It felt to me like 2009 was a year that was sweating due to the radiant energy pouring out of its films. Once collected in a small puddle at the end of the year, it was an enjoyable batch of films that I had no problem smiling upon. I was already looking forward to what 2010 would bring. Now that I look back on it, what was there to look forward to? Well, for one thing, Toy Story 3. It had been fifteen years since Pixar released the first one, and those who had grown up with it (including myself) were waiting patiently quite a while for the third installment. Other than that, there was Chris Nolan's Inception. Everyone was talking about it. They were all still hyped-up from the masterpiece that was The Dark Knight. I realized early on, due to the massive success of TDK, that anything wrong with Inception would heavily damage its reception. It was kinda just the thing to wait for, for me at least. But by the end of 2010, I was left with a sad feeling of utter despair and longing for a year like 1999.
I've decided to give my take on five of the most talked-about films of the previous year:
Inception - I almost wanted to cry when I left the theatre, mainly because, like so many others, I had let the expectations get to my head. I sat through the first ten minutes of this movie with almost no idea on what the hell was happening. It never got any better. The film continued dragging along by shoving so much crap in my face that I almost considered stop caring about what was happening. They hardly even explained how the dream technology worked. I guess we were just supposed to assume, like everything else in the movie. Nevertheless, I will give it to DiCaprio, who gave a rather fine performance, and to the cinematography. There did come a point in my first viewing in which I just decided to soak it in for what it is. It was the only thing keeping this film from being a complete disappointment for me. 2.5/4
The Social Network - This is the film (like Joey over at It'll Be Dark Soon... said) that is (hopefully) going to define this generation. Not a lot of movies from the past few years could fill that role. In fact, I can't really think of one. Other than that, what else is there to say about it? Fincher's best since Fight Club, in my humble opinion. 4/4
I've decided to give my take on five of the most talked-about films of the previous year:
Inception - I almost wanted to cry when I left the theatre, mainly because, like so many others, I had let the expectations get to my head. I sat through the first ten minutes of this movie with almost no idea on what the hell was happening. It never got any better. The film continued dragging along by shoving so much crap in my face that I almost considered stop caring about what was happening. They hardly even explained how the dream technology worked. I guess we were just supposed to assume, like everything else in the movie. Nevertheless, I will give it to DiCaprio, who gave a rather fine performance, and to the cinematography. There did come a point in my first viewing in which I just decided to soak it in for what it is. It was the only thing keeping this film from being a complete disappointment for me. 2.5/4
The Social Network - This is the film (like Joey over at It'll Be Dark Soon... said) that is (hopefully) going to define this generation. Not a lot of movies from the past few years could fill that role. In fact, I can't really think of one. Other than that, what else is there to say about it? Fincher's best since Fight Club, in my humble opinion. 4/4
Shutter Island - The biggest con about not seeing this one at the time of release is that your friend (you know who you are) will spill the big ending to you. Once this happened, I thought, "Oh, well. Guess there's no point in seeing it now." Boy, what a mistake. I ended up watching just recently, and I was just completely blown away. Despite the fact that I already knew the twist, it was still an extremely enjoyable film. The thing that caught me the most was atmosphere that the editing, camerawork, visuals, and music had beautifully merged together to create. Another 4/4
Toy Story 3 - As I said before, I was totally pumped when it came to this one. The first film ranks in my top 10, and the second among my top 100, so you could understand how excited I was. Unfortunately, TS3 is pretty far from making my top lot. I wasn't really impressed, but not disappointed. I enjoyed it, yet it didn't make a connection to me like the previous two did. It was kinda just like another cool animated movie (which are starting to become rare these d
ays). 3/4
ays). 3/4Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - After the meh-fest (TS3) and a film that somehow left me feeling pissed off (Inception), I walked cautiously into the next movie in which Michael Cera would once again play a loser. But everything changed once it began. The 8-bit Universal logo at the start made me feel as though no other film I had seen through the year mattered anymore. I was about to be sucked into a movie was living within its own realm. By the time it was over, it felt as though all of the arctic chill and ice that the cinematic year had been (in comparison to the sweating, vibrant 2009) just began to melt away. This was a film that the entire world had to see. I'll say no more and let you see it for yourself. You can't describe to someone the power this film contains. 4/4 - FAVORITE MOVIE OF THE YEAR
Aside from the couple of films that shined their light, 2010 is all in all just another brick in the wall.
I almost agree with everything you said. Inception is relatively over-hyped and toy story is good but no great. LOVED Scott pilgrim. keep it up with the blog !
ReplyDelete