Best and Worst of 2010: Bob Ignizio

Bob Ignizio's Best Movies of 2010

So another year of movies has come to an end, which means I am legally obligated to make lists so everyone can tell me I'm crazy for putting such and such on them, and why the heck isn't that other movie on there? I think it's kind of absurd to rank movies in this way, as you're often comparing apples to oranges.  I believe all of the films on my top 10 are great for their own reasons, and which is “better” than the others is pretty arbitrary.  Still, I tried as best as I could to put them into some kind of order that, at least in my current mood, feels right.  


 Feel free to use the comments section below to complain about INCEPTION and BLACK SWAN not being on my list, or to berate me for including a movie that you thought was the worst 2 hours you've ever wasted in your life. That's what it's there for.

I have wherever possible linked to my original reviews of the movies on these lists.  Some are on this blog, others on the Cleveland Scene website, and a few are on Utter Trash, a less focused and more personal blog I did before starting this one.  Now, without further ado, here's my list for the 10 “best” dramatized films of 2010, followed by another list of honorable mentions that might have made the bottom third of this list if I were in a slightly different mood when I made it.

1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK – David Fincher's film about the birth of facebook and the ethically flawed genius responsible is both insightful and entertaining.
2. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE – Noomi Rapace created an indelible anti-heroine with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in a trio of smart and edgy thrillers collectively known as The Millenium Trilogy.  This middle installment is the most fun and pulpy of the three, which for me at least makes it marginally the best of the lot.
3. THE AMERICAN – A smart, complex and subtle thriller, beautifully shot and anchored by a great, understated performance from the always reliable George Clooney.
4. 127 HOURS – Danny Boyle crafts a visually stunning and genuinely inspirational story of survival and personal transformation featuring a great performance from James Franco.
5. BLUE BEARD – Catherine Breillart turns the old story of a serial-murdering husband into a mesmerizing feminist fairy tale..
6. HEREAFTER – Too slow moving and subdued for some, Clint Eastwood's meditation on the afterlife is more than up to his usual high standards.
7. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD – Smart, visually stunning, and just a lot of fun provided you get its points of reference (anime, old school console video games, and indie rock, primarily).  Easily the most original film to come out of mainstream Hollywood in 2010.
8. SHUTTER ISLAND – Scorcese's psychological thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat even if the big twist at the end is obvious; it's the more subtle twist conveyed by a crucial bit of dialogue near the end that lifts this from merely good to great.
9. PEEPLI [LIVE] – A really dark comedy about a farmer who plans to kill himself so the government will pay his family, and the media circus that springs up around him.  Delivers laughs and food for thought in equal measure.
10. VALHALLA RISING – Nicolas Winding Refn makes good on the promise of his compelling but not-quite-there-yet BRONSON with this violent and metaphysical Viking epic.  Plays like a cross between Herzog's AGUIRE THE WRATH OF GOD and Ken Russell's LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM.

Honorable Mention

(In alphabetical order)

BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS*, THE BOOK OF ELI, CRAZY HEART*, DESPICABLE ME, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, ENTER THE VOID, THE FIGHTER, THE GHOST WRITER, THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, HUMAN CENTIPEDE FIRST SEQUENCE*, I AM LOVE, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS, KICK-ASS, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, THE KING'S SPEECH, THE LAST EXORCISM, LEAVES OF GRASS, LET ME IN, MACHETE, MADEINUSA, MONSTERS, MOTHER, NEVER LET ME GO, A PROPHET, RED RIDING TRILOGY, ROOM IN ROME, TAXIDERMIA*, TRUE GRIT, WINTER'S BONE

* Indicates a movie that was released in the United States in 2009, but did not play Cleveland until 2010.

Best Documentaries of 2010

I've separated documentaries into their own list, although it's getting harder and harder to make such distinctions. It continues to be a popular trend to make dramatized films that try to convince viewers they're seeing the real deal (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2, THE LAST EXORCISM), and this year there were two high profile documentaries (I'M STILL HERE, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP) that have either been proven to be hoaxes or are strongly suspected to be.

1. EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP – Whether this movie is for real or just an elaborate prank, its theme of manipulating reality through art has just as much resonance.
2. RESTREPO – An unvarnished look at the war in Afghanistan made by filmmakers who put themselves in danger right alongside their subjects.
3. FAMILY AFFAIR – This portrait of the damage done to one family by an abusive father, and the sometimes surprising ways they cope can be hard to watch at times, but it's even harder to tear yourself away.
4. MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN – Zimbabwe's dictator Robert Mugabe enacted a policy whereby white Zimbabweans had their land confiscated to supposedly be redistributed to black peasants. This is the amazing story of one family who fought back through legal channels and all they had to endure.
5. TALES FROM THE SCRIPT – If you have any interest in how movies are made at all, this look at the thankless job of screenwriting is required viewing.

Honorable Mention

(In alphabetical order)

CASINO JACK AND THE UNITED STATES OF MONEY, CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER, COLLAPSE, IT CAME FROM KUCHAR, SWEETGRASS, WAITING FOR ARMAGEDDON, WINNEBAGO MAN

Worst Movies of 2010

1. WHEN IN ROME – Romantic comedies don't get much dumber than this collection of tired cliches and vapid "characters".
2. GULLIVER'S TRAVELS – The laziest, most pointless “3D” film to come out of the gimmick's modern revival to date, combined with asinine pop culture references and butt crack jokes. Jonathan Swift is spinning in his grave.
3. SKYLINE – A special effects demo reel stretched out to feature length. 
4. JONAH HEX – Proof that time is relative. One of the year's shortest movies, yet it felt like it went on forever. Josh Brolin's performance as the title character is good, but it couldn't save this idiotic mess. 
5. GREEN ZONE – Jason Bourne goes to Iraq in a film that combines heavy-handed left wing politics with action movie antics that even Chuck Norris would reject from one of his films for being too unbelievable.
6. THE LAST AIRBENDER – M. Night Shyamalan continues his downward spiral with this uninspired, confusing, and woodenly acted fantasy for young adults adapted from a hit cartoon that has to be better than this..
7. MACGRUBER – Just when you think movies based on Saturday Night Live skits can't get any worse, this comes along.
8. THE WOLFMAN – It's always amazing to me when so much talent comes together to make such an awful movie. At least Rick Baker's makeup effects looked great.
9. COP OUT – Further proof that Kevin Smith needs to stop making movies.
10. BURLESQUE - Because every list like this needs at least one movie that's so bad it's good.  Completely cliched and silly, but it's a lot of fun if you like stuff like SHOWGIRLS.
    
    

Dishonorable Mention

CABIN FEVER 2, CASE 39, CLASH OF THE TITANS, THE DESCENT 2, FASTER, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, LEGION, LOVE & OTHER DRUGS, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, PIRANHA 3D, REPO MEN, THE RUNAWAYS, SAW 3D, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD, TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE