Movies 2010: A Year in Review

I've been putting this off expecting that I would eventually get around to seeing a number of popular and critically well-received titles that are still in theatres. Unfortunately, I still haven't seen a few that might seem obvious, but the Academy Awards are on Sunday and it might be a little bit late to post a year in review list after that, so I thought I'd go ahead and gleefully put together my favourites from the previous year in film based on what I have seen so far.

I developed a lot of favourites in 2010, although I might be more spoiled than most thanks to my rich experience at the Vancouver International Film Festival in the fall. I thought the year was particularly notable year for the display of female talent, with a host of a fantastic performances (too many to include all of them in my list), and evocative and smart films from female directors like Lisa Chodolenko, Nicole Holofcener, Debra Granik, and Andrea Arnold. Also interesting, this was the first time in a while that I was compelled to include documentaries in my top 10, with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever I might add.

My Top 10 of the Year
1 - The Ghost Writer
2 - Blue Valentine
3 - Inside Job
4 - Han Jia (Winter Vacation)
5 - The Kids Are All Right
6 - Armadillo
7 - Black Swan
8 - Fish Tank
9 - Another Year
10 - Please Give

Absolute favourites are in bold.

Direction
Roman Polanski - The Ghost Writer
Hongqi Li - Han Jia (Winter Vacation)
Derek Cianfrance - Blue Valentine
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Andrea Arnold - Fish Tank

Original Script
Mike Leigh - Another Year
Lisa Chodolenko & Stuart Blumberg - The Kids Are All Right
Abbas Kiarostami - Certified Copy
Nicole Holofcener - Please Give
Derek Cianfrance & Cami Delavigne & Joey Curtis - Blue Valentine

Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network
Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini - Winter's Bone
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski - The Ghost Writer
Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy - 127 Hours

Lead Male Performances
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
James Franco - 127 Hours
Javier Bardem - Biutiful

Lead Female Performances
Annette Benning - The Kids Are All Right
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Catherine Keener - Please Give
Juliette Binoche - Certified Copy
Lesley Manville - Another Year

Supporting Male Performances
Pierce Brosnan - The Ghost Writer
Andrew Garfield - Never Let Me Go
Ben Kingsley - Shutter Island
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
Christian Bale - The Fighter

Supporting Female Performances
Rebbecca Hall - Please Give 
Lola Dueñas - Yo, Tambien (Me, Too) 
Maricel Álvarez - Biutiful
Greta Gerwig - Greenberg
Barbra Hershey - Black Swan


Editing
Blue Valentine
Armadillo
Black Swan
127 Hours
Biutiful

Cinematography
Shutter Island
Han Jia (Winter Vacation)
Curling
Black Swan
127 Hours

Musical Score
Inception
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Han Jia (Winter Vacation)
Black Swan
The Social Network

If you're interested you can check out how I rank every 2010 release I have seen on my Flixster list.

Films I have not seen yet include: Rabbit Hole, Howl, The American, Fair Game, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Sweet Grass, Dogtooth, Animal Kingdom, Buried, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Jack Goes Boating, Of Gods and Men, Somewhere, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, True Grit, The King's Speech, The Town, The Illusionist, Toy Story 3, I Am Love, Restrepo, Tiny Furniture, Life During Wartime, Wild Grass.