Time for the 3rd annual Part Time Awards! This is for 73 films "released" in 2010 that I watched from 1/1/2010 to 2/27/2011 (Oscars).
The theme of this year is ties. Not because of inferior choices, but because there were so many good choices, especially in drama, documentary, and action. Same for power acting movies that had a good story. Or I'm just copping out a lot.
Published 2/28/2011.
Genre Favorites
Action:
I'm going with Unstoppable for being a lean, mean excitement machine. Kudos to the over-the-top trio of The A-Team, The Expendables and Machete for being very entertaining. For action flicks with substance, can't go wrong with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Inception and Kick-Ass.
Animated:
A tie between How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3. Though I would not be surprised if I had judged another Pixar great too harshly (this time for plot). Despicable Me and Tangled were good too.
Comedy:
Scott Pilgrim vs the World followed closely by Easy A and Hot Tub Time Machine.
Drama:
Very tough competition, including: The American, The Fighter, Kick-Ass, The Kids are All Right, and 127 Hours. But clearlyThe King's Speech and The Social Network were the best.
Documentary:
This year's group was overloaded due to all the 30 for 30 entries that I saw. Despite the numerous excellent contenders, it's a tie. My brain tells me Restrepo, but my heart tells me Exit Through the Gift Shop. As for the ESPN titles, my favorites were easily Once Brothers and Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs the New York Knicks, but me being a big basketball fan might be a factor. The Best That Never Was, Into the Wind, and The Two Escobars were also top contenders.
Family-Friendly:
I think How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3 are both equally excellent films for kids. The former might be more for older kids or boys.
Science Fiction:
Even though Inception was clearly superior, Tron: Legacy was more of pure sci-fi.
Sports:
Once Brothers and Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs the New York Knicks again. The Fighter was the only non-documentary sports flick that I saw and liked.
Suspense:
Black Swan definitely kept me on edge with its psychological mind games. Honorable mentions to Buried and The Town.
Trippy:
Inception, simply for the ludicrous hotel fight. Black Swan and Shutter Island were pretty good too.
3D:
I choose How to Train Your Dragon over Tron: Legacy because it was a much better film. Honorable mention goes to Alice in Wonderland for the floating Chesire Cat. Worst obviously goes to Clash of the Titans.
Genre Winners by Default (or lack of competition)
Chick Flick: Black Swan.
Dark Comedy: A tie between Cyrus, Get Low, and Machete.
Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
Horror: Sharktopus.
Musical: Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Or Tangled if you want to get technical.
War: Restrepo.
Western: True Grit.
Most Underrated:
Kick-Ass for its attention to character and story depth. I'm also going to say The Town, simply for its lack of Oscar nominations. Looking for Eric is probably more overlooked than underrated.
Most Overrated:
Greenberg. It had good acting, but its inability to get me emotionally involved made it mediocre. The Fighter (predictable), Toy Story 3 (thin story) and True Grit (see Most Disappointing) were excellent films, but slightly overrated.
Most Disappointing:
Get Him to the Greek, despite Diddy's best efforts, that second half was a mess. I also nominate True Grit because I expected a bigger presence from the Coen brothers in this remake.
Biggest Surprise:
Hot Tub Time Machine, How to Train Your Dragon, Kick-Ass, and Unstoppable. A four-way tie.
Favorite score
Three-way tie between Tron: Legacy, Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Inception.
Best Acted:
I'm going with The King's Speech because it had the best story accompanying Colin Firth's great performance. A really good slew of good movies with memorable performances in 127 Hours (James Franco), Black Swan (Natalie Portman, Barbara Hershey), The American (George Clooney), The Fighter (Christian Bale, Melissa Leo), The Kids are All Right (ensemble), The Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg), True Grit (Jeff Bridges).
Most Interesting:
Buried, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The King's Speech.
"Do one thing, do it well" Award:
Unstoppable for its non-stop, increasing excitement, just like a runaway... never mind. Candidates include The A-Team/The Expendables/Machete for over-the-top macho explosions.
Most Likely to be Unintentionally Funny in Five Years:
I disqualify The Sorcerer's Apprentice because it's already unintentionally funny. The A-Team, Clash of the Titans, and The Expendables are clear-cut favorites. For dark horse: Tron: Legacy, because we don't know what technology (story-wise and technique-wise) will be like in the future.
Favorite Cinematic Moments:
Inception's hotel fight scene, last thirty minutes of Toy Story 3, when James Franco amputates his arm, the flying tank from The A-Team, listening to Daft Punk in IMAX, the Minions in Despicable Me, "Machete don't text", Totoro's cameo, and Mr. Tortilla Head. Least favorite: seeing Al Davis in HD in Straight Outta L.A.
Notable Missed Movies:
The Tempest, Day and Knight, Waiting for Superman, Winter's Bone, Rabbit Hole, Piranha 3D, Let Me In, Blue Valentine, The Human Centipede.
Worth Checking Out:
The A-Team
Alice in Wonderland
Cyrus
Despicable Me
Dive!
The Expendables
The Fighter
Get Low
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hot Tub Time Machine
Into the Wind
Iron Man 2
The Kids are All Right
Machete
Marion Jones: Press Pause
Tangled
Tim Richmond: To the Limit
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Seek These Out:
The American
The Best That Never Was
Black Swan
Buried
Easy A
Once Brothers
Pony Excess
The Town
The Two Escobars
Most Memorable/Important Films of the Year:
Exit Through the Gift Shop
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
Kick-Ass
The King's Speech
127 Hours
Restrepo
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs the New York Knicks
Favorite Best Picture Nominee:
The King's Speech. Great acting, fascinating story, and had me emotionally invested throughout the film.
Favorite Film Not Nominated For Best Picture:
A tie between How to Train Your Dragon and Kick-Ass.
Favorite Movie of the Year:
The King's Speech. Though I thought really hard about How to Train Your Dragon, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Kick-Ass, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World.
Thanks for reading!
