94 responses so far

• 1 12-17-2010 at 10:15 am
  
  Roger said...

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “Winter’s Bone”

  Loved it! Totally agree! It’s not a bad movie, the actors are good, but honestly i can’t see why all the fuss!

• 2 12-17-2010 at 10:15 am
  
  James D. said...

  You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger one of the worst? Hogwash! I have only seen 64 films from 2010 and I could name twenty worse.

  Otherwise, an intriguing list, although I am disappointed you could not muster up a foreign language nod. I guess it is either Carlos or A Prophet depending on how closely you play by the rules, though.

• 3 12-17-2010 at 10:17 am
  
  Roger said...

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “Winter’s Bone”

  Loved it! Totally agree! It’s not a bad movie, the actors are good, but honestly i can’t see why all the fuss! Also agree with the Underrated movie! Congrats on the rest of the list as well, looks like a lot more in terms with the general wave that in previous years but it might be just my impression!

• 4 12-17-2010 at 10:17 am
  
  Silencio said...

  I’m disappointed that Dinner For Schmucks isn’t on more “worst” lists. I’m still bitter about that.

  Also, I say Elias Koteas had an excellent cameo in Let Me In.

• 5 12-17-2010 at 10:19 am
  
  Matthew Starr said...

  Nina Sayers as best hero and best villain?

  Best Hero – Mark Zuckerberg “The Social Network”

  Best Villain – Lotso “Toy Story 3″

• 6 12-17-2010 at 10:20 am
  
  Maxim said...

  “You Will Meet The Talk Dark Stranger” would be in my top 5.

  Allen has done secular films before but I don’t remember him ever being that sympathetic and non-judmental of characters. It is also, scene for scene the best directed film I’ve seen so far this year. I am on record.

  Also, spoilers in regards to “Black Swan”. Bummer.

• 7 12-17-2010 at 10:21 am
  
  Matthew Starr said...

  Silence,

  I don’t think I would consider Elias’s work in Let Me In as a cameo, it is more of a supporting role.

• 8 12-17-2010 at 10:24 am
  
  americanrequiem said...

  still way too much to see until I can give my winners, but i agree with you totally on winters bone being over rated and am surprised…by your favorite poster

• 9 12-17-2010 at 10:32 am
  
  Joey said...

  I love that Nina is both the hero and the villain.

• 10 12-17-2010 at 10:43 am
  
  Ibbs said...

  Picture: Blue Valentine, Director: Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), Actor: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Actress: Lesley Manville (Another Year), Supporting Actor: Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Supporting Actress: Mirela Oprisor (Tuesday, After Christmas) or Rebecca Hall (Red Riding: 1974), Original Screenplay: Another Year, Adapted Screenplay: Toy Story 3.

• 11 12-17-2010 at 10:44 am
  
  Keil Shults said...

  Best Reason to Periodically Check Your Back for Feathers:

  Black Swan

• 12 12-17-2010 at 11:13 am
  
  john t. said...

  Love and Other Drugs is such an underrated movie ( not perfect) , and I enjoyed the solid performances by Jake Gyllenhaal & Anne Hathaway. Easily, Jake & Anne are the hottest romantic movie couple of 2010. They shared such great chemistry- physical, verbal, intellectual, and sexual. Michelle Williams & Ryan Gosling of Blue Valentine cannot touch their hotness factor – not even close. Hopefully, Jake & Anne will explore more of their natural chemistry in more feature films.

• 13 12-17-2010 at 11:14 am
  
  George said...

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “Winter’s Bone”

  Couldn’t agree more with that one.

• 14 12-17-2010 at 11:15 am
  
  john t. said...

  Kris , I agree with you about Winter’s Bone- too much hype and easily forgotten.

• 15 12-17-2010 at 11:32 am
  
  Rashad said...

  ellen page was great man

• 16 12-17-2010 at 11:42 am
  
  Speaking English said...

  Best Hero:

  Rapunzel and Aron Ralston

  I didn’t root more strongly for a character this year, become so invested in their journey and their triumphant resolution than these two inspiring individuals.

• 17 12-17-2010 at 11:46 am
  
  Brian said...

  Best Picture
  “Dogtooth” (I have “A Prophet” slotted for 2009 because I saw it in 2009, otherwise it would be all over my list!”

  Best Director
  David Fincher, “The Social Network”

  Best Actor
  Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network” — though I haven’t seen “Blue Valentine,” “True Grit”

  Best Actress
  Natalie Portman, “Black Swan” — despite all my problems with the movie and thinking that “Black Swan” was a missed opportunity at greatness, Natalie did the absolute most in any film this year, with the absolute least of a character. She rose above the writing for sure.

  Best Supporting Actor
  Michael Fassbender, “Fish Tank,” still have to see “The Fighter”

  Best Supporting Actress
  Aggeliki Papoulia, “Dogtooth”

  Best Adapted Screenplay
  “The Social Network” (Aaron Sorkin)

  Best Original Screenplay
  “Fish Tank” (Andrea Arnold)

  Best Art Direction
  “TRON Legacy” (Darren Gilford and Lin MacDonald)

  Best Cinematography
  “Black Swan” (Matthew Libatique)

  Best Costume Design
  “Alice in Wonderland” (Colleen Atwood)

  Best Film Editing
  “Dogtooth” ( Yorgos Mavropsaridis) — nothing fancy, it always cuts three or four seconds after you’re uncomfortable. Creates the whole weird mood of the movie (also the lack of music being played over the scenes)

  Best Music (Original Score)
  “The Social Network” (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

  Best Sound Editing
  “127 Hours”

  Best Sound Mixing
  “TRON Legacy”

  Best Visual Effects
  “Inception”

  Best Animated Feature
  “Toy Story 3″

  Best Ensemble
  “Nowhere Boy” — still have to see “The Fighter” and “True Grit”

  Most Underrated Film of the Year
  “Nowhere Boy” (Sam Taylor-Wood)

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “127 Hours,” and “Black Swan” — “Black Swan” was the most disappointing for me because the trailer was great, I read the advance buzz so far in advance that I was expecting a masterpiece. “Black Swan” was the biggest disappointment in 2010 for me. Though I can still say Natalie was great.

  Best Directorial Debut
  Sam Taylor-Wood, “Nowhere Boy”

  Best Documentary:
  “Prodigal Songs” (Kimberly Reed)

  Breakthrough Performance (Male)
  Aaron Johnson, “Nowhere Boy”

  Breakthrough Performance (Female)
  Aggeliki Papoulia, “Dogtooth”

  Best Performance in a Bad Film
  Keira Knightley, “Never Let Me Go”

  Worst Performance in a Good Film
  Justin Timberlake, “The Social Network” and Mila Kunis, “Black Swan” — both felt like television performances (really what did Mila do in this movie other than go down on Natalie?)

  Best Hero
  Rooney Mara, “The Social Network” and Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network” — two sides to the coin, both right, I’d say

  Best Villain
  Jeremy Renner, “The Town” — although I would like to put Josh Brolin here when I see “True Grit” but again, expectations

  Best Poster
  “Black Swan” and “The American”

  Best Trailer (for a trailer released in 2010, not necessarily a film released in 2010)
  “Tree of Life”

  Most Surprising Film of the Year
  “TRON: Legacy” I actually quite enjoyed it

  Most Disappointing Film of the Year
  “Black Swan” I know a broken record, just filling out the categories, plus there were positive notices for actress, cinematography and poster!
  Most Intriguing Failure
  “127 Hours” – I appreciate that Danny Boyle was getting adventurous, but I wonder what this would have been like with someone with more experience with minimalism, like Kelly Reichardt

  Entertainer of the Year
  Mark Zuckerberg, for the character by Jesse Eisenberg and the real Mark’s dislike for the movie, appearance on Oprah, followed by saying hey, if people like this movie and want to be an entrepreneur than it can’t be bad, to his TIME magazine person of the year. Nice package.

  Tease of the Year
  Terrence Malick
  We’ve been waiting patiently for every tiny glimpse of “Tree of Life” — it’s funny how excited I get with each new information.

  Top 10 Films of the Year — minus “A Prophet” which I saw in 2009:
  1. Dogtooth (Giorgos Lanthimos)
  2. Mother (Joon-ho Bong)
  3. The Social Network (David Fincher)
  4. The Ghost Writer (Roman Polanski)
  5. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold)
  6. Inception (Christopher Nolan)
  7. Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik)
  8. Nowhere Boy (Sam Taylor-Wood)
  9. Prodigal Sons (Kimberly Reed)
  10. Easy A (Will Gluck)

• 18 12-17-2010 at 11:52 am
  
  Chase Kahn said...

  Portman and Bale would be my runaway picks at those categories too, although I haven’t seen Lesley Manville yet…

• 19 12-17-2010 at 11:55 am
  
  DylanS said...

  I intially would have agreed with you about Ellen Page, Kris. But please watch it again and pay close attention to her performance. I found after repeat veiwings (and it took quite a few) that she is far and away the best performance in the entire cast and that she is absolutely indispensible to the film.

• 20 12-17-2010 at 11:56 am
  
  Ben M. said...

  Picture: The Secret in their Eyes
  Director: Matt Reeves, Let Me In
  Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
  Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year
  Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
  Supporting Actress: Anne-Marie Duff, Nowhere Boy
  Original Screenplay: Another Year
  Adapted Screenplay: The Secret in their Eyes
  Editing: The Ghost Writer
  Cinematography: Buried or The Company Men
  Art Direction: Monsters or Inception
  Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
  Make-Up: Alice in Wonderland
  Score: Let Me In
  Song: We Belong Together, Toy Story 3
  Sound Mixing: Unstoppable
  Sound Editing: How to Train Your Dragon
  Visual Effects: Splice

  Five worst (that I saw):
  1. My Soul to Take
  2. Jonah Hex
  3. The Wolfman
  4. Kick-Ass
  5. Knight & Day

• 21 12-17-2010 at 11:58 am
  
  DylanS said...

  oh, and couldn’t agree with you more about “Winter’s Bone” being overrated. A sluggishly paced, borderline-offensive film. Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes are the film’s only redeeming qualities.

• 22 12-17-2010 at 12:09 pm
  
  Lucas said...

  Best trailer HAS to be The Social Network, with that cover of Creep -brillllliant!

• 23 12-17-2010 at 12:27 pm
  
  Robert Hamer said...

  What the…I thought that you thought Inception was the best edited film of the year? Not a big deal with me or anything, just wondering what made you change your mind?

• 24 12-17-2010 at 12:31 pm
  
  Ky said...

  Totally agree about Winter`s Bone. Stupid poverty porn.

• 25 12-17-2010 at 12:32 pm
  
  Jacob S. said...

  I’m surprised at your choice for best poster. Personally, my favorite is “I’m Still Here.”

• 26 12-17-2010 at 12:38 pm
  
  Andrew M said...

  Defiantly agree with “Winters Bone” being most overrated. I loved Jennifer Lawrence, and the story was good. But the execution and most of the other actors didn’t really stand out to me.

• 27 12-17-2010 at 1:02 pm
  
  N8 said...

  Best Picture: “The Social Network”

  Best Director: Christopher Nolan, “Inception”

  Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”

  Best Actress: Katie Jarvis, “Fish Tank”

  Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”

  Best Supporting Actress: Olivia Williams, “The Ghost Writer”

  Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Social Network”

  Best Original Screenplay: “The Kids Are All Right”

  Best Art Direction: “The Wolfman”

  Best Cinematography: “Shutter Island”

  Best Costume Design: “Get Low”

  Best Film Editing: “Exit Through the Gift Shop”

  Best Makeup: “The Wolfman”

  Best Original Score: “Inception”

  Best Original Song: “Shine” from “Waiting for Superman”

  Best Sound Editing: “How to Train Your Dragon”

  Best Sound Mixing: “Inception”

  Best Visual Effects: “Inception”

  Best Animated Feature: “Toy Story 3″

  Best Ensemble: “The Kids Are All Right”

• 28 12-17-2010 at 1:03 pm
  
  Danny King said...

  I particularly agree with your stance on Stone. The film definitely doesn’t work overall, but it’s one of the year’s few failures that manages to stick in your mind. I’d argue that All Good Things is in that same category. I know you didn’t like it, but I think the film is really fantastic when Kirsten Dunst is on screen. The final act, however, is quite disappointing.

• 29 12-17-2010 at 1:14 pm
  
  Parrill said...

  Nothing about Alice in Wonderland was worthy of anything.

• 30 12-17-2010 at 1:28 pm
  
  James Stewart said...

  Best Picture
  “The Social Network”

  Best Director
  David Fincher, “The Social Network”

  Best Actor
  Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”

  Best Actress
  Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”

  Best Supporting Actor
  Christian Bale, “The Fighter”

  Best Supporting Actress
  Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”

  Best Adapted Screenplay
  “The Social Network” (Aaron Sorkin)

  Best Original Screenplay
  “Inception” (Christopher Nolan)

  Best Art Direction
  “Inception” (Guy Dyas; Lisa Chugg, Paul Healy, Douglas A. Mowat)

  Best Cinematography
  “Inception” (Wally Pfister)

  Best Costume Design
  “Alice in Wonderland” (Colleen Atwood)

  Best Film Editing
  “Inception” (Lee Smith)

  Best Makeup
  “Alice in Wonderland”

  Best Music (Original Score)
  “Inception” (Hans Zimmer)

  Best Music (Original Song)
  “Chanson Illusionist” from “The Illusionist”

  Best Sound Editing
  “Inception”

  Best Sound Mixing
  “Inception”

  Best Visual Effects
  “Inception”

  Best Animated Feature
  “Toy Story 3″

  Best Ensemble
  “The Social Network”

  Most Underrated Film of the Year
  “The Ghost Writer”

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “The King´s Speech”

  Best Directorial Debut
  Banksy, “Exit Through the Gift Shop”

  Breakthrough Performance (Male)
  Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”

  Breakthrough Performance (Female)
  Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”

  Best Performance in a Bad Film
  James Franco, “127 Hours”

  Worst Performance in a Good Film
  Blake Lively, “The Town”

  Best Hero
  Mark Zuckerberg, “The Social Network”

  Best Villain
  Lotso, “Toy Story 3”

  Best Poster
  “The Social Network”

  Best Trailer
  “The Tree of Life”

  Most Surprising Film of the Year
  “Exit Through the Gift Shop”

  Most Disappointing Film of the Year
  “Alice in Wonderland”

  Most Ambitious Film of the Year
  “Inception”

  Five Worst Films of the Year
  1. “The Last Airbender”
  2. “Clash of the Titans”
  3. “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
  4. “Alice in Wonderland”
  5. “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”

  Top 10 Films of the Year
  1. “The Social Network”
  2. “Toy Story 3”
  3. “Inception”
  4. “The Illusionist”
  5. “Black Swan”
  6. “The Ghost Writer”
  7. “Exit Through the Gift Shop”
  8. “Shutter Island”
  9. “Winter´s Bone”
  10. “The Kids Are All Right”

• 31 12-17-2010 at 1:43 pm
  
  SJG said...

  I completely disagree with the idea that Ellen Page was miscast in Inception. I actually felt she and Cotillard gave the best performances.

• 32 12-17-2010 at 1:44 pm
  
  KB said...

  I keep seeing “Dogtooth” and “Exit Through the Gift Shop” on many lists, I will need to see those immediately! My winners, for now:

  Picture
  “The Social Network”

  Director
  Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”

  Actor
  Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”

  Actress
  Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”

  Supporting Actor
  Christian Bale, “The Fighter”

  Supporting Actress
  Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”

  Adapted Screenplay
  “The Social Network”

  Original Screenplay
  “The Kids Are All Right”

  Animated Feature
  “Toy Story 3″

  Art Direction
  “Inception”

  Cinematography
  “Black Swan”

  Costume Design
  “Black Swan”

  Film Editing
  “The Social Network”

  Original Score
  “The Social Network”

  Original Song
  “I See the Light” from “Tangled”

  Sound Mixing
  “Inception”

  Sound Editing
  “Inception”

  Makeup
  “Black Swan”

  Visual Effects
  “Inception”

  Top 10
  1. “The Social Network” (A)
  2. “Black Swan” (A-)
  3. “Toy Story 3″ (A-)
  4. “The Kids Are All Right” (A-)
  5. “A Prophet” (A-)
  6. “The King’s Speech” (B+)
  7. “Inception” (B+)
  8. “Mother” (B+)
  9. “The Fighter” (B+)
  10. “Waiting for Superman” (B+)

• 33 12-17-2010 at 1:44 pm
  
  DylanS said...

  Wow, it’s really nice to see people hating on “Winter’s Bone”.

• 34 12-17-2010 at 2:00 pm
  
  JJ1 said...

  GREAT list, Kris!

  And gotta chime in on the Winter’s Bone:

  Not a bad film, but most overrated? HELL, yeah.

• 35 12-17-2010 at 2:17 pm
  
  Paul Outlaw said...

  Best Ensemble
  “The Fighter”

  Most Underrated Film of the Year
  “Ondine”

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “How to Train Your Dragon”

  Breakthrough Performance (Male)
  Tahar Rahim, “A Prophet”

  Breakthrough Performance (Female)
  Mila Kunis, “The Book of Eli,” “Date Night” & “Black Swan”

  Best Cameo Performance (Duo)
  Michael Gambon & Frances de la Tour, “The Book of Eli”

  Best Performance in a Bad Film
  Julianne Moore, “Chloe”

  Most Intriguing Failure
  “Daybreakers”

  Entertainers of the Year
  Martin Scorsese
  Alexandre Desplat
  Melissa Leo
  Helena Bonham Carter

• 36 12-17-2010 at 3:15 pm
  
  Tom C said...

  I must concur about “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.” While I don’t think it’s a bad film, it does show how Woody Allen really is in kind of a downfall. The movie is a refurbished mixture of at least 5 or 6 of his previous films.

  “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is a great choice. Finally saw this last week and it blew me away. I’ve never seen a documentary take such a huge shift in intent, and all on top of already being such an unorthodox presentation. I’m not sure I would give quite so much of the credit to Banksy, though. At the same time, I’m not sure who you would give the credit to instead.

  I feel that trailer definitely has to go to “The Social Network.” Masterful.

• 37 12-17-2010 at 3:21 pm
  
  Lance said...

  Just saw “Black Swan” – not surprised that Portman is your top pick for actress. Amazing!!!

• 38 12-17-2010 at 3:35 pm
  
  head_wizard said...

  Love the best villian and hero winner that works in so many ways.

• 39 12-17-2010 at 3:46 pm
  
  tintin(uruguay) said...

  Overrated: How to train your dragon.

• 40 12-17-2010 at 4:05 pm
  
  Mayukh said...

  I love Winter’s Bone.

• 41 12-17-2010 at 4:06 pm
  
  Hero said...

  I guess I should try to watch Winter’s Bone tomorrow, because I’ve had a sincerely disappointing past two days. I saw Ghost Writer last night and Black Swan today, and frankly, I could find very little good to say about either. Perhaps I spend too much time online and let the buzz run away with me, but I swear everything I’ve seen lately feels like the Most Overrated movie of the year.

• 42 12-17-2010 at 4:45 pm
  
  daveylow said...

  Most overrated film of the year: The Kids Are All Right

  Most underrated films of the year: Never Let Me Go and Ondine

  Most overawarded film of the year–already: The Social Network

  Best couples of the year: Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling; Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush

  Most wasted talent in a film this year: Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal

• 43 12-17-2010 at 4:59 pm
  
  Andrea said...

  Most Underated Film of the Year- Another Year and The Town

  Best Actor- Jesse Eisenberg and Javier Bardem

  Best Actress- Annette Bening and Julianne Moore

  Best Supporting Actor- Jeremy Renner and Armie Hammer RU: Tom Hardy, Inception Andrew Garfield and Mark Ruffalo…GREAT category this year

  Best Supporting Actress- Lesley Manville

  Most Overrated Film of the Year- Winter’s Bone and True Grit

  Melodramatic Piece of Trash that’s being hyped and rushed out during voting season and whose supporters are shoving down everyone’s throats by nominating it in categories it has no business nominating in (cough Mila Kunis cough) in a desperate attempt to feel cool and hip and to suck Aronofsky’s c— harder than the next fan boy- Ladies and Gentleman I give you BLACK SWAN

• 44 12-17-2010 at 5:01 pm
  
  Andrea said...

  “I saw Ghost Writer last night and Black Swan today, and frankly, I could find very little good to say about either”

  Halleujah. Welcome to the club!

• 45 12-17-2010 at 5:02 pm
  
  geha714 said...

  My two cents about Winter’s Bone: It’s not a bad film at all, quite the opposite. It’s a brave and admirable picture.

  In some level it’s a thriller, but without depending on shootouts and explosions: The girl needs to find her father, otherwise she and her family lose their house. Sadly, in the place where she lives, everyone is suspicious.

  The film feels real and the atmosphere of rural Missouri is well captured. Jennifer Lawrence is great and John Hawkes is mesmerizing (I hope he gets the Oscar nomination just for the scene when he’s pulled over by the sheriff alone.)

  The problem is that Winter’s Bone is a very, very depressing experience and to be honest, I don’t want to see it again. It’s just so sad to see the main character trapped in the situation she’s in and the fact (SPOILER ALERT) she will stay in that situation. Still, she deals with it and soldiers on. That is real life after all.

  I’m very happy that films like Winter’s Bone are made. It’s important that other alternatives to the usual crap the major studios put in theaters week after week. It’s not the best movie of the year for me (The honor goes to The Social Network, followed by Inception) but no way it’s the worst.

• 46 12-17-2010 at 5:04 pm
  
  geha714 said...

  P.S. I don’t think the movie is overrated.

• 47 12-17-2010 at 5:09 pm
  
  Hero said...

  Andrea,
  Bless you! Your post made me laugh out loud!

• 48 12-17-2010 at 5:16 pm
  
  caro said...

  @geha714: see “beautiful” with javier bardem :that is really depressing and sordid

• 49 12-17-2010 at 5:20 pm
  
  Angry Shark said...

  Okay, The A-Team doesn’t belong on the list of worst anything. That’s an awesome movie, and surprisingly subversive. You can tell everyone is having a ball, especially Patrick Wilson, who plays the best grade-A megadouche. If you look at the parachuting tank scene and go “this is bullshit”, you suck. There’s just nothing else to be said. Absolute fucking bullshit.

• 50 12-17-2010 at 5:22 pm
  
  Jane said...

  Kris, thanks for including DiCaprio in your list and recognizing his accomplishments this year, even if no one else has.

• 51 12-17-2010 at 5:36 pm
  
  Kevin K. said...

  Angry Shark is angry.

• 52 12-17-2010 at 5:44 pm
  
  Jon said...

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “Winter’s Bone”

  THANK YOU!

• 53 12-17-2010 at 6:23 pm
  
  Guy Lodge said...

  When so many of you clearly dislike “Winter’s Bone,” can we really call it overrated? ;)

  I’m still a fan.

• 54 12-17-2010 at 6:31 pm
  
  Glenn said...

  “Also, I say Elias Koteas had an excellent cameo in Let Me In”

  Er, that wasn’t a cameo.

  Very nice list, Kris. Very nice.

• 55 12-17-2010 at 6:46 pm
  
  cineJAB said...

  still quite a few to see, I’m sure Blue Valentine True Grit, Another Year, and King’s Speech will wind up popping up on these lists somewhere, but as of now:
  Best Picture
  “Inception”

  Best Director
  Christopher Nolan, “Inception”

  Best Actor
  James Franco, “127 Hours”

  Best Actress
  Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”

  Best Supporting Actor
  Christian Bale, “The Fighter”

  Best Supporting Actress
  Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”

  Best Adapted Screenplay
  “The Social Network”

  Best Original Screenplay
  “Black Swan”

  Best Art Direction
  “Black Swan”

  Best Cinematography
  “Inception”

  Best Costume Design
  “Shutter Island”

  Best Film Editing
  “Inception”

  Best Makeup
  “Black Swan”

  Best Music (Original Score)
  “Inception”

  Best Music (Original Song)
  “Heavy In Your Arms” by Florence + The Machine from Twilight: Eclipse

  Best Sound Editing
  “Black Swan”

  Best Sound Mixing
  “Inception”

  Best Visual Effects
  “Inception”

  Best Animated Feature
  “Toy Story 3″

  Best Ensemble
  “Inception”

  Most Underrated Film of the Year
  1. “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows pt. 1″
  2. “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World”
  3. “The Ghost Writer”

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “Shutter Island”

  Breakthrough Performance (Male)
  Tahar Rahim, “A Prophet”

  Breakthrough Performance (Female)
  Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”

  Best Cameo Performance (Male)
  Alan Rickman, “Harry Potter”

  Best Cameo Performance (Female)
  Winona Ryder, “Black Swan”

  Best Performance in a Bad Film
  Andrew Garfield, “Never Let Me Go”

  Worst Performance in a Good Film
  Mia Wasikowska, “The Kids Are All Right”

  Best Hero
  Dom Cobb, “Inception”

  Best Villain
  Armie Hammer, “The Social Network”

  Best Poster(s)
  “Black Swan”

  Best Trailer (for a trailer released in 2010, not necessarily a film released in 2010)
  “Black Swan”

  Most Surprising Film of the Year
  “The Ghost Writer”

  Most Disappointing Film of the Year
  “Never Let Me Go”

  Most Ambitious Film of the Year
  “Black Swan”

  Most Intriguing Failure
  “Never Let Me Go”

  Best Action Sequence
  “Inception”

  Entertainer of the Year
  Leonardo DiCaprio

  Three Worst Films of the Year (that I saw, anyway)
  1. “Alice in Wonderland”
  2. “The Bounty Hunter”
  3. “Shrek 4”

  Top 10 Films of the Year
  1. Inception
  2. Black Swan
  3. The Fighter
  4. The Social Network
  5. Toy Story 3
  6. 127 Hours
  7. The Ghost Writer
  8. The Town
  9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1
  10. Winter’s Bone

• 56 12-17-2010 at 6:46 pm
  
  Kevin K. said...

  I agree Guy. It’s a great movie. Depressing and hard to watch at times? Sure. Restrained? Definitely. But boring and overrated? No way. Whatever. Guess I’ll just be one of the tragically un-hip kids and say I was on the bandwagon on a lot of films this year. I don’t see anything wrong with that either. Is liking something very popular really such a bad thing? I don’t think so.

• 57 12-17-2010 at 7:00 pm
  
  JJ1 said...

  I feel for Hero. I loved Ghost Writer and Black Swan. But it’s never fun not liking a movie that is generaly well liked. I feel for ya.

  I’m sitting here giving Winter’s Bone a second chance. Went to the library, rented it, it’s in my player. I’ve been pretty vocal on being underwhelmed by it …

  With about 25 minutes left to go, I must say – it improves on a re-watch.

  I still find it aggravatingly empty. Yes, the acting is very good (still not outstanding), it has good writing, good cinematography, interesting outdoor sets, seems authentic, etc..

  But empty. So little happens. And not in the “well, you just have to watch for the nuances, soak it all in, read between the lines, focus on the faces, observe the interactions” way.

  The beginning is inherently intriguing, the middle is a slog, the last act is alarming, and then it ends in a not so very satisfactory way.

  Goodish movie that I guess is just not my cup of tea.

• 58 12-17-2010 at 7:03 pm
  
  Hero said...

  Thanks JJ1. I have high hopes for tomorrow–I’ll be picking up Restrepo at the library.

• 59 12-17-2010 at 8:02 pm
  
  Mike_M said...

  Brian,
  Yes, The American poster is one of the best of the year for sure… along with the Japanese Shutter Island poster

  Best Trailer:
  Tree of Life

• 60 12-17-2010 at 8:38 pm
  
  The Dude said...

  Just got around to seeing “Black Swan” (finally). Loved how the movie skated between a dramatic psychological meditation and a flat-out horror thriller…very, very well done. And Portman was amazing…if she was anything short of great this movie would have imploded. Not my favorite movie of the year, but certainly very high up on my list.

• 61 12-17-2010 at 9:19 pm
  
  JB Radford said...

  ctrl + f: Best Trailer: Tree of Life

  Amen.

• 62 12-18-2010 at 5:51 am
  
  Leocdc said...

  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “Winter’s Bone”

  So true in my opinion. A good movie: absolutely. A masterpiece like some critics said: No way.
  Jennifer Lawrence deserve all the praises is getting, but except her and the great ambience put on the film, I didn’t like the movie that much. So, yes, is totally overrated. No way it can be in my top 10 this year.

  Til now, my greatest surprise has been The Kids Are All Right. Awesome movie, that feels real, and a great study of what families are (obviously with a twist on this particular one)

• 63 12-18-2010 at 6:52 am
  
  john t. said...

  Tom Hardy’s performance is the best thing in “Inception”, and he effortlessly hijacked all the scenes he was in.

  Best Breakthrough Performance: A tie. Armie Hammer ( “Social Network” ) & Tom Hardy ( “Inception”). Their acting enriched every movie scene they were in.

  James Stewart, yes, Blake Lively’s performance in “The Town” was both atrocious & laughable. Her scenes always distracted me from the movie. After this painful performance, Blake is now on the Hollywood A-list- now, you know Hollywood is weird.

  Brian, I agree Natalie Portman killed it, even though I also had major problems with the movie. I wouldn’t deem Justin Timberlake’s & Mila Kunis’ performances awful, but I don’t support the critical love they share, and the potential Oscar nomination for Mila. Hype ! Hype !

  Andrea, I love your great Best Supporting Actor list: Jeremy Renner ,Armie Hammer ,Tom Hardy, Andrew Garfield ,and Mark Ruffalo. I hope these selections mirror the Oscar nominations. I enjoyed your comments about the most overrated film of the year.

  Angry Shark, I understand your support for “The A-Team”. It is a B-movie, not “Schindler’s List” , and it just an entertaining & over-the-top action film. You just leave the brain at home and enjoy the film’s outrageousness. Patrick Wilson is a very gifted actor ( and a wonderful theatre actor) with great charisma , and he has an incredible screen presence. He truly needs a Armie Hammer/ Tom Hardy type of box-office hit /career breakthrough- even though his career should have spiked big-time after his solid turn in the “Little Children.”

• 64 12-18-2010 at 8:38 am
  
  JJ1 said...

  Haven’t seen everything yet, but ……..

  Best Picture
  INCEPTION
  Best Director
  DAVID FINCHER, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
  Best Actor
  LEONARDO DICAPRIO, SHUTTER ISLAND
  Best Actress
  NATALIE PORTMAN, BLACK SWAN
  Best Supporting Actor
  CILLIAN MURPHY, INCEPTION
  Best Supporting Actress
  KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, NOWHERE BOY
  Best Adapted Screenplay
  THE SOCIAL NETWORK
  Best Original Screenplay
  INCEPTION
  Best Art Direction
  INCEPTION
  Best Cinematography
  SHUTTER ISLAND
  Best Costume Design
  ALICE IN WONDERLAND
  Best Film Editing
  THE SOCIAL NETWORK
  Best Makeup
  ALICE IN WONDERLAND
  Best Music (Original Score)
  INCEPTION
  Best Music (Original Song)
  BOUND TO YOU, BURLESQUE
  Best Sound Editing
  BLACK SWAN
  Best Sound Mixing
  INCEPTION
  Best Visual Effects
  TRON LEGACY
  Best Animated Feature
  HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
  Best Ensemble
  MOTHER AND CHILD
  Most Underrated Film of the Year
  LET ME IN
  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  WINTER’S BONE
  Breakthrough Performance (Male)
  AARON JOHNSON (KICK ASS, NOWHERE BOY)
  Breakthrough Performance (Female)
  NOOMI RAPACE
  Best Hero
  HICCUP, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
  Best Villain
  DOM’S PROJECTION OF MAL, INCEPTION
  Best Trailer (for a trailer released in 2010, not necessarily a film released in 2010)
  BLACK SWAN or THE WAY BACK
  Most Disappointing Film of the Year
  NEVER LET ME GO :-(
  Most Ambitious Film of the Year
  INCEPTION
  Best Action Sequence
  BLACK SWAN, THE LAST 10-15 MINUTES.
  Entertainer of the Year
  LEONARDO DICAPRIO
  Five Worst Films of the Year (that I saw, anyway)
  1 – THE SPY NEXT DOOR
  2 – MARMADUKE
  3 – THE ASSASSIN NEXT DOOR
  4 – LEAP YEAR
  5 – WHEN IN ROME
  Top 10 Films of the Year
  1 – INCEPTION
  2 – BLACK SWAN
  3 – THE SOCIAL NETWORK
  4 – SHUTTER ISLAND
  5 – HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
  6 – TOY STORY 3
  7 – GHOST WRITER
  8 – HARRY POTTER 7
  9 – LET ME IN
  10 – THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

  And again, haven’t seen a lot, yet. i.e., The King’s Speech, The Fighter, True Grit, Rabbit Hole, Another Year, Blue Valentine, Biutiful, etc..

• 65 12-18-2010 at 8:38 am
  
  m1 said...

  Most overrated film: Inception.

  ‘Nuff said.

• 66 12-18-2010 at 8:40 am
  
  m1 said...

  42-Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush were in love w/each other in that film?

• 67 12-18-2010 at 8:42 am
  
  m1 said...

  Most Overrated Film: How to Train Your Dragon.

  Whoever said this, THANK YOU as well.

• 68 12-18-2010 at 8:47 am
  
  m1 said...

  Four worst films (I haven’t seen more):

  1. The Last Airbender (1/10)-Adios, Shyamalan.
  2. The Bounty Hunter (2/10)-I haven’t finished it yet, but this is the score it will probably end up with.
  3.The Last Song (3/10)-IMDb users need to stop trying to defend this movie. It is a melodramatic and migraine-inducing bore.
  4. Valentine’s Day (4/10)-What a waste of talented actors.

• 69 12-18-2010 at 10:32 am
  
  Keil Shults said...

  Winter’s Bone may be a bit overrated, but it’s certainly not deserving of hatred.

• 70 12-18-2010 at 11:14 am
  
  JJ1 said...

  As far as Winter’s Bone goes, I think it’s a fine “film”. Not my cup of tea. I mentioned it as being most overrated because, in my mind, with proportion to the reviews/critics awards it’s getting – yes, I think it’s overrated. Not bad, though.

• 71 12-18-2010 at 1:12 pm
  
  Brian said...

  @ John J — you are correct, those performances aren’t terrible (JT & Mila), I probably put them there because they have undeserved awards traction. Especially, Mila. Most overrated performance of the year: definitely Mila Kunis. But even that isn’t her fault at all, it is by far the most underwritten role in contention. (Actually all the characters in “Black Swan” are underwritten). It would be atrocious if Black Swan coasts into a Best Original Screenplay. I really wanted to put a spoiler alert and go at the last 30 minutes of this film, but I hate those alerts as it could ruin it for someone who doesn’t spot it while they’re scanning and people should just see it and come to their own determination. I can talk in more detail about my immense disappointment with this film with the friends I saw it with.

  Easy, easy writing for something “so psychologically fractured.” Nothing but archetypes. It would have been interesting to see what Kunis could have done with something that had anything additional other than: big eyes, drugs, sex.

• 72 12-18-2010 at 2:00 pm
  
  JJ1 said...

  Brian, while I don’t disagree that these are not the deepest characters:

  a) this isn’t the type of movie that requires character depth to create a visceral/intriguing outcome. I would argue that the characters in ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ are pretty broadly sketched, but they were still effective – as written & acted.

  and b) I think it’s too easy to say that the movie was easily written or acted (by Kunis) when there are nuances in every scene. i.e., “big eyes, drugs, sex”. Simplicity and style doesn’t mean there is a lack of nuance throughout the movie.

• 73 12-18-2010 at 3:16 pm
  
  Will said...

  The Last Airbender would make my most disapointing film of the year

• 74 12-18-2010 at 3:57 pm
  
  Brian said...

  JJ1 … I will have to disagree. I think there does have to be character depth for an intriguing outcome. At least for myself. Any intriguing outcome in film is the individual viewers’ response to what they’ve seen. For me to respond to it more than the surface level, I needed a little bit more. I think that “Black Swan” was great on the surface. Natalie was great. It was well shot. The music was good. But for something to create psychological terror, I think it needs to get a little deeper under the surface. Scenes with laughing paintings, and flapping tattooed wings still operate on the visual surface.

  But, this is why I think people’s opinions on film don’t fall into easily identifiable right and wrong: we all expect different things that lead to our eventual formed opinion. I wanted a visceral psychological experience, but all that I received from it was surface level brutality. However, I will admit that because this film has gotten glowing reviews for months I had a different level of expectation for something a little deeper. After reading about the film for months it is very hard to separate what you are expecting from the film, and what you actually get. Which is probably why I went to “TRON Legacy” and came away liking it: I had no expectations (not comparing TRON to Black Swan, just that expectations also limit the experience).

• 75 12-18-2010 at 4:09 pm
  
  Brian said...

  it’s unfair going into a movie expecting a masterpiece, but it’s also difficult to tone down expectations when you read so much about it beforehand. I think my list of top 10 films also reflect my difficulty with this — The Social Network was the only thing that I read a lot about beforehand, but what was being written about TSN beforehand was mostly a week or two before it went wide. A lot of the films that come out at this point of the year are written about months before they come out and are harder to judge on face value.

  Would I have the exact same reaction to The Social Network now that it is tops of all the critic awards? I don’t know. I feel like my expectations might be a little higher and it would be harder to be objective. But I also like reading reviews from festivals because they are much more objective. Is this a personal problem? Maybe. But I doubt that I am the only one. Most of the top 10 films of the year I barely read much of anything about them: Dogtooth, The Ghost Writer, Mother, Nowhere Boy, etc … and they probably benefited from that as well as there wasn’t major publicity campaigns about their masterpiece mantle status.

• 76 12-18-2010 at 5:02 pm
  
  JJ1 said...

  For some reason, I keep comparing – in my head – Black Swan to Monster (2003, with Charlize Theron). Both films centered around 2 females, and 2 strong performances.

  I remember being bowled over by Charlize, and the layers to her that were offered in expository dialogue/character interaction.

  Black Swan is different. For me (again, different opinions/take on the film), I still got a lot of character INSIGHT through Portman’s nuances, looks, way she spoke, what she said, actions, reactions, momentary bouts with the characters around her. I didn’t need backstory or depth to make me “get her”.

  And so, for me, with some movies, the ‘in your face’ depth is a great help. And in others, like this, I didn’t need it. I “got” Nina. I got Thomas, I got Beth, and I don’t think there’s anything to “get” about Lily; she’s there as the reflection/alternate/image/mirage of Nina. .

  So Brian, I totally respect your opinion. I just felt like I understood enough of Nina, and was enveloped by the fantastic technicals and mood to sweep me along the way with it all.

  And I agree (about expectations), I go in with low ones constantly, because I am SO very often disappointed.

• 77 12-18-2010 at 5:23 pm
  
  Brian said...

  JJ1 thanks for the response. To be clear, I certainly didn’t feel attacked.

  I think one problem I actually had with “Black Swan” was that Nina seemed too emotionally fragile to last four years in the ballet troupe. Even when she was dancing perfect she seemed on the verge of tears. One movie that I think of a lot with Black Swan is, obviously Polanski’s “Repulsion.” Certainly there isn’t back story with Deneuve in that film, and she is very weak and haunted throughout the film, but that one works for me. To me, Nina, seemed so fragile from the start of the film that it was difficult to see her succeeding as a dancer. Perhaps she was broken down over four years. I think that was depth I was missing: the idea that she used to be stronger. It was something that I didn’t get. I didn’t need flashbacks or anything, but just little hints in her body movement or with her mother that she did have strength. With something like “Repulsion” we don’t need to know any prior strength and can just follow her as she unravels. With “Black Swan” being so much more about physical prowess, I think I needed hints of that earlier strength that would make it more believable that she could even pull off the Black Swan.

  With Gena Rowlands in “Opening Night” and “Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” there are previous scenes of them trying to keep it together before her characters go over the edge. “Repulsion” and “Black Swan” are the only films I can think of at the moment where we start with a very fragile character who is obviously already past their breaking point when we meet them. “Black Swan” added a physical element that made it harder for me to believe that she was able to even make it to where we found her at the start of the movie. Does that make sense?

  When thinking of “Black Swan” I also am reminded a lot of “Mulholland Drive” which has a lot of did this or didn’t it happen. What makes that film very successful to me is that reality doesn’t come into play until near the end, and we’ve already somehow seen Naomi Watts’ character as she wants to be seen which allows us to understand her more later. I think my earlier posts made it sound like I hated “Black Swan” — I didn’t — I probably just expected something different from it. Perhaps I won’t be able to objectively view it until later after all the hype has gone away.

• 78 12-18-2010 at 5:51 pm
  
  Brian said...

  thanks for the discussion, by the way.

• 79 12-18-2010 at 6:23 pm
  
  JJ1 said...

  No problem. Thank YOU. I love these types of discussions. 1) I acknowledge your issues with Nina (not seeing her strength earlier). 2) I need to see ‘Opening Night’, as I am a big Gena Rowlands fan. 3) Mulholland Drive is one of my favorite movies of all-time. And 4) while I loved Black Swan/was enthralled by it/am even seeing it again tomorrow; I have some minor, but deeply entrenched issues with it in my subconscious, as well {haha}. And hey, isn’t that the case with most movies, anyway?

• 80 12-18-2010 at 7:42 pm
  
  Hero said...

  “I think one problem I actually had with “Black Swan” was that Nina seemed too emotionally fragile to last four years in the ballet troupe. Even when she was dancing perfect she seemed on the verge of tears.

  …

  To me, Nina, seemed so fragile from the start of the film that it was difficult to see her succeeding as a dancer.”

  Yes! I found it problematic, and difficult to sympathize, with a character who started out looking like she was always either going to cry or throw up (which she did) and then go nuts. More arc at the beginning would have been helpful.

  Also, thank heaven for Restrepo. Tonight I finally saw a movie I liked!

• 81 12-18-2010 at 8:27 pm
  
  JJ1 said...

  Restrepo is indeed very good.

• 82 12-19-2010 at 7:37 am
  
  john t. said...

  Yes ! Brian , you stated a very good point about the characters in “Black Swan” being ” underwritten.” I couldn’t agree more. By the way, Barbara Hershey deserves more Oscar buzz than Mila Kunis.

• 83 12-19-2010 at 12:10 pm
  
  m1 said...

  The most disappointing film of the year-but by no means the worst or even one of the worst-is Alice in Wonderland.

• 84 12-19-2010 at 3:21 pm
  
  Bryan said...

  Best Casting: Black Swan

  So much thought went into it, and not just about who could pull off the roles, but how the roles embody the actors and not just vice versa.

• 85 12-19-2010 at 4:19 pm
  
  Paul Outlaw said...

  @ Brian:
  You do mean A Woman Under the Influence, right?

• 86 12-19-2010 at 5:45 pm
  
  Brian said...

  Yes… although Gena Rowlands in an Almodovar movie would have been great, too :)

• 87 12-19-2010 at 7:53 pm
  
  Luke said...

  THANK YOU! I was wondering where the sane people were who didn’t think Winter’s Bone was so amazing. Jennifer Lawrence didn’t do anything that stood out to me. It was a total drag.

• 88 12-20-2010 at 1:27 am
  
  David said...

  “Black Swan” is the most overrated film of the year. I liked it when it was called “All About Eve.”

• 89 12-20-2010 at 6:19 am
  
  JJ1 said...

  If you think ‘Black Swan’ is overrated, that’s fine. But I don’t get all of the ‘All About Eve’ references. Can that be explained; further than the woman usurping another woman thing?

• 90 1-04-2011 at 3:24 pm
  
  katryn said...

  I really liked Black Swan — I didn’t see it as horror-ish, but more about neurosis and the psychological effects of intense pressure and competition. I didn’t find Nina’s fragility problematic, as it’s easy to coast along in the chorus, but totally different when you’re expected to be the star. My only problem with it was medical — no way the whole denouement would have been physically possible!

  Perhaps as a woman and someone once involved in the similar (if less cut-throat) world of classical music, I found it easier to relate to the character than others.

  I don’t understand the love for “Dogtooth”. There was nothing new or surprising there. It struck me as a hipster version of “Flowers in the Attic.”

• 91 1-20-2011 at 1:05 pm
  
  Mike_M said...

  Caught Blue Valentine finally on Monday, and I am with you Kris, Ryan is def my top choice for Best Actor… hope he at least gets a nom

• 92 5-18-2011 at 4:13 pm
  
  Mike said...

  Best Picture
  “Another Year/Black Swan”
  Best Director
  Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
  Best Actor
  James Franco, “127 Hours”
  Best Actress
  Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
  Best Supporting Actor
  John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
  Best Supporting Actress
  Lesley Manville, “Another Year”
  Best Adapted Screenplay
  “The Social Network” (Aaron Sorkin)
  Best Original Screenplay
  “Another Year” (Mike Leigh)
  Best Art Direction
  “Inception”
  Best Cinematography
  “Inception”
  Best Costume Design
  “Black Swan”
  Best Film Editing
  “Inception”
  Best Makeup
  “Black Swan”/”Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
  Best Sound Editing
  “TRON Legacy”
  Best Visual Effects
  “Inception”/”Alice in Wonderland”/”Black Swan”
  Best Animated Feature
  “Chico and Rita″ – one to watch
  Best Ensemble
  “Another Year”
  Most Underrated Film of the Year
  “4.3.2.1” – another one to watch
  Most Overrated Film of the Year
  “Inception” – I know I’ve awarded it a lot but a tadge overrated
  Breakthrough Performance (Female)
  Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
  Best Performance in a Bad Film
  Bojana Novakovic, “Devil”
  Worst Performance in a Good/Fairly Decent Film
  Mia Wasikowska, “Alice in Wonderland”
  Best Hero
  Luz/She, “Machete” – she was a good freedom fighter, shame about the film
  Best Villain
  Nina Sayers, “Black Swan”/ Mal Cobb “Inception”
  Best Poster
  “Black Swan”
  Best Trailer (for a trailer released in 2010, not necessarily a film released in 2010)
  “Black Swan”
  Most Surprising Film of the Year
  “Centurion”
  Most Disappointing Film of the Year
  “Robin Hood”
  Most Ambitious Film of the Year
  “Inception”

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