I’d like to see “Somewhere” and “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” before making my top 10 movies list, but such is life in a small town, and I assume you don’t want to read a year-end list in May. So here are my top 10 movies of 2010, with the caveat that it’s subject to change.
1. “Machete” (on DVD Jan. 4) — There is a little-known segment of the audience that Hollywood caters to, yet never admits to catering to: People who purposely seek out bad movies for their comedy value. The feature-length version of Robert Rodriguez’s fake trailer in 2007’s “Grindhouse,” “Machete” is a rare movie that openly caters to that audience. It’s purposely bad in the way it celebrates over-the-top violence, gratuitous nudity and groan-worthy dialogue. But it’s also good for all those reasons, along with its brazen parody of illegal immigration extremists. As such, the dumbest movie of the year is also the smartest, and I wouldn’t mind if those fake sequels advertised at the end turn out to be real, too. (Full review.)
2. “The Social Network” (on DVD Jan. 11) — David Fincher has earned a spot on my short list of filmmakers where I’ll see anything they do: He’s just so good at bringing you into the world of his story. In this case, it’s a pretty compelling story: The creation of Facebook, one of the major advances in communication technology in the last decade. It helps that “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” veteran Aaron Sorkin pens the dialogue and that Jesse Eisenberg effectively embodies the egotistical, sympathetic soul of a brilliant but antisocial young man who changed the way we socialize. (Full review.)
3. “Inception” (now on DVD) — Come to think of it, Christopher Nolan has earned a spot on my short list of must-see filmmakers, too. In an era where “imagination” and “big-budget movie” are rarely mentioned in the same sentence, “Inception” stands out. The movie dreams big with its Philip K. Dick-esque concept that people’s dreams can be inhabited by other people (who can then steal ideas, or even plant them), and also with its sequences such as that anti-gravity hallway fight. Any movie that gets people to passionately argue about whether a top will stop spinning or not must be doing something right. (Full review.)
4. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1” (DVD release date TBD) — This is definitely not a starting place for the uninitiated (Sorry, you’ll have to read all the books first, and then watch the movies. But you’ll thank me later.). For Potter-philes, though, this is a gorgeous adaptation of the first half of the final book; in fact, it’s the only movie in the series that actually improves on the book. It’s got humor (when the older actors portray the Polyjuiced trio), the return of old favorites (Dobby and Luna) and a bittersweet sense that we are approaching the end of a grand journey. (Full review.)
5. “Daybreakers” (now on DVD) — Yeah, it’s another vampire movie, yet it stands out from other genre entries with its style — a bleak, metallic sheen seems to permeate this dystopian future — and unique twist on the mythology — in a world where all humans have become vampires and blood is scarce, the healthy vamps rule and the weaker ones are exterminated. But that’s just the start: In “Daybreakers,” the uncovering of the rules of this vampire world is also the plot, and it has some nice surprises. (Full review.)
6. “Devil” (now on DVD) — The simplest of plots can sometimes result in the richest of films. Here, five strangers are trapped on an elevator when weird stuff starts to happen. The story unspools in the deliberate but creepy fashion associated with M. Night Shyamalan, who produced the picture. And while the final twist isn’t “Sixth Sense” clever, it at least makes sense. (Full review.)
7. “Easy A” (now on DVD) — Those of us who watch movies and TV knew Emma Stone was a star a few years ago; now it seems Hollywood has caught up. Stone shines in her first lead role as a girl who shakes up the clique-driven hierarchy of her school and exposes its hypocrisy by cultivating the reputation of a girl who sleeps around. (Full review.)
8. “Youth in Revolt” (now on DVD) — Now that Michael Cera backlash has arrived, it’s risky to sing the praises of a film where Cera plays two roles. However, I’d argue that he does his best work here, playing his standard, meek George Michael Bluth-type along with his alter ego, a suave ladies’ man who does whatever he wants. The filmmakers don’t know how to end the movie, but for a while it’s a bluntly humorous meditation on the power and peril of letting go of all inhibitions. (Full review.)
9. “Paranormal Activity 2” (on DVD Feb. 8) — The filmmakers employ all the lessons they learned on the groundbreaking original, then throw in a few new touches (bigger house, bigger cast, more cameras) to create a superior sequel. This is a fine example of the haunted house genre as it takes advantage of what we can see, and also what we imagine is around the corner. (Full review.)
10. “The Last Exorcism” (on DVD Jan. 4) — The pseudo-found footage genre is getting a little stale, but this entry pumps it up again. A priest admits to us viewers that he performs fake exorcisms for the cash, but there’s a twist with his latest client: She might actually be possessed. And there’s another twist on top of that, which some viewers will love and some will loathe. (Full review.)
Agree? Disagree? Share your own top 10 movies of 2010 in the comment threads.
Comments
I know we have had discussions about these types of lists before, but again I am surprised by your choices. Not in a bad way, just surprised from a critic’s point of view that you would choose some of these…
The movies I am surprised you chose:
Machette, Daybreakers, Devil, PA2, The Last Excorcism.
If I didn’t know better I would think you are becoming a horror movie fan! Your list leans heavily on some of the thrillers of 2010. I have not seen Machette yet, but just like everyone else, I was excited to see it after seeing the fake trailer in Grindhouse. I will be renting that as soon as I can once released. Daybreakers I felt was ‘so so’. Although it was decent, I did not feel like it had enough originality or surprise. I can’t place it, but I feel like another movie has done the same thing… just without the Vampires. Again, a decent movie, just not worthy of a top 10 of 2010 list in my opinion. I had actually forgotten about it.
Devil – wow. I cannot believe this made your list. As you know I am a HUGE Shyamalan fan and I went into this hoping for the best but getting mediocre instead. I felt the movie was boring and followed the same simple who done it formula that most movies now-a-day do… the surprise actually made me groan. I almost felt like this movie was rushed out.. or maybe created to fill a quota?
PA2 – we have already discussed this. Again, I respect you enjoying the movie but never expected it on a “Best of” list.
The Last Exorcism – I missed this (for some reason) when it was in theatres and have been anxiouisly awaiting the blu ray release. This movie is one of my most anticipated because it seems to have a lot of what I love. The fact that you included it here gives me hope because some of my horror loving friends gave it a thumbs down.
I am surprised you left out a couple.. not because I love them, but because I expect them to be in the list:
True Grit – Great show. Great acting.
Shutter Island (Original movie, great atmosphere, great acting, and although I figured it out 10 min in… a great twist)
The Town (Incredible twist to the simple bank robbery type movie, Afleck out-did himself here)
Toy Story 3/Shrek 4 (I have not seen either but expect them to be high on most people’s list)
Iron Man 2 – A movie possibly better than the sequel.. worthy of its hype anyway..
Book of Eli – Not my favorite but a lot of people thought the story and twist were great.
Unstoppable – Speed on a train, done very well.
Not worthy of a list either – but an honorable mention:
The Karate Kid
The Expendables
The Crazies
She’s out of my League
Repo Men
Hot Tub Time Machine (way better than expected)# Posted By Shaune | 12/27/10 2:53 PM
Shaune —
Actually, I am indeed a horror movie fan. Not on your level, but I am a fan. The reason why horror movies end up on my top 10 is that I go to two types of movies: 1, movies that I know I will like (the latest from Fincher or Nolan, or something I had been waiting a long time for, like “Machete”) or 2, movies that I know will hold my attention and that I might end up liking. The latter category includes horror movies; they are a safer bet than comedies or other genres. In other words, a mediocre horror movie is a fun time but a mediocre comedy is boring.
I thought “Hot Tub” was pretty terrible and “Expendables” was entertaining but I had no idea what was going on toward the end. I haven’t seen any of the others you mentioned. For the most part, they aren’t to my taste, but I wouldn’t mind seeing “Unstoppable,” “Shutter Island,” “The Town” and “She’s Out of My League.” That last one got a glowing review from my local movie theater owner, but I wasn’t able to catch it in the theater. Actually, I bought a ticket to “Hot Tub” over “League,” which was a mistake in retrospect.
Are you really a Shyamalan fan? If so, then we are the last two around, and both of us barely qualify. You disliked “Devil,” which had everything I like about his style (although he did not write or direct it; he just provided the story and called it chapter one of his “Night Chronicles”), and I have no desire at all to see “The Last Airbender,” which looks terrible and has gotten bad reviews. Any time he puts his name on a thriller, though, I am up for it, so I’ll probably be one of the few ticket buyers for “Night Chronicles 2.”# Posted By John Hansen | 12/28/10 2:23 AM
Social Network, Machete, Easy A and Inception were also on my list. I did like Youth in Revolt, but not enough for the top 10. Since we’re on Cera, I also liked Scott Pilgrim but if I remember right you didn’t. I did like She’s Out of My League but not enough for the top 10. I really liked It’s Kind of a Funny Story and that one did make it on my list. Two other movies I saw and liked but didnt make the top are Winters Bone and The Kids Are All Right. The Town made my top ten, as well as The Fighter. Marky Mark was just ok but Melissa Leo and Amy Adams are really good and Christian Bale steals the movie and should win the best supporting actor Globe and Oscar. Still need to see Black Swan, True Grit, Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine, 127 Hours and Somewhere.# Posted By Matt | 12/30/10 12:11 AM
I will have to see “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” “Blue Valentine” and “Somewhere.” I’m fairly confident I will like all three. “Blue Valentine” is apparently an amazingly real portrayal of a relationship. I guess the “Winter’s Bone” and “The Fighter” hype might get to me too. Can’t say I really want to see one of the “Freaks and Geeks” kids cut his arm off, but I imagine “127 Hours” is probably a well-made movie. Gotta see “Wrestler” to see if I like Aronofsky’s work, and then check out “Black Swan” if I do. “True Grit” … eh. Doesn’t look like it offers anything new. People seem to love it, though. I don’t know anything about “Rabbit Hole” or “The Kids Are All Right.” Correct, “Scott Pilgrim” is a pretty awful movie. Not George Michael’s fault, though. I commend you for including “Machete” on your list. We might be the only two people in the country who recognize that movie’s brilliance. Also I am kind of surprised “Easy A” made your list. Nice work. Can I check out your full list at The B-Side?# Posted By John Hansen | 12/30/10 12:31 AM
all in all, i felt that 2010 was a pretty weak year in film. stacked up against the 4 years prior, i think that only my top five of ’10 are worthy of this list. regardless… the show must go on…
10. easy a
9. megamind
8. harry potter and the deathly hallows part I
7. stone
6. the town
5. shutter island
4. winter’s bone
3. true grit
2; the social network
1. inception
keep in mind i have yet to see: 127 hours, biutiful, black swan, howl, and the king’s speech
also, i didn’t see machete, devil, or youth in revolt.# Posted By chance o | 1/1/11 11:53 AM
Chance–
You must go to KC a fair amount to see movies. I agree that 2010 was a weak year for film. Last year at this time we had “Avatar.” This year … well, I’d be willing to check out “Somewhere” or maybe even “Black Swan” or “Winter’s Bone,” but those aren’t wide releases. For wide releases, I guess the big one is “True Grit.” For some reason I am averse to Westerns that are pure Westerns (I like space Westerns, though). There was a piece in EW this week about how holiday moviegoing dropped off. The obvious reason for that is that there wasn’t a lot that people wanted to see. You stick an “Avatar”-type movie in there and those numbers change. I’m not surprised that “Inception” is your No. 1. You saw that, what, four times in the theater?
John# Posted By John Hansen | 1/1/11 1:16 PM
So I finally had a chance to see “The Last Excorsism” and “Easy A”. “Easy A” was good, and probably deserves to be in the top 10 list.
I am really up in the air about “Excorsism” though.. I cannot decide if I liked it, hated it, or even understand it. I of course have my theories, which is the whole point of the way it was written and filmed, but I’m still not sure of a few things..
Overall a decent movie though, the acting was great, the story kept me entertained and the pace was good (aside from the first few minutes)..
As you mention, although we have seen this before, I think this movie does it different/better than some of the others. It was definitely not what I expected though!# Posted By Shaune | 1/10/11 5:50 PM
The twist was that the brother was a member of the cult and the dad was trying to protect the girl from the cult, if I recall correctly. I thought the end came rather abruptly, but story-wise, I thought it held together fine. Did you like how the movie ended, or do you think they should’ve played it out a bit more?# Posted By John Hansen | 1/10/11 9:03 PM
I suppose I should throw out a spoiler warning here as we are taking about the movie’s ending… **SPOILER**
I guess my confusion comes from who was actually ‘good’ and who was ‘bad’. Was the cult ‘good’ because they were trying to get rid of the evil baby? Or were they bad because they were using the virgin girl? I understand that the whole point of the movie was to show a man who had no faith, going through a change and in the end he relies on his faith.. I just wanted a bit more information… just a bit.
I will admit, I love when a movie doesn’t wrap itself up in a nice little bow. I like when the good guy dies sometimes, or the couple doesn’t end up together etc…
With that being said, I feel like you said, this ending was rushed. I saw the foreshadowing in the drawings, and I was not surprised by the ending.. I just hoped to see a bit more ‘movie’ before ending it. Was Nell in on it? Or was she faking it? Was the cult trying to help by killing the demon baby in the fire or were they baptising it in the fire?The more I have thought about this movie, the more I have liked it. Any movie that can make me actually google some discussion about the ending is a winner in my book.# Posted By Shaune | 1/11/11 9:27 AM
The cult was bad. They sacrificed the baby to the devil that they were worshipping. Nell was not in on it. She was being used by the cult; she had the baby planted in her by the cult members who were posing as church leaders.
At least that’s how I interpreted it.# Posted By John Hansen | 1/11/11 2:42 PM
Sorry to continue posting to this thread but there aren’t any dedicated threads..
I saw “The Social Network” last night. Amazing movie. I was entertained through ever minute of hte movie and didn’t want it to end. I thought it was a lot like the movie ’21’..the way it immersed you in the alternate world that was being experienced. I don’t know much about Mark Zuckerberg but I am guessing that Eisenberg hits the nail on the head. I have heard rumors of a sequel.. is there any truth to that?
Now. On to Machete….# Posted By Shaune | 1/12/11 10:22 AM
That’s awesome that you get to watch the top two movies of 2010 on back-to-back nights.# Posted By John Hansen | 1/12/11 10:23 PM
Retroactive additions: “Blue Valentine” at No. 3 and “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” at No. 4. So “Paranormal Activity 2” and “The Last Exorcism” get bumped out.# Posted By John Hansen | 9/6/11 12:58 AM