In an attempt to get this blog off the ground I'm going to start at the end with a round-up of various top 5 lists for 2010.
Top 5 film releases of 2010
5. A Serbian Film (dir. Srdan Spasojević)
I could go on and on about how this is the most sickeningly brutal film that's even been made, but I won’t. I could go on and on about the graphic depictions of unspeakable acts shown in this film, but I won’t. I could go on and on about the furore made by middle-England over a film they had no intention of ever watching, but I won't. I could go on and on about the film being pulled from Frightfest by Westminster council and the subsequent cutting of 4 minutes by the BBFC to secure a British theatrical release, but I won't (least of all because I haven't seen the edited version and ironically have no interest in hypocritically decrying something I've not seen). All I will say is that A Serbian Film assaults your senses with incredibly well-directed nightmarish scenes, strong performances, political allegory and a strong anti-pornography sentiment to create a film that you're likely to only watch once. Even so it is the most harsh, tragic, sickening and fascinatingly unforgettable film not only of the year but in recent cinematic history.
4. Shutter Island (dir. Martin Scorsese)
In a year where comic book movies were fairly woeful (Iron Man 2 and Jonah Hex seemed intent on bringing the genre back down to levels of Batman and Robin disrespect) Matthew Vauhn's adaptation of Mark Millar's comic book series really stands out as how to adapt a comic book with reverence and respect . And in that sense comparisons with Watchmen are curiously unavoidable here. Where Watchmen examines the impact that real-life superheroes would have on the whole world Kick Ass examines the impact on the individual donning the tights (or in this case, scuba diving suit). Kick Ass also follows Zack Snyder's Watchmen formula for sticking to the source material but making a few small and yet incredibly significant differences for the sake of making the film more palatable to a wider audience (I can imagine the average cinema goer complaining about Big Daddy's crime-fighting motivations had it been revealed that he was nothing more a bored thrill-seeker, constantly endangering his daughter's life) Starting off on a gritty and street-level and progressively more over the top and silly as the film progresses Kick Ass manages to be funny, engaging and oddly touching while displaying some of the most vibrant and violent actions scenes I've seen in a film since Kill Bill
3. Kick Ass (dir. Matthew Vaughn)
In a year where comic book movies were fairly woeful (Iron Man 2 and Jonah Hex seemed intent on bringing the genre back down to levels of Batman and Robin disrespect) Matthew Vauhn's adaptation of Mark Millar's comic book series really stands out as how to adapt a comic book with reverence and respect. Comparisons with Watchmen are curiously unavoidable here. Where Watchmen examines the impact that real-life superheroes would have on the whole world Kick Ass examines the impact on the individual donning the tights (or in this case, scuba diving suit). Kick Ass also follows Zack Snyder's Watchmen formula for sticking to the source material but making a few small and yet incredibly significant differences for the sake of making the film more palatable to a wider audience (I can't imagine a mass audience being too happy about Big Daddy's crime-fighting motivations had it been revealed that he was nothing more a bored thrill-seeker with little regard for his daughter's safety). Starting off on a gritty and street-level and progressively more over the top and silly as the film progresses Kick Ass manages to be funny, engaging and oddly touching while displaying some of the most vibrant and violent actions scenes I've seen in a film since Kill Bill.
=1. Inception (dir. Christopher Nolan)
Ok, so having a joint position for number one is a bit of a cheat but it was just too hard to pick between this and the film below. The third highest-grossing film of 2010 (behind Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland, and therefore the highest-grossing non-3D release of 2010, which is significant when you consider the inflated price of 3D tickets) Inception was everywhere in 2010. Pretty much everyone saw it, most people seemed to like it, some hated it or at least thought it was unnecessarily complex and convoluted in an attempt to seem more intelligent than it was and at least one person I spoke to said it would have been better if it had been in 3-fucking-D. Nevertheless, Christopher Nolan's science-fiction/existential heist movie demands stands as an incredible achievement and proves not only that Nolan is without a doubt the best director of his generation but also that, post-Avatar, you can do a Hollywood blockbuster with loads of guns 'n'explosions 'n'shit and still make it incredibly cerebral and discussion-provoking.
=1. Buried (dir. Rodrigo Cortés)
Buried stars Ryan Reynolds as Paul Conroy, a US truck driver doing contract work in Iraq who wakes up to find himself buried underground in a coffin. With only a lighter and a mobile phone with rapidly depleting battery Paul has to race against the clock to discover where he is, why he is there and most importantly how he can get out alive before he runs out of oxygen. Never leaving the confines of the coffin and utilising cramped low camera angles and widescreen shots Buried is a remarkably claustrophobic experience that never suffers as a result of its premise. Its theatrical run seemed to go unnoticed with minimal promotion which is criminal since its the sort of film that really benefits from being seen on a big screen. To give much more information about the plot would run the risk of spoiling the film as its better to go into it with as little information as possible. Tense, claustrophobic and incredibly gripping it's ( and I say this aware of.__) the sort of thriller Alfred Hitchcock would have made if he'd been around today. Seriously.
Top 5 film releases of 2010
5. A Serbian Film (dir. Srdan Spasojević)I could go on and on about how this is the most sickeningly brutal film that's even been made, but I won’t. I could go on and on about the graphic depictions of unspeakable acts shown in this film, but I won’t. I could go on and on about the furore made by middle-England over a film they had no intention of ever watching, but I won't. I could go on and on about the film being pulled from Frightfest by Westminster council and the subsequent cutting of 4 minutes by the BBFC to secure a British theatrical release, but I won't (least of all because I haven't seen the edited version and ironically have no interest in hypocritically decrying something I've not seen). All I will say is that A Serbian Film assaults your senses with incredibly well-directed nightmarish scenes, strong performances, political allegory and a strong anti-pornography sentiment to create a film that you're likely to only watch once. Even so it is the most harsh, tragic, sickening and fascinatingly unforgettable film not only of the year but in recent cinematic history.
4. Shutter Island (dir. Martin Scorsese)In a year where comic book movies were fairly woeful (Iron Man 2 and Jonah Hex seemed intent on bringing the genre back down to levels of Batman and Robin disrespect) Matthew Vauhn's adaptation of Mark Millar's comic book series really stands out as how to adapt a comic book with reverence and respect . And in that sense comparisons with Watchmen are curiously unavoidable here. Where Watchmen examines the impact that real-life superheroes would have on the whole world Kick Ass examines the impact on the individual donning the tights (or in this case, scuba diving suit). Kick Ass also follows Zack Snyder's Watchmen formula for sticking to the source material but making a few small and yet incredibly significant differences for the sake of making the film more palatable to a wider audience (I can imagine the average cinema goer complaining about Big Daddy's crime-fighting motivations had it been revealed that he was nothing more a bored thrill-seeker, constantly endangering his daughter's life) Starting off on a gritty and street-level and progressively more over the top and silly as the film progresses Kick Ass manages to be funny, engaging and oddly touching while displaying some of the most vibrant and violent actions scenes I've seen in a film since Kill Bill
3. Kick Ass (dir. Matthew Vaughn)In a year where comic book movies were fairly woeful (Iron Man 2 and Jonah Hex seemed intent on bringing the genre back down to levels of Batman and Robin disrespect) Matthew Vauhn's adaptation of Mark Millar's comic book series really stands out as how to adapt a comic book with reverence and respect. Comparisons with Watchmen are curiously unavoidable here. Where Watchmen examines the impact that real-life superheroes would have on the whole world Kick Ass examines the impact on the individual donning the tights (or in this case, scuba diving suit). Kick Ass also follows Zack Snyder's Watchmen formula for sticking to the source material but making a few small and yet incredibly significant differences for the sake of making the film more palatable to a wider audience (I can't imagine a mass audience being too happy about Big Daddy's crime-fighting motivations had it been revealed that he was nothing more a bored thrill-seeker with little regard for his daughter's safety). Starting off on a gritty and street-level and progressively more over the top and silly as the film progresses Kick Ass manages to be funny, engaging and oddly touching while displaying some of the most vibrant and violent actions scenes I've seen in a film since Kill Bill.
=1. Inception (dir. Christopher Nolan)Ok, so having a joint position for number one is a bit of a cheat but it was just too hard to pick between this and the film below. The third highest-grossing film of 2010 (behind Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland, and therefore the highest-grossing non-3D release of 2010, which is significant when you consider the inflated price of 3D tickets) Inception was everywhere in 2010. Pretty much everyone saw it, most people seemed to like it, some hated it or at least thought it was unnecessarily complex and convoluted in an attempt to seem more intelligent than it was and at least one person I spoke to said it would have been better if it had been in 3-fucking-D. Nevertheless, Christopher Nolan's science-fiction/existential heist movie demands stands as an incredible achievement and proves not only that Nolan is without a doubt the best director of his generation but also that, post-Avatar, you can do a Hollywood blockbuster with loads of guns 'n'explosions 'n'shit and still make it incredibly cerebral and discussion-provoking.
=1. Buried (dir. Rodrigo Cortés)Buried stars Ryan Reynolds as Paul Conroy, a US truck driver doing contract work in Iraq who wakes up to find himself buried underground in a coffin. With only a lighter and a mobile phone with rapidly depleting battery Paul has to race against the clock to discover where he is, why he is there and most importantly how he can get out alive before he runs out of oxygen. Never leaving the confines of the coffin and utilising cramped low camera angles and widescreen shots Buried is a remarkably claustrophobic experience that never suffers as a result of its premise. Its theatrical run seemed to go unnoticed with minimal promotion which is criminal since its the sort of film that really benefits from being seen on a big screen. To give much more information about the plot would run the risk of spoiling the film as its better to go into it with as little information as possible. Tense, claustrophobic and incredibly gripping it's ( and I say this aware of.__) the sort of thriller Alfred Hitchcock would have made if he'd been around today. Seriously.
Just missing the cut: Monsters, The Killer Inside Me, Dogtooth.
Films that could have possibly made it had I gotten round to seeing them this year: Machete, Scott Pilgrim Vs the World, Amer.
Worst film of the year:
Iron Man 2 (dir. Jon Favreau)
“Hey guys, just because comic book films have recently starting treating both the source material and the audience with respect doesn’t mean we can’t litter our movie with bad jokes, tedious sketchily-motivated villains with stereotypical accents and pointless set pieces, right?” Wrong.
