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BRYAN LAYNE’S TOP TEN

2010 was “THE” year for great dramas. Both major studio releases and the independent film failed to disappoint in every technical aspect last year, as far as the drama film is concerned. Some of the most talented big-name leading actors, as well as some of my favorite supporting actors, got to dive head first into a bevy of the most interesting characters I’ve seen on the big screen in years.

The B-Movie got the A-Film treatment with genre pictures being released by the biggest film companies in the world. As an outcome, the titles they released resulted in lackluster comedies and dismal horror films that missed their mark entirely.

The direct-to-video fare was just as dreary, with very few titles leaving an impression worthy of a mention in this article.

If anything, 2010 was a flawless year for cinematography and almost every film below came in for a visual stalemate with images you couldn’t just shake from your brain simply because the end titles signaled your departure from the theater. These movies could very well raise the bar and set a whole new standard for film photography.

There’s nothing surprising on this list this year. Titles that award shows have been revering since October. Writers much more qualified and educated than myself , as well as half-assed bloggers hiding away in their mother’s basement, have been insanely verbal about these films this year.

So what does that say about myself? Am I getting soft? Maybe. However, there is a reason these films are getting a constant mention for greatness that borders on overkill or brainwashing: They are damn good. And while they are essentially dramas, a few of them casually erupted in some sort of cinematic violence that could make Peckinpah vomit or Savini hide his eyes. I’m not a sadist. I am, nonetheless, a single white male in his thirties who misses his genre pictures. What is the horror film anyway? It’s a drama film with chainsaws and breasts. So I stand by this list of impressive drama titles with pride and confidence. That is until Hollywood and independent filmmakers everywhere get back to making quality genre pictures.

127 HOURS

Remember the story about the kid whose arm was pinned under a boulder for days and in a desperate act of survival he severed his forearm from his body with a dull pocket knife? It always seemed like an urban legend, in a way, that parents told their children so they wouldn’t wander off in dangerous terrain all alone. After all, there’s safety in numbers. That story, of course, was true and it belongs to Colorado native Aron Ralston. He recounted his five-day ordeal in his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, which is followed faithfully for the film. Actor James Franco portrays Ralston and carries the entire movie solely on his gratifying performance. The real star of the film is director Danny Boyle who takes perfect advantage of the Moab, Utah locations. His interpretations of Ralston’s state of delirium and bouts with hallucinations are proficiently handled and done in a fresh, unique way that had not yet been brought to the big screen. A satisfying film from beginning to end.

BARNEY’S VERSION

Based off the popular novel of the same name by Mordecai Richler, BARNEY’S VERSION had a lot to offer from the promotional material I received and had me on a quest to find the title playing in theatres here in the south. It was a daunting task, but I did find it in a single cinema on a college campus. The film follows thirty-years in the life of Barney Panofsky, a Jewish television producer from Canada. Barney is alcoholic and profane. He also exhibits symptoms of severe anti-social behavior. In the span of three decades, he’s had three weddings. At one of his weddings, not long after taking his vows with his new wife, he meets the true love of his life. The highlight of this film for me was Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman (who plays Giamatti’s dad) sharing screen-time. The dialogue in this film was some of the wittiest from 2010. Director Richard J. Lewis took full advantage of the many locations the thirty-year story take place in, which starts in Rome.

BLACK SWAN

Director Darren Aronofsky has yet to disappoint. BLACK SWAN depicts his return to subject matter reminiscent of his finest film, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. It’s the story of a ballet company eagerly preparing for a big production of Swan Lake. Auditions are held for the coveted role of the Swan Queen. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is chosen to strive against several other enthusiastic hopefuls. The director believes Sayers is capable of portraying the White Swan, but lacks something important to be believable as the Black Swan. Nina begins to show signs of mental breakdown and director Aronofsky plays her delusional hallucinations with stunning visuals on par with the images shown in Danny Boyle’s above-mentioned 127 HOURS. I was reminded of the early works of Italy’s Dario Argento. Mila Kunis as Nina’s competition, and Barbara Hershey as Nina’s domineering mother, were highlights. A psychological horror film, disguised as an artsy ballet film.

DESPICABLE ME

2010 was a massive year for Steve Carell. DATE NIGHT, DINNER FOR SHMUCKS and television’s THE OFFICE has kept him in the spotlight. He is devoid of ego or arrogance of any sort when he walks off the set and joins the rest of us living in the real world. The most down-to-earth person in Hollywood, quite frankly. Perhaps it’s because fame came to him later in life, but I’d like to believe it’s his natural demeanor and personality. As a result of this, I’d watch him in anything… which I did. The most enjoyable of the lot was this animated feature from Universal Studios. Aimed at the whole family, but full of humor only adults will understand, DESPICABLE ME follows the story of Gru – a super-villain with a resemblance to Uncle Fester and epic plans to steal the moon. In desperation, he adopts three young girls who can lead him to the tools he needs to fulfill his heist plans. I caught this movie at the cinema in 3-D and on Blu-ray in regular 2-D. It’s thoroughly entertaining any way you can catch it.

GET LOW

Not an impeccable film. Robert Duvall’s soliloquy at the resolution was shockingly embarrassing and may have required numerous takes. A modestly released period piece about a misanthropic hermit from Roane County, Tennessee who comes out of hiding upon the death of a friend. He plans his own funeral, which he attends with the population of his town, in hopes to find out what they truly think of him. If this film has flaws, why would I include it? Two words: Bill Murray. If this were around 1976 and somebody had told me that from the earliest cast of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Bill Murray would be the most poignant, I would have thought them amiss. It’s not that he wasn’t good on SNL, but look with whom he shared the roster. Murray just turned sixty and is as beloved as ever. I couldn’t be happier for him and the world of film. His portrayal of Frank Quinn is immaculate. Quinn is the questionable owner and director of the local funeral parlor. When Duvall’s character commissions him to oversee his funeral party, he ecstatically sees dollar signs. Quinn is a former car salesman from Chicago and would be right at home amongst the profane crowd of Mamet’s GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. The viewer never knows for sure if he’s redeemed his shady past. Does he care about the hermit? Will he go back to Chicago with the entire town’s financial contributions towards the funeral party? You never really know for sure. I’m looking forward to what Bill Murray has to offer in his sixties.

THE KING’S SPEECH

I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of sitting through this one, yet it was probably my favorite film of the year. Geoffrey Rush is one of the greats. A superb talent, not just getting by on pretty-boy looks. Which I mean as a compliment and is more than I can say for most of America’s leading stars. I’ll catch Rush in anything and his presence alone is what got me to appear in the first place. The Duke of York (later, King George IV) has a habit of stammering and with the position he was born into, most of his public appearances require him to dazzle Britain’s populace with public speaking. Desperate, the Duchess of York discovers the unorthodox talents of speech therapist Lionel Logue and a dubious friendship between upper and lower class begins. The entire cast is spot-on in this one. And it’s hard to beat Geoffrey Rush, but in the first role where I can praise her, Helena Bonham Carter comes close to hijacking the movie as the Duchess. Her likeability and dedication to her husband is instantly satisfying. She’s all panache, but not above acting like the England working-class when required. A brilliantly written, acted and filmed historical buddy picture that shouldn’t be missed.

INCEPTION

THE MATRIX changed action/genre pictures with its brand new unleashing of FX technology, but I hated that film. INCEPTION does the same with a whole new approach to CGI in an intelligently written film for adults. Leonardo DiCaprio is starting to grow on me the older he gets. Of course, we all know he’s Scorsese’s new DeNiro and the further he gets from teen idol status, the more I’m recognizing his immense talents. Director Christopher Nolan is unstoppable in my book and has unleashed a film that will blow you away. A complex story of thieving businessmen whose expertise is known as extraction — the stealing of the mind’s deepest secrets while in the dreaming state of REM sleep. All of the urban legends that revolve around what happens to the human body during the REM state are explored here. Visually, nothing comes close to INCEPTION. Plus, check out all the bad-ass suits from the wardrobe department.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

The story of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and the unending litigations that surround the youngest billionaire in the world. This thing is winning accolades and awards left and right. It will probably win the academy award for best picture, but it wasn’t my favorite film from last year. The sole reason I chose it was Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Zuckerberg. It is ironic that the creator of the most successful social networking site in the world is also possibly the most socially deficient human being in America. If I knew a person as depicted in this film — egocentric, patronizing about one’s own intelligence, and exhibiting symptoms of a possible personality disorder — I’d instantly dislike them. However, Eisenberg’s performance is way too enjoyable and I found his superior demeanor and dialogue to be very entertaining and amusing. Kudos to Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s original score.

TRUE GRIT

When The Coen Brothers are on fire they fail to disappoint. Yet, when they come up short… they REALLY come up short. It’s rare, but it does happen. I was questioning this one when I first heard it was in production. Part of that trepidation was due to the original film from 1969. The original wasn’t horrible, but it always seemed a little laughable or pure fluff, if you will (if you agree, it’s nothing compared to the corny sequel from 1975 titled ROOSTER COGBURN). That is not the case in this modern remake. The Coen Brothers wisely followed the original work from novelist Charles Portis which severely added to the realism compared to the original. The plot is simple: Young girl’s father is murdered. After inquiring, she finds the most dangerous and capable individual around to bring the murderer to justice, as well as one fancy Texas Ranger who enjoys the sound of his own voice. Am I really informing you of anything by saying Jeff Bridges is at the top of his profession in this film? And I’ve never had anything good (or bad) to say about Matt Damon until this film (he’s great in it). I’m insanely tough and sexist towards women in film. I’m not proud of it, but it is a fact. I feel like the last role for a woman that blew me away was also in a Coen Brothers film: Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson from FARGO. However, youngster Hailee Steinfeld as little Mattie Ross was astounding and a new name to look for in cinema. TRUE GRIT had the most satisfying conclusion of any film released in 2010.

WINTER’S BONE

Daniel Woodrell is a genius in the world of fiction novelists. He has taken the noir genre and molded it into something that became uniquely his: country noir. He is a native of the Missouri/Arkansas Ozark Mountains that he routinely writes about in his books. He knows his settings and characters well. WINTER’S BONE explores the Dolly family. A brood that he has returned to in his novels more than once. Just as Hailee Steinfeld made an impression with me in TRUE GRIT for roles women portray, Kentucky native Jennifer Lawrence also stood-out with a very well-written role for female leads. This film featured John Hawkes as Woodrell’s most cherished character Uncle Teardrop. He’s possibly the most feared meth addict on the entire surface known as the Ozarks. Armed villains and uneducated police officers everywhere shudder at the mere mention of his name. Teardrop is the greatest character from 2010. When he appears on screen you are on the edge of your seat wondering what senseless act of violence or required act of love is he going to show for his own immediate family. John Hawkes is probably best known for his quick, yet pivotal role as a convenience store clerk that shared time with Michael Parks’ Texas Ranger role in Rodriguez’s FROM DUSK ‘TILL DAWN. Or better yet as the lead in performance artist turned filmmaker Miranda July’s YOU, ME AND EVERYONE WE KNOW. He was a very noteworthy performer in both of those titles. Ree Dolly is seventeen years of age. Her mother is mentally ill and her father has jumped bail on a charge of cooking crystal meth. The sheriff and a bail bondsman show up on her property to inform her that if he doesn’t appear in court in a week, she’ll lose all the families properties, including acres of virgin timberland. Her very young siblings rely on her for all things required to live. Ree promises to find her father, eventually turning to her Uncle Teardrop. Through Uncle Teardrop she learns good things and bad about the value of family. The tension for what waits around the corner for young Ree is absolutely nerve-racking. There is a point where she is taken hostage by a platoon of hillbilly women and the door to the barn they lead her to is reminiscent of Tobe Hooper’s famous steel door slam from 1974’s THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. The threat of imminent danger or certain death constantly looms over young Ree Dolly through out the entire film, even in the presence of her own father’s brother. WINTER’S BONE was my favorite surprise from 2010.

David Guglielmo next…

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