I don't feel the need to write too much about why I chose the films that for me define 2010, instead (where possible) I have linked to my review. Each one of these films has been important to my year, and I would recommend catching up with all of them if you haven't done so already.
I don't however pretend to be anything more than a casual film watcher with my own set of biases and as open to media influence as the next man. Indeed it could be argued that I'm just following a trend with my top pick. If you disagree with any of these choices, please feel free to tell me in the comments and if you think I've missed anything particularly special then tell me and I'll look into it.
The Film of the Year:
1. The Social Network Directed by David Fincher. Read my review here.
And the rest:
2. Up in the Air Directed by Jason Reitman. Read my review here.
3. Precious: Basd on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire Directed by Lee Daniels. An extraordinary telling of a bleak novel which in spite of it's Dickensian journey of the protagonists maintains haelthy optimism for her future. No review.
4. Shutter Island Directed by Martin Scorsese. Read my review here.
5. Tetro Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Read my review here.
6. The Way Back Directed by Peter Weir. Read my review here.
7. Inception Directed by Christopher Nolan. Read my review here.
8. Brothers Directed by Jim Sheridan. Read my review here.
9. The Ghost Directed by Roman Polanski. Read my review here.
10. The Last Station Directed by Michael Hoffman. A delightful period film with solid performances and easily digestible morals. A lot better than it's reputation would have you think. No review.
Friday, 7 January 2011
2010 in Review: Best Film
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
2010 in Review: Best Actress
I missed out on some performances this year that are bound to get attention (both The Kids are Alright and Winter's Bone will wait until DVD) and some I did see failed to live up to expectation (hello Sandra Bullock and Helen Mirren) but these five actresses were all at the top of their game:
1. Gabourey Sidibe as Precious in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. Both inexpressive and natural the subtlety of Gabby's work could easily have slipped through the net, but it's a wonderfully committed performance as her character falls further and further into a spiral of despair.
2. Natalie Portman as Grace Cahill in Brothers. Next year I expect I'll view this as just a precursor to her work in Black Swan but as the lost and confused wife of Tobey Maguire in this remake she stole my heart. 
3. Maribel Verdú as Miranda in Tetro. Many women fell for the wrong man at cinemas this year but few seemed to be as aware of this as Verdú in Francis Ford Coppola's Soap Opera. A former psychiatrist who now lives with a patient Maribel balanced the resentment and motherly instinct extremely well.
4. Lesley Manville as Mary in Another Year. An alcoholic harridan; it would be easy to lose all sympathy for Mary as she spouts vicious innuendo and desperately tries to hide her age, but Manville manages to show what lies behind the cracks. 
5. Alicja Bachleda as Ondine in Ondine. Is she a mermaid or just an illegal immigrant? The beauty of Bachleda's performance is that she keeps you guessing right until the final credits of this modern fairy tale.
Monday, 3 January 2011
2010 in Review - Best Supporting Actress
Of the categories this will, I expect, bring the most comments. Last year when I excluded a particular performance (because it hadn't come out yet) I got a number of comments asking me why. This year I have seen that performance and she wasn't my favourite - can't wait to hear what you have to say.
1. Vera Farmiga as Alex Goran in Up in the Air. Vera walks a tightrope in Jason Reitman's corporate satire, projecting an yearning behind the held together exterior and her final scene on the telephone shows an awareness of the characters strengths and weaknesses few others have matched.
2. Olivia Williams as Ruth Lang in The Ghost. There's a cat-like intensity to the role as portrayed by Olivia Williams, alternately preening over her husband an purring to induce sympathy from Ewan MacGregor's hapless ghost writer. When the final act reveal comes about you can see the tension in every movement. 
3. Mo'Nique as Mary in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. She's the villain of the year, certainly, a performance that over powers the film with dread and menace as well as a knock out monologue explaining her own private fears at the end. 
4. Julianne Moore as Charley in A Single Man. It's wildly over the top, but I think that's what makes Moore's Charley so likeable, a prototype fag-hag unable to break away from her reliance on Colin Firth's George and gripped by an unbreakable desire to win him back.
5. Marion Cotillard as Mal in Inception. It's hard to imagine a year when Marion fails to achieve a nod from me for her performances. Given she's purely a construct of Leonardo DiCaprio's fevered mind she manages to give the most consistent performance in the film, always deadly. I really want to see her as a proper femme fatale.
Friday, 29 January 2010
Out this week (29/01/2010)
I don't think any of the studios checked with each other before deciding on their releases for this week. It's like they all forgot there was a fifth Friday in January. There has to be a simple excuse like that to explain why there is only one bit box office contender and one major indie release. Sure there are a few foreign language pics for their respective audiences, but ultimately it's a choice between Mel Gibson's return to the screens and our film of the week: Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire.
Adoration
The usually reliable Atom Egoyam misfires with this study of a boy who misrepresents his life story, adding elements of international terrorism then publices his dilemmas on the internet. Whilst it could be an interesting conceit, the impact of internet storytelling has perhaps been utilised better in last years Afterschool.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Breathless
Actor-writer-director Yang Ik-Joon can justifiable claim the lions share of the credit for his debut feature about victims of abuse and broken homes finding a connection. This realist drama may lurch towards a predictable violent finale but the journey looks more than worth taking.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Edge of Darkness
Mel Gibson is back in his first starring role since 2002's Signs playing a Boston detective who winesses his daughter's assassination then must work out who did it and why. The trailer indicates government conspiracies, pounding car chases and cliche's galore. Watch at your own risk.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Our Beloved Month of August
Portuguese comedy which has proved it's popularity in a string of international film festivals, as well as the Portuguese Golden Globes. Concerns a family/folk band during the summer season and beach front gigs it's the sort of light affair which could cross over well, unfortunately the lack of subtitled trailers may count against it.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire.
This time last year Precious was just beginning to get good notices at the Sundance festival. Throughout the year it's not just mainatained that buzz but looks likely to win an Supporting Actress Oscar for Mo'Nique and a nomination in the film, director, lead actress and adapted screenplay categories. Not bad for a film from the director of Shadowboxer.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
Rann
Massively popular Bollywood look at the intersection between media and politics. It's had a rough ride getting to the screen, perhaps best typified by the way the Government have refused the film permission to use the key song in any publicity (as it samples the Indian National Anthem).
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Tuesday Trailers - Oscar special
Like most film fans I am influenced by other fans and by the industry. There are a selection of websites and blogs that I look to for advice about what films to see next. Occasionally that means that films I wouldn't normally go to see move up in my plans. At no time of the year is that more prevalent than in the months before the Academy Awards. During this period the films which are being touted as potential nominees will still a dormant interest that may just steer me to the cinema another time. These following four films have all come to my attention as part of that buzz.
Precious, Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Director Lee Daniels, along with stars Gabourey Sibide and Mo'Nique are reaping lots of precurser attention with this bleak looking poverty drama. (Not bad for a collaboration between the director of Shadowboxer and the star of Phat Girlz). It's released on 29 January 2010.
A Single Man
Tom Ford turns from the fashion world to Hollywood to make the equistitely crafted A Single Man, based on the Christopher Isherwood novel. The trailer is enigmatic and gorgeous to look at - I hope the rest of the film lives up to that. See it on 12 February 2010.
Crazy Heart
It's not all about the performances, but if this is the film that Jeff Bridges finally wins an Oscar for then it's got to be worth seeing. On 19 February 2010 to be exact.
The Last Station
Tolstoy famously died in a train station, which I should imagine gives away the ending of this star-studed biopic about the writer and the ultimate fate of the rights to his novels. It can be seen on 19 February 2010.
