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The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

And the Oscar Goes to…

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10. The Kids Are All Right

Hey, Diablo Cody, it’s really cool that the kid’s name is Laser. What’s that? Diablo Cody didn’t write The Kids Are All Right? Then why does it have such a sickly sweet Junofeel? Kids who like classic rock aren’t nearly as cool as these movies make them out. And the whole “hey look, you guys, I’m making a movie that acts super nonchalant about controversial stuff like gay marriage and teen pregnancy, I’m so edgy” thing is getting old. It’s 2011.  Seeing a gay couple on screen today is not nearly as startling as you think it is, Lisa Cholodenko.

9. True Grit

Am I missing something, or was the epilogue as stupid as it seemed? It was bad enough to call the intentions and intended meaning of the whole film into question. I really wanted to like True Grit, and maybe it will eventually grow on me like the Coen Brothers’ 2009 best picture-nominated film, A Serious Man. But despite the masterfully rendered period atmosphere and a predictably great performance by Jeff Bridges, the characters weren’t well-developed enough for me to care about them, and all the big moments felt anti-climactic.

8. Toy Story 3

While calls for the tragically overrated Up to win best picture last year in a very strong field seemed downright ridiculous,Toy Story 3 is a more plausible candidate. It was the best of the three Toy Story movies, and as someone who was raised on toys instead of video games, all three films hit close to home. But despite the poignant undertones, it really is just a kids’ movie. This is not the year an animated film crashes the best picture party. If only Wall-E had been released in the ten-nominee era, I would’ve made it number one on my list that year and it would’ve had a legitimate chance to beat Slumdog Millionaire.

7. 127 Hours

It would be a tough task to make a better movie about Aron Ralston’s story than 127 Hours. Thankfully, Danny Boyle made the right choice by severely limiting Ralston’s flashbacks, and James Franco was perfectly cast as the lead. However, the subject matter itself was limiting, and a movie with only one or two characters in one location unavoidably starts getting tedious around the 60 minute mark (see Water,Open). By staying true to the story, Boyle made a very solid film, but sticking to the true story on which it was based didn’t afford him the opportunity to flex his filmmaking muscles.

 

6. Winter’s Bone

I’m trying really hard to convince myself that I should rank Winter’s Bone above Black Swan, but I just can’t. The atmosphere and acting were impeccable, but the plot was severely lacking. Spoiler alert: I can’t believe we never get to meet her father! What a letdown. And the relationships in the film weren’t explored enough. The mother seemed really interesting, but we never got to find out anything about her. Overall, the storyline just wasn’t that compelling, and it seems as though a little bit of tweaking could’ve added a lot of drama.

5. Black Swan

Am I the only person on earth who isn’t obsessed with Natalie Portman? Am I gonna get death threats just for asking that question? “Come on dude, she spent like five years preparing for this role. That’s really messed up if you don’t think she should win best actress.” So whoever tries hardest should win? I think not. She played her part too innocently, so that when we find out (spoiler alert) that all of her problems were just in her head, it doesn’t seem to follow. She played the part of victim too convincingly. I’m sure that was a stupid critique, but I’m writing this from Australia where it’s like 6 a.m. three days from now, and I’m really tired, so cut me some slack. Overall, like Winter’s Bone, the atmosphere and acting were, as my abs, solid, but Black Swan‘s more inspired plot gives it a slight edge.

4. Inception

Inception went from overrated to underrated and back again so many times that any critique of it quickly became meaningless. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I had watched all 10 films without knowing anything about their critical reception, I would’ve picked Inception for best picture. But after I saw it, I went online and became convinced that it wasn’t as good as I had thought. I realized the plot was kind of over-the-top, with more holes than Swiss cheese (hey, did I just invent that simile? I think I did!). That said, it was still an extremely inspired piece of filmmaking, and although it wasn’t the year’s best film, if someone could only see one 2010 movie, I would recommend Inception for pure entertainment value. Watching Inception is like riding a roller coaster. (Two original similes in one paragraph! You can’t stop me! Cross the plane! Touchdown, Greg Jennings!)

3. The Social Network

This 120-minute Facebook commercial goes alongside that American Airlines commercial with George Clooney that almost won Best Picture last year as one of the most memorable advertisements in recent history.

2. The Fighter

“Wait, that’s all you’re gonna say about The Social Network?” Yeah, sue me. “But how was it an advertisement for Facebook? It made Facebook seem horrible!” Uh, no, not really. Mark Zuckerberg’s insecurities and flaws aren’t an indictment of Facebook. They are an indictment of Mark Zuckerberg. And besides, I left the theater with a more favorable opinion of Zuckerberg than when I entered (I should also add that I left the theater with a favorable opinion of the masterfully scripted movie, hence its spot at number three on my list). Anyways, on to The Fighter. I was shocked by how much I liked this film. Christian Bale acted his heart out, without falling into the trip of overacting a character based on a real person a la Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side. Overall, it was just an impeccably made film with a wonderful cast. I’m usually skeptical of sports movies (Air Bud: Canine Coxswain may be partly to blame), but watching The Fighter made me want to go see all the classic sports movies I’ve generally shied away from.

1. The King’s Speech

Sorry, I had to. I wanted to put The Fighter on top of my list just to stir things up, and I almost did. They are definitely the two best films of the year. But The Fighter has such a rich and colorful supporting cast that Mark Wahlberg’s relatively straightforward main character ends up seeming dull in comparison. The same can’t be said for Colin Firth’s King George VI. The King’s Speech was the last of the ten nominees I watched, and in the first half I was getting really excited because I thought I was going to choose The Fighter as number one. But then I realized that the only reason I wasn’t liking the film was because my stupid Australian internet wasn’t fast enough to let me watch more than 30 seconds at a time without buffering, and my frustration was affecting my view of the film. Once I let the whole thing buffer for a few hours so I could watch it uninterrupted, I came to my senses. The King’s Speech simply had too much grace and gravitas to be placed anywhere below the very top of my list.

 

Jeremy Tramer is a junior in the School of Foreign Service currently studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia.

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