I'm sensing the consensus is that it's been a rough year and there's not enough to look forward to. Am I wrong? The upcoming slate looks weirdly anemic but that might just be because some of the potentially interesting films don't have set distribution plans yet (like The Tree of Life, The Conspirator, The Way Back, Rabbit Hole and the like) but things will likely clear up when the fall film festivals kick off. I dread what the Oscar list might end up looking like --is 10 really such a good idea? -- but between Toy Story 3, Blue Valentine (they're making you wait), How to Train Your Dragon, Animal Kingdom (about to open), The Kids Are All Right and I Am Love I can't really complain about 2010 thus far. How about you?
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
What's your favorite movie of 2010 thus far?
I'm sensing the consensus is that it's been a rough year and there's not enough to look forward to. Am I wrong? The upcoming slate looks weirdly anemic but that might just be because some of the potentially interesting films don't have set distribution plans yet (like The Tree of Life, The Conspirator, The Way Back, Rabbit Hole and the like) but things will likely clear up when the fall film festivals kick off. I dread what the Oscar list might end up looking like --is 10 really such a good idea? -- but between Toy Story 3, Blue Valentine (they're making you wait), How to Train Your Dragon, Animal Kingdom (about to open), The Kids Are All Right and I Am Love I can't really complain about 2010 thus far. How about you?
These are my favourites so far:
ReplyDeleteToy Story 3
The Kids Are Alright
Inception
As always, we'll have to (unfortunately) wait until the fall for the good stuff to start coming out. I definitely think there will be enough for 10.
Same as above
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty tight race right now between I Am Love and Winter's Bone, with The Kids are All Right in third.
ReplyDeleteStill think the Oscar 10 is a good idea, but this year has been pretty brutal, at least in terms of what I've been able to see. But I'm actually bullish about the fall, so who knows?
ReplyDeleteInception
ReplyDeleteAfter a great 2007 and a few films that were unfortunately left out in 2008, it's just a bad coincidence for the Academy that the two years since they changed it to a top 10 list have been pretty barren for quality.
ReplyDeleteThis year has looked pretty rubbish all along with nothing Oscar-y that I'm looking forward to - although if there's one film I can't wait for, it's "The Social Network". I have a really good feeling about that. And Andrew Garfield in it, so I think it's time to swap him and Timberlake on your predictions Nat.
"Toy Story 3" wins in a walk so far.
ReplyDeleteI will complain about 2010, it's been really bad for movies.
ReplyDeleteMy fave is The Kids Are All Right. I've seen it twice, that how I measure movies. Do I want to see it again?
Life During Wartime.
ReplyDeleteGreenberg, probably.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why everyone is going so apesh!t over Andrew Garfield. Nobody's seen him in anything major but ever since he's been cast in all these movies, he's the new internet darling. It's kind of annoying.
ReplyDeleteI want a bad year so badly. Such a bad year that AMPAS will have to nominate movies like Chocolat, The Blind Side and Ghost. It has to be really embarassing. They must feel the only way to save Ampas' credibility is to have 5 nominees again.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Anna, those are my three favorites too. I still have yet to see I Am Love, but otherwise I haven't been incredibly impressed by this year's offerings.
ReplyDeleteAs for 10 nominees, I still think its a good idea, and I (quixotically) hope that AMPAS will dig deep and choose truly great small films to fill the spaces instead of mediocre films that made buttloads of money (I'm looking at you, The Blind Side).
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ReplyDeleteMy current favorites are the one-two-three punch (because they premiered in Portugal each in a different week last month) of The Ghost Writer, Inception and Toy Story.
ReplyDeleteAnd my love for them also goes in that ascending order, too.
I would add I Am Love and How To Train Your Dragon to the list and make it my five favorites so far.
What I'm antecipating the most (and of course, they all premiere in Portugal in December or only next year):
- The Kids Are All Right
- Black Swan
- The Social Network
- The Tree of Life
- Never Let Me Go
- Another Year
- Biutiful
- It's A Kind of a Funny Story
- Miral
- Hereafter
The Ghost Writer is probably the worst thing I've seen this year. Next to Shutter Island.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with Joe, I think the Academy was unlucky because 2009 and now 2010 are very sparce in good movies (until now).
ReplyDeleteBut if it happens what usually happens every year, the behemoths (Tree of Life, King's Speech, Conspirator, Conviction...) will all fall. And we'll have what for nominees?
Accidentally deleted my above post.
ReplyDelete1. Toy Story 3
2. Cyrus
3. Inception
4. A Prophet
5. The Ghost Writer
Anonymous: I've enjoyed The Ghost Writer a lot. I don't think it's anywhere near the best of what Polanski did, but it's a very decent effort.
ReplyDeleteI Am Love, hands down.
ReplyDeleteDog Pound
ReplyDeleteThe Ghost Writer
Fatal(a french movie)
Tout ce qui brille(a french movie)
Inception
I really liked A Prophet, The Secret in Their Eyes, Please Give, and The Father of My Children.
ReplyDeleteThough I thought The Kids Are Alright was good it doesn't make my list. The screenplay was very disappointing, and I didn't love Annette Bening like others did.
I haven't seen Winter's Bone yet. I thought I Am Love was incredibly overrated, though Swinton was lovely.
Toy Story 3, Inception, and The Kids Are All Right are likely to still be on my Top 10 by the time the year's up (though I thought Kids had a couple weird issues... still a very enjoyable, insightful, hilarious, well-acted film).
ReplyDeleteAnd if Toy Story 3 remains the best of the year, that'll be the fourth year in a row I thought an animated film was the best of the year and the third of the last four that it was a Pixar film. Will that studio ever stumble?!
I don't get why people are complaining about this year so much so far. Granted, there hasn't been a lot, but we've already seen two masterpieces ("Inception" and "Toy Story 3") and one very good-but-not-quite-great film in "The Kids Are All Right".
ReplyDeleteNot too shabby in my book.
Inception and A Prophet
ReplyDeleteThe only film that comes to mind is Toy Story 3. Remember Me was okay. Cyrus was a disappointment.
ReplyDeletePretty much everything I really want to see I haven't or can't yet....I Am Love, Rabbit Hole, Inception, Due Date, Coco & Igor, Middle Men, Social Network. I really like Julianne Moore but I'm just not itching to see The Kids Are Alright.
The Kids Are All Right
ReplyDeleteInception
Toy Story 3
Winter's Bone
were all amazing movies in their own right and i loved them!
and as for whats on the way:
Another Year
The Fighter
Love and Other Drugs
The Social Network
The American
The Descendants
True Grit
127 Hours
The King's Speech
Black Swan
Neer Let Me Go
The Town
The Tree of Life
The Conspirator
The Way Back
Tron Legacy
The Next Three Days
Somewhere
Fair Game
Barney's Version
Jack Goes Boating
Rabbit Hole
Hereafter
Due Date
The Debt
The Company Men
Miral
The Concert
The Tempest
Conviction
Everything You've Got
And those are just off the top of my head. Im waiting to understand why people are complaining.
Who knows, in terms of the Oscar list, but I don't expect to have any trouble filling in my top 10 list come the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteTop five right now is Toy Story 3; Alain Resnais' outstanding, hilarious, tragically under-seen Wild Grass; Valhalla Rising; Inception; I am Love.
Kids Are Alright, Toy Story 3, Greenberg, Inception, I am Love
ReplyDeleteMy favourites so far are
ReplyDeleteInception
Toy Story 3
The Ghost Writer.
I hope to be able to see TKAA before the Oscars, + looking forward to the end-of-the-year-awards-candidate lineup, especially Never Let Me Go.
BEN -- i think Pixar already stumbled (CARS) but they recovered so quickly that nobody noticed. To me that's a thumbs down. They're only movie i couldn't recommend. I just thought it so strained, slow, bloated and weak in concept. I'm totally sad they're making a sequel. ah well...
ReplyDeleteProbably either Winter's Bone or Inception.
ReplyDeleteShutter Island. I also haven't seen many of the films I want to, like The Kids Are Alright and Exit Through the Gift Shop. I'm really worried that if the year ended today, I'd be nominating films like Kick-Ass and Predators for awards. Save me, good tiny films I've missed!
ReplyDeletecal roth, you crazy. Chocolat is a lovely grown up fairy tale and Ghost is tacky, whacky fun. I cannot defend The Blind Side, but I love the other two.
"Great Films":
ReplyDeleteInception
Toy Story 3
Very Good Films:
The Ghost Writer
How to Train Your Dragon
Shutter Island
Winter's Bone
Enjoyable Romps, But Nothing to Write Home About:
Chloe
I Am Love
Kick-Ass
Knight and Day
Robin Hood
Youth in Revolt
Obsessively Annoing:
The Kids are Alright
Top 3:
ReplyDeletePlease Give (wooooooooooonderful)
Inception
Toy Story 3
HM: The Kids Are All Right
Winter's Bone and I am Love were both let downs, though I'll gladly give the latter a second chance when it comes out on DVD.
jbaker -- yeah, "Please Give" did not get the attention it deserved. Really funny and moving, too.
ReplyDeleteCoco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
ReplyDeleteInception
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I am Love
I really liked The Secret in their Eyes and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I know both of them are technically 2009 movies, but I didn't see them until 2010. :)
ReplyDeleteInception is the only movie to come out this year that I even had the remotest desire to see twice (and did, thank ya much). So it's far and away my number 1.
ReplyDeleteToy Story 3 is a distant 2nd, The Kids Are Alright an even more distant 3rd. Cyrus and Shutter Island are the only other movies that I found remotely memorable as time has passed.
I'm looking forward to The Fighter, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Rabbit Hole (oh John Cameron how I adore thee), and The Black Swan (anytime we get a Aronofsky/Nolan year, it's a good year). I'm also a little bit hopeful for Corbin's second film "The American", we'll see...
Toy Story 3
ReplyDeleteSouthern District
Lebanon
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Not sure when Certified Copy comes out in the States, but I caught it last night at a film festival and I feel like I've been breathing different air since then. And if it was possible for me to be more in love with Juliette Binoche, I would be.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise - I'm all for Toy Story 3, I Am Love, Winter's Bone and Kids Are All Right so far.
Agora. I can't quite put my finger on the specifics but nothing this year has really wowed me or anything close to what I felt seeing that.
ReplyDeleteInception!
ReplyDeleteAnd waiting for The Rabbit Hole.
Loved Toy Story 3 and The Ghost Writer (I'm going to be bringing up Olivia Williams all year). Had some problems with The Kids Are All Right and Inception, but still liked them a lot. Even The Runaways wasn't okay.
ReplyDeleteI've definitely not seen many movies in theaters (less than ten?). Picking and choosing. Hope to see a lot in the fall/winter. Things will pick up.
Alamar, y'all. Alamar, Alamar. Alamar.
ReplyDeleteAlso (in vague order of release date)...
A Prophet
Sweetgrass
Fish Tank
Videocracy
Prodigal Sons
NY Export: Opus Jazz
The Ghost Writer
Everyone Else
Have You Heard From Johannesburg
Trash Humpers
The Oath
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
Daddy Longlegs
Best Worst Movie
Holy Rollers
The Father of My Children
Winter's Bone
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Winnebego Man
Summer Pasture
Still To Come But Already Approved...
Catfish
Cold Weather
Tiny Furniture
Still To Come And Desperately Awaiting...
The Tree of Life
Not a bad year at all from where I'm sitting.
Inception and Toy Story 3. I'll wait for the fall for more movies.
ReplyDeleteToy Story 3, Inception, and The Kids Are All Right are feeling pretty consensus-y. I also really loved Please Give and Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, which would rank #3 and 4, respectively, on my list. (The Kids is #5.)
ReplyDeleteSaw more than half of these at SIFF
ReplyDelete1) Animal Kingdom
2) Sex, & Drugs & Rock and Roll
3) The Tillman Story
4) Inception
5) Solitary Man
6) Shutter Island
7) Toy Story 3
8) The Ghost Writer
9) Winter's Bone
10) Green Zone
My top five to this point would look like this:
ReplyDelete1. Toy Story 3
2. Inception
3. Shutter Island
4. How To Train Your Dragon
5. The Kids Are All Right
That's four great films and one very good film. Not too shabby for this point in the year. After the top five there is a bit of a drop, but this is no worse than most years.
So far I've really enjoyed 'Winter's Bone' and 'Mother and Child'.
ReplyDeleteMy other favourite's are from film festival screenings and I don't know that they have international release dates yet. I loved a New Zealand comedy called 'Boy' and I laughed my arse off at 'I Love You Phillip Morris'. For me that was the funniest Jim Carrey has been in a long time.
Still anticipating 'Rabbit Hole', 'Tree of Life', 'Black Swan', and 'Red' among many others.
Inception. Such a brilliant idea. I know the movie has some flaws and the ending was somewhat predictable, but the execution was splendid. My favorite scenes are the zero-gravity hallway scene and the shot of the van falling down from the bridge in between the other scenes.
ReplyDeleteI also enyojed The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, I know it was technically a 2009 movie, but here, it was released only 5 weeks ago.
I haven't seen that many movies this year, though, most notably Toy Story 3 and The Ghost Writer. This year has been pretty busy with my exchange semester, the final season of Lost and the FIFA World Cup. Hopefully, I'll have more time to go to the cinema in the remaining months of the year.
I'm eagerly awaiting:
Black Swan
Never Let Me Go
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (yes, I'm a bit of a fangirl ;) )
The Kids Are Alright (mainly because you, Nathaniel, recommend it)
The Tempest
Eat Pray Love
Saw VII... just kidding ;)
Alison -- we go by US release dates so those are 2010 movies to us too.
ReplyDeleteKevin -- those three are aren't they? which is why they're all going into Oscar's BP lineup i expect.
I've been so thankful for the local film festival, which has thrown up a selection of films that I would gladly include in any "top ten of the year" list. I still reckon 2010 hasn't been anywhere near as bad as some are saying and could easily fill out a few Oscar categories with ease (like Director, Actress, Cinematography and Editing being the most respectable at this stage in my eyes.)
ReplyDeleteDreamland, Brotherhood, The Illusionist, I Love You Phillip Morris, Life During Wartime, Four Lions and City of Life and Death are amazing cinema alongside I Am Love, Toy Story 3, The Horseman, City Island, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Fish Tank, Animal Kingdom, The Waiting City and Mother.
I would have to say Exit Through the Gift Shop for the best film of the year thus far. Amazing, inspiring, and truly a completely head-spinning film. If you haven't seen it, you must, as it's one of the seminal works of documentary at least in the past ten years, but even of all-time.
ReplyDeleteAlso:
2. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
3. Toy Story 3
4. Fish Tank
5. Winter's Bone
6. Greenberg (the year's most underappreciated)
7. The Ghost Writer
8. Please Give
9. The Art of the Steal
10. How to Train Your Dragon
The last two to four probably won't end up on my year-end top ten list.
They should go back to five nominees at the Oscars. I thought that was a one-year sort of thing, and I'm very disappointed it wasn't. Because even though I was glad "A Serious Man" was nominated, there was really no point as it wasn't going to win from the start. They should stick with the idea of 5, because until there's a film that wins that's not part of the "core five" (i.e. the films that also have nominees for best director), it's incredibly pointless and obviously a marketing technique to have 10.
My favourites so far have been Shutter Island, The Runaways and Robin Hood.
ReplyDeleteI have loved approximately nothing this year. Then again, I'm going to see I Am Love on Sunday (I'm just thankful we actually have film festivals over here), so maybe that'll help me get over my disappointment? I'm going to see Certified Copy, I Killed My Mother and Splice as well.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I'll have to go with Toy Story 3 by default. Saw Inception tonight, and I was really unimpressed. I wanted to love it, too. Ah well. Scott Pilgrim soon!
I would go with Toy Story 3, though I agree that Animal Kingdom is excellent and would also mention both Micmacs and the little-seen The City of Your Final Destination.
ReplyDeleteHi, Nate. First commenter, long time vistor.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to pick my favorites so far, I'd say these:
5. Hot Tub Time Machine.
4. Shutter Island.
3. The Ghost Writer.
2. REC 2.
1. Inception.
Dissapointments:
Kick-Ass.
A Prophet.
Want to see:
Toy Story 3.
Tree of Life.
Machete.
The Other Guys.
Legend of the Guardians.
The Expendables.
The A-Team.
Chloe.
Micmacs.
Other stuff I've seen this year:
Iron Man 2.
Daybreakers.
The Crazies.
The Wolfman.
Connor -- welcome. love to hear from first-timers! (i think you're the first person who i've heard label A Prophet as a disappointment (!) now I'm curious)
ReplyDeleteNicola -- the runaways is so much better than people think it is (cuz most people haven't seen it)
Nick -- thanks for GREENBERG reminder. I really must screen that.
I have been pretty pleased at most things I've seen this year.
ReplyDeleteFavorite List So Far:
Toy Story 3
The Kids Are All Right
Winter's Bone
Please Give
Inception
Greenberg
Prodigal Sons
The movies that dissapointed me, but were by no means terrible, were Shutter Island and Cyrus.
So, I've seen roughly 40 films from 2010 up to this point, and here are the twelve that stand out in particular so far (tiered/ordered for quality):
ReplyDeleteExcellent:
Everyone Else
Very Good:
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Dogtooth
Good:
The Kids Are All Right
I Am Love
Prodigal Sons
A Prophet
Rather good:
Winter's Bone
The Father of My Children
Fish Tank
Greenberg
I Killed My Mother
NATE- Well, the film never really clicked for me. It felt like a character study without it's main character. The film spends a lot of time on it's main character Malik (played brilliantly Tahar Rahim) but I never felt like a knew him.
ReplyDeleteI'm perfectly okay with long films so long as they don't remind me that I'm watching something that doesn't feel like it's long (perfect exmaple: The Seven Samurai) but I felt how long it was and it started to get on my nerves.
That and I felt the film lacked any emotional impact. Even with the last scene, where were suposed to get a sort of "Oh shit" feeling about it, I never got that.
I don't think it's a bad film; Just not a great film that many proclaim it is. I admire the craftsmenship put into the film and it has an awesome soundtrack but it never comes together like it should.
If you have any interest in seeing the film, then go. Don't let my words sway you away! Maybe in a few years or so, my opion might change or something like that.
P.S. Love your Alice in Wonderland review. I haven't seen it but I knew it wasn't going to be good right from some of the trailers I saw.
Claire Denis' White Material is masterful. I also really liked Exit Through The Gift Shop and Lourdes.
ReplyDeleteWinter's Bone is the ONLY great picture so far...Saw I am Love yesterday. It look's great. Tilda Swinton is PHENOMENAL (as usual) But the movie is (for me anyway) very cliché & soooo déjà vu (the final plot twist involving the oldest son is soooo Damage (the Louis Malle movie))
ReplyDeleteUncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
ReplyDeleteOn Tour
I Am Love
The Ghost Writer and Inception.
ReplyDeleteLourdes
ReplyDeleteA Prophet
ReplyDeleteInception
Toy Story 3
How To Train Your Dragon
The Kids Are All Right
Fish Tank
In order.
I haven't seen nearly enough movies this year, thanks to finances, but my favorites so far of those that have been released in the US are: How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3, Inception, Iron Man 2, and Percy Jackson (yes, really).
ReplyDeleteMy actual favorite movie of the year, though, is I Love You, Phillip Morris, but as it still hasn't been released in the US (though I was able to see it thanks to a UK DVD), not sure if that is allowed to count, heh.
1. Restrepo
ReplyDelete2. Toy Story 3
3 Inception
I highly recommend Restrepo if you ever live remotely near a theater showing it.
I've not got round to seeing Toy Story 3 yet, but I suspect that would be in there if I had. So far, I've only really been bowled over by two films released this year (in the UK at least):
ReplyDeleteA Prophet
Fish Tank
Both films had such strong central performances (and some very good supporting ones as well) that really blew me away. Inception I enjoyed a great deal whilst I was watching it, but it had a quick fade.
I Love You Philip Morris and The Ghost Writer both surprised me by making me fall for Ewan McGregor again, and I doubt I'm going to see a supporting performance as good as Olivia Williams' again this year.
Looking forward to The Kids Are Alright, which I'm not sure when it's being released over here, and The Tree of Life.
Ok, if I were to put up a Top Ten (b/c to ask for less is just *so* 2008):
ReplyDelete1. Mother
2. Blue Valentine
3. Inception
4. The Runaways
5. Toy Story 3
6. The Karate Kid
7. Greenberg
8. The Ghost Writer
9. The Square
10. Hot Tub Time Machine
Can't wait to get 1 and 4 on Blu-Ray. Soon!
"Inception" and "Winter's Bone"
ReplyDeleteFolks, give up a sovreign or three and catch "Winter's Bone" during the five minutes it lasts at an art house relatively near you...movies this good need to be rewarded financially.
Winter's Bone and I Killed My Mother
ReplyDeleteCaroline, watch Boy A. And then watch the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. The fact that he's in Never Let Me Go AND The Social Network AND the upcoming Spider-man movie.... he's a great actor who's looking at a wonderful year with high profile roles. I, for one, cannot wait.
My first comment here.
ReplyDeleteSo to me Shutter Island and The secret in their Eyes have to be the best so far.
I still need to see the Ghost Writer and I am Love tho