Movies that Moved Me

It’s traditional in critic circles to do a Top Ten list of the best movies of the year. Ten is a nice, round number, and it’s a worthwhile discipline, I suppose, to wheedle down the best films of the year into some sort of order.

But I’m old fashioned. I think movies should be fun to watch. Some of the “great” films feel like homework. While I recognize their greatness, they just weren’t any fun. You’ll notice their conspicuous absence on my list. Also, you’ll notice an absence of foreign films. That’s surely a failure on my part. I saw plenty of subtitled movies this year. Perhaps it’s the work of reading subtitles, or in the case of Spanish films, being too arrogant to read the subtitles and therefore completely misunderstanding the actors, or perhaps it’s the lack of cultural clues and humor. While I could intellectually recognize the fine work of some foreign films, none connected with me at a deep level.

The bottom line of a great movie is that it should move you, transport you to some place you’ve never been before, or reveal to you some place you know all too well. So I’ve broken my best-of list into three categories. Enjoy!

Blew Me Away, Must-See, Absolutely Amazing Movies

There’s a certain feeling I get, sitting in the dark theater, completely consumed by the film I’m watching. The world melts away and I’m transported. When the credits roll, I can’t wait to tell everyone what an amazing movie this was. These are those films of 2010 for me. Whenever I try to rank them amongst themselves, to name one best film of 2010, it’s like trying to rank my children on, you know, a day when nobody has broken anything or called a sibling “sausage neck face.” They’re different and the world would be a sadder place without each of them in a completely different way.  If you don’t see these films, you’re dead to me.

Winter’s Bone

This film tells the tale of Ree Dolly, an Ozark teen who is perfectly capable of caring for her disabled mother and young siblings, plus trekking through the mountain criminal world on a quest for her missing father. Jennifer Lawrence plays Ree with such determination and persistence that she becomes epic in scope while still remaining very much a teen girl.

Toy Story 3

Sequels are never supposed to outshine the original, but in the hands of the geniuses of Pixar, Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the gang become archetypical characters. A fun, funny movie about toys morphs into a profound meditation on the meaning of friendship and then morphs again into a bittersweet portrait of growing up. If you don’t cry in the last 20 minutes, you’re not human.

Inception

It’s not common that you see a film totally unlike anything that’s come before. Christopher Nolan imagined a world, then set out to create it. His bold imagination redefined the words “dream,” “reality,” and “gravity.” This film was such a thrill, I still don’t care that I didn’t totally understand it.

The Social Network

Every once in a while, a film taps into the very pulse of what is happening societally. Facebook is a movement the effects of which remain to be seen. It’s reshaped the way we think. Aaron Sorkin’s profound script and Jessie Eisenberg’s fantastic acting don’t dwell on the societal changes. In “the Social Network’s” world, they’re a given. Which makes them all the more scary and this movie all the more profound.

True Grit

Leave it to the Coen brothers to make another nearly flawless movie. Jeff Bridges was born to play Rooster Cogburn, an aged, mean, slovenly US Marshall hired by Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld), a fourteen year old determined to see her father’s murderer punished. As only the Coen brothers can do, the dress, the speech, the general ethos of the film feel so authentic that you’re transported to a world in which justice came at the end of a gun to those who doggedly pursued it. It also becomes a sweet love story between two rough, but decent, men and the little girl they grow to respect. Let’s hear it for Westerns!

Pure Delights that are Quite Good

These are delightful films that are really quite good. They are a pleasure to watch, well crafted, thoroughly entertaining. Perhaps because they are not so grand in scope, perhaps from some small defect in acting or writing, they are not the must-see variety. But they’re very, very good. Think of those above as “A+++” movies and these as “A” movies.

The Fighter

The acting in this film about two half-brothers who want a shot at boxing glory is stupendous. Christian Bale is extremely convincing as the charismatic drug addict, Mark Wahlberg as a taciturn fighter who reluctantly pushes his family away for his own good, and Melissa Leo as their mother whose dysfunction is mixed up with her love. It’s an excellent movie. Most people would put it in the A+++ category, but perhaps because it’s about boxing, it didn’t quite get there with me. Problem with that? Get your own list.

The King’s Speech

Colin Firth does a fine job of playing King George VI, the younger son with a terrible stutter who was called upon to speak out to his people words of comfort and courage as World War II raged around them. Underneath, it’s a beautiful bro-mance, with the king realizing his need for friendship and advice from Lionel (Geoffrey Rush), his voice coach. It’s quite good, but the subject matter isn’t as universal in scope as it should be for me to put it in the above category.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story

I have a soft spot for mental illness, so this film about a teen who checks himself into the psych ward of the hospital connected with me. As he gets treatment, he meets the wacky and unbalanced patients there and gains perspective on his own life. Zach Galifinakis, as a middle aged and quite sick patient, is amazing. The thing I loved is that they did not minimalize the mental illness with which these folks were afflicted, but the film lovingly portrays them with quiet humor and dignity.

How To Train Your Dragon

The laughs come regularly as Hiccough, a scrawny, thinking Viking in a world of meatheads, tries to find his place in the tribe. But when this movie leaves the earth, Hiccough flying on the back of his new dragon friend, it really soars. Moments of wonder make it breathtaking.

Tangled

Disney’s newest princess flick really works. With tons of heart and a sly wink at Disney staples over the years, this film connected with kids. But what really makes it work, beside beautiful animation and lots of fresh humor, is the contrast of self-sacrificial love of the young couple against the self-serving affection of Rapunzel’s supposed mother.

Babies
As documentaries go, this simple film is about the cutest you’ll ever find. Four babies, from Africa, America, Japan, and Mongolia, are captured on camera as they go through the first year of life. The cheek-pinching adorableness aside, the film was a fascinating look at the wild differences in human culture around our planet. It’s not only the things we recognize that give it impact, like the lack of material goods in the third world, but in things we don’t, such as the hovering, obsessive, nearly paranoid parenting style so common in the West that looks completely different through global eyes.

Waiting for Superman

How can it be that kids, good kids, and parents, hard-working parents, are at the mercy of fate determining their children’s’ futures? This documentary looks at the plight of all too many students in failing urban schools. It then explores the possibility of rescue and escape through charter schools, but the odds are long for those seeking a slot. This powerful film is one of the few that made me cry this year. It will make you very, very angry.

Movies I Thoroughly Enjoyed and I’m Not (Much) Ashamed to Admit It

No one would claim these films for greatness. For the most part, they’re not intended to be great. But I found myself coming back and watching “Hot Tub Time Machine” again when I was supposed to be watching real artsy films like “Black Swan.” These films I thoroughly enjoyed. Like a comfy, stretched out sweatshirt, I wouldn’t bust them out at a formal party, but they probably get more use than my fancy silk gown.

Nanny McPhee Returns

When you sit down to watch a movie about a magical nanny, you don’t expect A-caliber performances, but that’s just what Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson delivered in this flick. It’s utterly delightful and better made than a “kid’s flick” has a right to be.

The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

The story, about young owls who join the legendary owls of Ga’Hoole, has parallels to great stories like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. When something evil raises its head, it’s up to good people (or owls) to stand up and resist, fighting when necessary for the right. We seek peace, but we will not trade justice for a paltry, terrorized peace. Add in spectacular animation and this is a very good film that not only entertains, but strengthens the moral core of children.

Megamind

This movie about a villain who might just decide to become the hero has many layers of meaning. There’s lots of fun and good jokes, but the core of the film is about someone resisting the fate that both nature and nurture has pushed him into, finding something good to believe in, and being willing to change the course of his life. It’s easy to be a superhero when you’re born to it; A bit harder when you grew up in the Prison for the Criminally Gifted.

The Expendables

Pure fun. Pound for pound, this movie had more explosives than any other flick this year. Sly Stallone and his gang were clearly having so much fun making the movie that it was easy to get caught up in the spirit of the thing. The script had a surprising amount of depth to it, including one moving scene, totally unexpected, with Mickey Rourke. Mostly, though, the film was about the careening fun of a good, old fashioned blow-em-up. I loved it. Wouldn’t nominate it for an Oscar, but I loved it.

Hot Tub Time Machine

I can’t really recommend this film because it earns every bit of its R rating and then some. It’s raunchy with extra raunch sauce. It’s everything your momma warned you about. But somehow it worked for me, tickling my funny bone. Perhaps it’s that it is an elaborate homage to “Back to the Future,” complete with a HI-larious role for Crispin Glover, the father in BTTF. I laugh every time I think of the random bear wandering through various scenes. I don’t know what it says about me that it’s my favorite comedy of the year, but there it is. Y’all can chip in for my therapy.

The One that Got Away

I see a lot of movies. But there are always a few that sneak past me. I expect I’ll get the chance to revisit them, but sometimes I never do. This is the movie I regret not seeing in 2010.

Get Low

I love Robert Duvall. The plot, about a cranky hermit who throws his own wake while still alive, is appealing. I heard wonderful things about it and that Duvall was spectacular. I really wanted to see it. But never did. Oh well, there’s always 2011.