Your top movies (seen, but not made) in 2010

[Too Much Fun]

So we've had a 'your top movies of 2010' thread going for awhile, but a lot of the choices on peoples' lists there tend to be similar. I thought it might be fun and lead to more varied lists if I started a thread for favourites out of older movies people saw for the first time in 2010.

I imagine making choices might be quite difficult for people like Harvey and Captain Canada who have seen about a gazillion movies this year. To those people I say I am laying down this challenge: Can you dig through your gargantuan list and come up with the cream of the cop? YOU HAVE BEEN DARED!

I would prefer top fives or top tens, but if it's too hard for those of you who have seen tons of movies to keep the lists that short, feel free to expand a little. I just think the thread will get too cluttered if people list like 20 movies or more, so I hope we can keep the lists fairly lean. I've got most of my top 10 figured out, but I have one more old movie to watch (That Pink Panther sequel called "A Shot in the Dark") before the end of the year, so I'm going to wait until I've seen that before I post my list.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone else to list highlights from their journeys through cinema history this past year. Maybe some people will get ideas for great older movies to check out and there should be some neat surprises along the way! Let's see what's out there...engage!

 

[tharpdevenport]

Zero. None.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I saw two films in the cinema re-released this year. One was the extended edition of Avatar (which was also the first 3D film I'd seen) because I missed it the first time around, but the other, which I enjoyed much more, was the (mostly) restored print of Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

I wanted to see a third, the re-release of Back to the Future, but I had fallen ill so I couldn't make it.

In terms of the small screen, I was delighted to have seen for the first time There Will Be Blood on television, which was much better than I expected.

 

[od0_ital]

Pretty much every good movie I've seen this year was made this year.

I have seen quite a few older, gawd awful films, but none worth really thinkin' about.

 

[barnaclelapse]

1. Friends of Eddie Coyle
2. Withnail and I
3. Yasujiro Ozu's Good Morning
4. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
5. The Last Picture Show
6. The Apostle
7. A Serious Man
8. Kung-Fu Hustle
9. Millennium Actress
10. Wings of Desire

 

[Too Much Fun]

1. Friends of Eddie Coyle
2. Withnail and I
3. Yasujiro Ozu's Good Morning
4. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
5. The Last Picture Show
6. The Apostle
7. A Serious Man
8. Kung-Fu Hustle
9. Millennium Actress
10. Wings of Desire

Thank you. This is the kind of thing I was looking for. I'm surprised. Only one list so far. Great choice on "The Last Picture Show". Probably my favourite of 2009, at least top 5.

 

[RoJoHen]

As I look back on my Netflix DVD history for 2010, it turns out the only movies I saw for the first time were:

"The Time Traveller's Wife"
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch"

Oh, I forgot. I just watched "The Princess and the Frog" the other day.

 

[zakkrusz]

Boondock Saints
Boondock Saints: All Saint's Day
Oldboy
Lupin the 3rd: The Secret of Mamo
Summer Wars
They Were 11
Waltz With Bashir
Wicked City
King of Thorn
The Fantastic Mr. Fox

 

[Harvey]

I had seen Steven Spielberg’s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND many years before, but it wasn’t until I re-watched it this year that I was able to truly appreciate it. The Academy Awards may throw heaps of Oscars to Spielberg for his “serious films” now, but this is much closer to being his masterpiece in my estimation than half-baked works like SCHINDLER’S LIST or MUNICH.

I saw the (almost) complete and incomplete version of METROPOLIS for the first time this year, and it was nothing short of a revelation. I’ll have to order the film in HD sometime soon.

I saw STARSHIP TROOPERS for the first time this year, and it blew me away. I’m shocked that such a dark satire could have been passed off as a SF action movie. It’s brilliant in the way it tears apart the themes of Heinlein’s novel, which of course pisses off fans of that work, but since I’m not one of them it doesn’t bother me one bit.

I’d like to re-watch it, but ALTERED STATES seemed to be a small SF classic when I saw it for the first time early this year. I also really liked the Spanish SF film TIMECRIMES.

Ang Lee’s civil war drama, RIDE WITH THE DEVIL, was terrific, and I’d like to pick up the Criterion release in HD when I have the time (and the funds). It definitely deserves to be re-appraised.

Joel and Ethan Coen’s film, MILLER’S CROSSING, was another excellent work from the brothers, who (as I’ve said elsewhere) are my favorite living American filmmakers.

I enjoyed Billy Wilder’s A FOREIGN AFFAIR, which is (as of yet) unreleased on home video. I also really enjoyed BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, which is probably single-handedly propping up the reputation of Universal’s horror films from the 1930s, though I confess I’ve seen few in full.

Finally, the 2009 documentary WINNEBAGO MAN was hilarious, touching, and all-around terrific. It’s worth seeing more than once.

In order of release...

METROPOLIS (1927)
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
A FOREIGN AFFAIR (1948)
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
ALTERED STATES (1980)
MILLER’S CROSSING (1990)
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)
RIDE WITH THE DEVIL (1999)
TIMECRIMES (2007)
WINNEBAGO MAN (2009)

 

[Switch]

Double Indemnity (1944 - USA)
No Country For Old Men (2007 - USA)
Breathless (1960 - France)
Network (1976 - USA)
The Five Obstructions (2003 - Denmark)
Vertigo (1957 - USA)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009 - Sweden)
A Hole In My Heart (2005 - Sweden)
Chloe (2009 - Canada)

 

[Temis the Vorta]

1. The African Queen
2. The Hurt Locker
3. Toy Story 3
4. All Quiet on the Western Front
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. Precious
7. The Stoning of Soraya M.
8. Black Narcissus
9. Departures
10. Moon

 

[starfox]

2008 Let the Right One In
2010 Let Me In
2010 Kick Ass
2010 How to Train Your Dragon
2010 Despicable Me
2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

 

[O'Dib]

The Road
Rocky Horror Picture Show

Hmm. Can't think of any more.

 

[barnaclelapse]

1. Friends of Eddie Coyle
2. Withnail and I
3. Yasujiro Ozu's Good Morning
4. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
5. The Last Picture Show
6. The Apostle
7. A Serious Man
8. Kung-Fu Hustle
9. Millennium Actress
10. Wings of Desire

Thank you. This is the kind of thing I was looking for. I'm surprised. Only one list so far. Great choice on "The Last Picture Show". Probably my favourite of 2009, at least top 5.

The Last Picture Show was wonderful. The sequel not so much, although the cast did what they could and had some great moments (the chemistry between Bridges and Annie Potts was wonderful).

 

[Starbreaker]

1. Almost Famous
2. The Time Traveler's Wife
3. Blood Diamond
4. Vanilla Sky
5. Black Book
6. Married Life
7. Up in the Air
8. Rosemary's Baby
9. Crazy Heart
10. Hero

 

[T'Baio]

I saw The Mist recently for the first time. Fuckin' awesome.

 

[Itisnotlogical]

I feel like I've run out of good movies to watch. Avatar pretty much soured my opinion to modern science fiction and I've yet to see a fantasy film able to top Lord of the Rings (yes I'm serious). So, that leaves:

Harry Brown
Boondock Saints I & II
2001: A Space Odyssey
Defiance
Total Recall
12 Monkeys

 

[CaptainCanada]

1. Fiddler on the Roof
2. Gone Baby, Gone
3. Unforgiven
4. Precious
5. Michael Clayton

 

[LitmusDragon]

District 9
There Will Be Blood
Faust (1994)
The Seventh Seal
Metropolis
Kagemusha
Memento
Ed Wood
The Secret of Kells
Inglorious Basterds
Miller's Crossing

 

[Too Much Fun]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Just as I'd hoped, it's very cool to see such eclectic lists. Now that I have a little free time (finally!), I can finally post what I'm sure you've all been waiting for with baited breath - my much delayed, highly anticipated top ten (seen, not made) in 2010 list!


10. "True Grit" (1969) - I have hated every 'classic' western I've ever seen ("Unforgiven, "The Wild Bunch", "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", and "The Searchers"). Now, with this movie, I've FINALLY seen one I could enjoy. For once, the action sequences aren't the only fun part and there are actually great characters and gorgeous scenery that make the movie visually arresting at almost every moment.

I loved John Wayne in this. Such a charming rascal and totally earns his iconic status with an acting style and body language that make him as unforgettably idiosyncratic and endearing as Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, or early Marlon Brando. My only complaint is that Kim Darby was a bit annoying at times. Even though I'm sure the Coen Brothers version improves the casting for that actress and many other things, I just have no desire to see it. John Wayne was such a pleasure in the role, I don't want to see anyone else play it, even someone as great as Jeff Bridges.

9. "Matinee" (1993) - Another Joe Dante gem (saw and loved his "Innerspace" for the first time in 2009). Very funny, clever, and beautifully nostalgic tribute to old timey moviemaking.

8. "The Zero Effect" (1998) - Ingenious detective story, text book example of an underrated masterpiece.

7. "Hoosiers" (1986) - Surprisingly powerful feel good underdog sports story. Sounds like cliche junk on paper but elevates its formula to the greatest degree possible. Dennis Hopper's performance is heartbreakingly poignant. Can't imagine a better movie about a ragtag sports team that beats the odds.

6. "Moonstruck" (1985) - A symphony of hilariously quirky dialog and acting.

5. "Trading Places" (1983) - I wish more comedies would make me laugh as hard and as often as this one did. Unfortunately, it also left me a little sad that Eddie Murphy's talents have been wasted for so long seeing how wonderful he is when he finds a perfect vehicle for them. The highlight was the train sequence that just cracked me up non-stop.

4. "After Hours" (1985) - I admire all of his Martin Scorsese's work that I've seen, but this one takes my appreciation of him to a new level as it shows that even without a star (i.e DiCaprio or De Niro), he always brings amazing atmosphere to his movies, chooses his scripts carefully, and brings them to visual life astonishingly.

3. "Ordinary People" (1980) - I feel like all my life I've been hearing about how this movie robbed "Raging Bull" of an Oscar. I don't think that's fair anymore. I love "Raging Bull", but this movie was worthy of a best picture Oscar. It was masterfully acted and written, disarmingly moving, and made me tear up over and over again with its heart wrenching dialog and acting.

2. "In A Lonely Place" (1950) - I'm a big fan of Bogart and I think this movie has his best performance. I've seen some melancholy in his other performances, but I've never seen him play a character as dark and disturbed as the one he played in this movie and it was just incredible to watch. His "I was born when she kissed me..." speech is some of the most beautiful romantic dialog I've ever heard.

1. "Lucas" (1986) - This is the first movie since 2004 that I've loved enough to add to my top ten of all time. I finished it thinking, "this is the sweetest movie I've ever seen". The writing, direction, and acting in it were all top notch. I seriously think Cory Haim should have got an Oscar nomination for it.

This was one of the best, most authentic, eloquent, funny, and moving films about friendship, love, jealously, (high school) social structure, competition, and growing up during high school years that I've ever seen. The fact that the careers of everyone involved in this movie from the writer/director to the stars (with the exception of Charlie Sheen and Winona Ryder) didn't really go anywhere after it shocks me.

The movie's cast and crew deserved so much better. It's a movie I will treasure forever. I imagine that like so much music I dig, it will always be something that feels like it was made just for me. An upside to the movie's lack of impact is that it gives me a chance to feel all superior as I think, "well, it never made a big mark on pop culture, but that's only because, unlike me, when it came out people just weren't cool enough to 'get it'.".