The Ten Best Films of 2010 That I Saw | Tragic Comedy

10) The Other Guys - An offbeat and frequently hilarious comedy seemingly performed by the seats of the actors' pants. Its randomness may turn off some, but the jokes clicked for me. How nice to have a movie so reminiscent of The Naked Gun in the year of Leslie Nielsen's passing.

9) The Joneses - A funny and likable satire about how far our marketing-driven consumer culture will go. It strays in the second half by investing in drama instead of taking the concept further, but it gets pretty far coasting on David Duchovny and Demi Moore's charm.

8) The Ghost Writer - A low-key suspense picture with Roman Polanski's usual claustrophobia and sense of inevitable doom. That it criticizes Tony Blair's subservience to America's foreign interests is less important than that it stirs emotions that most thrillers aren't even aware of.

7) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - A compelling argument that video games are valid cultural touchstones - familiar sound effects and slogans can communicate deep subtext. The movie is occasionally too hyper, but it's surprisingly thoughtful for a live-action cartoon.

6) Shutter Island - A Martin Scorsese picture trying to be a Darren Aronofsky picture in its go-for-broke portrayal of a desperate man's withering mental state. Some say the plot twists are a let-down; I say that's missing the point, which is to evoke the hero's mood and mindset.

5) Crazy Heart - An understated relationship drama and portrait of the artist as a wasted old drunk. Jeff Bridges didn't just win his Oscar for a lifetime of great performances; he deserved it for this one. There's no need for bad guys or trumped-up melodrama; these are recognizeable human beings.

4) The Book of Eli - A genre thriller with a standard post-apocalyptic plot (and unnecessary twists), this makes my list on the strength of its spectacular photography by Don Burgess. In his camera, New Mexico becomes a breathtaking hellscape in near black-and-white. Worth seeing for the imagery alone.

3) Alice in Wonderland - A triumphant Tim Burton fantasy just when I thought he'd exhausted his potential. (The same could be said of its 3D format.) It's invigorating and endlessly clever from start to finish, a tribute to Lewis Carroll's creativity rather than a theft of it.

2) Inception - A cerebral, original blockbuster just when we needed one most. Christopher Nolan's career masterpiece represents the sum of his talent and ambition. Like its central concept, you can't get it out of your mind once you've experienced it.

1) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - A vicious thriller with raw menace to spare. The lifelong plight of Noomi Rapace's heroine tore a hole in my heart that hasn't healed since. I can't bear seeing the sequels or the upcoming American remake out of fear that they'll tarnish this perfect movie. If you have the stomach for graphic violence, this is not to be missed.

The Full List

It ruled: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Inception, Alice in Wonderland, The Book of Eli, Crazy Heart, Shutter Island, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Ghost Writer, The Joneses, The Other Guys, Hot Tub Time Machine, Date Night.

It was ok: Toy Story 3, The A-Team, Greenberg, Kick-Ass, Winter's Bone, District 13: Ultimatum, The Wolfman, Prodigal Sons, Gigante, The Eclipse, Oceans, The Lost Skeleton Returns Again.

It sucked: Clash of the Titans, The Losers, The Lovely Bones, Happy Tears.

Three Replies to The Ten Best Films of 2010 That I Saw

Steve Dunn | January 3, 2011
True Grit is really good doodz.

Scott Hardie | January 3, 2011
Wanted to see it but ran out of time. Same with The Social Network, even though it came before GooCon for crying out loud.

Dave Stoppenhagen | January 4, 2011
"New Mexico becomes a breathtaking hellscape in near black-and-white."

I just drove through New Mexico yesterday, it is a hellscape even in color.

Logical Operator

The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

March 14, 1977

I hope this doesn't set a precedent for doing this on everybody's 30th birthday, or I'm going to be busy writing these for the next few years... Top Ten Reasons Denise Sawicki is Awesome 10) She wore red on her wedding day, and she looked good. 9) She doesn't just send the DVD as a surprise birthday gift. Go »

Good Company and Busy Nights

Highlights from my last two weeks, in no particular order: - Miah Poisson, his fiancée Ines, and her friend Denise have always wanted to see The X Files, and it just so happens I have the complete series on DVD. We've started getting together every Monday night to watch a couple of episodes and eat sandwiches. I'm taking the opportunity to do something I wanted to do the first time I watched the series, which is keep a kill-count. Go »

OK Glass

Last weekend, Kelly and I drove up to St. Petersburg with friends to see Ira Glass present a one-man stage show explaining how he makes This American Life on the radio. I had no prior familiarity with his work, having not heard the radio show unlike the fans that I went with, but I think it's long past time that I started listening to the celebrated series online. Go »

Not-So-Confidential to My Gaming Group

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Upsetting the Pace

Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on homosexuality (link): "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts... I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way." Go »