Jessica's Top Ten Movies of 2010

We've reached that magical day - one week to Oscar Day! Time for 3pies4rolls' Top Ten lists! I must preface this all with the statement that I think it has been a pretty weak year overall for movies, and I never really felt myself blown away the way I was by my top 3 or 4 movies from last year. But while the wind was taken out of my sails early in the year, it came back with a few pretty great late releases. Without further ado...

Jessica's Top Ten Movies of 2010!
(Also check out the fabulous lists of Nancy and Kim when you're done!)

1. 127 Hours
Unlike last year, there wasn't a movie that just grabbed my top spot and never let go. This year involved a lot more thinking about what had stuck with me over the course of my movie watching. And, ultimately, it had to go to 127 Hours. James Franco is just incredible in this movie (sorry, Colin Firth, while I wanted you to win the Oscar so badly last year for A Single Man [seriously, go watch that movie], this year I think it should go to Franco). I expected this to be one of those films that I have to make myself get through (stories of people fainting and vomiting didn't help my expectations), but I found it to be completely engaging and overwhelmingly moving. Franco carries the film beautifully. This should have been an impossible story to adapt- if people think Tom Hanks' performance acting against a volleyball on a desert island in Castaway is impressive they should check out the film about being trapped in a ravine for 5 days. Sadly, it looks like Franco will go home without the statue, but at least we get to see him host.

2. The King's Speech
I just loved this movie. One of the few actual feel-good movies of this year. It's such a compelling story that it's amazing it took this long for Hollywood to try to tell it. Everyone in it is great, Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush especially so. The scenes between the two of them are just wonderful- the script is fantastic and they pull it off beautifully.

3. Blue Valentine
The piecing together of this puzzle of a relationship falling apart is uniquely shown with leaps in time and great performances from both Ryan Gosling (who was cheated out of an Oscar nomination) and Michelle Williams (who I would give the Best Actress statue to in a minute). Not exactly an uplifting movie, but it will stick with you, and in a good way.

4. Winter's Bone
Emotionally powerful, non-judgmental, and beautiful. Jennifer Lawrence is a revelation as an Ozark teenager caring for her kid siblings and mentally troubled mother who must find her meth-cooking father or lose possession of their home. Sounds overly dramatic, but plays out as a subtle personal story.

5. Exit Through the Gift Shop
How much do I hope Banksy wins the Oscar for Best Documentary with this movie? While the Academy is trying to prevent the potential hijinks that could ensue with the famously elusive and anti-establishment Banksy accepting an award, how can you not root for the man that says this: “I don’t agree with the concept of award ceremonies, but I’m prepared to make an exception for the ones I’m nominated for. The last time there was a naked man covered in gold paint in my house, it was me.”?? Was it a true documentary or a giant trick played on the audience? I don't really care, either way it was fantastic.

6. The Fighter
You know me. I love a good inspirational sports movie. But throw in some great writing and unbelievable performances and you've got a top ten-ner in the making. Christian Bale is just fabulous, and it's nice to have someone long-deserving of an Oscar win it for the right role (yes, I'm making an assumption there, but i think it's a pretty safe one). And you've come a long way, Marky Mark.

7. (tie) Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon
Yes, it's a little cheap having the two animated movies tie. But I honestly couldn't decide. Toy Story 3 is the film that makes grown men and women cry (unless you're my sister's fiance, whose emotional relationship with toys more resembled that of Sid from the first Toy Story movie :) ). Super dark for a supposed "kids" film, yet somehow appeals to children and adults. Pixar can pretty much do no wrong. On the other side, How to Train Your Dragon was simply one of the best experiences I had at the movie theater this year. Charming, engrossing, and really funny. There just aren't many movies more enjoyable than that one.

8. The Social Network
I really did love this movie. I just didn't think it was the best film of the year, as it was immediately proclaimed by critics and early awards shows. So there was a bit of an internal backlash there. The script is fantastic, and Aaron Sorkin will win in a walk. The acting is all good- Jesse Eisenberg in particular is pretty fabulous, and they sell lines that lesser actors might not have been able to pull off. Plus, for those of us who have been with "The Facebook" from the beginning (or at least very early on), it was a weird fun sort of nostalgia to remember what it used to be like (back in the days before Mark Zuckerberg took over the world).

9. The Town
How did Ben Affleck turn out to be such a good director? Did anyone see that coming? This was my favorite action movie of the year. Jeremy Renner and Affleck both carry the movie, and the late, great Pete Postlethwaite shines in one of his last performances (RIP Kobayashi). I never thought when Affleck was making things like Forces of Nature and Gigli that he would have this kind of comeback in him.

10. Easy A
My favorite comedy of the year. Just super charming, well-written and likable. Based on the number of movies she's lined up after this one, you might think that we could get sick of Emma Stone, but after this performance I'm not sure it's possible.

Honorable mentions: The A-Team, Another Year, Biutiful, Black Swan, Brotherhood, Buried, Catfish, Day and Night, Due Date, The Gruffalo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, Hot Tub Time Machine, Hubble 3D, Inception, It's Kind of a Funny Story, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Let's Pollute, Megamind, Rabbit Hole, Secretariat, Shutter Island, Tangled, True Grit, Waiting For Superman

Number of Eligible Movies Seen: 59 (significantly lower than last year, but honestly, there wasn't really much else that I wanted to see. What's up with this year, movies?)

Performances of the Year: James Franco in 127 Hours and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine
Runners Up: Christian Bale in The Fighter and Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone
(sadly, it looks like only one of the four will walk away with an Oscar)

Stupidest Oscar Snub: Christopher Nolan for Inception. My expectations were just too high for this movie so when it didn't live up to them it got knocked off of the top ten list. But Nolan's directing is stellar. Should have been in there instead of the Coen brothers (whom I adore).

Genre of the Year: Animated films. I had not been disappointed once in this genre (which was unique for movies this year), until I the last one I saw, which was Oscar-nominated The Illusionist (I found it highly disappointing). But the genre that gave us Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled, Megamind, and Despicable Me was still strong enough to beat long-time winner Documentaries.

Most Claustrophobic Experience at the Movies: You would think that 127 Hours would have won this one with a movie about a man that gets trapped in a ravine, but then Buried came along. While 127 Hours utilizes flashbacks and hallucinations (not to mention the opening explanation of how he ended up where he did) to fill time, Buried is the story of a man buried alive that takes place ENTIRELY within the coffin he is trapped in. And somehow it works.

Best Facebook Movie Not Named "The Social Network": Catfish. Seriously, check this one out. You're in for a crazy ride.

Best Re-make of an Old Movie I Love: Clash of the Titans. Yes, I just gave an award to Clash of the Titans. Ok, it was a bit of a mess, and the 3D was terrible. But it had Liam Neeson! Releasing the Kraken!! What more do you want from a summer blockbuster??
Note: if this category (that I totally just made up) had included TV shows that I didn't actually watch but others loved, the award would have gone to The A-Team. Because that is exactly what I want from my dumb action movies.

Worst Re-make of an Old Movie I Love: Robin Hood. To be fair, this was less a re-make of an old movie and more a re-telling of a classic old stor... I'm sorry, did you just fall asleep in the middle of my post? Then you know how I felt at Robin Hood.

The "Up in the Air" Award for Critically Acclaimed Movie That Can Suck It:
The Kids Are All Right. I have to say it, I hated this movie. And even more I hated people's response to this movie. It is not a "smart, sexy comedy." It is not "uproariously funny." It's a movie about miserable people struggling to make a family work. That's not funny. I also found it offensive at times, which hurt everyone calling it a forward-thinking look at a modern family. I thought the acting in it was great, but I was so angry at it when I left the theater that I just couldn't find any enjoyment. It was Up in the Air all over again.

Worst Thing About the Movies This Year: Melissa Leo's self-funded Oscar-promotion campaign

Best Thing About the Movies This Year: As always, watching them with nanc, kt, and frozen junior mints! and, of course, blogging for you fine people! Thanks for reading!