The Best in Film from 2010...Part Two

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)- With a cavalcade of terrific actors found in The Fighter, Melissa Leo nearly rises above them all as she plays an emotionally unstable mother who doubles as a boxing manager to her son. The problem with Leo's character is that she simultaneously bolsters and derails her son's boxing career. Despite the character's fallacies, Leo is able to emanate a sense of tough love without transforming her character into an unsympathetic person. It's a true sign of someone who has perfected their craft.

Film #5: Blue Valentine- Using the script as merely an outline and a lot of spontaneity, Derek Cianfrance's artistic baby is a film about falling in and out of love. Few films have captured the emotional honesty that Blue Valentine possesses, and it's lead by the invested performances of Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. Although the film can be heavy, it retains a sense of wonder when it balances the heartache with grand moments of developing love.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)- Through the course of Bale's career, many have given him acclaim with no hardware to back up their candor. Well, this is Bale's year as he delivers an unbelievable performance as the drugged out Dicky Ecklund. For all intents and purposes, Dicky is a character that no one should particularly love. He's stuck in the past and is frequently ruining his brother's future. Yet somehow, with his charisma and attention to detail, Bale transforms Dicky into a lovable loser.

Film #4: 127 Hours- Few films came out this year that gave me an experience on par with 127 Hours. Featuring kinetic direction from Danny Boyle and the transcendent performance of James Franco, 127 Hours is a humbling film that dares us to acknowledge the minuscule moments that make up our day. Sure, it's a morality tale as old as time, but after spending a brisk 90 minutes stuck between a rock and hard place, the film is a liberating experience.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)- Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan will end up being one of the finer performances of the decade. Aside from the emotional turmoil and paranoia that she envelopes her character in, Portman's ability to invest her body in the role of a technical ballet dancer is uncanny. Knowing the lengths that director Darren Aronofsky goes to push his actors, it's amazing to see Portman unhinge her cute persona with ease as she reaches for an erotically dark place.

Film #3: The Social Network- Fact or fiction, The Social Network doesn't pretend to be interested in telling a story about sympathetic characters. As a matter of fact, its most sympathetic characters are either denounced in the opening scene or extremely naive. And don't you dare think this film is about the world renowned social networking site. That's merely a drop of water in the ocean. In actuality, the film ruthlessly captures the dissolution of a friendship, the cutthroat guile of modern day business ventures, and the power of a single idea. Oh, the score and acting are pretty awesome too.

Best Actor: James Franco (127 Hours)- Aside from imaginative flourishes and out of body experiences, 127 Hours is practically James Franco and a camera for 90  minutes. To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. Franco's proficiency at capturing Aron Ralston's perilous adventure is excruciating and worthwhile.  More specifically, his ability to mimic Ralston's physical and emotional trauma within a confined space is nothing short of a miracle as he nonchalantly shifts between regret, pain, and hope.

Film #2: Waiting for Superman- I know this film is a bit of a political time bomb, especially with the number of detractors who are against the film's reporting, but the film nonetheless represents a channel in which school reform can be vehemently discussed. The information and solutions are cleanly presented, but Superman succeeds in its understanding that the children are the most important aspect of a mounting debate. Via the film, we are planted in the lives of a handful of kids who are desperately seeking an education that is worthy of their time. Needless to say, it's their stories that give us reason to fight for a change.

Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)- This was a tough decision, but I feel Fincher edges Christopher Nolan in this category. Both are terrific, but Fincher's attempt to craft a sleek, dialogue driven film was a challenge he boldly accepted and succeeded at. Moreover, Fincher's eye for meticulous detail is well on display as he feverously fills scenes with details that would surely emanate from our characters. Simply put, he knows his characters inside and out.

Film #1: Inception- In spite of all the quality films I've seen this year, Inception is my number one film. It sits atop my list based on a few notions. First, it's a wholly original concept that somehow found its way through the stale studio system. Not once did it ever sacrifice its integrity for the sake of dumbing itself down for the masses. Secondly, with Nolan behind the camera and his terrific ensemble firing on all cylinders, Inception constantly pushes the envelope in regards to ingenuity and emotional resonance. In what will likely be the most overlooked aspect of the film, continuity and the application of practical cognitive psychology also makes Inception a film that understands the nature of its beast and the world it resides in. It also helps in some capacity that the movie is as dramatic as it is entertaining.

With everything accounted for, I look forward to what 2011 will bring us all. Until then, here are additional films that didn't quite make my list, but are worth a look:

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Fair Game,  Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, Easy A, The Town, Kick-Ass, Shutter Island


So tell me, what are you favorite films of the year?