2010 was one of the weakest years in recent cinema history. Only a handful of great movies were released, and most of those were documentaries. In fact three documentaries—Exit Through the Gift Shop, Inside Job, and Restrepo—were better than nearly all the feature films nominated for Academy Awards.
What's with all the huzzahs for Black Swan, with its overheated grand guignol hysterics, outdated and misogynistic notions of female psychology, and one-note/one-expression performance by the generally solid Natalie Portman? Even the dancing was mediocre except for the body double shots, I hate to say. Christopher Nolan's Memento was probably the most thought-provoking movie of the last decade, but his take on dreams in Inception was lame-brained and ham-fisted, an orgasm of special-effects masking a lack of real ideas.
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| Animal Kingdom: Strong Film, See It On DVD |
I'm happy a small movie on a lower-class subculture like Winter's Bone got so much critical attention, but the mostly unseen Aussie crime drama Animal Kingdom, covers similar territory in a much more compelling narrative and features strong performances by Guy Pearce and especially Jacki Weaver (who blows The Fighter's Melissa Leo away in the Tiger-Mother-from-Hell category). While the icy, over-art directed I am Love with Tilda Swinton earned many raves, the French film Leaving, with a powerhouse performance by Kristin Scott Thomas, was for me a much more satisfying exploration of the heedless insanity of extramarital passion. And that performances of such searing range and depth as those of Èdgar Ramirez in Carlos and Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine were overlooked for nominations simply boggles the imagination.
For a welcome corrective to Oscar insanity, here is my annual list of the truly best films and performances of 2010.
The Best of the Best
Exit Through the Gift Shop: Is it a true documentary or elaborate cultural prank? Who cares. This is a work of genius by the underground artist/provocateur Banksy that probes no less than the nature and value of art itself.
A Prophet (Un Prophète): The engrossing story of the evolution of a young Arab prisoner in the brutal hierarchy of a French prison. This was one of the five nominee's for Best Foreign Film in 2009, but did not play in the U.S. until 2010.
The Kids Are All Right: A warm, witty, and moving film that expands and normalizes the definition of family.
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| Edgar Ramirez as Carlos |
Carlos: Olivier Assayas' five-and-a-half hour biopic of the infamous Venezuelan radical Carlos the Jackal is a sweeping and incisive sociological analysis of modern terrorism in all its ambitions and hypocrisies. Lead actor Èdgar Ramirez offers the performance of the year acting in a half-dozen different languages and depicting the character's evolution from firebrand revolutionary to hollow, used-up mercenary.
Blue Valentine: In real life, few couples meet cute and live happily ever after. This dissection of marriage is so honest and emotionally naked it is both painful and a privilege to witness. Astonishing performances by both lead actors, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.
The Best of the Rest:
The Ghost Writer: Roman Polanski returns to top form with this Hitchockian thriller/satire of Tony Blair-era politics. A hilariously louche Pierce Brosnan and the always-great Tom Wilkinson lead a top-notch cast.
Farwell (L'Affaire Farewell): A haunting Cold War espionage thriller with great performances by two acclaimed film directors, Serbia's Emir Kusturica and France's Guillaume Canet.
Animal Kingdom: A 17-year-old orphan in indoctrinated into the family crime business, led by its insinuating, suffocating matriarch. Can he ever break free from her spider-like grip? Loosely based on a real-life clan of armed robbers in 1980s Australia.
Cairo Time: More than a will-they or won't they story of romantic longing between the American wife of a UN envoy and the Egyptian man asked to mind her while her husband is called away to the latest hotspot, this quiet, gentle movie explores with great poignancy both the attractions and myriad gulfs (social, sexual) between opposing cultures.
The Sicilian Girl (La Siciliana Ribelle): The true story of a 17-year-old girl Sicilian who dares to testify against the Mafia.
Leaving: Amour fou leads a wife and mother into an unlikely romance, and a desire to give up everything for it.
The Social Network: Not the be-all-end-all of cinema as it was made out to be, but an entertaining and often acidly hilarious story of the founding of an increasingly relevant modern media phenomenon, marked by great performances and a brilliant screenplay by The West Wing's Aaron Sorkin.
The King's Speech: More great performances and an equally terrific screenplay, this time about efforts to cure King George VI of his debilitating stutter. Like The Social Network, this movie is also a brilliant analysis of the power (at its time in history) of evolving media.
The Fighter: Sure, it's a genre movie (the well-worn sports biopic). But it's heart and indelible performances by its entire cast, most notably Christian Bale, raise it to a higher level and make it one of the most satisfying movie-going experiences of the year.
Best Actor
Èdgar Ramirez, Carlos
Tahar Rahim, A Prophet (Un Prophète)
Michael Douglas, Solitary Man
Sam Rockwell, Conviction
Sean Penn, Fair Game
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Ryan Gosling, Blue Velvet
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Best Actress
Annette Benning, The Kids are All Right
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| Patricia Clarkson: Cairo Time |
Julianne Moore, The Kids are All Right
Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time
Kristin Scott-Thomas, Leaving (Partir)
Kirsten Dunst, All Good Things
Michelle Williams, Blue Velvet
Maricel Alvarez, Biutiful
Best Supporting Actor
Pierce Brosnan, The Ghost Writer
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids are All Right
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Alexander Siddig, Cairo Time
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Miles Teller, Rabbit Hole
Best Supporting Actress
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Gemma Jones, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Miranda Richardson, Made in Dagenham
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Ana Wagener, Biutiful
Best Ensemble Acting
The Kids are All Right: Annette Benning, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
The Social Network: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer (x2!), Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara, Douglas Urbanski
The Fighter: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Mickey O'Keefe, Jack McGee
Sixty-Second Oscar (A small performance that left an indelible impression)
Danny De Vito, Solitary Man
Jeff Daniels, Howl
Juliet Lewis, Conviction
Worst Performance
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Newcomer
Tahar Rahim, The Prophet
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Miles Teller, Rabbit Hole
Best Director
Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids are All Right
Olivier Assayas, Carlos
Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine
Banksy, Exit Through the Gift Shop
Worst Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Best Original Screenplay
Carlos
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
Best Adapted Screenplay
The Social Network
The Ghost Writer
Best Cinematography
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinski
Best Art Direction
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinski
Best Production Design
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinski
Best Anti-Love Story
Blue Valentine
The Freebie
Best Thriler
Farewell (L'Affaire Farewell):
The Sicilian Girl (La Siciliana Ribelle): The true story of a 17-year-old girl Sicilian who dares to testify against the Mafia.
Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop
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| Restrepo |
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Inside Job
Catfish
Countdown to Zero
Worst Movie (not just of this year but perhaps all time)
Black Swan
Unexpected Charmer
Ondine
Worst Performance
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| Black Swan, Natalie Portman: Worst film, Worst performance |
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Scene
The opening scene (the breakup scene between Mark Zuckerberg and his girlfriend), that sparks his first revenge-motivated idea for a social networking site.
The park bench scene between Nicole Kidman and Miles Teller in Rabbit Hole.
Worst Scene
The support group scene with Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole.
