20. Winter's Bone
Director: Debra Granik
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes
I think I need to see this film again. I say that because it is a very slow-moving film and at the time I found it a bit boring. Even through the tedium, however, I saw a beautiful film about a very strong-willed woman looking for answers because that was just what she had to do. Now, the film has been nominated for Best Picture along with tons of other awards and some other friends have told me how much they loved it. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood when I saw this the first time. Either way, for anyone with a crazy family, annoying relatives, or a disappointing parent, you will easily be able to relate to this film, and the ending, even if you are able to see it coming (I couldn't), is very intense and heartbreaking.
Best Moment: The climax at the lake.
19. The American
Director: Anton Corbijn
Starring: George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Thekla Reuten
Perhaps the most divisive film in the top 20. One of my friends went with me to see this film and he hated almost every moment of it. In fact, while watching it, I actually thought to myself, I bet he hates this movie. I completely understand why, too. The film moves at a snail's pace and very little is actually accomplished during the film. There are a lot of scenes of Clooney just sitting in his hotel room or driving around town. I can understand the frustration of those who went into this movie expecting a James Bond-type of secret agent film. However, I thought the film was very well done. The slow pacing makes the action sequences (the few that there are) even more intense and explosive. The plot, which focused more on the loneliness of his life as an assassin than the fight scenes and shootouts that usually populate these films, felt much more realistic than any Bond film I've ever seen. The cinematography was beautiful, including a mesmerizing, orange-lit scene through a tunnel and some great classical architecture. Clooney makes the film though. From his dedication to the meticulous nature of his character to the emotional depth he conveys through just a couple of gestures, I expected him to get much more Oscar buzz than he eventually did. Oh well. I really liked The American. It doesn't matter if anyone else did.
Best Moment: Probably the opening scene in the cabin.
18. Shutter Island
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams
Many people found Shutter Island to be predictable and sub-par in comparison to the other works of Martin Scorsese's amazing career. I can agree with both of those statements. However, neither of them are enough to make Shutter Island a bad film. In fact, in a genre of film populated almost exclusively with sequels and cheap scares, I found Shutter to be refreshing and far above average. If nothing else, Scorsese picked the perfect cast for his film. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a very underrated emotional and confused performance that was only forgotten because he was the star of another mindbending film later in the year. Mark Ruffalo gives his second-best performance of the year, but that's not a bad thing: Ruffalo is one of the best and most overlooked actors currently working. Is this one of Scorsese's top films? Well, no. But when Shutter Island is considered to be one of your least-impressive films, that's not any fault of the film itself: that just proves how much of a badass Scorsese is.
Best Moment: Any of the dream scenes. Extremely well shot.
17. Greenberg
Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans
Noah Baumbach is a love-him-or-hate-him type of director. He's one of the premier directors in the indie film world, having directed films such as Kicking and Screaming (not the Will Ferrell one) and The Squid and the Whale. One of his trademarks is that the characters in his films are extremely unlikeable, and the title character in Greenberg definitely continues this trend. Ben Stiller's Greenberg is an obnoxious, pretentious, self-centered man-child. He doesn't know how to function correctly with people and his life is circling the drain. He doesn't even redeem himself by the end of the film. However, Stiller manages to infuse just enough charm into his lines to make them tolerable. Gerwig plays the role of the fragile, trusting girlfriend perfectly. Baumbach was also smart enough to add lots of comedy in between Greenberg's arrogance. If you watch this film, you will almost certainly dislike the character of Greenberg. That doesn't make Greenberg a bad film, though.
Best Moment: The party at the end.
16. Iron Man 2
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson
Another film that a lot of people were disappointed with. Whereas the first film focused entirely on character development and had virtually no action, the second film was filled to the brim with action and distanced itself from character development. I still enjoyed the first film better, but I loved Iron Man 2. My main problem with the original Iron Man film was that it only felt like half of a film. Almost the entire film was taken up with telling Tony Stark's backstory, explaining why he needed his power cell, and giving him an excuse to build the first suit. The only real action happened exclusively in the last 10-15 minutes of the film. With this in mind, I feel like Iron Man 2 is more of an extension of the first film than an actual sequel. When viewed this way, the lack of character development is somewhat forgivable and the action sequences are much more enjoyable. It also didn't hurt that this film, just like the first, had an amazing cast. Just look up there. That is pure talent. And also Scarlett Johansson.
Best Moment: Scarlett Johansson.
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska
I kind of feel the same way about The Kids Are All Right that I felt about Brokeback Mountain a few years ago: I feel like a lot of the hype with these films is that they are about gay couples. I don't mean to imply that either of these are bad films. It just seems like, if you were to substitute a straight couple into these films, they would lose a lot of their power. That is my main problem with Kids, and that is why it's only my 15th favorite film of the year. Beyond that, this movie is great. The script is funny, even if it doesn't make sense sometimes, and most of the characters seem realistic. Every main character in the film is fleshed out successfully and (mostly) without bias, allowing you to sympathize and dislike the characters based on your own judgments. I also enjoyed the overall message about gay couples; even in 2011, millions of Americans don't grasp the simple concept that gay people are almost exactly the same as straight people, and Kids should be commended for spreading that message. It should also be commended for its acting. Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo are outstanding. Ruffalo's role is even more impressive when you think about the fact that his character (a sperm donor for a gay couple who meets his offspring 18 years later) has really never been done before and he was basically asked to wing it.
Best Moment: When Ruffalo's character first meets the kids.
14. Cyrus
Directors: The Duplass Brothers
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei
The Duplass brothers have helped popularize a relatively new film technique called mumblecore. It would be hard to quickly summarize here, but if you see one of their films, you will immediately notice a few oddities that define mumblecore, such as the fluidity of the dialogue the constant refocusing of the camera. In Cyrus, this technique helps create a feeling of intrusion into the lives of these everyday characters similar to a documentary. I don't mean to say that the film is like a documentary, but that the technique adds a layer of realism to the film that a normal filming style wouldn't have. Cyrus succeeds outside of mumblecore filmmaking, though. The story follows the blossoming of a relationship between Reilly's and Tomei's characters. Their romance is actually one of the most believable and touching of the year, aided greatly by the talents of the two actors. Reilly, one of the most underrated actors around (I realize I say this a lot, but dammit, there's a lot of underappreciated actors), perfectly embodies the role of the silly, nervous bachelor, and Tomei plays the understanding caregiver wonderfully as well. If you're looking for a unique romantic comedy to watch by yourself or with a date, Cyrus is probably the best choice of the year.
Best Moment: Probably the scene at the party near the beginning.
13. Buried
Director: Rodrigo Cortes
Starring: Ryan Reynolds
It's hard to explain why Buried is so good without spoiling the movie. When I tell people that Buried takes place completely within the confines of a coffin that is buried underground, they are immediately turned off. How can a movie that takes place within a coffin be entertaining? Well, the main reason is Ryan Reynolds. Without him, there would be no Buried, because without him, there would be no one on screen at all. Reynolds could have easily overacted his part and ruined this fragile film. After all, the entire film revolves around the things that he says and the emotions that he expresses. Instead, he filled the part with surprising depth, especially because almost all of his dialogue was (logically) devoted to conversations about trying to escape. This depth was strengthened by the script, which allowed Reynolds to convey emotions mostly through facial expressions instead of self-talk (which always comes off as unnatural in films). This little paragraph explanation probably doesn't really help you decide whether you should check out Buried or not. Like I said, it's very hard to explain why it's so good. Maybe this clip will help?
Best Moment: The climax.
Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce
Is The King's Speech predictable? Extremely. Is it overrated? Definitely. Should it win the Oscar for Best Picture? Absolutely not. Is it still one of the best films of the year? Undoubtedly. In fact, The King's Speech may be the most technically well-done film of the year. All of the main actors have been at least nominated for an Oscar before and they very obviously know what they are doing. The director and cinematographer seem to have meticulously planned out every shot and scene, and the screenwriter knows exactly where everything needs to go. My main problem with The King's Speech, actually, is all that planning: everything appears far too neat, unrealistic, and cinematic. I prefer my films with (wait for the foreshadow) a bit of grit on them and with scripts that allow the director to try something new. But, again, that doesn't make The King's Speech bad in any way. Colin Firth will undoubtedly win the Best Actor Oscar this year for a role that is almost as great as the one he should've won for last year. His relationship with Geoffrey Rush's character is believable and touching, and the speech that is mentioned in the title is far more intense than it should be. I just can't get over how restrained it is.
Best Moment: The King's speech!
11. True Grit
Directors: The Coen Brothers
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin
Another instant classic from the Coen brothers, and also their most conventional. True Grit is a remake of an old John Wayne film, and for the most part, it follows its source material very closely. Having said that, you should still check out this remake. The Coen brothers bring their own unique style to all of their films; in True Grit, their style is intentionally toned down, but it still shines through in spots such as the opening credits. Jeff Bridges churns out yet another great performance, filling Wayne's shoes admirably. In fact, I think he did even better than Wayne. While Wayne's Rooster Cogburn came off as a smartass, lazy gunslinger, Bridges's came off with all those traits as well as an overall disinterest in life. Hailee Steinfeld also outperformed her counterpart, Kim Darby, in the role of Mattie Ross. Steinfeld embodied Ross's self-assured, candid attitude perfectly. The true star of the film, though, is Roger Deakins. Deakins's cinematography is some of the most beautiful I've seen in years and will almost certainly win the Oscar this year.
Best Moment: The guy hanging in the tree.
Top 10: Coming soon.
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