1. Inception - Blew my freaking mind!!! In an age where Hollywood plays it safe and turns books with an established fan base into movies, this totally fresh thriller from the warped mind of Christopher Nolan gives hope to screenwriters who want to get back to writing rather than just adapting. Unfortunately, it may be too imaginative for Oscar voters.
2. The Social Network - It’s the film that sums up a generation and does the job so heartbreakingly well. Its intelligence and cleverness oozes from of its well-crafted seams. We could have a big upset against The King’s Speech on our hands. Sometimes, the Oscars like films that are little time capsules of the period and The Social Network is definitely a snapshot that should be floating around on someone’s Facebook page.
3. The King's Speech - I dare you not to be transfixed by every single performance on screen. This is the stuff the Academy lives for and the movie will probably walk away with Oscar Gold. Predictable? Yes, but for once the predictable choice actually deserves to win. I mean, have you seen this flick? It is pitch-perfect.
4. Black Swan - Ballet. Mirrors. Women turning into swans but really just turning crazy. This film lived up to all the hype, but it won’t take home Mr. Oscar. It lacks a certain amount of pseudo-sophistication and self-importance for the naked gold man. Oh well, it will certainly go down as a top-tier thriller.
5. Toy Story 3 - I’m not ashamed to say I totally cried. TS3 is a perfect example of how intelligent and complex films can be even if they are aimed at children. It won’t win the Oscar, but it does contribute to the renaissance that seems to be happening right now in the Animation industry.
6. True Grit - To tell you the truth, I was expecting a bit more. Westerns are epic little adventures and this tries to be, but falls flat. However, the performances were great and major props to the Coen Brothers for bringing back the old west.
7. 127 Hours - I have this thing about bones breaking…I don’t like it. When I hear a crack it’s like someone jammed a pencil all the way in my ear, my body goes rigid and I winch in pain. I’m sure this was a good movie. I was too busy covering my eyes and ears to really know.
8. The Kids Are All Right - Seriously, why is this film nominated? It was just all right (see what I did there?). Break it down and it is a formulaic Indie flick. Too bad…the topic of same-sex couples, their children and the entire concept of a modern family deserve a more innovative and heartfelt examination.
1. The Social Network - Actually don't buy the whole "movie of a generation" hype, but I do think it's the best movie of the year anchored by an excellent script and an amazing 1-2 punch in acting with Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. It's most certainly a modern classic.
2. Black Swan - Darren Aronofsky has mastered the genre of "mindfuck movies" and it's a testament to him and to the hard work by an absolutely divine Natalie Portman that this film works in so many levels. Special kudos to all of the other fierce ladies in the ensemble who not only supported Portman, but enhanced the film.
3. Inception - Not only was its cast probably the best ensemble out of any film this year, but the story itself was just so unique that I can't help appreciate the risks director-writer Christopher Nolan always seems to take with all of his films. Just an excellent and highly imaginative piece of cinema.
4. Toy Story 3 - I could talk about how well made the film is, but with Pixar isn't that always a given? Instead I'll just off-the-bat say that I have no shame in admitting that I cried a lot during this film and that's pretty much all I have to say on that along with my heartfelt adieu to a magnificent trilogy.
5. 127 Hours - The fate of this film heavily rested on whether or not James Franco had it in him to deliver this performance and thankfully he achieved it brilliantly. You wouldn't think that a film about a guy stuck in a canyon would be riveting and exhilarating, but Danny Boyle's frenetic style and Franco's passion made it happen.
6. The King's Speech - Even with a largely predictable (but no less affecting) story, the cast elevates the whole film by pretty much owning their roles. In fact Colin Firth was just downright genius in his role as the reluctant stammering king and his ability to overcome his struggles was just inspirational.
7. True Grit - Being not a huge Western fan, my expectations for this film was fairly low, but the Coen brothers proved me wrong by unspooling such a wonderful vengeance tale headlined by the lovely debut of Hailee Steinfeld who more than held her own against veteran actors.
8. The Fighter - I generally like boxing movies, but with a cast as brilliant as this one had, it wasn't hard to love the film. The whole feel of the film felt so authentic and the love the filmmakers and actors had regarding the story they were telling was palpable with every scene.
9. The Kids Are All Right - What made this movie for me were the fantastic performances by the kids who probably should've been given more screentime than their adult counterparts, who weren't bad at all, but their story were less interesting to me. With that said, Julianne Moore and Annette Bening were wonderful together.
10. Winter's Bone - If I'm being completely honest, I found this film haltingly slow and oddly cold despite the emotional journey its characters had to go through. With that said, this film was chock full of character actors being damn good and that's no easy task.
Looking back at the results, it's interesting to see that our rankings for the most part lined up with one another. We both really enjoyed The Social Network and Inception and we both expected a lot more from The Kids Are All Right while the rest of the films were scattered in the middle. One of these days we're going to have wildly differing opinions to feature in this blog. That is a promise.
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