2010 dump

So, I turned in my last assignment this morning and now have about two weeks off from school. Hopefully, I can get back to this a bit - especially now that Jeffrey has joined us (btw, I, too, loved A Single Man. You're right, that is an excellent movie and I wish Firth was winning awards for that).

I plan to put up my Top Ten of 2010 list up tonight or tomorrow. I think that I have finally seen almost all of the 2010 movies that I want to see - with one or two exceptions. First, however, I've got to write a bit about 8 movies I have watched this last week. I apologize for only writing about them briefly but I just don't have the energy to write more and the longer I put this off, the harder it will get.

A friend of mine loaned me her DVD of Inception. It was a movie that I wanted to see but every time it came up I would find a movie that I felt deserved my attention more. When I finally did get around to watching it, most of my suspicions were confirmed. It is a decent Hollywood movie but nothing more. The characters all seem a bit thin and a lot of the plot just does not really hit. I thought I was in for more of the "mind fuck" that I had heard about but that proved not to be the case. And the whole dream level with the snow and fortress thing...painful. I really think that this whole idea would have been very cool to do as a TV show. Perhaps something with a definite end date but on a platform that allowed for more time to develop the characters and to develop the plot. Instead I felt that it relied on too easy movie tropes and nice visuals. Overall I was entertained but would not watch it again.

After watching Alamar I understand Brandon's ranking. It is a really beautiful film with some stunning scenes. It is so simple but portrays the beauty that can be fatherhood. Watching the son live and love in the two worlds is fascinating. It is amazing how little is really different between them.

Everyone Else is a movie that I wanted to watch but also put off because I was afraid I would hate it. The characters don't seem to have too many redeeming attributes. I felt like I was watching a relationship that I would have had years ago. Nevertheless, this film does an excellent job in showing the breakdown in a relationship that is due solely to pride, arrogance and lack of empathy.

Fish Tank is so gritty and raw. It is hard for me to connect to the world that the girl lives in and that is why I really appreciate this film.

I do not understand why Never Let Me Go has not had more attention. I really, really liked this film. It is so beautiful and sad. I can only imagine how good the book is. The acting was great, the cinematography was wonderful and the driving ideas were really interesting.

James Franco drives Howl and his acting really stands out for me in this film. I was not too interested in 127 Hours but after seeing Howl I am definitely going to watch it. I think that if you are interested in writing, poetry, the Beat generation or freedom of speech, you should check this movie out. It is definitely worth it.

I know that John and Brandon really liked Shutter Island. I had to admit, it did not really excite me. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of brilliant stuff there. In the end I found it to be a bit predictable and probably suffered from a bit of hype in my mind. Generally, this is not the type of movie that I really enjoy. So, apologies ahead of time for not including it in my Top Ten.

The last movie I watched is Salt. My sister ordered it On Demand last night. So, I decided to watch it. There is not much more to say than: I was entertained but I wasn't really a fan.