2010 IN REVIEW PART ONE: THE HONOR ROLL

And so it begins...

For the first installment of my "2010 In Review" series, I am so excited to give you my official "Honor Roll," all of the films released in 2010 to which I awarded a rating of three and a half stars out of a possible four stars.

As always, I want for you to know that I am not presenting this list as a form of declaring myself as some sort of film expert or that these selections are, without question, the "BEST" or "WORST." As I have said many times, I am not qualified to make that sort of an assessment as I have not seen all of the films released during the year, nor would I have wanted to!

These films, of which you will see over the course of four installments, are just my personal favorite and least favorites. That's it. That's all. And as always, dear readers, I hope you enjoy it!

Full reviews of all of the featured films in this series are housed in their entirety on this site, if you so wish to read the longer versions. if you do not know where to find it, just let me know and I'll hook you up!

So...without further hesitation...

2010 IN REVIEW PART ONE: THE HONOR ROLL (in alphabetical order)

“CYRUS” Written and Directed by Jay and Mark Duplass
The poignant, humane dark comedy about a long divorced, lonely, sad sack film editor (John C. Reilly) who finally finds love with a sharply alluring woman (Marisa Tomei) only to have her 21 year old son (Jonah Hill) devise emotional conflict. This is a film without villains and treats these characters and their situations as they might occur in a real world setting. “Cyrus” is a film where the comedy is weaved inside of the characters and their behavior, making for a more mature, humane film than it may seem to be from its advertisements.
Available on DVD

“THE EXPENDABLES” Co-Written and Directed by Sylvester Stallone
High octane, high adventure and extremely high testosterone meet up in a highly ridiculous adventure involving a crew of sensitive psychotic mercenaries played by Stallone, Jason Statham and a host of action heroes and villains from the 1980s. For a movie that really isn’t very good at all, with its messy ultra-violence and even messier and extremely chaotic filmmaking, I was enormously entertained. And Lord help me, I am actually ready for a second installment.
Available on DVD

“GET HIM TO THE GREEK” Written and Directed by Nicholas Stoller
This spin off from Stoller's “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008) is a music industry set comedy with a young intern (Jonah Hill) desperately trying to deliver uncontrollable drug addled rock legend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) from England to Los Angeles for a 10th anniversary rock concert. Tis film more than fulfilled its promise of outrageous and defiantly R Rated comedy, besting “The Hangover” (2009) in every way. As with so many films that I enjoyed in 2010, “Get Him To The Greek” has even more on its mind than unbridled hilarity as it also functions as a cautionary tale of the Hollywood life and the soullessness contained within. Yes, some reviews were a bit put off with its third act sentimentality but I appreciated again how Stoller and producer Judd Apatow focused their attention upon their characters, their behavior and their consequences, all qualities that exponentially increased the comedy and ultimately makes the film memorable. Special honorable mention must go to Sean “Diddy” Combs for his blisteringly hysterical turn as the perpetually infuriated music mogul Sergio Roma. Practically everything out of this man’s mouth was comic gold.
Available on DVD

“GET LOW” Directed by Aaron Schneider
The national acting treasure that is Robert Duvall shines again in a completely naturalistic performance that feels as if every word uttered from his mouth were his very own and not existent within a beautifully written and observed screenplay. The tale of the cantankerous and widely feared Felix Bush and his desire to throw himself a funeral party before his inevitable demise is a graceful tribute to the stories we tell ourselves and others, the very stories that build and sustain our collective humanity. It is a gentle, dark comedy with strong, understated performances from the entire cast, including Bill Murray who again shows subtle depth underneath the effortless humor.
Soon to be released on DVD

“THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO” Directed by Niels Arden Opley
”THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE” & “THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST” Directed by Daniel Alfredson
-Stieg Larsson’s best-selling crime thriller trilogy received a handsome, reverential, brutal, vengeful and surprisingly touching adaptation with three Swedish films that made their welcome arrival in the United States in 2010. The saga of crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist (the rock steady Michael Nyqvist) and moody, relentlessly pursued computer hacker Lisbeth Slander (the scorching Noomi Rapace) made for completely engrossing cinema that delved into extremely deep, dark thematic waters. The trilogy made for some sadistic (but conceptually necessary) moments while ultimately providing a powerful journey of one woman’s rise from abuse to emancipation in a harshly violent world. As brilliant as Director David Fincher is, I think he has his work more than cut out for him as he is already in the midst of remaking stories of which there already exist three excellent films featuring leading performances that feel nothing less than definitive.
All three films are now available on DVD

“GREEN ZONE” Directed by Paul Greengrass
While I have stated many times that I am not a fan of Greengrass’ hyperactive directing style in the Jason Bourne series, I have to say that for this political thriller, his overactive camera and editing works in its favor. Matt Damon gives a rock solid performance as a soldier in Iraq on the hunt for the elusive and ultimately non-existent WMDs who eventually goes rogue in his pursuit of the truth behind why the United States went to war in the first place. Greengrass made a clever gamble with this film by fashioning it as a Jason Bourne adventure but really delivering a powerfully condemning piece of political theater. While this gamble did not pay off at the box office, do not let that deter you from seeing this creatively risky film that easily sits comfortably in the same neighborhood as last year’s Oscar winning “The Hurt Locker.”
Available on DVD

“HEREAFTER” Directed by Clint Eastwood
An elegant spiritual drama that calmly explores mortality and the possibility of a world beyond the sky and consciousness itself. Matt Damon stars again in an ensemble piece set in San Francisco, France and London which explores three characters who have each caught a glimpse of the other side and are currently struggling with their places in the material world. Clint Eastwood again shows why he is one of our cinematic masters by allowing every moment to occur naturally and with the heft, skill and flowing grace of jazz music.
Soon to be released on DVD

“HOT TUB TIME MACHINE” Directed by Steve Pink
-The pleasures of a subversive John Cusack comedy knows no bounds with me and this raucous excursion also outdid the antics of 2009’s overrated “The Hangover” so brilliantly. The story of three friends (Cusack, Craig Robinson and Rob Cordrry) plus a nephew (Clark Duke) who are all catapulted back to 1986 and the ski lodge haven of their youth highly succeeded as a satire of the 1980s as well as the films in which Cusack appeared during the 1980s. Additionally, the film worked exceedingly well as a deeply perceptive film about how the cherished times of youth were nothing to really cherish in the first place, a fact leading to middle age misery. Supremely vulgar, and ingeniously clever in its open hearted stupidity, “Hot Tub Time Machine” more than lived up to the promise in its title.
Available on DVD

“IRON MAN 2” Directed by Jon Favreau
In a year painfully loaded with terrible, unimaginative sequels, Director Jon Favreau’s second installment in the saga of scientific genius and billionaire bad boy Tony Stark and his iron clad alter-ego (a wonderful Robert Downey Jr.) was even a tad more satisfying than the first terrific chapter. While some critics felt the film to be either bloated or even boring with its more dialogue heavy mid-section, I thoroughly enjoyed the witty screenplay that emphasized character over special effects and allowed the performances of Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell to shine.
Available on DVD

“THE RUNAWAYS” Written and Directed by Floria Sigismondi
This raw musical biopic of the trailblazing teenage female rock band The Runaways featuring Joan Jett served as a coming of age family drama, exploration of rock and roll excess and female exploitation, as well as a call to arms for female musicians everywhere. Kristin Stewart starred as guitar slinger Jett in a performance that wisely relegated her limited acting skills to the role of an observer, despite her striking resemblance and raging physicality to Jett’s. This film is actually an absolute showcase for Dakota Fanning as nubile lead singer Cherie Currie yet even her immense talents are nearly swiped out from under her by Michael Shannon’s blazing performance as impresario Kim Fowley. This film expertly captures the seedier side of the mid 1970s by evoking a strong sense of time, place, and atmosphere thus creating an experience that feels like the bratty, scuzzy cousin of my beloved “Almost Famous” (2000).
Available on DVD

“RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE” Directed by Scot McFayden & Sam Dunn
The antithesis of nearly every episode of “Behind The Music” you have ever seen. This documentary of Canada’s greatest rock music export is not only a celebration of their rich, vast 40-year legacy. What filmmakers McFayden and Dunn have accomplished in elevating this film from being just one more run of the mill musical documentary was to discover the moving human element that exists behind these three notoriously private men. It is the story of three friends, committed to and fiercely proud of their backgrounds, their families, and lives of relative normalcy as well as their deep musical discipline and devotion to their craft. It is a story of hard work and perseverance, something to truly be celebrated in our current, increasingly narcissistic era of instant gratification.
Available on DVD

“THE TOWN” Co-Written and Directed by Ben Affleck
The incredible career re-invention of Ben Affleck as filmmaker continued with an enormously provocative effort that extended far beyond the realms of a standard crime/heist picture. In addition to his first rate directorial skills, Affleck delivered one of his finest performances as a Boston neighborhood career criminal forced to confront the path his life when he falls in love with the woman he took as a hostage. It was a thriller that worked as a cultural commentary, investigative piece and philosophical inner journey exploring the lives of several characters who are either desperately aching to transcend their restrictive environment or fatefully resigned to it.
Available on DVD

“TOY STORY 3” Directed by Lee Unkrich
The year’s best sequel and definitely one of the most emotional films of the year happened to be the latest work of cinematic gold from the folks at Pixar. Despite that high praise, this film did not end up on my final Top Ten list as I felt “Ratatouille” (2007), “Wall-E” (2008) and “Up” (2009) were stronger, more compelling films. Additionally, I still feel that the film’s middle section, while brilliantly executed, was more than a little padded and finally, there was just one other animated film released in 2010 that I still feel is the better film (stay tuned for that one). But, all of that being said, I commend Unkrich and the wizards at Pixar for releasing a film that dealt honestly with the on-going themes of mortality (best depicted in the film’s stunning sequence at the landfill) and the evolution of the life cycles of all of the film’s principal characters. It was a film with a specific artistic vision aimed for the masses and it worked so seemingly effortlessly.
Available on DVD

“TRUE GRIT” Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
After three uncompromising, brutal and undeniably and unapologetic nihilistic films, the Coen brothers have returned with an enormously entertaining, and audience friendly Western that has become the highest grossing film of their career to date. And all of this was accomplished without watering down their unique artistic vision in any way. As always, “True Grit” contained wonderful performances from their cast most notably, young Hailee Steinfeld as the extremely determined Mattie Ross, out to avenge her Father’s murder. As with their entire oeuvre, “True Grit” is a film that celebrates the power of language and this visually stunning film is loaded with loquacious passages that propel the story and grace your eardrums.
Currently playing in your local movie theater

“YOU WILL MEET A TALK DARK STRANGER” Written and Directed by Woody Allen
The grass is not greener is Allen’s overlooked dark comedy which features a collective of characters sadly exploring the lies they tell themselves in order to alter the course of their destinies. As always, Allen’s film is literate, perceptive, grimly honest about our humane faults and he presents all of them humanely. Josh Brolin deserves much credit for carving out the film’s toughest, most unforgiving character, a struggling novelist unhappily married to Naomi Watts, who is obsessed with the woman behind the red curtain across the way from his bedroom window.
Soon to be released on DVD

And there you have it! Stay tuned for Part Two-"NUMBER 11" the films to which I awarded four stars but did not make the final TOP TEN list!