Top 10 Films of 2010 – Brandi’s Picks

8. Black Swan
directed by Darren Arononfsky
story by Andres Heinz
screenplay by Mark Heyman; Andres Heinz; John J. McLaughlin

In a great year for solid, challenging female roles, Natalie Portman managed to stand out from the impressive crowd with her stunning work in this film. And while there are many big, flashy moments that she plays perfectly, it is one smaller moment that really floored me. Her character gets the good news about being chosen for the lead role in Swan Lake, and feels maybe the one moment of true relief and happiness she gets in the whole film. The way Portman conveys that feeling is enough for me to want them to just hand her the Oscar right now. The film as a whole also impresses, of course, but beyond the dark atmosphere of horror and the compelling story, it’s Portman who carries this film to its place as one of the best of the year.

7. The King’s Speech
directed by Tom Hooper
written by David Seidler

This is an example of a number of familiar film elements coming together to create something that is just purely entertaining. There will always be a place for a well-written, well-acted story of someone overcoming a specific, physical obstacle in difficult circumstances, be it a sports film, a war film, or something like what we have here. This is yet another example of an engrossing story being elevated even further by a stellar performance. While they’re giving Natalie Portman an early Oscar in my imagination, Colin Firth can have one too. (My full review of the film is here.)

6. Restrepo
directed by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger

On assignment for Vanity Fair, Hetherington and Junger spent a year embedded with a platoon in Afghanistan’s Korangal valley, repeatedly referred to as the most dangerous assignment for American military officers. Footage of that year is interspersed with interviews conducted with many of the soldiers after their time in the Korangal was over. Some of the men in the platoon cannot be interviewed, because they died on the deployment. I don’t think it’s possible to understand what war is like for soldiers without experiencing it, but I think we all need to watch films like this, to do our best. It does an amazing job of simply telling the story of these men, without bringing in politics.

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Brandi is one of those people who worries about kids these days not appreciating black and white films. She also admires great moments of subtlety, since she has no idea how to be subtle herself.

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