past few years with films designed for adults as much as for adults with huge success. Now it's seems like this was the valedictorian speech as they prepare for the full jump to the next level.
1. True Grit- I know there are people who will swear that the John Wayne film is the best version of this film and any attempt to re-do it is silly. I say- this film works probably better because it keeps the original novel at the heart of the proceedings. The original film has John Wayne front and center doing what Wayne does best. He is hammy, overacting in some ways, and the film loses much of the humor from the novel. This film puts the narrative back in the hands of the girl and brings much of the humor back. Both are welcome. Hailee Stinfeld is phenomenal in this film. I know there is talk of her for the Best Supporting Actress but that is the absolute wrong choice. She is a Best Actress nominee in every sense of the word. She owns every minute of film in which she is on screen and she even outshines Bridges and Damon at times which is a huge task to accomplish. Bridges doesn't try to be John Wayne in this film. He prefers to give Rooster Cogburn his own touches and the film is better off for it. Some actors probably would've just tried to riff on Wayne's performance which would've thrown off the entire movie. What I'm really glad for is the humor back in the film. Matt Damon perfectly hits all the comedy lines and straddles the confidence and befuddlement line when the script calls for it. This feels like the Coen Brothers just trying to prove that they could do a genre film and if that's the case- mission accomplished.
That's the list. Here's to another great year at the movies.
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