I saw a record 633 films (new and old) during 2010…here were my various favorites, starting with vintage film picks, then 2010:
BEST PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM, RUNNER UP – Love Me Tonight (1932) – Rodgers and Hart present the first great musical
BEST PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM – Tol’able David (1921) – Powerful silent gem about bravery and heroism
BEST SILENT NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM SEEN IN 2010, RUNNER UP – Modern Times (1936) – Chaplin’s absolute masterpiece of comedy
BEST SILENT NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM SEEN IN 2010 – Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) – One of the most beautiful love stories ever
BEST NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM SEEN IN 2010, RUNNER UP – All About Eve (1950) – Deserves to be here for its sharp crackling wit alone
BEST NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY FILM SEEN IN 2010 – Vertigo (1958) – Hitchcock’s best film. Enough said.
BEST NON-NFR VINTAGE FILM SEEN IN 2010, RUNNER UP – The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) – Fascinating, tragic portrait of Joan of Arc’s trial
BEST NON-NFR VINTAGE FILM SEEN IN 2010 – Random Harvest (1942) – A hackneyed premise (amnesia) is made into a wonderful romantic tearjerker
BEST UNRELEASED FILM, RUNNER UP – SUPER – This darrrk comedy is the best of the regular-guy-tries-to-be-a-superhero trend
BEST UNRELEASED FILM – Tabloid – Why hasn’t Errol Morris’ documentary about a truly bizarre kidnapping case been released yet?
MOST OVERLOOKED 2010 FILM, RUNNER UP – Ondine – Lyrical modern fairytale about a fisherman and a woman who may be a mythical selkie
MOST OVERLOOKED 2010 FILM – Agora – Rachel Weisz is amazing in this lavish biopic about Hypatia and the Great Library of Alexandria
MOST DISAPPOINTING 2010 FILM, RUNNER UP – Hereafter – Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon can’t enliven this limp trilogy of afterlife tales
MOST DISAPPOINTING 2010 FILM – Never Let Me Go – This minimal sci-fi tale never gets off the ground, and ends up a wishy-washy mess
WORST 2010 FILM, RUNNER UP – Film Socialism – It is sad to see the once great Jean-Luc Godard deface his filmography with trash like this
WORST 2010 FILM – Skyline – The horror! The horror! Show any invading aliens this film, and they’d commit suicide on the spot!
BEST 2010 MOVIE TRAILER, RUNNER UP – The Social Network – The angelic chorus, the random statuses, and the sharp dialogue combine perfectly
BEST 2010 MOVIE TRAILER – Inception – Introduces the film’s iconic score (BRRRAAAAAAMMMMMP!) and a tasty glimpse of the movie’s twists
BEST 2010 HORROR FILM, RUNNER UP – Daybreakers – What happens AFTER the vampire apocalypse? Wonder no more…
BEST 2010 HORROR FILM – Let Me In – A remake that is as good as the celebrated original
BEST 2010 COMEDY, RUNNER UP – Hot Tub Time Machine – Never quite reaches its potential, but this goofy film has plenty of laughs
BEST 2010 COMEDY – The Other Guys – This buddy cop parody gets the humorous tone just right as it tweaks all sorts of action film cliches
BEST 2010 ANIMATED FILM, RUNNER UP – Tangled – The best non-Pixar Disney film in nearly twenty years
BEST 2010 ANIMATED FILM – The Illusionist – A nearly dialogue-free touchingly beautiful gem from France
BEST 2010 FOREIGN FILM, RUNNER UP – Micmacs – Quirky and delightful fun from Amelie filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Packed with detail!
BEST 2010 FOREIGN FILM – A Prophet – This epic prison drama has been compared to the Godfather, and for good reason…
BEST 2010 SCENE, RUNNER UP – The Ward vs. Sanchez fight in The Fighter
BEST 2010 SCENE – The shifting gravity hallway sequence in Inception
BEST 2010 SCREENPLAY, RUNNER UP – The Ghost Writer – A solid, taut thriller that feels familiar yet keeps you guessing
BEST 2010 SCREENPLAY – The Social Network – Witty rapid-fire banter galore!
BEST 2010 ACTRESS, RUNNER UP – Natalie Portman, Black Swan – Portman is stunning as a mentally unstable ballerina
BEST 2010 ACTRESS – Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole – An amazing portrait of one woman’s attempts to rise above grief
BEST 2010 ACTOR, RUNNER UP – Robert Duvall, Get Low – I’m not usually a Duvall fan, but he truly delivers the goods here
BEST 2010 ACTOR – James Franco, 127 Hours – Alone for the bulk of the film, he completely captivates your attention. Wow!
BEST 2010 FILM, RUNNER UP – The King’s Speech – A wonderful ensemble cast in a classically entertaining story that never takes a misstep
BEST 2010 FILM – 127 Hours – Don’t let fear of “the scene” keep you away from this amazingly powerful film. The year’s best.