Favorite Movie Releases of 2010

What a great year 2010 was in terms of movie releases! Due to the new movies released, I now have ten new favorite films:
- Flame and Citron
- The House of the Devil
- The Hurt Locker
- The Law
- Revanche
- Rome, Open City
- The Secret in Their Eyes
- The Secret of the Grain
- Shutter Island
- The White Ribbon

And ten of my older favorite films are now available on Blu-ray:
- Breathless
- Charade
- Days of Heaven
- The Evil Dead
- Harsh Times
- The Night of the Hunter
- Paris, Texas
- Psycho
- Seven Samurai
- Walkabout

So, of course, it's no surprise that the majority of my picks for Best Movie Releases of 2010 will come from the titles listed above. Also, please notice I changed the title of this blog post to "Favorite" instead of "Best." I think this more accurately describes my picks—and, perhaps, my picks each month, as well. Nevertheless, here are my picks for Best Favorite Movie Releases of 2010...




Favorite Film of the Year

#1 – The Hurt Locker
Here is what I wrote about The Hurt Locker back in February, and I see no need to alter it...
"The Hurt Locker, with its adept ability to depict the realities of war, its gorgeous slow-motion scenes, and its paralyzing suspense, is, by far, the best film of the month. At times, during this captivating film, I could feel the heat and dryness of the desert sand, the anxiety of being inches away from a deadly explosive, the heartbreak of losing a fellow comrade, and, despite all the danger and uncertainty, the euphoria of having the ability and confidence to do what you love. Powerful, emotional, and exceedingly suspenseful, The Hurt Locker should not be missed!"

Released by Summit Entertainment on January 12, 2010.
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#2 – The Secret in Their Eyes
I knew very little about The Secret in Their Eyes before watching it. I am certainly glad that was the case. So I will refrain from giving a description of the plot, and just say, "if you like foreign or mystery/suspense films, then I highly recommend watching The Secret in Their Eyes as soon as possible."
Last year, The Secret in Their Eyes was the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film. That's really saying a lot, because it had some stiff competition from The White Ribbon and A Prophet. I want to also note that The Hurt Locker was the Academy Award winner for Best Picture last year, as well. I am genuinely surprised that I completely agree with those results. And even more surprised that, out of all the films released on Blu-ray and DVD last year, I found these two to be the best, over all the others. If you know me, I usually never agree with the results of the Academy Awards. So I doubt this will ever happen again. However, it is nice to know they got it right for once!

Released by Sony Pictures Classics on September 21, 2010.
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'Under the Radar' Film of the Year

#1 – The White Ribbon
Unfortunately, I find it hard to write about this film. It is complex, mysterious, emotional, and, at the same time, subtle. I enjoy movies that make me think about them afterward, and this is certainly one of those. One will watch this looking to solve the mysteries put forth, however, as in life, not all mysteries are—nor should be—solved. The White Ribbon was deservedly an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography.

Released by Sony Pictures Classics on June 29, 2010.
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#2 – The House of the Devil
From my previous post, when The House of the Devil was 'Under the Radar' Film of the Month for February...
"If, like me, you enjoy older horror films with a devilish and/or cult theme, such as Rosemary's Baby, Suspiria, The Wicker Man, or The Sentinel, you will most likely enjoy The House of the Devil. It is like a long lost psychological horror film from the early 1980s. In fact, this was the intention. The locations, clothes, cars, music, and everything else, including the payphone and cassette tapes, are all reminiscent of the 1980s. And by being similar to the older horror films, The House of the Devil is much more psychological thrilling, than it is bloody or gory. Some have referred to it as boring, and though slow at times, I was never bored. It's a film that builds tension and slowly reveals its mysteries."
And still now, many months later, every time I hear a song by The Fixx, I think of this movie! :)

Released by Dark Sky Films on February 2, 2010.
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Blu-ray of the Year



#1 – The Night of the Hunter
The Night of the Hunter has been a favorite movie of mine for several years now. My eyes opened wide with disbelief when I first heard the Criterion Collection was going to release a Blu-ray of this marvelous film. One of the reasons The Night of the Hunter is a favorite film is due to the lighting and scenery. It is so fantastic that I could press 'Mute' on the remote control and still enjoy watching it. Not that anyone should do that, because you would miss a great story! This 2-disc Blu-ray is stacked with extras, including "Charles Laughton Directs, a two-and-a-half-hour treasure trove of outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage." If you have never seen The Night of the Hunter, you're in luck, because it has never looked better. If you have seen it, watch it again!

Released by the Criterion Collection on November 16, 2010.
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#2 – Paris, Texas
I'm sure this Blu-ray will be replayed more than any other I purchased this past year. The following is from my post in February...
"Paris, Texas, one of my top 10 favorite films, has been given a first-class Blu-ray release, thanks to the Criterion Collection. The picture quality is magnificent; the audio quality, exquisite; and the supplements, bountiful! The talent that created this film, for me, is dreamlike. It is directed by Wim Wenders; written by, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Sam Shepard; and stars Harry Dean Stanton. I love what these three gentlemen create separately. But when all three came together, back in the early 1980s, to create one film, it was destined to become a cinematic masterpiece. I am thrilled to own this film on Blu-ray. As I now love it even more—though, I didn't know that was possible!"

Released by the Criterion Collection on January 26, 2010.
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DVD of the Year



#1 – Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy
The Criterion Collection finally reached spine number 500 with this three film set, which includes Rome Open City, Paisan, and Germany Year Zero. The three films depict the lives of many different people—from children to soldiers—who are trying survive life during, and after, World War II. I can only imagine the extensive amount of restoration work that went into these three films, but it was well worth the effort to bring these films to DVD. For more about this DVD set, please read my previous blog post here.

Released by the Criterion Collection on January 26, 2010.
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#2 – 3 Silent Classics by Josef von Sternberg
Before watching this three film set, which includes Underworld, The Last Command, and The Docks of New York, I was not really much of a fan of silent movies. I had the mindset that they were so old, they just couldn't be very good. Of course, I could have counted on three fingers the number of silent films I had seen before these! So, looking back, it's no surprise how ignorant my assumption was. Anyway, without a doubt, these films are much better than many (many!) films that have come along since the "talkies" began. The black-and-white cinematography is outstanding, and so is the DVD transfer—especially noting that these films are over 82 years old. But it's not only how they are filmed, it's the stories they tell that are also very interesting. My favorite of the three is the last film in the set, The Docks of New York. I highly recommend this set to everyone! It just may change your mind about silent films as well.

Released by the Criterion Collection on August 24, 2010.
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Cover of the Year



#1 – The Magician
Click here to see a larger image of the cover.

Released by the Criterion Collection on October 12, 2010.
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#2 – The Fugitive Kind
Click here to see a larger image of the cover.

Released by the Criterion Collection on April 27, 2010.
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