My Top Ten Favorite Films of 2010

It's Oscar night!  You know what that means!  It's time for Kim's Top Ten Favorite Films of the Year list! 

10. I Love You Phillip Morris

 This movie took about two years to come out in the USA!  There was a moment where it looked like it would never see the light of day.  That made me really upset because I am a huge Jim Carrey fan and also a huge Ewan McGregor fan!  So them playing gay lovers in a film intrigued me to no end!  I was so happy when it finally got an American release!  I was the first in line and I was not disappointed.  I would argue that Jim Carrey has now been snubbed by the Academy four times.  He should have been nominated for The Truman Show, he should have won for Man on the Moon, he should have been nominated for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and he should have been nominated for I Love You Philip Morris!  But for some reason, the Academy hates Jim Carrey.  But it's okay.  I love him and I always will, especially if he keeps taking on daring roles like this one!

9. The Karate Kid
When I heard there was going to be a remake of The Karate Kid I was not happy about it.  I loved the original Karate Kid.  Everyone of my generation did!  We grew up with Mr. Miyagi!  While I love Jackie Chan, he's no Mr. Miyagi.  And Jaden Smith is far from Ralph Macchio.  So when this film opened to great reviews and amazing box office success, I thought, "Okay, maybe it's not so bad.  But I'm still waiting for rental!"  I had to have some dignity, after all.  As soon as it was available on Netflix, I rented it.  Obviously I loved it.  It's so freakin' cute!  It was a very well made movie that put a smile on my face!  I still feel like a traitor for liking this movie, but I just can't help it!  It's one of those films that lifts your spirits and puts you in a really good mood.

8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
It seems like Noomi Rapace has gotten very little praise in his country for her portrayal as Lisbeth Salander.  And that is a damn shame.  Because she is absolutely spectacular as the troubled computer hacker with a dark past.  Actually the entire cast is excellent and effortlessly brought the story to life!  I saw the movie before I read the book and I liked the book just as much as the movie, which is rare.  Usually I like the book more.  This movie, however, was an excellent adaptation.  Every character was perfectly cast, the story was condensed appropriately and told very well, and the look and tone of the film was just right.  Too bad the two sequels weren't good.  Can't wait to see Fincher's version!

7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This film reminded me of all the great kids movies I grew up with that I loved. It tells the story of Greg, a middle schooler whose biggest goal is to make the yearbook at the end of the year.  Can he be Best Athlete?  How about Best Dressed?  His grand attempts at reinventing himself always fail in the funniest way!  In his quest to become popular, he forgets what's really important and nearly loses his best friend.  I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it!  Don't be fooled because it looks like it's a movie for kids.  It's actually a movie for everyone.

6. How to Train Your Dragon

I must have seen the trailer of this film about a dozen times and thought it looked cute, but I thought it was probably one of those movies where all the best parts are in the trailer.  I was wrong.  The entire film is full of great moments.  I thought the movie was only going to be about a timid boy gaining his confidence and voice, but it was also a tale about fathers and sons, which added another dimension I wasn't expecting.  The animation was fantastic and the story had a beautiful heart and soul.  It was also quite funny!

5. Takers

I would feel more embarrassed about putting this film on my list if Stephen King hadn't done the same.  That's right!  Takers is on Stephen King's 10 best films of 2010 list, too!  So I'm not crazy because if anyone knows something about entertainment, it's that guy!  Besides how can you go wrong with a film about a bunch of hot guys robbing banks?  You can't!  Throw in a couple rappers and an awesome chase scene and you've got a party!  (Not to mention my sexy husband!)  Sure Takers didn't exercise my brain or showcase brilliant filmmaking, but I still enjoyed myself silly!  Sometimes brainless entertainment is exactly what a person needs from a movie.

4. Easy A
This movie was a lot funnier than I expected it to be!  It's a bit of a stretch calling it a "remake" of The Scarlet Letter, but no matter!  It's still a great film!  Teen films are usually hit or miss, and this one is a huge hit!  Emma Stone was so great in this as a slutty high school student with a secret: she's actually not a slut.  In exchange for gift cards, she pretends to sleep with nerdy boys in order to boost the boys' reputations.  However, while improving their reputation, she is only ruining her own.  What started as a small rumor escalates to a giant monster that consumes and destroys not only herself, but the lives of other people as well.  It's only a matter of time before she realizes that nothing is worth tarnishing her own reputation, not even a $200 gift card to Home Depot.

3. Black Swan

I've always been a fan of Natalie Portman, but if I were to be completely honest, her performances were up and down for me.  I thought she was good in The Professional, I thought she was okay in V for Vendetta.  I thought she was awesome in Garden State, I thought she was whatever in The Other Boleyn Girl.  To me, she seemed like the kind of actress who, with the right part, will turn in a great performance, but with the wrong part, won't.  Well, let me just say, Black Swan was a part perfectly tailored for her - and no one else.  Never in my life have I seen Natalie turn in such a phenomenal performance!  I swear, if she doesn't win the Oscar tonight, I will be outraged - OUTRAGED!  Not only was her role dramatically demanding, it was physically demanding as well.  I'd like to see Annette Benning train for a year in ballet!  But of course Natalie's performance would mean nothing in a mediocre film.  Luckily, Black Swan is anything but.

2. The Social Network
Remember when word got out that there was going to be a Facebook movie?  And everyone thought it was the worst idea in the whole world?  People were exacerbated saying things like, "A Facebook movie?  What's that going to be?  Two hours of me in my underwear stalking my high school crush?"  I won't lie.  I felt that way.  Because really, what could you possibly do with a movie about Facebook?  Turns out, a lot.  You could define an entire generation.  Watching the Social Network made me feel like a part of history.  I was in college when Facebook launched, and I remember feeling like it was so cool and exclusive because you had to have a .edu email account to sign up.  Your profile was connected to your email address, and thusly, connected to your school.  So unlike My Space, where you could be anyone, on Facebook, you had to be you.  Suddenly, your life was put online.  You became the star of your own Facebook movie.  The constant need to share where you are, what you're doing, what you've seen, who you know, what you want, what you think every minute of every day started with Facebook.  Like Sean Parker says in The Social Network: "We lived in farms, then we lived in cities, and now we're going to live our lives on the internet!"  Let's give major props to the film that illustrates the birth of a revolution.

1. Toy Story 3

My top three films are all very neck and neck.  In fact, it was quite difficult for me to choose which of the three would take the number one spot.  After much debate and thought, the determining factor came down to one thing: I cried.  Toy Story 3 made me bawl my eyes out.  And that's really what movies are for, right?  To make you feel!  By the end of Toy Story 3, I felt so many emotions, I didn't know what to do with myself!  I felt nostalgia for my childhood, I felt trepidation about growing older, I felt thankful about friendship, I even felt despair about death.  That is a lot going on for one movie!  It definitely helps that I was about Andy's age when the first Toy Story came out, thus, the eleven year break between the second film and the third really made the emotions hit just that much harder.

Here are brief reviews of the rest of the nominated films up tonight!

The King's Speech: I think this one is going to take the cake.  As much as I want The Social Network to win (let's face it, Toy Story 3 doesn't have a chance) my money is on this film.  This movie is about exactly what it's about...and nothing more.  Although a good film, I was a little disappointed at the simplicity of it.
The Fighter: Great movie with great performances!  I'm rooting for Christian Bale all the way!
The Kids are All Right: Not bad, but not best picture worthy, in my opinion.  I personally think Julianne Moore gave the more poignant performance and wish she were up for best actress instead!
Inception: The more I think about this movie, the less I like it.  It was far to conceptual and the abstractness of it got in the way of the heart of the story.  And don't give me that, "You're not smart enough to understand it!" crap!  I understood it, and it wasn't for me!  More matter, less art!
True Grit: I was surprised at how much I liked this movie especially since I HATE Westerns.  The little girl in it was phenomenal and should be up for best actress, not supporting!
Winter's Bone: This nomination baffles me.  I thought Winter's Bone was so painfully boring, that I pretty much stopped paying attention to it halfway through.  I'm not even sure how it ended, and I don't care!
127 Hours: I haven't seen it.


What were your favorite films of 2010?  And who do you think will win the Oscar tonight?