Top Ten Movies of 2010

This past year saw many critics complaining about the lack of good film out there, but with a little digging, I found a lot to love. From old masters to first time filmmakers, tiny documentaries to wide release narratives, films both American and international, click through the slideshow to see my favorite films from 2010.

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ALAMAR (Pedro Gonzalez Rubio)

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This most affecting film this year had the simplest story, consisting of a father and son sharing their final sun-soaked days fishing and frolicking in stunning Banco Chinchorro before the boy must return to Italy with his mother. Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio cast a real divorced couple and their son in the film, and by mirroring their reality blurs the line between documentary and fiction. Critics everywhere have waxed poetic about the film's haunting poignancy and ethereal beauty, and while they are all correct, Alamar is the kind of cinematic gem that ultimately transcends words.

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This most affecting film this year had the simplest story, consisting of a father and son sharing their final sun-soaked days fishing and frolicking in stunning Banco Chinchorro before the boy must return to Italy with his mother. Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio cast a real divorced couple and their son in the film, and by mirroring their reality blurs the line between documentary and fiction. Critics everywhere have waxed poetic about the film's haunting poignancy and ethereal beauty, and while they are all correct, Alamar is the kind of cinematic gem that ultimately transcends words.

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Comments

[grange]

05:48 AM on 01/21/2011

Girl With A Dragon Tattoo was sublime.Best film of the year by a country mile.

Not seen any of the films mentioned but it is all about opinions.

[c-tom]

12:57 PM on 01/12/2011

Thank you for this post.

[Farihah Zaman]

11:44 PM on 01/11/2011

For those of you who mentioned wanting to catch up with some of these films, the breathtakingly lovely Alamar is now on Netflix streaming! It's a great movie to watch with family. http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Alamar/70125539

[DREGstudios]

07:19 PM on 01/10/2011

Great list with some new ones for me to watch now! Thanks for the recommendations. I did absolutely love Black Swan. Darren Aronofsky has never let me know. What about Howl though? It made my #1 spot on my list at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/01/sarah-palin-made-me-do-it.html#comments

[DMohr]

02:40 AM on 01/10/2011

'Black Swan' is extraordinarily trite. It isn't one of the worst movies I've ever seen: maybe I was too bored by how mind-numbingly banal and mediocre it was to be profoundly appalled.

[Truye]

08:00 PM on 01/09/2011

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! This is a great list which is going to expand my movie watching. I have been waiting for someone to put out a list of relatively "unknown" movies so I would have somethign to sink my teeth into!

[PresidentRobertBooth]

09:22 AM on 01/09/2011

What about "Twilight Eclipse???"

[Rahul Bhansali]

04:51 AM on 01/09/2011

It might have been good to leave 2010 to be digested by Toy Story 3, Inception, True Grit, etc. but it seems like Zaman's movies are a better representation of this year's under-the-radar, more raw artwork. My list of movies to watch just expanded. After a year of epic real-world worldwide catastrophes, I would expect the only movies we'd see on this list would be meant as an escape for an audience, but the list here seems to pick films that strike where trauma and ecstasy are felt, and are probably more necessary now than another more peaceful or prosperous time.

[Highball]

07:23 PM on 01/08/2011

Wonderful list. I didn't get a chance to see many films this year, but I will definitely look at as many of these as I can on disc.

[LizWakefield]

06:37 PM on 01/08/2011

Great list! I'm so glad that Alamar and Sweetgrass are included--they're 2 of my favorites from 2010 and I hope that we continue to see documentaries like these in the coming years. I think Sweetgrass is probably the most engrossing sheep centric film in the history of cinema, and the beauty and simplicity of Alamar makes me remember why I love movies.

[Jeff Reichert]

09:53 AM on 01/08/2011

Great list, Zaman. But then, I already knew that since you kindly contributed your votes to our year-end poll over at Reverse Shot: http://www.reverseshot.com/article/reverse_shots_best_2010. Still, nice to read your defenses, even if I do think BLACK SWAN is pretty rancid.

[black series]

06:59 AM on 01/08/2011

Are these movies from outer space because none of them are any enjoyable.

[NHBill]

09:09 PM on 01/07/2011

I saw "The Wrestler"
I saw "Black Swan".
I don't remember the Wrestler's mother in the film.
I don't remember the Wrestler's homosexual scene in the film.
I don't remember the Wrestler's psychotic break in the film.

[Farihah Zaman]

10:14 PM on 01/07/2011

You are being way too literal - I said that Black Swan shares the FIXATIONS of the Wrestler, not the entirety of the plot. I am referring to broad themes; depicting the daily life of an artist of sorts (Aronofsky himself describes both films as such, and they are shot in an extremely similar manner), the fear of obsolescence and age, the loneliness and instability of the protagonists, the grotesque physical reality of what they do.

[gulopartisan]

08:27 AM on 01/08/2011

Right. Ole Yeller and Lassie Come Home both have dogs in them. I can't remember which one is the remake.

[Bob Hamel]

04:23 PM on 01/11/2011

I absolutely agree! I saw many parallels with The Wrestler. The Wrestler touching on the relationship between a daughter and her father, whereas in Black Swan, it's the daughter and her Mother. Both movies also deal with the drawbacks and sacrifices one experiences when committed to a craft, sport or art.