Review of 2010: best and worst

I saw 175 films this year. Some of them were great; others were less great. I hope these four lists help someone out there to choose what to watch (and what not to watch) in 2011.

Please let me know what you thought of these movies. And if you saw anything good this year, give me a heads-up. I'm always looking for stuff to add to my rental list.

NB: I apologise for my sloppy blogging. Instead of writing new descriptions for each film, I've just copied and pasted whatever I tweeted at the time...

Best new films
The best fairly recent films that I saw in 2010:

1) The White Ribbon (2009)
"I imagined The White Ribbon (2009) would be boring, pretentious and undeserving of its hype. I was wrong. This is storytelling at its best."

2) 35 Shots of Rum (2008)
"I found 35 Shots of Rum captivating. So natural and full of love."

3) Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008)
"Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008), the second part of the tale, is also a thrill to watch. Cassel is electric. Go out and rent both parts."

4) Avatar (2009)
"Avatar at the IMAX took my breath away, but for a 3D movie it had a lot of 2D characters."

5) Still Walking (2008)
"Still Walking (2008) is a beautiful little film about love, death, family idiosyncrasies... I recommend it if you like that kind of thing."

Best old films
The best older films that I saw for the first time this year:

1) Stalker (1979)
"Check out Stalker (1979). Not sure what I'd find in the 'Zone' myself, but I think I'm happier seeing it through Tarkovsky's eyes."

2) F for Fake (1973)
"F for Fake (1973) is one of a kind. Orson Welles was such an engaging storyteller -- his voice, his eyes, his creative mind."

3) Touch of Evil (1958)
"Wow! Touch of Evil (1958) is cooler than cool. Every shot is a work of art, and yet the story is earthy and rugged. Beautiful, exhilarating."

4) The General (1926)
"The General (1926) is even better than the last Buster Keaton film I saw. Lots of action with a little slapstick thrown in. Riveting stuff."

5) They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
"Depression-era USA is the setting for the most miserable, fucked up reality show of all time: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)."

Worst films
The worst films that I saw this year:

1) My Life in Ruins (2009)
"My Life in Ruins: a contender for the stupidest film I've ever seen. Full of clichés and scenes doing nothing to develop the story."

2) Dear John (2010)
"Dear John is a typical Hallström film: sentimental, manipulative, with characters that don't begin to resemble real people."

3) X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) is clichéd, predictable nonsense. Not remotely interesting. Still, at least it's better than The Last Stand."

4) New Moon (2009)
"New Moon is shockingly bad. Vampires and werewolves might give a crap about Bella, but I struggled to do the same. Bad script. Bad acting."

5) Nine (2009)
"Nine (2009) is a dull musical with tiresome, generic songs. Chicago and Moulin Rouge seem less crap now. Daniel Day Lewis can do better."

Best rewatched:
The best films that I rewatched this year:

1) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
"Also finished rewatching The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), which has the trilogy's best story, best lines and best soundtrack."

2) The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
"Rewatched The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005). Exciting, moving and funny. Still my favourite film of the last 10 years."

3) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
"Many action heroes have silly gruff voices. Rewatched Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) last night -- Indy sounds normal (human) by comparison."

4) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
"Rewatched The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), which I love. Such a palpable sense of foreboding. And then vrrrrrrmm! Vivid, claustrophobic."

5) Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
"Just shared Napoleon Dynamite with my parents. And, shock, horror, I think they enjoyed it as much as I do."