2010 Year End Recap, Part One.

An important note from the Cap'n: While every review available is included as a link, the placement of the film on these "year end" lists may not appear to reflect the review. As time passes, I have the opportunity to reconsider films, revisit initial reactions, and every now and then, change the way I feel about movies.

Let's start with... The Middle (it's a very good place to start). What you'll find in this list are the films that were solid, entertaining, or did just enough to stay out of the "Favorites" or "Never Again"s. They are listed from "top" Middle to "bottom" Middle, with the films higher on the list being recommended and the lower ranked films coming with a warning. For me, all of the films on this list were worth checking out in one form or the other, so see if anything strikes your fancy.

When helpful, I am providing additional thoughts along with a link to the original review. Films marked with an asterisk (*) indicate a limited release prior to 2010, but in most cases were not given a wide release until last year.

The Town - Ben Affleck's sophomore directorial debut just missed the cut in my favorite films of 2010. If anything, I held back because the loose pacing serves the story well, but does, at times, make the film drag. The extended cut, which is still unseen, may sway things one way or the other, but for now this fine, if languid, heist thriller still comes highly recommended.

Micmacs - I still haven't watched Micmacs with subtitles, but Jeneut's follow up to A Very Long Engagement has a quirky, amusing tone that serves it well. It doesn't quite reach the heights of Amelie or The City of Lost Children, but when the bar is that high, you can't hold it against Micmacs for just being very good.

[REC] 2* - Did [REC] 2 ever come out in the U.S.? Other than absolutely needing to see the first film, this sequel ups the ante in nearly every way, even if it stumbles during a perspective-switching middle section.

Casino Jack and the United States of Money - I never got around to reviewing this on New Year's Eve, but the documentary about Jack Abramoff - not to be mistaken with Casino Jack, the quasi-biopic starring Kevin Spacey - from Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) is a fascinating portrait of the "villain" of Lobbyists. It certainly makes me want to watch Red Scorpion with Dolph Lundgren (a film Abramoff wrote and produced between his run as President of College Republicans and his Too Successful for Its Own Good Lobbyist stint). Aside from an ill-advised opening - which uses footage from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to make the "is it just Jack or is corruption systematic?" argument - the documentary is guaranteed to surprise you.

The Book of Eli - As you know, I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic cinema. The Book of Eli is a good-looking, well constructed take on the genre; its "twist" tends to turn people off, but while it won't change your life, it's a nice distraction.

I Love You, Phillip Morris

Harry Brown* - If not for that final character revelation, I'd put it higher.

Leaves of Grass

American Grindhouse - This documentary takes you on a whirlwind tour of exploitation films, and manages to cram a great deal of information into its 78 minutes. Focusing on one or two types of exploitation films, it manages to cover a lot of ground from "Facts of life"-sploitation, Blaxploitation, "Roughies," Nudies, Schlock, Drugsploitation, Women-in-Prison films, Nazisploitation, heading into the inevitable shift from exploitation films to porn in grindhouse theatres. Includes interviews with Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast), William Lustig (Maniac), Fred Williamson (Boss), Larry Cohen (Black Caesar), David Hess (The Last House on the Left), and John Landis (Schlock), who insists that The Passion of the Christ is closer to a "grindhouse" picture than Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse.

Speaking of which, the next films form their own trifecta of action exploitation:

Machete, The Expendables, and Predators - None of these movies are perfect, in and of themselves. Machete wanders too much from the main character (ala Once Upon a Time in Mexico), The Expendables is so "old school" action movie that most modern action fans don't know how to deal with it (which isn't a fault, per se, but it also totally fails to make any character remotely "expendable), and Predators needlessly grinds its momentum to a halt when Laurence Fishburne arrives onscreen. Still, there's something to like in all of them, and when there is, it's a lot to like.

Pontypool*
44 Inch Chest*

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - One thing I feel I need to clarify is that I didn't hate Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I admire the effort: after watching many of the extra features on the Blu-Ray, I actually respect what Edgar Wright accomplished in adapting Scott Pilgrim. My qualm with the film, the reason I can't side with its legion of fans (or fanatics) is that the film fundamentally didn't connect with me. Nothing about Scott Pilgrim or Ramona Flowers roused any emotional response from me (or, for that matter, any particular intellectual response), and as much as I may appreciate the effort, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World misses the mark where I needed it to hit most.

Tales from the Script*

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Despite a fundamentally positive review, I can't help but dwell on the fact that Oliver Stone has a little too much sympathy for his characters - something that really kicked into high gear with World Trade Center - and as a result, Money Never Sleeps doesn't really have any bite to it in the end. On its own, that would be no big deal, but when dealing with the sequel to Wall Street, it's a serious hindrance. The use of obvious visual metaphors (the dominoes and bubbles) and too "on the nose" David Byrne and Brian Eno songs also keeps Money Never Sleeps from being higher on the list.


Iron Man 2 - Since May, I've been trying to figure out what I had to say about Iron Man 2. I saw it twice: once in the theatre and once... well, one other time. I have the Blu-Ray and watched part of the film a month ago. It's not that there's anything colossally good or bad about the film: I like that Tony Stark's real adversary in the film is himself, and that there's a level of moral ambiguity in the film so that there is no "bad guy." If you've only seen the advertising, it's wildly misleading: Mickey Rourke has a very good reason for hating Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson isn't a villain at all, and the barely featured Sam Rockwell is a jealous rival weapons manufacturer who really just wants Tony Stark to be his friend. Of course, it does give Iron Man 2 a serious case of "who cares?" No villains, not much in the way of stakes, and the increased presence of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to push ahead the impending Avengers film, in a subplot that could have existed organically in the film without the tie-in. In many ways, it's a better film than Iron Man, but the question is if the focus is less coherent, is the sequel ultimately better?

The Crazies - Apparently, I never reviewed Breck Eisner's remake of The Crazies, which is a reasonably effective "virus" film that expands George Romero's low-budget original and generates some genuine suspense. That said, I tried watching it again, and it doesn't hold up well. For first time viewers, I sense there will be some level of enjoyment, but don't buy it and expect to revisit with friends.

Wrong Side of Town - It's only in the middle because people who read my review need to know they're heading into a surprisingly entertaining BAD movie. I stand by the After Hours meets Commando description, with the caveat that this film is nowhere near as good as either film. Approach if you have a very generous ability to be entertained by low budget action films starring professional wrestlers.

The Other Guys - If the "Unrated" cut makes a difference, I might come back to this. As is, the film is amusing, random, but unspectacular.

Toy Story 3 - I think my review covers why this is where it is, unlike many critics' "Top" list.
The Lost Skeleton Returns Again
Dark and Stormy Night

Crazy Heart* - Trim out 30 minutes, and maybe this would be a better movie.

Dead Snow* - I get why people love it, but the references are so direct and so obvious that I can't share your unbridled enthusiasm. Still, it is periodically very funny.

Hot Tub Time Machine - After the initial shock laughter wears off, the film's flimsy premise shows through, doesn't rise above it's lack of creative mayhem, and totally fails the "second time" test at home.

Dinner for Schmucks - Thoroughly inconsequential. I can barely remember the film, and it's only been four months.

Daybreakers - While I appreciate setting up the premise and sticking with it in a non-ironic, non-jokey way, Daybreakers falls apart halfway through and isn't something I really plan to revisit.

Winnebago Man - What happens when a director isn't talented enough to course correct when his original documentary falls apart? Winnebago Man, an aimless film that some believe works because of the "train wreck" aspect. I respectfully disagree.

Tron Legacy - I can't recommend this poorly written, badly acted, sporadically awfully animated film. At the same time, I was never bored, and we didn't give Tron Legacy the usual MST3k treatment many of you assume we did. Three people went in together, three people agreed the movie was terrible, three people also agreed we had a good time. I can't explain it, try as I might.


Tomorrow I'll be back with "Never Again," the bottom of the barrel. Surprisingly, it's a shorter list than in years past; I only saw ten truly awful movies last year. That's the good news. The bad news is that they all should be "So You Won't Have To"'s, and for some reason not all of them are. Until then...