Best Animated Feature
Directed by Tomm Moore
I realize The Secret Of Kells was nominated for an Academy Award in 2009, but technically the film was only released in 2010 and quite frankly I don’t care much for the Oscars. The Secret of Kells remains a feast for the eyes with it’s meticulous drawings, a throwback to the more stylized, painterly work of decades past. Steeped in magic, history, religion and Celtic mytholosgy, the subject matter may be a tad obscure for American audiences but at least it offers a refreshing alternative to Hollywood fare. Quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, The Secret Of Kells features a powerful message, appealing characters and a unique visual style.
Special mention: Toy Story 3
Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Directed by Banksy
Exit Through the Gift Shop initiates a role reversal in which documentarian becomes artist and vice versa and the plain fact is that, on some level, it doesn’t matter whether the film is true or not. In fact the widespread speculation that Exit Through the Gift Shop is a hoax only adds to its fascination. What is important is that the filmmakers tell a good story and they not only do, but they deliver one of the most entertaining movies of the year. The guerrilla style filmmaking about guerrilla graffiti artists and their status in the art world provides a provocative and absorbing exploration of what constitutes as art, which at the end of the day could very well be anything.
Special mention: The Two Escobars
Best Screenplay
The Social Network written by Aaron Sorkin
Best Canadian Film
Incendies
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Right from the cold opening dialogue-free sequence set to Radiohead’s You and Whose Army, Incendies is a visually striking, deeply moving and powerful tale of two young adults’ travelling to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love. Based on the play by Wajdi Mouawad, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve’s latest film has the skeleton of a Greek tragedy and the skin of political allegory. Although the brush strokes are sometimes uneven the grand design of Incendies is worthy of art house success and your attention.
Special mention: Les Amours Imaginaires (Heartbeats)
Best Horror Film
Directed by Matt Reeves
The pressure in adapting a story or remaking a film is that the filmmakers already have an archetype to which everyone will compare their work to. Some people will be unwilling to invite this film in, but those who do, will be rewarded. Let Me In is a film that achieves the rare feat of remaining faithful to its source material while emerging as a highly accomplished work in its own right.
Special mention: We Are What We Are
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Best Action Film
Ip Man 2
Directed by Wilson Yip
With Samo Hung joining the cast of the series as a rival master, Ip Man 2 raises the bar of martial arts performances even higher than its predecessor. Seeing Hung and Yen on-screen, side-by-side is nothing less than magic and is only exceeded by a showdown atop a wobbly table, in what would be the art of Wing Chun versus the style of Hung Ga Kuen. The action choreography, once again designed by Sammo Hung, continues to amaze, only improving on the previous film.
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Best Comedy
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Directed by Eli Craig
Eli Craig’s twisted throwback to backwoods horror puts everything in reverse. It’s about a case of mistaken intentions to the nth degree. Instead of mass-murdering rednecks, our two unsuspecting hillbillies, Tucker & Dale (Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine) fall victim to the crazed machinations of a group of rowdy college kids. When Dale shelves his fear of the opposite sex to rescue one of the college co-eds from drowning, her friends mistake him for a backwoods killer. The twist here is that the hillbillies in question are not psychotic, but are actually warmhearted men who fall victim to circumstance.
Best Western
True Grit
Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
Best LGBT Film
A Single Man directed by Tom Ford
Technically released in 2009 but it only saw theatrical release in Montreal in 2010. Tom Ford’s directorial debut stands as a vivid portrait of life behind a veil. The former fashion designer proves a born filmmaker and Colin Firth certainly delivers one of the best performances in recent years.
Best Sci-Fi Movie
Never Let Me Go
Directed by Mark Romanek
Romanek, a highly respected music video director making his follow-up to One Hour Photo, has crafted an update of the Frankenstein myth. A film which features provocative themes, impeccable craftsmanship and superb performances, Never Let Me Go is part period piece, part sci-fi drama, part romance and at times horrific. Romanek’s direction is incredible, carefully constructing his film so that much of what is left unsaid is made clear through his visual representation.
Special mention: Monsters
Best Cinematograhy
Michael McDonough – Winter’s Bone
Special Mention: Greig Fraser – Let Me In
Best Film Score
Clint Mansell – Black Swan
Special mention: John Murphy – Kick-Ass
Best Soundtrack
Kick-Ass
Best foreign Film
Castaway On The Moon
Directed by Hae-jun Lee
Castaway On The Moon is a masterful piece of filmmaking – compelling, smart, and truly original but more importantly it manages to entertain while supplying observations on society, nature, determination, choice, isolation, friendships, ability and more.
Special mention: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
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Best Director
David Fincher – The Social Network
Three Most Overlooked Films
1- Stone directed by John Curran
2- Rabbit Hole directed by John Cameron Mitchell
3- Quattro Volte directed by Michelangelo Frammartino
Best Sound Design
Black Swan
Best Sound Editing
Stone
Best Editing
Jonathan Amos & Paul Machliss – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Best Art Direction
Black Swan
Best Actor
James Franco – 127 Hours
Best Actress
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Best Film
Black Swan
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Aronofsky really shows off his skill for combining genres in a unique and unsettling way with Black Swan. A mix of Roman Polanski’s studies of shattered feminine psyches (think Repulsion) and David Cronenberg’s movies about body horror – with nods to Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes and Ingmar Bergman’s Persona – Black Swan shows in excruciating detail how much physical pain some artists are willing to inflict upon themselves in the pursuit of perfection. Natalie Portman gives the best performance of her career, nearly in every frame of the movie, often in close-up while conveying a barrage of intense and complicated emotions. Cinemaotpgrapher Matthew Libatique provides gorgeous visuals using a mix of documentary-style handheld and traditional set-ups while composer Clint Mansell’s menacing score along with the intricate sound design is without a doubt the best of the year.
Special mention: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Ricky D’s official Top 50 films of 2010
Film included in my 2009 list that were released in 2010 include:
The Loved Ones
Wild Grass
Dogtooth
Mother
Everyone Else
Top 50
(Also I only placed the top 10 in order of preference)
50- Gainsbourg
49- Another Year
48- Black Death
47- Piranha 3D
46- Stone
45- Tron: Legacy
44- Blue Valentine
43- Disappearance of Alice Creed
42- Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
41- Buried
40- The Fighter
39- Carlos
38- True Grit
37- Somewhere
36- Last Exorcism
35-Tournee
34- Revenant
33- I Spit On Your Grave
32- Machete
31- Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil
30- Inception
29- I Am Love
28- Wild Hunt
27- The American
26- Valhalla Rising
25- Toy Story3
24-Incendies
23- The Secret of Kells
22- 127 Hours
21- Fish Tank
20- Greenberg
19-Monsters
18- Les Amours Imaginaire
17- Une Prophete
16- Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
15- Never Let Me Go
14- Animal Kingdom
13- Rabbit Hole
12- A Single Man
11- Quatrro Volte
10- We Are What We Are
9- The Two Escobars
8- Castaway On The Moon
7- Exit Through The Gift Shop
6- Winter’s Bone
5- Kick-Ass
4- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
3- The Social Network
2- Let Me In
1- Black Swan
Oversights:
Alamar
Hadewijch
Samson and Delilah
Prodigal Son
Eccentricities of A Blond Hair Girl
Amer
Secret Sunshine
Vincere
Lourdes