Films of the Year

This ended up being my easiest year end column even though the nearest multiscreen theater is 60 miles away from where I live. The reason is that the film industry is at a low point right now, producing very few good movies, and even fewer excellent ones. This makes it easy to keep track of the relevant films in 2010. In fact, to illustrate this point, I’ll unveil my dishonorable mentions first:

Dishonorable mentions – Films that shouldn’t have been made

Marmaduke and Yogi Bear fall into the terrible category of the movie that is designed for kids, so any inkling of making it even remotely enjoyable for adults is thrown out the window. What's worse is that these particular movies are based on really old intellectual properties that kids today wouldn't have heard of, raising the question "What's the point?". Grown Ups and Little Fockers fall into another category of movies that hope their star power outshines a lazy script and uninspired premise. However, the producers don't count on the fact that those overlooked aspects tend to drain the life out of those actors for a depressing smorgasbord of mediocrity. Finally, to review Sex and the City 2, my sister, who was a big fan of the show: 

"I loved the first movie. Hence, the reason I was so excited to see the second, only to be disappointed; if not offended. Sex and the City 2, for some unknown reason, decided to dabble in middle eastern affairs and Women's rights. Why did the girls need to leave New York and go to Abu Dhabi?  Beats me. The movie portrayed a completely stereotypical and offensive version on what life is like for Muslim women, and I found it to be unnecessary for a series such as this."

 Before reading her review, I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was offensive.

Pretty grim, right? Of those five movies, four were based on previously existing intellectual properties, and the fifth just shoved five famous comedians into the same movie and expected it to be funny. In fact, that statistic underscores what I believe to be one of the biggest problems with Hollywood right now: a sore lack of originality. Of the top ten grossing films of 2010, a whopping eight are sequels, based on a book, or in one case, simply a remake of a previous film. Eight out of ten! In fact, since 2006, only 24% of the top ten grossing films have been original intellectual properties. And if you take animated “kids movies” out of that list, the number falls to 10%. Movies have become the garbage bin of pop culture, and this lazy attitude toward filmmaking is destroying the industry from the bottom up by not taking any chances and rewarding the producers of the same crap we all saw last year.

With that cheery picture painted, here are my picks for the most important films of 2010:

Toy Story 3

I'm convinced Pixar is incapable of making a bad movie. Even I was touched by this film. Yes, even me, a grown-up curmudgeon who doesn't see much point in nostalgia for childhood. Not when I know that I'm smarter, stronger, taller, more capable, and yes, have better taste as an adult. The gang of characters from the first two Toy Story movies is just as lovable as ever, and the addition of a few other prominent characters, including Barbie and Ken, is really well implemented and the movie has some legitimate laughs that never feel cheap. There's not much else to say except that it's everything you'd expect from a Pixar movie: extremely polished visuals, endearing characters, substantive plot, and of course, a healthy amount of humor.

The Social Network

This movie is really well made, especially in the writing department, even if a Facebook movie was inevitable on some level. The performances are solid across the board, the subject is funny and interesting, and even though Jessie Eisenberg has been hailed as playing a very unlikable version of Mark Zuckerberg, I found the character sympathetic - if deeply flawed - in the end.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story
What I said about Pixar goes for Focus Pictures as well. Look through the list in that link. It's just one solid underrated gem after another. It's Kind of a Funny Story is likable, interesting, unique, and features some really nice little touches like the cityscapes the main character Craig creates to represent other characters' minds. I'll admit that it has a bit more potential than it exploits, but overall this was an enjoyable psych ward movie that manages to avoid all kinds of cliches, which is what I like about Focus Pictures in the first place.

Honorable mentions – Films I didn’t see

I'm particularly disappointed I didn't get to see True Grit because I've been into westerns lately, and this is the first good western since 3:10 to Yuma, which I always thought was underrated. My understanding is that Black Swan is a melodramatic and pretentious movie about ballet dancing, but I still want to see it, which should tell you something, I've never been able to resist movies that could honestly be described as "unique", even if I end up not liking it. That is likely to be the case with Black Swan. I haven't heard a single bad thing about The King's Speech, which tells a little known historical story (at least in America) using compelling performances. This movie looks to be a serious Oscar contender. Finally, though the last thing we need is another boxing flick, The Fighter is excellent from what I hear and definitely worth watching.

Inception
I'm just so happy this movie came out. Christopher Nolan is on fire both at the box office and with the critics, and it's easy to see why. On the popularity spectrum, it moves at a good clip, has compelling and varied action scenes, and oh yeah, an interesting plot with a mini-cliffhanger at the end. However, the reason I loved this movie, along with the more critical crowd, is that it layers on levels of storytelling in a seamless, compelling way. While on the outermost surface, it's about trying to implant an idea in a corporate heir's mind, it's also about fatherhood and redemption. But it's also about dreams and where ideas come from. It's about the creative process. It's about growing old with your wife. It's about the difference between reality and what your mind creates. Basically, it's about almost anything you want it to be about. To me, it's the story of a truly original movie garnering widespread critical and financial success, which is also brilliantly conceived and executed. And to me, that is the story of the film of the year.