The Year In Film: 2010

Introduction By @TrueGodImmortal
-As usual with the year in film series, we try to cover years that really have a plethora of diverse releases to choose from. If any year fits that description to perfection, 2010 does. There are films in many different genres that were released this year, as the horror genre saw an iconic reboot and a few unnecessary sequels, the comedy genre would see some hilarious films hit the big screen and a few misses, the action genre would definitely thrive, and the thriller genre seemed to be the biggest or most successful genre of the year. In terms of actors, I would crown Denzel Washington and Leonardo DiCaprio as the top two actors of the year, as both men released two good films through the year that would prove to be hits. If you were into animated films, then this year definitely had something for you as well. Disney stepped up and gave the audience one of the more popular new animated films of the 2010s in Tangled. Though not a film that I was interested in, Tangled would end up earning a lot of acclaim and of course, kids all over the world loved this movie.

However, for those of all ages who wanted some animated goodness, the third chapter in the Toy Story saga provided you with exactly what you needed. For me, Toy Story 3 is actually one of my favorite movies of the year, as it seemed to put a great end to the saga of Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Other animated films like How To Train Your Dragon, Despicable Me, and the final edition of the Shrek series (which is a masterpiece film series) helped to give the year a more fun and less serious vibe, but there were plenty of films within the serious realm. From the story of how Facebook became a reality with The Social Network to the dark, strange, and slightly intriguing Black Swan, 2010 definitely gave us award winning films and movies that were memorable (and some forgettable ones). Let's take a look back at the year 2010 in film and the movies that we loved (and hated).

@CherchezLaPorsh
The year 2010 kicked off a new decade and with that, one would assume that it would have some memorable music, movies or anything else for that matter, but it fell a little flat…all around. As I take a look back at the films that were released in 2010, it’s no wonder I wasn’t much of a movie-goer during this year. Although summing up the year as “lackluster” would be an accurate statement, there were a handful that really stood out and carried the year. Here they are in no particular order:

“Inception” was one I had to watch a couple times before I really understood that it was a brilliantly written and very well directed film. Of course, Christopher Nolan never disappoints and Leonardo DiCaprio usually gives us a great performance and truly brings his characters to life and it was no different here. The two who really surprised me were Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page. I don’t actually like either but can’t really complain about them either, as they did well also. They all worked great together to make this twisted and unsettling film surprisingly realistic. I also like that this is essentially a heist film but depicted in a way that had never been done before. I also loved the visual effects and cinematography (which Nolan is known for, so no real surprise there) and of course the way the film unravels. There are twists, turns and “ah ha” moments all along the way. This was the best release of the year. 

Another film I enjoyed was “Conviction”, which was based on a true story of a wrongfully convicted man whose sister becomes a lawyer so she could represent him and seek justice for her brother. The crime was murder but he didn’t do it and the story unravels in the way of flashbacks. The audience learns a lot about this family and the struggles and hardships Kenny and Betty-Ann (brother and sister) go through throughout their childhood leading up to this instance. The entire time I was watching this movie I had to remind myself this was a real life true story so you can imagine the rollercoaster of emotions you experience. There is victory in her finishing law school and ultimately getting her brother out of jail. There is sadness in their upbringing and the treatment the kids received from their mother and of course frustration and anger in the justice system. This topic of wrongful convictions is an issue I find wildly important so it was great to see that at least one example was brought to the forefront. 

It seems 2010 was the year for “based on true story” films because there was also “The Fighter” that came out this year. I’m a pretty big fan of Christian Bale because he knows how to play the parts so well that he blurs the line of character and himself which is brilliant for film. Mark Wahlberg as his brother was a fantastic balance and of course Amy Adams and Melissa Leo played their roles well also. The movie is about a boxer named Dicky (Christian Bale), who becomes addicted to crack cocaine and thinks he is featured in a documentary about his comeback. It’s not, obviously. It’s for a documentary called “Crack In America”…the entire thing is really sad. I do however like that Dicky’s brother (Mark Wahlberg) entering a title fight is also a main storyline parallel to that of the addiction. We see the extent of how dysfunctional their family is and how crack has really ruined something great but the positivity in it is that Dicky tries to clean himself up and even coach his aspiring brother. This was a very powerful film with sadness, victories and of course triumphs along the way. 

Martin Scorsese gave us “Shutter Island” which is one of the most well executed psychological thrillers and the last one of its kind that I watched. The storyline is all the way twisted, so much so that at some point we (the audience) don’t know what is true or made up. Turns out, the entire Island is insane and has a very twisted way of treating patients. What I liked about this movie was the psychological aspect of it. The balance of being so messed up but not going overboard to make it all the way fake. In true Scorsese form, the film draws on a little bit of a few genres but maintains its realism pretty well. I wouldn't rewatch this movie but it was definitely a good one!

Paramount had an absolutely adorable and very memorable release with “How To Train Your Dragon”. I loved everything about this film as it was set up North and the characters were fearless Vikings training to kill dragons who they believe are evil and only out to kill humans. There is also the one “leader’s” kid who isn’t anything like the others and can’t bring himself to kill animals and is trying to prove himself as an inventor and Viking (without having to kill anything). He manages to get himself the cutest dragon named “toothless” and the two develop a friendship that is meant to show the other Vikings that dragons are misunderstood and shouldn’t be killed. It’s an animation so the characters are extra cute and the storyline is perfect for kids and of course adults, as it always has the heartwarming lesson that can be learned by everyone. This was a very memorable film this year and merits to be watched over and over. 

Another animated film that we have 2010 to thank for is “Despicable Me”. This was the first time we met Gru, Dr. Nefario, the girls, and of course the minions. I love absolutely everything about this, from trying to understand the language of the minions to Agnes and her fluffy unicorn to Gru trying to steal the moon. We get to see Gru go from grumpy villain to domesticated dad throughout the film, while the minions provided drama and disaster along the way. It was filled with a ton of laughs and of course the cutest scenes ever. It didn’t take long for the minion craze to take off, and a couple sequels to this film before all of them would become household names. This was another favorite of the year. 

There you have it, even though 2010 wasn’t a memorable year for me, there were definitely films that were exceptional and rank amongst my favorites!! 

@JADBeats
2010 was a decent year. One of my favorite subgenres "revenge thriller" had some good options. I enjoyed like I Spit On Your Grave where a woman was gang raped by multiple men then lays low, learns their lives then stalks and gets her sweet revenge. Inception with Leo Dicpario, I thought was a cool sci-fi thriller about dream sharing and planting thoughts into one's dream state of mind to affect them in real life. Repo Men was about people buying or renting whatever organs they needed but if they can't pay, the repo men will repossess them. It's a cool concept actually, and one I believe could be very possible in our future.

Takers was about a group of pro bank robbers who get pulled into one last heist. This features a pretty good cast with Paul Walker, Michael Ealy, T.I., Chris Brown, Idris Elba and more. I wish they would've made it a series like the Ocean's movies. The story was good and the movie was profitable so it could've worked. Being a fan of dance? I always like dance flicks (preferably hip hop) so Step Up 3D was dope. I like the way the film shows the struggle of being a dancer and why they love it so much.

There are some comedies that were the highlights for me. Dinner For Schmucks was automatically gonna be full of moments to make you laugh. Why would you expect different with Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis in starring roles? Scott Pilgrim vs The World starring Michael Cera is about a musician who has to battle his girlfriend's 7 evil exes. A bit ridiculous in concept, but the movie was very funny and enjoyable.

SUPER wasn't a popular film but man it was hilarious. A man's wife is under a drug dealer's control, he's fed up with crime around him and believes God gave him superpowers but he has none and is inexperienced. He gains a sidekick (Helen Page) who wants in on the action. In essence, it is sort of a dark comedy. Due Date stars Robert Downey Jr. being forced into a cross country road trip with Zach Galifianakis who is making his life miserable when he only wants to get home to his pregnant wife. This film had me rolling from start to finish. On the flip side, who doesn't like a good "try to lose your virginity" movie? That's what The Virginity Hit brings us. Now this is nothing new, but these movies always come with a moral point while being innocently hilarious.

Other films I liked this year:
Easy A
Devil
Grown Ups
The Other Guys
Kick-Ass
Shutter Island
The Town
Black Swan

There were movies that had potential on the year as well. Legion was a cool film for me. I like the biblical thrillers. I only wish they'd went more into detail and had a clearer story angle that resonated. A series was later released on TV called Dominion as a continuation that didn't do the film or itself any justice. I guess Twilight Saga: Eclipse was sort of cool, but it was so soft for a vampire film, so it wasn't a movie for me really. A Nightmare on Elm Street without Robert Englund is trash. I hated that they cast Jackie Haley in the film for  the role of Freddy. What a dumb move.

The Last Airbender did not have enough action, the graphics were subpar, they didn't get the character design right, the characters were misrepresented compared to the events in the animation, the ethnic backgrounds of the characters were wrong (they used white people....), this movie was terrible. The whitewashing in the film was horrible. It was just a mess. Splice was.... I don't even know. It could've been good, but it just failed IMO. The sex and rape scenes were ridiculous and beyond over the top. The main character was an ugly ass creature also. We also had Saw 7 this year, and I mean how many can you have??? It seems as if the purpose was lost in all of the ridiculous killing methods. The fact that they're making another on in 2018 is overkill. Overall, 2010 had some high points and low points, but was a decent year in film.

Outro By @TrueGodImmortal
-For 2010 to have such diversity, it didn't showcase it in the black films of the year unfortunately. Whether in the awful Tyler Perry film For Colored Girls (I don't care, this movie was sad and depressing and I regret agreeing to ever watch it once) or the subpar Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence film Death At A Funeral, this year wasn't as fruitful for black films. Though I was blessed with one of the funniest moments in a film through Lottery Ticket (the rooftop scene with Brandon T. Jackson and Bow Wow is beyond hilarious and Teairra Mari is a highlight), for the most part, I couldn't find movies with our people in them that were good. It's a bit disheartening in a way, but while there weren't many enjoyable black films on the year, there were films with black lead roles that I appreciated. The Book of Eli with Denzel was pretty solid, and even the slightly overblown Brooklyn's Finest with Don Cheadle and the return of Wesley Snipes was a decent watch. All in all, this year wasn't one of the best in film, and certainly wasn't the best year in film of this decade, but it still provided some enjoyable moments at the cinema for many of us.

-DAR