My fave films for 2010: Let the debate begin

Sun., Jan. 9, 2011

By Dan Webster

It’s a little late, but I did come up with a list of film that I liked from 2010. Following is taken from a script that I wrote for Spokane Public Radio:

When you live in Spokane, it’s impossible to see every film a year has to offer. Which is why I’m not calling what follows a top 10 list. Or a best-of-the-year list. Unlike other critics, I just don’t seen enough movies to credibly say which were the year’s best. So, I’m simply going to count down with you 10 of my favorite films of 2010.

At No. 10 is “The Social Network.” In studying the founding of the social-network site Facebook, director David Fincher takes a story of bright, seemingly soul-less people who sit around writing computer code, treating others with profound disrespect and ultimately cheating their closest friends, and makes it into a fascinating, two-hour morality tale.

Up at No. 9 is “Kisses,” an Irish film that follows two young Dubliners, barely into their teens, who flee their abusive families for a night on the town. Writer-director Lance Daly doesn’t insult us by inventing an improbably happy ending. But first-time actors Kelly O’Neill and Shane Curry prove charming with their youthful endurance.

“Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan made the eighth film on my list, the mind-warping study of alternate reality “Inception.” Yeah, it may be a bit too clever. And Ellen Page might be miscast. But from the moment her character rolls up the streets of Paris, “Inception” had me sitting in the dark, mouth agape.

At No. 7 is the documentary “Restrepo,” codirected by journalist Sebastian Junger and photographer Tim Hetherington, which gives the closest, most intimate real-life look at war and American warriors I’ve ever seen. It brings the war in Afghanistan into the kind of focus that is far beyond the abilities of mainstream media.

The mean little Australian import “Animal Kingdom” stands at No. 6. Writer-director David Michod portrays the underground battle that, during the 1980s, Australian police had with a bad-ass band of bank robbers. At the heart of the story is J, a 17-year-old who loses his innocence at the hands of his grandmother, played by Jacki Weaver with purely malevolent, smiling evil.

Mentioning my No. 5 film, “Ajami,” gives me a chance to explain why I’m including an Israeli film that dates from 2009. I do it, 1, because I didn’t see it until 2010 and, 2, its uncompromising look at the harsh reality of life in a Tel Aviv neighborhood is simply too powerful to ignore.

Speaking of harsh realities, Debra Granik’s film “Winter’s Bone” take us into the remote backwoods of the Ozarks, where disappearing is an occupational hazard, women are used and abused and meth makes a mockery of family ties. Jennifer Lawrence is perfect as a tough young woman who goes on a desperate search for her absent father.

At No. 3, we have “Mesrine: Killer Instinct,” the first of a two-installment look at an infamous French gangster. Powered by the always-excellent Vincent Cassell, the film is a worthy addition to mob studies.

Next to last is “The Fighter,” David O. Russell’s look at Micky Ward, the Lowell, Mass., boxer (played by Mark Wahlberg). The movie’s focus, though, is Ward’s older, drug-addicted half-brother Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale), who both loves his brother AND takes advantage of him. Break out the Oscar, folks.

Which brings me to my favorite film of 2010, another French gangster flick, this one titled “A Prophet.” Director Jacques Audiard’s film is a “Godfather” for the modern era. It stands as a statement both for the enduring temptation that crime offers the desperate and how immigration, not always peacefully, is changing the face of modern Europe.

To the above list, I add my second 10: “The Tillman Story,” “Ghost Writer,” “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” “Toy Story 3,” “Inside Job,” “Hereafter,” “Paranormal Activity 2,” “127 Hours,” “Client 9,” “Fair Game.”

And among the worst of the films that I saw in 2010: “Greenberg,” “Sex and the City 2,” “The Kids Are All Right” and “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.”

By far, the cutest film was “Babies.”

* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "Movies & More." Read all stories from this blog