The Ten Must-See Films of 2010
By
Count Dracula
Well, another prolific year for the film industry is coming to an end. Traditionally, the universally recognized Capital of Cinema Hollywood was responsible for nearly 70% of the film turnout, so I believe that it should come as no surprise that the films included in this list are all made there, more or less. Certainly, to the regular film-goers these titles will be quite familiar, but to those who are waiting to be advised, or guided, as to what films are worth watching, and eventually buying, here are the features which will make you feel that cinema still has something to offer to its fans:
1. Alice in Wonderland Director: Tim Burton
Tim Burton, one of Hollywood’s most beloved filmmakers, abandons the musical formula which he explored far and wide with his last two films (“Charlie and the Chocolate factory”, “Sweeney Todd”), to the viewer’s delight (or disappointment, depending on the taste), to give us this 19th screen adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s children’s classic. By also adding elements from this book’s sequel, “Through the Looking Glass”, Burton creates a visually dazzling, highly entertaining, tour de force which may stand as the finest entry into the “Alice…” film catalogue. Traditionally (remember “Sleepy Hollow” and “Sweeney Todd”), he doesn’t follow the plot of the literary material very faithfully, which leaves him plenty of room to display his dark surreal genius and a weird sense of humour. Ably supported by his constant “companion” Johnny Depp, who gives an outstanding performance as the Mad Hatter: the most eccentric and non-conventional character in the book, and the two up-and-coming actresses Helen Bonham Carter (as the Red Queen) and Anne Hathaway (as the White Queen), Burton has no choice but present us with the most visually striking and most compelling film of this year. So it’s high time for Hollywood to give him all the credit he richly deserves, and shower “Alice…” with loads of Oscars at the annual ceremony in 3 months.
2. “Shutter Island” Director: Martin Scorsese
After sweeping the Oscars with his last feature “The Departed”, Martin Scorsese spent some time directing documentaries, but here he is back with full force with this tight psychological thriller with shades of horror. One may be cautious when approaching the film, having in mind that Scorsese’s last “flirtation” with this particular genre, “Cape Fear” (1991) starring Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte, was not very convincing, but in this case he can safely bet on him since the man presents us with one of the finest, of recent years, explorations on madness and paranoia put on screen.
Leonardo Di Caprio (“Titanic”, “Gangs of New York”) plays a police detective who is sent to Shutter Island, an isolated place where an asylum for the criminally insane is located, to investigate the disappearance of a woman who had murdered her three children. However, if you expect the next-in-line “cat and mouse” chase here, you will be in for quite a surprise since Scorsese involves quite a few characters (weird and genuinely disturbing mental patients, members of the hospital staff, other policemen, etc.) as well making the plot well more twisted than just an ordinary police/mystery thriller. Di Caprio also has to handle another big psychological/mental anxiety: the person, who had killed his wife not long ago, is also kept in this place.
There are moments which the viewer may consider a bit stretching, and not very coherent: the investigation sessions with the patients last for too long without bringing too many solutions; Di Caprio is often visited by memories of his wife, and his participation in World War II where he had witnessed all kinds of atrocities, all these presented as flashbacks which come too often breaking the plot flow at times. Still, the constant suspense throughout the film and the shattering climax will guarantee no disappointments in the long run.
3. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Director: Terry Gilliam
One of the true auteurs of world cinema, Terry Gilliam gives an interesting surreal avantgarde read on the mythical Goethe’s Faust legend in which a mysterious personality, Dr. Parnassus (played by the British veteran Christopher Plummer), tries to save his 16-year old daughter from the Devil to whom he had promised her in exchange for everlasting life (remember “Faust”) long ago. Having outdone the Devil once already, Dr. Parnassus desperately tries to do it again, not without the help of another mysterious figure, simply called Tony, played by Heath Ledger (R.I.P.). After the latter’s untimely passing, which put the film on hold due to the sponsors’ refusal to invest more money, Gilliam created a twist in the plot by introducing three different versions of Tony, all played by Hollywood heavyweights (Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell) which get created when the character steps through a paranormal mirror.
After the last two not very impressive entries into the fantasy genre (“Tideland” and “Brother Grimm”) , Gilliam returns with flying colours finally managing to capture the magic of his early films. By letting his imagination run wild into all directions, Gilliam populates the screen with all possible kinds of eccentric bizarre characters which will keep the viewer entertained the whole time, and will make him forget about the few story lapses. So, those of you who think that the fantasy genre reached its peak with the Harry Potter films and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will have to give it a second thought after watching this highly entertaining film.
4. Inception Director: Christopher Nolan
Having emerged as a potent force on the film-making field in recent years with a truly original vision and flair, Christopher Nolan (“Dark Knight”, “Memento”) directs this tense psychological sci-fi thriller which comes as a less action-packed blend of “The Matrix” and Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report”. Leonardo Di Caprio again (the man keeps himself pretty busy this year) plays a kind of a hacker, who doesn’t break into people’s computers, but goes straight into their subconscious while they sleep, and steal ideas which he later sells to those who have hired him. However, complications stand along the way: a powerful enemy confronts him and his assistants, and Di Caprio and Co. have to outdo themselves in order to come triumphant in the end.
The themes of alternate reality and the world of dreams have been explored more or less successfully through the years: “The Matrix” is a very good example of the better attempts on the subject, as well as the forgotten 1984 cult classic “Dreamscape” (highly recommended to those who enjoy fantasy mixed with science-fiction with loads of special effects); and Nolan’s effort can be placed among the more capable ones. The problem is that one has to fully concentrate on what is going since the plot stretches into several storylines which in their turn introduce additional characters complicating things even further. All not comes very carefully explained in the end, which may be another drawback to some, but this film offers an open end and a chance for the viewer to sit down and ponder on the topics discussed (mental/psychological espionage, dreams’ interpretation, etc.). This will not be a carefree watch while having breakfast in the morning, or playing around with your children: this is more of a philosophical, thought-provoking, rendition of those subjects rather than a mere vehicle done for entertainment’s sake.
5. A Serious Man Director: Ethan and Joel Coen
The Coen brothers are in full swing in this amusing, but also quite disturbing at times, black comedy. Professor Larry Gopnik is quite happy after his personal doctor assures him that he is in perfect health. However, things get a sudden unpleasant twist following in a quick succession: his wife is leaving him; his mentally retarded brother moves in to live with him; a secret enemy at the university tries to destroy his reputation; students try to bribe him and threaten him in various ways. One can not possibly imagine the apocalyptic circumstances which build up really fast in the beginning of the film, and in the hands of less experienced and less creative filmmakers, this would have turned into an ultimately depressing nightmarish picture. However, we have the Coen brothers at work here, and their purpose is to make you laugh quite a bit along the way, and enjoy the ride. Well, it won’t be the most entertaining one in the world, having in mind the serious themes discussed, but this is where the Brothers’ genius lies: to make you both sympathetic to the characters’ misfortunes, and to make you laugh your heart out at the appropriate time. To reveal more of the plot would be a betrayal to the prospective viewer. By using not very known actors, the Brothers further emphasize on the realistic nature of the events described, which comes along with a not very optimistic general view of the world, with just a few sparkles of hope.
6. Shrek Forever After Director: Mike Mitchell
The old characters from the previous three installments are brought back for the fourth time to give another enjoyable animation roller-coaster in which the amiable green monster (or ogre) Shrek is a bit unhappy with his uneventful family life, and the fact that people are not afraid of him anymore. The villain Rumpelstiltskin uses this setback to offer him to become a fearful ogre for one day in exchange of reliving one whole day from his childhood. Of course, Rumpelstiltskin has other plans, and soon Shrek finds out that he has been badly deceived: he has been transferred to another world where his friends are not what they seem to be, and Shrek does not even exist. So till the end of the film he has to find a way to return to his reality, recapture his kingdom as well as all his friends, so that everyone would continue living “happily ever after”. Needless to say, he manages to achieve this in the best possible way keeping the viewer amused all the way through.
7. Knight and Day Director: James Mangold
Those of you who were disappointed with the delays which put “Mission Impossible 4” on hold to be released this year, will rejoice seeing their favourite star Tom Cruise starring in this action-packed thiller/comedy/action alongside Cameron Diaz. The man plays a criminal, or a spy, or a CIA agent: the problem is that the viewer will not be very clear about Cruise’s occupation until very late in the film, who kills everybody on board of a plane in which Cameron Diaz happens to be, too. She has no choice but to team up with him, and experience numerous life-threatening situations: fights, skirmishes, dangerous flights, narrow escapes, car/motorbike chases, and more. To the film’s big advantage are the beautiful exotic locations which will bring us from the sun-drenched tropics to the more restrained beauty of the good old Europe (France, Spain, Austria) in no time. The script does not give the stars a chance to give a more sensible performance keeping the focus on the shootouts and the chases. Still, fans of the James Bond and the “Mission Impossible” films, as well as anyone who favours fast-moving, visually arresting, “style over content”, pictures will find their “best film for 2010” here.
8. RED Director: Robert Schwentke
One can do no wrong betting on a good old-fashioned mix of action and comedy, especially when it is so filled with stars, as this one. Any film which can bring Bruce Willis, Helen Miren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ernest Borgnine together is “doomed” to success. And success it is: Bruce Willis is a retired CIA agent who used to be a highly-trained assassin during his days with the agency, along with three other associates (played by Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich, the latter delivering a first-class performance as a psychotic paranoid killer). Things take an unpleasant turn when their former employers decide that those four know too much, and must be silenced forever. So our four heroes have to run for their lives, and see no choice but to team up together again in order to survive. The plot gets complicated when they suddenly discover a big conspiracy in the makings threatening to take down the whole government of the USA. However, the clever direction, the fast-paced action, and last but not least, the top-notch acting elevate this picture above the numerous “conspiracy theory” ventures.
9. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Director: Chris Columbus
The success of the Harry Potter series inspired a whole string of similarly-styled films, most of them just pale imitations. “Percy Jackson…” sticks out of the “crowd” being a more interesting and more inventive entry into the fantasy genre. And one should not be surprised as Chris Columbus (also “Home Alone”) was the man behind the first two Harry Potter films, which arguably remained the best of the lot. So who is Percy Jackson? He is a teenager who accidentally discovers that he is a demigod, and not only that, but he also appears to be the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. His help is needed when Zeus, the chief god in Greek mythology, has his lightning stolen. This may result in a fierce war between the gods, so Percy has to do his best to prevent this from happening.
Based on another book series: the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan, the film delivers with its energetic pace and brisk sense of humour. The cast is also worth mentioning comprising of Pierce Brosnan, who plays the role of a centaur, and it would be interesting for the viewers to see how James Bond can turn into a half-horse; and Uma Thurman, who is brilliant as the terrifying Medusa. The young actors do their best to be on par with their older counterparts, despite the naïve dialogue between them, and the slightly clumsy development of the action scenes at times.
10. Karate Kid Director: Harald Zwart
Included here largely due to nostalgic reasons (the 1984 original was an instant classic), this remake has its charms, although it still remains way inferior to the first film. This version follows the storyline pretty closely, the main difference coming from the setting, and one would be pleased to find that China is presented as a normal fully-functional society the film-makers combining the daily routine with exotic locales to a very positive effect. Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son, tries hard, but it’s clear that his acting skills are far from the ones of his father at this stage. Still, he has the experience of Jackie Chan right beside him, and the veteran steals the show reveling in numerous action scenes which are a vehicle for his great comic talents as well. For action lovers, though, the original may be the better option since here they have to wait a long time between the fight scenes, especially for the final showdown, which “apologizes” at the end for the relative lack of kung-fu pyrotechnics previously. Still, as a family fun the film will be a fairly safe choice, although its lasting appeal may not be able to outgrow the one of the original.
Well, that seems to be all. There’s nothing left to add here, apart from: “Have fun at the movies!”
