Best of 2010 (Part 2/2 - Soup Bowl Awards)

Since I see a good chunk of movies every year, I guess I'm allowed to have my own awards show. Unfortunately, there's no movie stars, no red carpet, and not golden statuettes. It's actually just text on a screen.

Well, now that I've successfully lowered everyone's expectations, here are the winners of the First Annual Soup Bowl Awards.

Best Film: Black Swan
Runner-Up: Somewhere

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky - "Black Swan"
Runner-Up: Sofia Coppola - "Somewhere"

Best Actor: Ryan Gosling - "Blue Valentine"
Runner-Up: Stephen Dorff

Best Actress: Nicole Kidman - "Rabbit Hole"
Runner-Up: TIE - Natalie Portman ("Black Swan") and Michelle Williams ("Blue Valentine")

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo - "The Kids Are All Right"
Runner-Up: Christian Bale - "The Fighter"

Best Original Screenplay: "Please Give"
Runner-Up: "Blue Valentine"

Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Social Network:
Runner-Up: "Rabbit Hole"

Best Art Direction: "Black Swan"
Runner-Up: "True Grit"

Best Cinematography: "True Grit"
Runner-Up: "Black Swan"

Best Editing: "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World"
Runner-Up: "The Social Network"

Best Score: "The Social Network"
Runner-Up: "Inception"

Best of 2010 (Part 1/2 - Top Ten)

Without further ado, here are my Top Ten Favorite Films of 2010:

1. Black Swan (d. Darren Aronofsky)

A work of art that's just as brilliant (and insane) as its main character.


2. Somewhere (d. Sophia Coppola)

Quiet, moving story of an emotionally deadened movie star's relationship with his daughter.



3. Please Give (d. Nicole Holofcener)

A funny, complicated examination of generosity. Aided by smart, subtle performances.

4. Rabbit Hole (d. John Cameron Mitchell)

Effective, multi-layered portrait of grief. Anchored by Nicole Kidman's brilliant performance.

5. The Social Network (d. David Fincher)

A modern story of friendship and ambition. Fincher and Sorkin effectively put classical themes in a modern context.


6. Blue Valentine (d. Derek Cianfrance)

Realistic, bittersweet portrayal of a dying relationship. Extremely well-acted.

7. Another Year (d. Mike Leigh)

An unsentimental look at loneliness, age, and inadequacy. Manages to lighten its harsh blows with well-balanced humor.


8. The Kids Are All Right (d. Lisa Cholodenko)

Loving portrait of a modern family. Directed and acted with great warmth and sincerity.


9. Winter's Bone (d. Debra Granik)

Chilling thriller that makes superb use of its rural setting.

10. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (d. Edgar Wright)

Super funny love story that brilliantly utilizes its video game aesthetics.

I Got the Blues

"Blue Valentine" is a brutally honest portrait of an emotionally complicated relationship. Its precise direction, paired with its exceptionally natural performances, makes for a superbly intellectual experience, as well as a moving one. The film charts the relationship of its two main characters, Dean and Cindy, from its sweet beginning of to its messy, ambiguous end. While following this relationship, director-writer Derek Cianfrance explores Dean's idealized view of romance and Cindy's loss of passion. Through Cinafrance's ideas, actors Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams craft two shockingly authentic performances. Williams beautifully captures Cindy's both sides of her character - both her light tenderness, as well as her dark cynicism. Gosling wonderfully embodies Dean's reckless behavior, along with his eagerness to please. The audience can sense their heartbreak from simply reading the expressions on their faces. That "Blue Valentine" is willing to examine these characters in an honest, meaningful way makes it not only a painful story of failed romance, but also a superbly moving work of art.

"Black Swan" Review

In Black Swan, director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, The Fountain) creates a wonderfully haunting film that truly captures the mindset of a performer. The film follows Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), a young ballerina, as she lands the lead in her company’s production of “Swan Lake.” Upon accepting the role, she begins to feel enormous pressure from not only the company’s pretentious director (Vincent Cassel), but also her mother (Barbara Hershey), a former ballerina who retired upon becoming pregnant with Nina. Wracked by the mounting pressure, Nina mentally unravels as the show’s opening night draws near.

The film, shot entirely from the perspective of Nina, truly taps into the psychology of its lead character. As Nina loses grip on reality, Aronofsky mirrors her addled state of mind through the film’s visuals. These visuals not only reflect the state of mind of the main character, but also symbolically comment on the plight of an artist. When Nina takes on a role, she feels an intense amount of scrutiny from her director, her mother, and the other actors in the production. To symbolically comment on the idea of being judged, Aronofsky uses mirrors as a visual motif.

The film also hosts an ensemble of great performances. Natalie Portman truly shines as Nina. Emphasizing her character’s naïve shyness and obsessive perfectionism, Portman shows the progression of both her character’s insanity and maturity. By the time the film reaches its last act, Portman completely lets loose and delivers what is perhaps one of the most audacious, confident performances of the year. Barbara Hershey also stands out as Erica, Nina’s oppressive mother. Hershey imbues Erica with an overly protective sweetness, a sweetness entangled with resentment. Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, and Vincent Cassel all add great detail as the other characters that haunt Nina’s life.

But what truly distinguishes Black Swan as one of the year’s best films is the bold vision of Darren Aronofsky. Creating dozens upon dozens of visual metaphors (some with multiple meanings), Aronofsky layers his film with ideas, symbols, and emotions, all while delivering a superb thriller laced with suspense and atmosphere. Instead of thrilling the audience from the start, Aronofsky slowly builds suspense by luring the audience into a state of unease. While everything feels “normal” in the film’s opening few sequences, Aronofsky adds a few eerie details to convey Nina’s psychological instability. As the film progresses, Aronofsky, conveying Nina’s mental and emotional unraveling, builds upon and exaggerates his style until the film climaxes in a visually stunning, emotionally tense final act.


Aiding Aronofsky’s impeccable atmosphere is Clint Mansell’s score, a haunting take on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake mixed with eerie modern overtones. The score, much like the film, grows more intense as the film progresses. The film also boasts some gorgeous camera work from cinematographer Matthew Libatique. In filming the ballet sequences, Libatique captures the feeling of the ballet by moving the camera with the dancers. Not as concerned with the individual ballet moves, Aronofsky and Libatique are more interested in conveying the feeling of ballet than focusing on each precise movement.

While Aronofsky and crew display great talent and ambition, they do not shy away from the film’s genre elements. Intead, Aronofsky fully embraces the idea that he’s making a horror film. While some critics may disapprove of the film’s genre elements, Aronofsky infuses all of the film’s thrills with thematic meaning. With this unique, often exaggerated, visual language, Black Swan truly captures the mind of a performer. Through Nina, the film shows how one can only break free from self-doubt by completely letting go of oneself and creating art. Thus, while the film may come off a tad too ridiculous at times, the fact that Aronofsky is willing to make risky stylistic choices shows that he, like Nina, is willing to let loose to create something truly memorable – an utterly unique and completely mesmerizing work of art.