I’ve seen so many movies this year, that inevitably some will not make my top 10, which is why I’ve added a list below of films just outside my ten best.
1. A Patch of Blue (1965)
(I love heart-warming films like this, which avoid being cheesy. The friendship on display here is just so touching. On top of that, as I pointed out in my review, the story can make the viewer contemplate how we treat others)
2. Box of Moon Light (1996)
(Another warm-hearted film, the summer atmosphere was amazing, and I agree with a YouTube-user that I wish I could jump into the screen and just live in this film!)
3. Imitation of Life (1959)
(Recommended by a film blogging buddy at I shoot the pictures, I can’t praise this movie enough, the story is about self-acceptance. Now I want to check out Douglas Sirk’s other films!)
4. Mother and Child (2009)
(Similar to such ensemble films as Magnolia. Took me by surprise. An underrated gem about having a child, belonging and growing up, and the flawed characters stayed with me. Recommended by my blogging pal Colin over at picknmixflix)
5. Marty (1955)
(Judging from this top 10, you might think I watch a ton of old films, As a matter of fact, I actually watch mostly new stuff. Marty is yet another very heart-warming and sweet movie, and one I will want to revisit.)
6. Armadillo (2010)
(For me, a very original documentary about the ambiguity of war, the doc raises many interesting questions such as should soldiers enjoy combat? After watching this I looked at war in a whole new light! The only foreign language film in my top 10)
7. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
(This film is not for everyone. A brilliant career-defining performance by Sally Hawkins divided audiences. Some found her irritating, I found her very likeable. The driving lessons are so funny!)
8. Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
(A quirky oddball love story, and the only John Cassavetes movie I enjoyed. The other ones for me were irritating, had too much screaming and people acting like jerks. This gem is mellower, and the script is excellent, too)
9. Great Expectations (1946)
(For me, an improvement on the book, by stripping away all the unnecessary details and focusing on the essential. Captures the atmosphere brilliantly, far better than the 1998 movie(which to be fair had an awesome 90s soundtrack)
10. Dummy (2002)
(An underrated indie movie you should seek out, if you haven’t seen it! Some very funny dialogue. And memorable characters. The main character played by Adrian Brody being my age is obviously appealing to me)
Others I enjoyed very much, just outside my top 10, in random order:
Random Harvest (1942)
Henry Poole is here (2008)
Mary and Max (2009)
Hunger (Norway, 1966)
Open Hearts (Denmark, 2002)
Please give (2010)
Greenberg (2010)
Paper Moon (1973)
Bright Star (2009)
Moon (2009)
Never Cry Wolf (1983)
Wendy and Lucy (2008)
[Rec] (Spain, 2007)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Seconds (1966)
Siblings (2004)
Talk Radio (1988)
The King of Comedy (1982)
What Happened Was (1994)
The Marriage of Maria Braun (Germany, 1979)
The Vicious Kind (2009)
Body Heat (1981)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
5 Centimeters Per Second (Japan, 2007)
Caught on a train (1980)
Ikiru (Japan, 1952)
Mr. Brooks (2007)
Ninotchka (1939)
Nothing Personal (2009)
Of Human Bondage (1964)
The Accidental Tourist (1988)
The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Vanishing (Netherlands,1988)
White Dog (1982)
The White Massai (Germany, 2005)
Inception (2010)
Exit Through the Gift Shop (documentary, 2010)
A Decade Under the Influence (documentary, 2003)
Crumb (documentary, 1994)
The Cove (documentary, 2009)
Quite a few films from 2010, I have yet to see, such as Jack goes boating, 127 Hours, Somewhere, Another Year, etc. Go here, for more films I’m dying to see.
For this reason, I don’t think my top 10 of 2010 releases would be very accurate, so I’ll skip that for now.
Do you agree?, disagree? with my top 10? What are your top films of 2010?
I love Happy-Go-Lucky. This is certainly more interesting than your average list.
ReplyDeleteA list to be proud of. Imitation of Life is wonderful! You should definitely seek out more Sirk, as well as Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is you haven't seen that, as it's basically a (brilliant) remake of Imitation.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. The 2010 movies until now are not memorable enough compared to the movies behind. I'll post my version.
ReplyDeleteI already have Happy-Go-Lucky in my hand, just have to find the time to watch it. Interested to see 'Imitation of Life', not sure I'm gonna find it, though.
@ James T: Thanks, glad you found my top 10 interesting!
ReplyDelete@ Drew: Will check out your top 25 of 2010. I did see Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, but I prefer the characters in Imitation of life. And I will be watching more Douglas Sirk in future.
@ Andina: Hope you enjoy Happy-Go-Lucky, I certainly did, and I will read your top 10.
an eclectic list! I'll hunt some of them down, I think. Thanks for the link to my site, too.
ReplyDelete@ Colin : Thanks for your comment, and good luck hunting some of them down! I would be interested to read your reviews of any films off my list. When I get over the new year, I'll be sure to check out your recent reviews ( :
ReplyDeleteNow this is certainly an original way to summarize the year! Great call on A Patch of Blue, one of my favorite Shelley Winters performances, and Imitation of Life, which is just great, period. I haven't seen most of these though (I've never seen a Cassavetes film), so I've got a lot of homework to do!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!! I noticed "Great Expectations" and must admit that you remind me how great it is! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis is James T. The other one was James D. ;)
ReplyDeleteNice mix you have there. I can't believe I haven't seen Great Expectations yet since I love the 1998 version.
Funny you have Of Human Bondage there because I was thinking of reading the book. Have you read it?
@James T : sorry about the name mixed up! Funny you mention Of Human Bondage, have written about half the review, so will be posted soon.
ReplyDelete@ Night Admrer : Happy New Year to you too! Great Expectations is great, I saw it 2x in 2010 ( :
@ Walter L. Hollmann : Minnie and Moskowitz is a good place to start if you want to try John Cassavetes. A woman under the influence is his most famous, I believe.
@ James T : Of Human Bondage, the novel is supposed to be better I've heard. Being over 700 pages has held me back so far.
ReplyDeleteooh, I will have to check out Dummy!
ReplyDeletealso I watched Twitch City as per your recommendation and loved it! I am definitely going to purchase the DVD and force everyone I know to watch it.
(Twitch City, SCTV, Scott Pilgrim... I feel a Canadian phase coming on.)
@ Erin : Happy new year, yes, do try and watch Dummy, great fun.
ReplyDeleteTwitch City, glad you loved it. A one-of-a kind unique 90s TV-show to me, easy to rewatch, really strange it's faded into obscurity these days, given the high quality of the writing and humor! I've never seen it aired on TV, ever!! Why?! Good to know you are spreading the word about the dvd ( :
An interesting collection of movies you watched last year and ranked among your most favourite. A number of those you mentioned (i.e. including also the ones which didn't make your Top 10) also rank among my favourites. Though my Top 10 would have included only those movies which were released in 2010, but I have to agree your's in an original and interesting idea. Keep up the good work!!!
ReplyDelete@Shubhajit : Well, I'm glad you liked the list, the alternative top 10 idea was actually something I saw here, which was so much more personal than your standard list, because so many more films to choose from :
ReplyDeletehttp://filmforthesoul.blogspot.com/2010/04/other-10-2009.html
I hereby, for what its worth, urge more bloggers to talk about all decades in their top 10. Or do 2 lists?
One for 2010 releases.
And another list for their ten best classics they caught up on during the year, or something.
Hey, someone else saw "Dummy"? Never thought I'd hear that! Brody is very good, and I love Vera Farmiga in most anything. The film derails at the end and loses some steam with the stupid side plot involving Illeana Douglas' stalker, but overall I found it odd and charming.
ReplyDelete@ M. Carter @ the Movies : yes, Dummy is odd and charming. The dialogue was so funny in parts. A film I can see myself rewatching several times.
ReplyDeleteBased on all the praise, I really wanted to like "Happy-Go-Lucky." I even gave it two chances -- two full viewings. But I couldn't warm up to Sally Hawkins. Unlike a lot of people, I found her cheeriness to be over the top; however, near the conclusion I liked the way her character grew and changed.
ReplyDeleteLots of interesting choices and many I haven't seen - always good to add to 'the list'.
ReplyDeleteI could grade/comment on some of the ones I have seen but we may be rambling for a while then!
How does Happy-Go-Lucky compare with Mike Leigh's other films?
ReplyDeleteI like most of his work Naked and on ("like" is sort of the wrong word), but before that, characters can be a bit cartoonish and the stories unmoving. Happy-Go-Lucky looks like it could go either way.
(I just saw Another Year and it was good, though.)
@Erin : Happy-Go-Lucky is my 2nd favourite by Mike Leigh, not his usual style, its more, well, happy and optimistic. You should give the trailer a try, and maybe go from there. I'll be reviewing it in 2011.
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous you saw Another Year before me ( :