TOP TEN FILMS OF 2010

by Gordon

 

10. The Town

Directed by: Ben Affleck

Rating: R [strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use]

Runtime: 125 min.

Main Cast: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%                    IMDB: 7.8/10

 

   Great story, ultimately centering on leaving one’s own past. Jeremy Renner continues to impress. And the fact that the superb direction comes from Ben Affleck makes it even more commendable.

9. Shutter Island

Directed by: Martin Scorcese

Rating: R (disturbing violent content, language and some nudity)

Runtime: 138 min.

Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Jackie Earle Haley, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, John Carroll Lynch, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams

Rotten Tomatoes: 68%                    IMDB: 8.0/10

 

   Not one of Scorcese’s best, but by no means one of his worst. DiCaprio serves up another amazing performance. At times predictable, but with enough mystery throughout to make for an engrossing ride.

8. 127 Hours

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Rating: R [language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images]

Runtime: 94 min.

Main Cast: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%                    IMDB: 8.4/10

 

   While it’s no Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle’s touch on this real-life story of human determination amidst tragic circumstances is unsurprisingly remarkable. Franco’s not bad either.

7. Let Me In

Directed by: Matt Reeves

Rating: R [strong bloody horror violence, language and a brief sexual situation]

Runtime: 116 min.

Main Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%                    IMDB: 7.4/10

 

   Finally, a take on vampire culture that’s void of the teenage angst and textbook melodrama that so dominates the rest of them. Superbly written and beautifully shot. Both young actors show they’re here to stay.

6. True Grit

Directed by: Coen Brothers

Rating: PG-13 [intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images]

Runtime: 110 min.

Main Cast: Malin Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%                    IMDB: 8.3/10

 

   Though not big on Westerns, there’s no denying another great Coen brothers film. Though their quirky spark isn’t as pronounced, they do a fine job at bringing the original book to the screen. Hailee Steinfeld gives a praiseworthy performance.

5. Toy Story 3

Directed by: Lee Unkrich

Rating: PG

Runtime: 103 min.

Main Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

Rotten Tomatoes: 99%                    IMDB: 8.7/10

 

   Yes it’s animated. But all the more remarkable that it’s such a good movie. The visuals are the best in the business. But more importantly, Pixar truly knows how to craft a story.

4. The Fighter

Directed by: David O. Russell

Rating: R [language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality]

Runtime: 115 min.

Main Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%                    IMDB: 8.3/10

 

   Though its title may refer to the character played by Mark Wahlberg, the real catch in this one is Bale, whose continued willingness to visually transform into even more characters remains a powerful sidekick to his impeccable acting.

3. Black Swan

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Rating: R [strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use]

Runtime: 108 min.

Main Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%                    IMDB: 8.6/10

 

   A true hit for the hit or miss but always inspiring Aronofsky. It’s dark, creepy, provocative, intense. Portman has never been more impressive.

2. The Social Network

Directed by: David Fincher

Rating: PG-13 [sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language]

Runtime: 120 min.

Main Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%                    IMDB: 8.2/10

 

   I wouldn’t have guessed a movie about Facebook would be so damn good. Nice job by Eisenberg, still a bit typecast but maybe rightfully so, but it’s Timberlake who really steps out of his shell. And though the role is a bit limited, a nod should also be thrown to Andrew Garfield, a captivating newcomer. But who am I kidding? The movie’s great because of its direction from Fincher.

1. Inception

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Rating: PG-13 [sequences of violence and action throughout]

Runtime: 148 min.

Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Lukas Haas, Tom Berenger, Pete Postlethwaite

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%                    IMDB: 9.0/10

 

   The acting’s good, not amazing. The story’s a little puzzling, perhaps even over the top. But with Nolan behind it all, I could care less. It’s one of the most creative and visually daring movies I’ve ever seen. And it’s so expertly conceived and executed that at times I almost found it all plausible.

SHUTTER ISLAND

by Gordon

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Released: 2010

Rating: R [disturbing violent content, language and some nudity]

Runtime: 138 min.

Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%                    IMDB: 8.3/10

 

   In terms of filmmaking, Steven Spielberg has for decades been THE master storyteller. Love his movies or not, he’s nearly perfected the art of set-up, conflict and resolution. Though Spielberg may still hold that title, a deficiency seemed to exist in his ability to capture the finer, more subtle, and ultimately more interesting plot elements beneath the story’s more obvious shell. It was a deficiency that for me went unnoticed…until I started watching Martin Scorsese films.

   The extra attention to detail from the slightly older, considerably more bushy-eyed director reveals itself most notably in his particular dedication to setting. It’s a key factor, visible in such greats as Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York and The Departed, and in many ways crucial to the cohesiveness and realism behind the story. A variety of characters walk us through a variety of hometowns and landscapes, at times narrating us through a bit of backstory, and often these settings spanning a period of decades, always expertly recreated by the director. These elements swirling around and through the characters bring the story to life as Scorsese serves up a bit of high drama surrounding good guys chasing bad guys (or more often perhaps, vice versa). So when I heard last summer that his upcoming film was a spooky psychological thriller revolving around a singular man searching for answers on a singular island, I was a bit scared.

   Leonardo DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal who along with his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) is called to investigate the disappearance of a patient at a hospital for the criminally insane. Without an accent DiCaprio just wouldn’t hold the screen’s attention the same, and the Massachusetts location suits his character well. Set in the 1950s, Scorsese gets yet another opportunity to successfully prove his skills with period authenticity (and the only thing scarier than a mental hospital is one set in the ’50s).

   Once there, Teddy must deal with what he sees as inadequate help from the hospital’s chief psychiatrist and administrator (the great Ben Kingsley) and his head physician (the great Max von Sydow). Furthering the story’s tension is the boxed-in effect the tiny island on which the hospital sits is having on the two marshals. As Teddy and Chuck dig deeper in their investigation, aided by a handful of disturbing patient interactions, Teddy begins to question the motives behind the establishment itself after a series of sinister human experiments are revealed to have taken place. Teddy becomes increasingly confused, and in reverse-Scorsese form, the audience grows much more aware of Teddy’s life and background, after much of the plot has already unfolded.

   The success of Shutter Island is so pivotally rooted in its execution of the climactic twist at the end that mentioning further plot progression would seriously jeopardize the viewing experience for those who have yet to see the film. For the purposes of this review, however, what can be said is that Scorsese, unsurprisingly, sculpts a better crafted set-up to that climax than what can be said for what follows, though with twists, perhaps that’s much more the point anyway. Still, I stood up feeling a slight void in the grandeur that usually pulses through the final scenes of the more memorable films to come from the director.

   There’s no question, though, that there’s a lot to like about this movie. The story, as well as its closing sentiments, though not altogether original, still begs thoughtful debate as a classic point of intrigue for those both interested in psychological thrillers and not. And DiCaprio, by now per expectations, delivers another pitch perfect character, unique as the rest in his repertoire, line for line. His emotion in one scene in particular gave me chills. The same rings almost as true for the rest of the performances all around. And who am I to blame Scorsese for tackling new territory? He’s shown us what he can do and this movie only broadens the spectrum of his abilities. But now I can’t help but hope he swiftly returns to the conventions of his roots.