Movies Seen in 2010

This year was definitely busier than last year. How so? I'll show you. Here are all the movies I saw this year.

Raging Bull
Chinatown
The Prestige
2001: A Space Odyssey
Moon
Brokeback Mountain
The Shawshank Redemption
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Up in the Air
Crazy Heart
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Say Anything...
A Single Man
Seven Samurai
Sweet Smell of Success
An Education
Stalag 17
East of Eden
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Glengarry Glen Ross
Dead Man Walking
The Hurt Locker
Save the Tiger
Goodfellas
High Fidelity
The Great Escape
The Sting
Taxi Driver
The Truman Show
Spellbound
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Serpico
The Lady from Shanghai
The Conversation
The Natural
Double Indemnity
Red River
In Cold Blood
Into the Wild
Sabrina
Bringing Up Baby
Easy Rider
Iron Man 2
The Searchers
You Can't Take It With You
Long Day's Journey into Night
Unforgiven
In Bruges
Schindler's List
Public Enemies
Milk
The Last Samurai
The Hours
Strangers on a Train
Shutter Island
Collateral
Magnolia
Bullets Over Broadway
Charlie Wilson's War
Shine
Adam's Rib
Wonder Boys
Capote
American Beauty
In the Heat of the Night
Revolutionary Road
Inception
Jarhead
Bull Durham
Sideways
Spartacus
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Kinsey
Following
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Almost Famous
Trainspotting
Lawrence of Arabia
3:10 to Yuma
Prizzi's Honor
Se7en
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
The Deer Hunter
Gone Baby Gone
The Pianist
North by Northwest
My Own Private Idaho
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Minority Report
Zodiac
10 Things I Hate About You
Mulholland Drive
Notorious
The French Connection
About a Boy
(500) Days of Summer
Coming Home
Babel
Hud
The Wrestler
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Boys Don't Cry
W.
Carlito's Way
Matchstick Men
Snatch
Bonnie and Clyde
The Illusionist
Wall Street
Rushmore
The Darjeeling Limited
Traffic
Primal Fear
Lost in Translation
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Miracle Worker
The Defiant Ones
Little Miss Sunshine
The New World
28 Days Later
The Town
Thank You for Smoking
Death at a Funeral
North Country
Touch of Evil
Children of Men
Being John Malkovich
Memento
The Savages
Blood Diamond
The Social Network
The Player
Gilda
Thirteen
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Two Lovers
Eastern Promises
Broken Flowers
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Monster
The Sixth Sense
Boogie Nights
The Messenger
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Birdman of Alcatraz
Frances
The Squid and the Whale
Do the Right Thing
Closer
The Departed
The Constant Gardener
Sling Blade
Le Samourai
Near Dark
The Night of the Hunter
Halloween
The Exorcist
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Rachel Getting Married
Paper Moon
Half Nelson
Gangs of New York
25th Hour
Black Hawk Down
Laura
The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Boston Strangler
Duplicity
JFK
Amelie
Badlands
Strange Days
12 Monkeys
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Pollock
Hotel Rwanda
La Dolce Vita
Gladiator
The Thin Red Line
Fargo
Far from Heaven
The Kids Are All Right
Breathless
M
All the King's Men
Anatomy of a Murder
Requiem for a Dream
The Man with the Golden Arm
Judgment at Nuremberg
Ace in the Hole
American History X
United 93
The Night of the Iguana
Brick
Saving Private Ryan
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Donnie Darko
Garden State
The English Patient
His Girl Friday
The Killers
In a Lonely Place
The Last of the Mohicans
Witness for the Prosecution
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Malcolm X
Cold Mountain
Black Swan

Number of movies: 209

So how many have you seen this year?

Black Swan

Catching up on the classics is hard enough. Catching up on new releases is more of a challenge.

Ballet dancer Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is given the lead role in Swan Lake, but she finds herself competing against new ballerina Lily (Mila Kunis) to keep the role.

I don't know why, but I kept thinking of Psycho as I was watching Black Swan. Not for the psychological thriller stuff, but more so for how similar Nina and Norman are. Both are a little on the mentally unhinged side and both have (ahem) "maternal issues". Once you think that over, it's true.

My God, Aronofsky. You are definitely making a name for yourself in Hollywood. Same goes to Portman. I think a lot of people will be pretty pissed off if she doesn't win the Oscar for her haunting work. Kunis shows really strong work as well (a far cry from That '70s Show and Family Guy, don't you think?). This didn't floor me as much as Requiem for a Dream did, but "oh my God" kept running through my mind. I have three words to describe the ending: out of nowhere. And I love it.

My Rating: *****

Favorite Film Characters Meme

No, I'm not starting a meme. This was actually started by Squish almost two years ago. Being curious/bored, I thought I'd take a crack at it. The rules are simple: name ten (or more if you like) film characters you admire and state your reasons. This should be fun.

Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The ultimate bromance. They get along just fine by their bank robbing skills and their DDG (drop dead gorgeous) looks. They're also not a pair you should mess with. I almost feel sorry for Etta, having to choose who to be with.

Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), The Night of the Hunter

One quote comes to mind to describe Powell: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." He may be a "preacher", but he's anything but a honest man.

Tom Ripley (Matt Damon), The Talented Mr. Ripley

He looks like a nice gentleman, but in reality he lies, swindles and eventually kills to keep his true nature hidden. He also takes the phrase "love someone to death" to a new level.

Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes), Schindler's List

That quote for Powell can also go for Goeth. If you disobey him, you're dead. If you do something wrong, you're dead. Basically, if you don't do something to his approval you're dead.

Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

She's loud, brash, a drinker and just someone you don't want to be around (the complete opposite of Taylor). And yet, she makes you curious on what makes her tick.

Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), Psycho

Much like Ripley, Bates looks like a nice gentleman. He doesn't look like he'll harm a fly. But if you're not careful, "Mother" has a few things to say...

Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) and J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), Sweet Smell of Success

J.J. is ruthless, remorseless, amoral and just downright cruel. Sidney isn't any better. Both will insult a person that's right in front of them, both have charm that's superficial. In short, they're sociopaths and they could care the less bit.

Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

With a list almost full of killers, liars and unpleasant people, it's a relief that a honest character shows up. Smith is one fellow who wants what's best for others. He won't back off when the going gets rough.

Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), On the Waterfront

He never thought much of the consequences but when Terry heard about the murder he unwittingly contributed to, one thing struck him: conscience. We see him fighting his troubled mind, something he used to do as a living (the fighting, that is). And when he does admit his guilt, it's a load off his back (and perhaps the audience's too).

Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift), From Here to Eternity

Another innocent soul plunged into the harsh depths of reality. Prewitt is a soldier who has a sensitive nature to him. It isn't shown when he's close to the breaking point, but those closest to him know of it.

So there are my favorite movie characters. I'm not tagging anyone, but feel free to do it if you want.

Recommendation Blogathon

I would like to try something new for the new year. Not just me, anyone who wants to try it. What is it? It's this:

Movies are recommended all the time. Most people try to watch what they're recommended, but they never get around to watching. More recommendations start to pour in, only deepening one's procrastination.

So here's my suggestion. Try to catch up on some of those recommendations. Write a review and submit it here. This project will widen your film watching and, to some, get people off your back. Univarn, I know you're continually recommended Tokyo Story. This might help.

Let me know what you think.

Cold Mountain

Anthony Minghella is known for three movies: The English Patient (which got him an Oscar), The Talented Mr. Ripley (my personal favorite) and Cold Mountain.

As the Civil War starts coming to an end, wounded soldier Inman (Jude Law) makes the perilous journey to get back home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina and his sweetheart Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman).

The performances from Law and Kidman are really good. I fail to see the backlash towards Renee Zellweger. I mean, she wasn't that bad though I gotta agree that she didn't really deserve that Oscar. The rest of the cast is just crazy. A number of notable names are in supporting roles or bit parts (Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland, Giovanni Ribisi, Natalie Portman and Cillian Murphy to name a few). I also love the fact that most of the cast isn't from America and yet they speak with flawless Southern accents. The cinematography is lovely (well, what do you expect from a Minghella picture?). The rest of the movie? I thought the romance was a tad too gushy for my tastes (though Law and Kidman do have convincing chemistry). I also thought it could have been a little shorter. But still, I managed to like Cold Mountain enough to give it the rating I did.

My Rating: ****

Malcolm X

It's hard to find a dramatic role from Denzel Washington's filmography since most of his movies are in the action genre. Fortunately, earlier in his career there were a bountiful number of dramas.

As he's serving time in prison, Malcolm Little (Washington) discovers Nation of Islam writings. Upon his release, now as Malcolm X, he preaches the teachings.

Boy, the Best Actor race for that year had to be tough. I mean, considering who was running that year it had to be a strain (or a pain) on the voters. That being said, Washington should have won that year. The rest of Malcolm X I like, though I think it could've been a little shorter. Spike Lee was definitely the right guy to direct this. I mean, who else could make a biopic about one of the most prolific African-American leaders so well as Lee?

My Rating: ****1/2

Witness for the Prosecution

I said before that Billy Wilder is one of the few directors who can do drama and comedy excellently. And with nine of his movies down the hatch, the claim has still held up.

Esteemed barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) has just returned to practice after suffering a heart attack and supposed to be put on a diet of bland bland civil suits. But the case of Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), who is accused of murdering a wealthy widow, proves irresistible, particularly when Sir Wilfrid meets the accused's wife, the remarkable Christine Vole (Marlene Dietrich). Christine appears as a witness: not for the defense, but for the prosecution.

Witness for the Prosecution is a well-acted courtroom drama from Wilder. Laughton, Power, Dietrich and Elsa Lanchester (she play Sir Wilfrid's nurse) all play their roles excellently, Dietrich especially. She meets the criteria for a Wilder woman: dangerous and manipulative. The script is infused with Agatha Christie's wit and Wilder's humor. My opinion on the ending? Well, let's just say it reminded me of the ending for Primal Fear.

My Rating: *****

The Last of the Mohicans

The only movies I've seen directed by Michael Mann were crime-based (Heat, Public Enemies, Collateral). Growing interested on other genres Mann has done, I decided to check out The Last of the Mohicans.

As the English and French soldiers battle for control of the North American colonies in the 18th century, the settlers and the native Americans are forced to take sides. Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe) and her sister Alice (Jodhi May) unwittingly walk into trouble but are saved by Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), an orphaned settler adopted by the Mohicans.

A few years back, I tried to read James Fenimore Cooper's novel. I was interested in the first hundred or so pages, but then I just stopped reading it. Unfortunately, I felt the same way about the movie but I stuck to my guns and kept watching the movie. The cinematography is lovely and the fight scenes are well-choreographed, but overall I wasn't totally blown away.

My Rating: ****

In a Lonely Place

Humphrey Bogart: the original tough guy. One minute he's tough (the Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), next minute he's a softie (Casablanca, Sabrina). Sometimes he's both (To Have and Have Not). That is slick.

Screenwriter Dixon Steele (Bogart) becomes a suspect in the murder of a hat-check girl he took home the previous night. His neighbor Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame) provides an airtight alibi to the police and Steele's friendship with her blossoms into a romance.

Throughout In a Lonely Place, Steele shows behavior that portrays him as not only a suspect but also as the culprit. One scene in particular shows that flawlessly. He has two friends, one of them a cop investigating the case, re-enact how the murder possibly took place. As he's describing it, we hear his voice and see his face change as though he's getting a sick satisfaction out of it. His behavior really gets under your skin.

In a Lonely Place provides an interesting take on film noirs. Instead of spending the whole movie on the crime presented early on, the murder is treated more as a subplot. Bogart clearly gives his best performance as Steele (Louise Brooks said she felt that Steele was the closest to the Bogart she knew). Nicholas Ray, who's better known for Rebel Without a Cause, gives an intense tale of love, scandal and Hollywood.

My Rating: *****

The Killers

I believe because of my interest in criminology, my appreciation for film noirs would soon follow.

Insurance investigator Jim Reardon (Edmond O'Brien) tries to uncover the case of Ole "Swede" Andersen (Burt Lancaster), a gas station attendant who was murdered by two professional killers. Reardon finds out that Swede had a shady past and his ex-girlfriend Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner) comes into question.

The Killers is best known now for containing Lancaster's film debut. It also contains Gardner's breakthrough role. Upon seeing it, it becomes very clear how their careers skyrocketed after The Killers. It's one of those rare noirs that has aged perfectly. It still has an edge even after sixty-four years of being in the public eye. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end where you finally get answers for this twisting mystery.

My Rating: *****