The Best Movies of 2010 Part 1
Last week, the Golden Globes handed out awards to some of 2010’s best performers in the movies and television. Come February, Hollywood will brace itself for the Oscars as the Academy chooses the best of the best for 2010.
As a pre-Oscar special, CDOKay.com has listed some of the best movies of 2010. The list was taken from a variety of sources, each with their own choices for the best films. To make it fair for everyone, we are giving our readers three different lists of the best 2010 movies, including a runners-up section. As most of the movies have yet to be shown in Philippine moviehouses, we have also provided you a brief description of what each film is all about.
From renowned film critic Roger Ebert:
10 – The Ghost Writer
Roman Polanski’s political thriller brings together a magnificent cast: Ewan McGregor (Star Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi), Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia & a number of James Bond films), Kim Cattrall (best known for her role in Sex and the City) and Olivia Williams of An Education.
McGregor plays the role of a ghostwriter who is hired to write a former British prime minister’s autobiography. As he “hides” in an isolated house, things begin to unravel and he soon finds out that his life is in danger. Brosnan is the prime minister (whose character, they say, was inspired by Tony Blair), while Williams is the ghost writer’s wife. Cattrall adds spice into the story as she plays the role of Ewan’s assistant, with whom he has an affair.
9 – The Kids Are All Right
Starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right is the story of a couple (Bening and Moore) who are going through mid-life crisis. Bring into the picture their children, played by Josh Hutcherson and Mia Wasikowska), and the story becomes even more interesting. The children are half-siblings because they came from one sperm donor, although both Bening and Moore each conceived one of them. Mark Ruffalo enters the picture as the children’s birth father and his entry is what turns things a little topsy-turvy.
8 – The American
George Clooney is only one of the reasons to watch this movie! Once again, as he did for 2009’s Up in the Air, Clooney portrays an offbeat character – that of a man who creates specialized weapons designed for use in specialized murders. Ebert, in his reviews, points out that although the plot is that of a standard thriller, The American is more than just a mainstream thriller due to the fact that it employs minimalism. And he believes that this is what works best for the film as viewers are forced to become “vigilant” in their attempts at unraveling the mysteries of the story.
This Argentinian film, although shown in Argentina in 2009, was screened in the US in 2010. This best foreign film Academy winner (for 2010) is a thriller that tells the story of a man (a retired criminal investigator) and a woman (a judge) who, after 26 years, meet again.
Years ago, both worked on a rape and murder case. The man, who was then under the supervision of the woman, believed (and still believes) that the wrong men were convicted for the murder. Since he promised the victim’s family that he would help them achieve justice, he decides to write a novel loosely based on the crime and then uses this as a pretext for working with his old boss, with whom he has been in love for years.
The movie stars two Argentinian actors, Ricardo Darin and Soledad Villamil and was written and directed by TV and film director Juan José Campanella.
6 – Inception
This Christopher Nolan masterpiece dares to invite moviegoers to probe their minds with questions like “Is there really an architecture for dreams?” Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe and the rest of the characters in this labyrinth-like story work together to tell (and show!) us just how powerful the mind is. This is especially true for DiCaprio’s character who uses the unconscious mind of his “victims” to extract valuable information.
Nolan developed the idea for Inception almost 10 years ago, after he thought of the concept of “sharing dream space” and entering them in order to share dreams.
5 – Winter’s Bone
Based on the novel with the same title, Winter’s Bone tells the story of a young girl who hunts his father, a drug dealer, while also taking care of her family. The story actually begins when the young girl receives information about her father giving away their house in exchange for bail. The fact that the father is nowhere to be found adds to the already heavy conflict her family is facing.
The story takes place in the Ozark Mountains and stars Jennifer Lawrence.
4 – I am Love
Oscar winner Tilda Swinton plays a Russian woman named Emma who marries into a wealthy family, the Recchis. The setting is in Milan, where the Recchi family resides.
Emma feels that she does not belong to the family, even though there are no obvious indications that she is treated unkindly. A sudden turn of events involving her husband, son and daughter forces Emma to find something that will satisfy her needs. She finds this in Antonio, a chef who is also her son’s friend. What happens to her and Antonio, and to her family, is what makes the film truly interesting.
3 – Black Swan
Natalie Portman won the Golden Globe Best Actress award for her role in this psychological thriller that uses Swan Lake as the centerpiece of her character’s story (and emotions).
Portman’s character, Nina, finds herself swayed by two forces after she lands the role of Odette (the White Swan). Her fears ignite her “dark self”, all because of the entry of a new dancer, Lily (played by Mila Kunis), who was given the role of the Black Swan. Haunted by Lily’s entry that is further complicated by an obsessive mother.
Critics say that the role of Nina was tailor made for Portman; that no other actress can play the character. Both Portman and Kunis trained in ballet for their roles.
This historical drama directed by Tom Hooper is the winner of the People’s Choice Award in the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Colin Firth leads the cast, along with Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter.
The film revolves around Britain’s King George VI, particularly focusing on his sudden rise to the throne. The King’s Speech also focuses the spotlight on the king’s speech therapist. The King’s stutter encourages his therapist to seek for methods that will allow him to eventually speak in front of a crowd using a microphone. This was vital in his intention of declaring a war.
Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield and Rooney Mara tell the story of how Mark Zuckerberg created the social network phenomenon Facebook. A well-written script and excellent performances by Eisenberg, Garfield and company has made this a favorite of many film critics. Some are even calling this a masterpiece; others, however, believe that this is simply an excellent film that’s worthy of a 97% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
To quote Ebert, The Social Network is a film that “has the rare quality of being not only as smart as its brilliant hero, but in the same way. It is cocksure, impatient, cold, exciting and instinctively perceptive.”
Tomorrow, we’ll give you ten more of 2010’s best films, this time as ranked by Viewmag.com. In the meantime, enjoy the movies!
-Maia Fortich-Poblete-
