Roger Ebert lists his Top 10 Films of 2010
The end of the year is upon us, and we are going to start seeing a lot top 10 lists out there. I actually just put together my top 10 films of 2010, and I'll post them in the near future. But today Chicago movie critic Roger Ebert revealed what his top 10 films of 2010 are. Check out his list below each with a little excerpt of what he thought of the movie, and let us know what you think!
1. The Social Network
David Fincher's direction, Aaron Sorkin's screenplay and the acting by Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake and the others all harmoniously create not only a story but a world view, showing how Zuckerberg is hopeless at personal relationships but instinctively projects himself into a virtual world and brings 500 million others behind him.
2. The King's Speech
Tom Hooper's filmmaking itself is crafted in older style, depending on an assembly of actors, costumes, sets, and a three-act structure. The characters project considered ideas of themselves; "The Social Network," in contrast, intimately lays its characters bare. From one man speaking at a distance through the radio, to another man shepherding hundreds of millions through a software program, the two films show techology shaping human nature.
3. Black Swan
This film depends more than many others on the intensity and presence of the actors, and Portman's ballerina is difficult to imagine coming from another actor.
4. I Am Love
In this film and "Julia" (2008), Tilda Swinton created masterful performances that were largely unseen because of inadequate distribution. Is it an Academy performance if no one sees it?
5. Winter's Bone
Debra Granik, the director and co-author, risks backwoods caricatures and avoids them with performances that are exact and indelible, right down to small supporting roles. Ree is one of the great women of recent movies.
6. Inception
Inception led me to speculate that my mind, at least, generates architectural pathways, and that one reason I responded to Inception is that, like all movies, it was a waking dream.
7. The Secret in their Eyes
No, this isn't a silly movie love story. These are adults--experienced, nuanced, survivors. Love has very high stakes for them, and therefore greater rewards.
8. The American
A standard thriller plot, but this is a far from mainstream thriller. Very little is explained. There is a stark minimalism at work. Much depends on our empathy. The entire drama rests on two words, "Mr. Butterfly." We must be vigilant to realize that once, and only once, are they spoken by the wrong person -- and then the whole plot reality rotates.
9. The Kids Are All Right
Sure. In a comedy with some deeper colors, the film is an affirmation of--family values.
10. The Ghost Writer
This movie is the work of a man who knows how to direct a thriller. Smooth, calm, confident, it builds suspense instead of depending on shock and action. The actors create characters who suggest intriguing secrets.
There are a lot of great movies here, some of them are on my own list others are not, but all of the films listed here are great films and should be seen at least once.