Red Riding Hood

This is the age of gothic love stories between confused young women and the beasts that love them and this film is no different. Though I don’t care for the Twilight series, I did enjoy this film. Maybe I liked it because of the better quality of acting from veterans like Gary Oldman and an ingénue like Amanda Seygfreid. But from the mist-covered, forest-filled mountain opening all the way to the rather weak ending, this just seems like a better Twilight.

The Roommate

A modern day revamp of the classic film Single White Female but without the thrills and replaced with cliches. Though Leighton Meester played an excellent artistic psycho, she didn’t have the right material to demonstrate her acting abilities. Every time something scary was supposed to happen I ended up having a giggle fit. If it were marketed as a comedy, it would’ve been successful. I didn’t care about the boring, one-dimensional main character. In fact, I wanted her crazy roommate to do her in. I wanted more from this, but it was nothing more than how the trailers portrayed it.

Love and Other Drugs

Do naked people make an otherwise dull and cliché romantic drama more interesting? Not so much. This movie could not decide what it wanted be, much like it's main character. It wavers between raunchy comedy and romantic drama in a completely disassociated way. I did very much enjoy the raunchy comedy and funny younger brother very much, but the Parkinson's drama was just trite and really got in the way of the sex; or for those of you who like the love story the sex distracts from it. I kept wanting the sex and drama to mix into a beautiful film, but I was left disappointed in a mist of unoriginality.

The Rite

There's one topic horror films can't get enough of lately, and it's possession. You've seen one person possessed by the devil, or demon, or whatever and you've seen them all. At the beginning of the film I found it's tongue and cheek sense of humor endearing. It gave the film a Scream-like sense of humor, yet still allowing it to belong in its own genre. I also enjoyed the fact that for the first three quarters of the film we were treated to an agnostic's point of view on the subject of exorcisms. Really, this film lost me at the end when the character has a change of heart in a completely cliché and uncharacteristic turn. But truly, regardless of everything I just said, the only reason to see this film is to see Anthony Hopkins possessed, which was a complete treat.

The Dilemma

This movie got horrible publicity when the trailer first debuted because of the use of the word “gay”. When actually watching the film, Vince Vaughn’s usual blabbering until he gets out of trouble demeanor works in this case too. Besides the misuse of language, this film had opportunities to be great with a high caliber cast, but completely fell short. There were plenty of laughs between Vince Vaughn and Kevin James and Vince Vaughn and Winona Ryder and Vince Vaughn and Channing Tatum, but what I really wanted to see were some great scenes between Winona Ryder and Jennifer Connelly. They are two amazing actress and I think it would’ve added to the movie if they got a couple scenes together bitching about the inept men in their lives. Oh well. This is just a luke warm comedy compliments of the dead month of January.

Blue Valentine

I wish I saw this film before making my top ten list of 2010 because it was magnificent. I have never seen such raw and authentic acting performances in my life. The chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams is so real that I truly felt as though I was watching a true-to-life couple falling in and out of love with each other. Regarding the controversy about ratings surrounding the film, I can understand why the overly prudish MPAA would want to give it an NC-17 rating. However when examining the one particular scene that pushed the rating that high, I think the similar scene found in Black Swan was far more graphic and raunchier. It’s sweet and endearing in Blue Valentine. This movie is fucking fantastic and I’m glad it got its R rating.

My Top Ten

I will be the first to admit my taste in film is very different from other people’s which is why I chose to write this blog. A lot of people are going to disagree with my choice of top ten films of 2010, and I don’t care. Like with all art, film is subjective and truly depends on the viewer. Though you can learn about how to judge the quality of the cinematography, editing, directing, etc. it really depends on what is appealing and entertaining to the viewer. So here are my favorite ten films of the last year. 1) Black Swan: Some people might say that making this film my number one is a cop out, but I don’t think it is. It beautifully and tragically combines all the things I love: horror, mystery, psychosis, dance, and sex. It’s also one of the few movies that I was excited about that didn’t disappoint me. 2) Easy A: I have a soft spot of teen comedies and this one definitely exceeded my expectations. It was obvious the director had a love of the films to and Emma Stone truly showed her comedic strength and her ability to carry a film. I hope to see more quality films from her. 3) The Social Network: This film definitely represents the mentality of the millennial generation and coincidentally the entrepreneur mentality of America. Plus it has my favorite line of dialogue from 2010: “you’re going to go through life thinking girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd, but really, it’s because you’re an asshole.” 4) Morning Glory: This movie got a lot of terrible reviews comparing it to Network, but that was just stupid. This movie about a girl figuring out her life and career is more about the character, which was a realistic portrayal of a woman in transition, and not about a failing network. Of course they wouldn’t be similar. People need to look at the movies separately. 5) Eat Pray Love: Another brilliant tale about a woman on her journey, trying to figure out her life. It would’ve been better if her quest wasn’t tainted by the need and desire to find a man. 6) Tangled: Finally, finally, finally Disney has given their princess more substance! Why are the quitting when their ahead? I’ll never know. But if they decided to keep producing fairy tales, I would be very excited about where they were headed. 7) The Tempest: I will never understand why this got bad reviews, its Shakespeare straight up with a twist. I guess film audiences are too dumb now to appreciate the beauty that is Shakespeare and when a film wants to be a living piece of art. 8) Please Give: There was something about this film that really resonated with me, but I can’t quite pinpoint it. I did enjoy the representation of the different characters in different phases in their lives because I think everyone could relate to at least one of the people in this film. 9) The Runaways: I have a soft spot for chicks who want to rock and for a rock and roll lifestyle so I thought this movie rocked! Enough said. 10) Flipped: A classic tale of boy meets girl in grade school, boy thinks girl is weird, but eventually her falls her. A little cliché, I know, but the complex families the main characters belong to and the messages they portray make this a memorable movie worth watching.

Somewhere

Being a great admirer of Sofia Coppola’s body of work I immediately placed her latest film on my must see list for December. Somewhere is filled with the usual elements found in a Sofia Coppola film such as quiet moments revealed in a single frame and the peaceful, almost meditative, pace. However, I think she missed the opportunity to make this small film a great film and another Oscar contender like Lost in Translation. It felt as though this film ended at the end of the second act and there was no climax. If there had been that climax, the movie would’ve truly arced, the lesson would’ve been learned, and the main character would’ve grown. Instead you’re left with hopes that Johnny the actor steps up and becomes a real father.

The Tempest

Julie Taymor is a visionary director who knows how to turn a film into a piece of fine art. Everything about this film worked and complimented the language of Shakespeare beautifully. The most noteworthy part of the film was the lack of CGI when creating the special effects. Most of the effects were created with film tricks and editing, a tradition long forgotten in the film industry today. I would gladly sit through this film again and immerse myself in the world Julie Taymor created.

Tron: Legacy

I have never seen the original Tron and when I heard the sequel was coming out, I put the original in my Netflix queue and it became “unavailable,” so I only had a vague idea of what to expect. There were some cool effects in the basically monochromatic color scheme and I’m pretty sure science-fiction and video game enthusiasts will find it to be a fantastic film, filling the void for this year’s Avatar. It was an entertaining film with a kick ass soundtrack which I’m planning on purchasing in the near future, but when thinking about individual parts to evaluate, I’m left cold. I guess a bunch of neutral elements put together equals something entertaining? I don’t know.