2010 Review Roundup I

So I’ve had a little bit of a the prolonged absence, with finals and all and then the whole Christmas craziness that always comes around. Nevertheless, keeping with tradition, here’s my big backlog of reviews of movies that came out this year, all of which will I suppose lead up to some sort of a list about the year in movies. So far, however, I’ve noticed this year has been pretty damn bad for film, I guess we’ll have to make due with what we’ve got and hope for a better 2011. 2010 was a good year for music, fortunately, but that’s another post. I also plan on doing one of my favorite songs from 2000-2010, if for no other reason than just to remember.

So here we go…

- BLACK SWAN – (2010)

Dir:Darren Aronofsky; Star: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis
Dedicated but self-conscious ballerina Portman lands the lead role in a new production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake; as the play’s director pushes her to break out of her straight laced comfort zone to fully embody the antagonist Black Swan on stage she begins to lose her grip on reality, especially as the free-wheeling Kunis begins to distract her from the goal. Aronofsky’s bold and daring technique shows that he has become one of the stand-out auteurs of his generation, as he forcefully documents a descent into madness a la Requiem for a Dream. This is actually a recurring theme with him, where he takes a particular obsession and throws a character down a destructive path on screen, bringing it to life with unrelenting intensity. In the end it seems that this is all that these two movies boil down to, just the portrait of someone who is crazy (at the expense of character likability), which isn’t really any great statement like many moviegoers or critics would say it is. There is little investment in a plot, and anyone who’s seen either The Red Shoes or Swan Lake will know immediately where the story will end. It’s more of a narrow portrait that feels like a second go around at the same concept (rather than a thrust in a new direction as in The Wrestler). Even though he doesn’t always have the intellectual writing to back up his art, I’ll still see any movie that Aronofsky makes just for his forceful command of the medium.

- THE KING’S SPEECH- (2010)

Dir:Tom Hooper; Star:Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
The story of Prince Albert (Firth), the second son of King George V of England, who had trouble speaking in public due to his uncontrollable stutter. Since his role in British society calls for making public statements, especially with the new wireless radio technology, he enlists a speech therapist (Rush) to help him overcome his difficulties. His stutter parallels his reluctant acceptance of a life in the public eye, which is thrusted onto him against his will, especially as Hitler’s presence threatens all of Europe. A well crafted character study with many great insights on the role of royalty in the English Empire, and the conflict between the public and private lives of those called upon to rise to the occasion when a people need a strong-voiced leader. Hooper’s camera knows when to subtly provoke a reaction and to indicate moments of great import, with great success. Firth is exceptional, capturing every nuance of his difficult role, and Rush and Bonham Carter provide a very good counterpoint to his personal uncertainty. The King’s Speech is a great example of a film succeeding on many levels from paper to portrayal, providing a very moving account of a life of insecurity challenged by the call for a voice.

- 127 HOURS – (2010)

Dir:Danny Boyle; Star: James Franco
True story about a mountain climber who is pinned under a boulder while hiking in Utah, where he then has to sort out his options as food and water dwindle. The always likable Franco is perfectly cast here, where his carefree and introspective sides can both come to light. His personal story is interwoven with flashbacks and hallucinations and nested between allusions to the disconnection between modern life and the natural, open world we so easily overlook, but which drives free spirits to seek, often foolishly, on their own. I really wish the film explored these themes more, as well as the protagonist’s motivations and goals, since there’s only so much you can show about a guy stuck under a rock. Instead, at only an hour and a half in length, it just pokes into these ideas and then revisits them near the end where they feel unbalanced.  Still, Danny Boyle’s entire production is superb, and A.R. Rahman’s musical crescendos perfectly highlight some very inspirational moments, which when combined with Franco’s screen presence make this a winner.

- TRUE GRIT- (2010)

Dir:Ethan Coen, Joel Coen; Star:Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin.
Coen Brother’s adaptation of the Charles Portis novel (which has been filmed before with John Wayne) following a precocious young girl (Steinfeld) who enlists gritty bounty hunter Bridges to help her find her father’s killer. That’s about all there is to the story, which is a little underwhelming, and its segues from western style action to poised reflection feel emotionally inconsistent. Still, Steinfeld is an exuberant new comer who is fun to watch, as are the other colorful characters here, and the somber period cinematography and gentle piano scoring are great. There’s not much to it, but it’s an enjoyable little ride with a nice view.

- THE TOWN – (2010)

Dir:Ben Affleck; Star: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm
Affleck is a bank robber in Boston (where else?) who falls for one of the witnesses of a previous crime. Meanwhile his trigger happy brother (Renner) and their neighborhood (Charlestown) seem to always get in the way of Affleck’s plans to leave and move on with his life (does this sound like Good Will Hunting?). Well executed heist antics are boosted by vibrant neighborhood color and a standout performance by Renner who clearly shows his range after his great turn in The Hurt Locker. There are a lot of guns, action, and cat and mouse thanks to FBI agent Hamm, who also fills his role nicely. My main complaint is with the nature of the relationship between Ben Affleck and his love interest; I really don’t buy her connection with him at all. I’d expect her to have a little more common sense, but others have told me that “love” can make people do stupid things.

- THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT – (2010)

Dir:Lisa Cholodenko; Star: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo
Two children of a lesbian couple start interacting with their biological father, who is interested but not exactly ready to be a father. A fresh take on a tired premise with natural acting by everyone. Many people are praising Bening and Moore, but I didn’t really believe their chemistry and often felt that the character development was clunky and forced. I don’t feel like there is really enough here.

- SCOTT PILGRIM vs THE WORLD – (2010)

Dir:Edgar Wright; Star: Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick
Nerdy musician Cera discovers the girl of his dreams but must defeat a bunch of her evil ex-boyfriends before he can date her. This is all presented in a slick, over-the-top video game style which is well realized, providing a unique template for new comic situations and entertaining combat sequences. Unfortunately there are like seven evil exes, so that means you have to watch the same thing seven times, which certainly gets wearying. Especially since you know how many exes are left (“Really? There’s still THREE more to kill? This is like a problem set!”). It’s too bad too, because this movie otherwise has its fair share of awesome.

- I’M STILL HERE – (2010)

Dir:Casey Affleck; Star: Joaquin Phoenix
Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix’s much talked-about faux-documentary about the Oscar-nominated actor’s conversion to a “career” in music. A daring experiment that is virtually unparalleled (I suppose someone had to try it eventually), requiring Phoenix to stay in character as “himself” in public for a year and a half. That in itself is pretty impressive. The movie explores the idea of celebrity and how your personal choice varies from what is dictated for you to have a good career, and it works best in it’s Borat-esque moments of peaked dramatic irony in which notable personalities like P. Diddy take his quest seriously. I suppose it also shows how having a name means more than talent or anything else in the entertainment industry. Of course, in knowing that it’s all a hoax the movie feels in some ways slight and certainly indulgent, but that may just be the price the filmmakers knew they’d have to pay in undertaking this interesting project.

- MACGRUBER- (2010)

Will Forte’s Macguyver spoof SNL sketch gets a feature length to save the world. Certainly silly, but a decent moderate-budget spoof with many funny moments, mostly thanks to Forte’s fresh screen personality. Anyone who ever wanted to see Ryan Phillipe perform rectal tricks with celery will not be disappointed.

- HOLY ROLLERS- (2010)

Jesse Eisenberg plays a Hassidic Jew in New York who becomes involved in an ecstasy smuggling ring, and eventually gets in over his head. Interesting community flavor and a modest approach make this independent crime flick somewhat worthwhile, despite it seeming way too familiar.

- THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT – (2010)

Dir:Lisa Cholodenko; Star: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

Explore posts in the same categories: Reviews

Tags: 127 Hours, Black Swan, The King's Speech, True Grit

You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.