I know, I know, I’m supposed to focus on movies. 2010 was so much more than just movies for me, though. I’ll try to be as brief as I can, but I want to give as comprehensive a list as possible of my favourite TV and films of the last year. “Best-of” lists are hard for me, because my Number One (regardless of the category) always flip-flops, depending on what’s most recent in my mind. What follows is an explosion of great things in no order whatsoever, but if it’s here, I’m suggesting you check it out. All of it!
Movies:
I don’t know if there were less independent movies, crappy independent movies, or if I was just too lazy to hunt them down, but my list for this year reads basically like a recap of everything you’ve already heard a million things about if you ever leave your house. (Maybe that’s why I chose to include formats other than just movies?)
Social Network – I can’t push this movie enough. It was huge and it deserved to be.
Inception – If you didn’t love this, why bother seeing movies?
The American – Sure it may be slower than you might expect, but it’s also way way cooler and more beautiful than I expected any movie to be. Clooney + a bunch of Italians I’ve never heard of = magic.
True Grit – Jeff Bridges rules! Oh yeah, and Barry Pepper proves that no matter how mangled your mouth is, sheep-skin chaps can make you the coolest mutha out there.
Black Swan – Wow. Just wow. I don’t know where to begin. Just see it.
The Rest: Tangled, The Kids Are All Right, Gulliver’s Travels (yeah the movie isn’t great, but Chris O’Dowd is ridiculously funny every second that he’s on screen), Greenberg, Easy A (Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson steal the show as the greatest movie parents ever), Love and Other Drugs (exactly what you expect, but with an impressive amount of nudity), The Fighter, The Town, Ghost Writer, Shutter Island, The Killer Inside Me (a hard to watch, but great performance by Casey Affleck), Piranha 3D, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, The Other Guys, Kick-Ass, Toy Story 3, Solitary Man, and Iron Man 2.
Last Minute Addition: Winter’s Bone – Jennifer Lawrence carries this movie fabulously, but long-time favourite John Hawkes is absolutely incredible as her uncle Teardrop. This movie has one of the most incredibly filmed, understated, creepy, sticks-with-you-for-a-while boat scenes since the famous Corleone family fishing trip.
TV:
Ok. I’m going to break my rule here. I’m going to pick a favourite this time, ’cause one show blew me away episode after episode. (The rest are in no order.)
Misfits – I won’t make you wait. This is it. The best show on TV that I just warmed you up for. Dollars to donuts you haven’t seen it yet. Seriously, if HBO remade Heroes but changed it to be gritty, funny, unpredictable, realistic and about a bunch of kids doing community service, Misfits would be the result. Only it wouldn’t, because the BBC has a knack for casting people you’ve never seen and capturing a cavalier approach that makes everything seem a little more real than the super staged American counterparts. I can’t pump this show enough. The second season was only seven episodes long, but they were the best seven hours on TV this year, hands down. Make it a New Year’s resolution or whatever, but don’t be the loser that doesn’t get on it until Season 5.
The Rest: Damages, Justified, The Pacific, Boardwalk Empire, Bored to Death, Eastbound & Down, Luther, Parenthood, Modern Family (every single cast member is pure gold), Parks and Recreation (most improved show over its previous season), 30 Rock, Community (deadly funny, week after week, and the claymation episode shows just how committed they are to being original and funny at the same time), Dexter (this show never stops impressing me and Julia Stiles was awesome), Archer (funniest cartoon you’ll find), The Venture Brothers (second funniest cartoon you’ll find), An Idiot Abroad, Sherlock (BBC + Paul McGuigan = incredible!), ESPN’s 30 for 30 (I’ve only seen the ones about Iverson, Ricky Williams and Jimmy the Greek, but if the other 27 are this good, then I’m in for a long journey), The Walking Dead, BBC Life (UK Version only, screw Oprah), House, Mad Men, True Blood (officially just a soap opera now), Hung, Detroit 1-8-7, Raising Hope, Fringe and Louie (Louis C.K. is, in my opinion, the funniest stand-up out there, and he finally has a show that demonstrates his comedic prowess).
Cancelled Favourites: Terriers, Rubicon and Lone Star were all high up on my list, and all three got cancelled in or after their debut seasons. After seeing some of the crap that gets renewed, this really pisses me off. Terriers and Rubicon were both given full first seasons that were brilliant in their own rights, but were apparently too smart for the diabetes generation that sits in front of the TV all day every day. Lone Star only aired a couple of episodes, but it was enough to get me hooked and shaking my fist when I heard that it was cancelled. I guess space needed to be cleared for more garbage reality shows that don’t need to worry about being smarter than the food you’re choking on while drooling at the set. Party Down made it through a second season, but had its life cut tragically short after two brilliantly funny seasons. Track them down if you can, you won’t be disappointed.
Whew! That’s it for Part One. Tune in tomorrow for Part Two, which will cover Music, Books and Games! I’m sticking my nose in everyone’s genre. (Except Comics and Sports, but who cares about that crap anyways?)
– Pig
