Here are two more staffers giving their Top 10, Worst 3, and Guilty Pleasures of 2010!
GEOFF’s TOP 10 of 2010
1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Relativity Media) – Aaron Sorkin delivers another fantastic story. With trademark dialogue that makes one want to sit back and watch it again, thinking “Did he really just say what I think he said?”
2. NIGHT CATCHES US (Magnolia Pictures) – Yes, I’m promoting a movie I wrote a review for, but Kerry Washington had a fantastic performance, and no one is going to give her proper credit for it.
3. The TEMPEST (Miramax Films)– I normally do not like Shakespeare, but this version of his classic was riveting and engaging.
4. LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (20th Century Fox) – Every Ed Zwick film is a mental masterpiece. Seeing Anne Hathaway play a character who uses sex to have some level of control in her world that will soon spin out of control was interesting, and watching Jake Gyllenhaal sweep her off her feet made me want to be him. The level of immersion into this film was fantastic, and I hope both leads get awards for their fantastic work.
5. MACHETE – (20th Century Fox) Not every movie completes every goal it was meant to. Machete did. A tacky, cheesy B-movie with a critique about the current rhetoric about illegal aliens was the right film at the right time.
6. AFTER LIFE – (Anchor Bay Entertainment) Was Anna dead? Was Eliot a complete psychopath, or just a dude who could see people between life and death? It’s uncertain, but After Life has Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci playing off each other very well, and the psychological thriller was done well.
7. CHLOE – (Sony Pictures Classics) This is a film that flagrantly appeals to the sensual nature. Did the wife see cheating because she wanted to see it, or because she secretly wanted to do it herself?
8. SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE – (Dreamworks Pictures) Any film that makes me laugh out loud is worth a closer look, and this is the comedy in 2010 that I thought was underappreciated.
9. THE GHOST WRITER (Summit Entertainment) – This film, partially about Tony Blair, but still quite fictitious, is a unique drama. Post-James Bond Pierce Brosnan has been a terrific actor, and Ewan MacGregor10.
10. EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (CBS Films) – Brandon Frasier jumps far out of his normal shtick and plays the only hope of a desperate father. Harrison Ford gave a lot of emotional legitimacy to this film and made it an early hit in 2010.
WORST 3
- The Human Centipede (First Sequence) – This is bad for many reasons. I’ll sum up two. (1) There was no metaphorical commentary to the disgusting things seen in THC, (2) There’s a sequel in the works. I don’t feel comfortable calling this a movie – it’s two hours of the most disgusting thing someone could think of.
- Piranha 3D – Any film where over-enraged animals are the bad guy and are randomly killing people are terrible. There’s a sequel planned for this, too, so knowing that I’ll get to be confronted with even more stupidity makes this film one of my worst.
- Resident Evil: Afterlife – In this movie franchise, what’s worth fighting for anymore? The other human survivors would do well to leave Alice be, as that’s all Robert Wesker really wants anyway. My ability to suspend my disbelief is completely spent on this franchise. There’s another RE film coming, so it’s probably only going to get worse.
GUILTY PLEASURE
SCOTT PILGRIM vs. THE WORLD (Universal Pictures) - There is nothing wrong with video gaming, and this movie wears gaming like a badge of honor. Arguably, one of the best bits of dialogue is right here:
“You didn’t say the ‘L word.’”
“Lesbian?”
“No, the other L word.”
“…lesbians?”
CANDACE’s TOP 10 of 2010
1. TOY STORY 3 (Walt Disney Pictures)
2. FOR COLORED GIRLS (Lionsgate)
3. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Relativity Media)
4. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (Summit Entertainment)
5. ROBIN HOOD– (Universal Pictures)
6. REMEMBER ME – (Summit Entertainment)
7. THE KARATE KID – (Sony Pictures)
8. THE KIDS ARE ALL ALRIGHT – (Focus Features)
9. WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” (Walden Media)
10. EAT PRAY LOVE (Sony Pictures)
WORST 3
- STEP UP 3D (Touchstone Pictures)
- INCEPTION (Warner Bros. Pictures)
GUILTY PLEASURE
Shall I be a vampire.....
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (Summit Entertainment)
Stay tuned for the third and final part of the TRR Best and Worst of 2010!
