Top 10 Films of 2010 – Ed’s Picks

January 6th, 2011 | POSTED BY Edward Davidson

6.  Never Let Me Go

Advertised as another period-ish Jane Austen type drama, this surprisingly subtle movie actually has a much more interesting concept behind it. Characters beautifully played by Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightly form a love triangle during their time growing up at a seemingly-idyllic English boarding school. However, we learn that all of the students there are sequestered from the rest of the world, and told never to go beyond the school grounds for fear of death. Why this is, and what their situation means for the world at large, proves to be both troubling and fascinating. Mark Romanek, whose previous movie One Hour Photo had the same understated dread to it, creates a story here with similar themes about humanity to another thoughtful classic, Blade Runner. Though very different films, they both make us reflect on what being alive actually means.

5.  Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Directed by Edgar Wright, starring Michael Cera, based on a charming and successful independent comic series, with a soundtrack by a huge number of indie music artists, this movie should have been a much bigger hit than it was. I hope it finds its audience on DVD, because it is richly deserved. Steeped in video game and pop culture references that are the common language of today’s 20-somethings, this fun comedy has Cera playing slacker Scott Pilgrim. Scott platonically shares a bed with his gay roommate Wallace (played by Kieran Culkin, who gives my favorite performance in the movie), never has any money, plays with his friends in the kinda-sucky/kinda-not garage band Sex Ba-Bomb, and dates high school teenager Knives Chau because a simple relationship with a younger girl is easy to maintain. Then he meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and his whole world changes. He instantly falls in love, but to date her, he must battle her 7 evil exes. These battles make for plenty of fun video game references, whether Scott gets to collect coins after dispatching them, or he gets to level up and unlock new weapons, or gain extra lives. One of the funnest battles involves an ex played by Superman Returns star Brandon Routh, whose powers stem from being a vegan. When the vegan police show up to strip him of his special power, it is one of the biggest highlights of this truly fun film. All of this cultural literacy surrounds a central story core about love and learning to grow up.

4.  Toy Story 3

Now that I can look at the entire Toy Story trilogy as a whole, it is all quite an achievement. Has any production company ever produced such an unparalleled string of artistic and commercial success as Pixar? What’s great about them is that their ability to be crowd-pleasing to all ages feels genuine. Their creations feel organic. The jokes sprout from the story itself, not from tacked-on pop culture references that will end up aging badly, the way so many other children’s movies seem to in recent years. And I don’t know of anyone who can imbue more soul into computerized avatars than these guys. Just the eyes of their creations alone convey emotion and depth.

If you don’t know the premise of the Toy Story series at this point, you’ve been living in a cave somewhere. In this third outing, Andy is grown up and going off to college. His mom wants him to clean things up, and the toys are worried about being thrown out, a fate that means certain death at the landfill. So, they find their way to a preschool, which on the surface seems idyllic, since they will be played with by an endless supply of children who cycle through. At first, it seems like a chance for endless love from kids. But things turn dark as they discover that they’ve been fooled by Lots-o-Huggin bear (voiced by Ned Beatty), the leader of the preschool toys. He wants new recruits to take the brunt of the abuse from the littlest children so they will get broken instead of him. Hilarious complications ensue regarding the new character Ken (voice of Michael Keaton) who falls into love at first sight with Barbie. It’s like they were “made” for each other. After betraying our heroes, he does end up helping them.

This film had terrific animation. The opening sequence, with the flood of linked barrel-full-of-monkeys monkeys, was spectacular, and in particular the scene where the principal characters look as if they are about to meet their end in the incinerator at the dump is truly frightening. However, the emotional moment that got me was a gesture towards the end of the film. “SPOILER”: Andy is passing along his toys to a new little girl, who will play with and love them in a way he no longer will. He gives them all to her, but when she reaches for Woody, he immediately jerks Woody away from her. That last bit of his childhood he has a hard time saying goodbye to, and that one little gesture reduced me to tears. Again, that’s the soul I mentioned earlier in these creations. Damn, Pixar knows how to make a movie.

This is a sure-fire winner for the Best Animated Movie Oscar this year. Looking at the Toy Story trilogy as a whole, I might say that the second movie is my favorite by a miniscule margin, but all three really do set the gold standard for animated movies.

I would also like to give a quick shout-out to the short that played before Toy Story 3, Day & Night. I thought the use of 3D in this short was as spectacular as what James Cameron did in Avatar. The simple premise of these two characters was amazing to watch as the different depths of field were played with both inside and outside of their bodies. I haven’t seen this short in 2D, but I’m guessing you are really missing a key piece of the artistry without the 3D effect. Terrific.

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Aaron Eckhart, Aaron Sorkin, Buried, Casino Jack and the United States of Money, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Edgar Wright, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, Inception, Iron Man 2, Jesse Eisenberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Romanek, Never Let Me Go, Nicole Kidman, Pixar Animation Studios, Rabbit Hole, Robett Downey Jr, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, The Social Network, Toy Story 3