Film 2010 : Some Final Thoughts

Exclusive to The Secret Child (Ha!)

Much Better than I Had Any Reason to Expect it To Be Given the Track Record(s) of Those Involved – Unstoppable, Enter the Void, Greenberg, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, 127 Hours

Truly Welcome Comebacks – Shutter Island, White Material

Solid, Ripping Fun, Entertainment with a capital ‘E’ (Live Action Division) – The Ghost Writer, True Grit,The Town, The Social Network (but God, I wish it was more) 

Solid, Ripping Fun, Entertainment with a capital ‘E’ (Animated Division) – Toy Story 3, Tangled, Megamind, Despicable Me 

American Indie Cinema Done Right – Night Catches Us, Please Give, The Kids Are All Right, Cold Weather 

Best Documentary That Probably Wasn’t Much of a Documentary at All – Exit Through the Gift Shop

Not Nearly as Smart as They Thought They Were – Inception, Black Swan, Red Riding Trilogy 

Underwhelmed – Blue Valentine, Tamara Drewe, A Kind of a Funny Story, I Love You Phillip Morris, Hot Tub Time Machine (yes, I expected more)

Out and Out Dogs – Heartbreaker, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Kick-Ass, Human Centipede, Gulliver’s Travels, Love and Other Drugs, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger 

Terrific Production Design and Visual Style in an Otherwise Ho-hum Film – The Runaways

Special Honors for Continuing to Do That Voodoo that He Do So Well – Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers (May his freak flag always fly)    

   Freak Flag, Honorable Mention – Philippe Garrel’s Frontier of Dawn

Movies I Saw and Loved but Will Have to Wait to Discuss in More Detail in 2011 – Certified Copy, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall Past Lives, The Company Men 

Best Film of the Year – Carlos. Forget that the director is French, that it is in (at least) three different languages and that it is 5 ½ hours long. No film better blurred the line between art and entertainment this year. A meditation on terrorism and ego wrapped up in a thrilling, suspenseful story. And a great rock’n’roll soundtrack to boot.