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Exploring our favourite films in the year 2010
In this blog series, George and Matt from the Monitor Audio team explore their favourite movies from the last 20 years.
Our selection of films may not be critically acclaimed or box office hits, but have stood the test of time as our favourite movies.
Do you agree with our list? Let us know your favourite movies from the year 2010 on Facebook and Twitter!
The Social Network - George's Top Pick
Dir: David Fincher | Sony Pictures
Director David Fincher portrays Facebook’s founding and its subsequent high profile lawsuits in this fascinating biographical drama.
Starting in 2003, we follow student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), as he looks to take revenge on his ex Erica, after she breaks off their relationship. Upon his return to his dorm, his friends watch as Mark first insults Erica on his blog, before he hacks into various college databases. Using Eduardo Saverin’s (Andrew Garfield) algorithm, he creates a website called Facemash, allowing students across the campus to rate the attractiveness of the female students. This results in academic probation and brings attention from Harvard, due to the fact that it crashed their network.
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) and their partner Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) approach Mark to create an exclusive social network, aimed at Harvard students, but Mark has other ideas. Soon ‘Thefacebook’ starts to become a reality, based off the Harvard idea and financed by Eduardo, Mark starts to develop the site, unbeknownst to the Winklevoss. Upon finding out what Mark is doing, the Winklevoss try desperately to get hold of Mark, incensed that he has stolen their idea. As the site continues to grow, more networks are reached, leading to a meeting with Napster co-founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). The company not only changes it name to ‘Facebook’, but off Sean’s suggestion, they move to California, with a huge development team.
The Winklevoss sue the company for theft of intellectual property. After Eduardo falls out with Sean, he finds out that their angel investment deal ensures that his shares are diluted down, whilst all other parties maintain their ownership percentage. This leads to Eduardo also filing a lawsuit against Mark, leading to a back and forth, as we see depositions from each lawsuit, sharing all the disreputable decisions Mark has made.
An immaculate portrayal with fantastic performances, The Social Network is spellbinding. Despite the subject matter, it’s energetic, dramatic and captures the true story of friendship, betrayal and greed.
Shutter Island - Matt's Top Pick
Dir: Martin Scorsese | Paramount Pictures
A chilling psychological mystery, from director Martin Scorsese, tells the story of an investigation into a missing woman in a psychiatric facility.
On Shutter Island in Boston, 1954, U.S. Marshal Edward Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives via boat, on choppy waters, to the Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane. As a huge storm hits, alongside his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), they meet Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), the lead psychiatrist. Incarcerated for drowning her three children, they are tasked with investigating the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando. After searching her room, they find a clue, but the staff refuses to cooperate with them, with Cawley also refusing to provide records.
They become suspicious of Cawley, after he denies them access to some areas of the facilities and confirms that Dr. Sheehan left the island after Rachel disappeared. Edward begins to have visions of his experiences as a soldier and nightmares about Andrew Laeddis, the man responsible for murdering his wife Dolores (Michelle Williams). Believing the message in his dreams, he believes Rachel is still on the island, as is Laeddis. Chuck agrees to help Edward find both of them, but after Rachel appears without an explanation, Chuck breaks into one of the restricted wards. A patient tells Chuck that he and the doctors are playing games with Edward and that they are performing neurosurgical treatment on the patients. After climbing cliffs to get to a restricted lighthouse, Edward believes Chuck has fallen, but after falling to find his body, he stumbles across a cave containing a woman claiming to be Rachel. After he breaks into the lighthouse, he finds Cawley and Chuck waiting for him.
Edward discovers he is a patient, held for the murder of his wife, who drowned their children. He wakes up in hospital, after being told that Chuck is Dr. Sheehan and both Rachel and Laeddis are not real. The experiment was designed to help bring him back to reality, but unsuccessful, Edward is taken away to be lobotomized, despite showing signs to Sheehan that he is in fact aware, but can't bare the visions.
A technically well-constructed thriller, with a fantastic twist, Shutter Island is a visceral horror with an impressive ensemble cast.
True Grit
Dir: Coen Brothers | Paramount Pictures
In an adaptation of Charles Portis' novel of the same name, a farm girl seeks revenge in this powerful western, directed by the Coen brothers.
Hired hand Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) murders the father of 14-year old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), whilst purchasing horses in Fort Smith. Quick-witted Mattie takes it upon herself to find out more about Chaney. The sheriff tells her that he has fled, with Ned Pepper’s gang, into Indian Territory. As the sheriff there has no authority, she requires a Deputy U.S. Marshals, to escort her. After bartering with a local trader, she raises the money to hire Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), much to his surprise.
Also pursuing Chaney, for the murder of a Senator, is Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who proposes to help them. As LaBoeuf wants to bring him back to Texas, Mattie refuses his offer, wishing Chaney be hanged in Arkansas. The next morning Cogburn departs with LaBoeuf, splitting the reward. Mattie catches up with them and they reluctantly agree that she can join them. Cogburn soon sends LaBoeuf on his way, after a disagreement. Cogburn and Mattie find a shelter containing outlaws, who are waiting for the Pepper gang. After interrogating them, they reveal that the gang will be returning, leading to them hiding in the hillside. Much to their concern, LaBoeuf arrives at the shelter and is soon captured by the Pepper gang, before Cogburn scares them away. The three of them set off, but after losing their trail, Mattie and LaBoeuf leave and a chance encounter finds Mattie confronting a confused Chaney. Chaney brings her back to the Pepper gang but Ned orders Chaney not to hurt her, before the gang departs without either of them.
After a short fight, as Cogburn dispatches of the Pepper gang, Mattie kills Chaney. As she shoots Chaney, her gun recoils, leading her to fall into a snake pit. Bitten, Cogburn rides through the night, finally getting her to a doctor. Twenty-five years later, Mattie, one arm amputated due to the gangrene, misses a reunion with Cogburn, who died days before.
With all the solid Coen ingredients, the humorous dialogue, colourful characters and marvellous performances, this is a timeless masterpiece.
The Next Three Days
Dir: Paul Haggis | Lionsgate
In the remake of the 2008 French film ‘Pour elle’, director Paul Haggis offers up a thriller about a desperate prison escape.
John (Russell Crowe) and Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks) along with their son Luke (Ty Simpkins) live a simple life in Pittsburgh, when their lives are turned upside down. When Lara has an argument with her boss, she is arrested the following day, after police discover her boss has been murdered. Despite the unlikely event, Lara is convicted and due to overwhelming evidence against her, sentenced to life. Whilst John raises their son, he works around the clock to prove her innocence. Despite his effort and the numerous appeals, he is unsuccessful.
As Lara begins to breakdown, knowing she will never be released, she attempts suicide, prompting John to realise he only has one option. John meets with Damon (Liam Neeson), who wrote a book on escaping from prison when he was an inmate. After listening to his advice, he proceeds to watch numerous videos on lock picking and starts to gather documentation on the prison, looking at escape routes. He uses his visits to get a better idea of the routine and is almost caught trying to pick a locked door. Despite weeks of planning, his hand is forced, after he discovers that Lara will be transferred to a distant facility. Desperate, with no money, he moves to rob a bank, but realises the huge risk if he fails. He gets the cash needed, robbing a local drug dealer, killing him in the process. As police arrive at the scene, John proceeds to plant falsified blood work at the prison, leading them to send her to hospital. There, he finds Lara, convincing her to leave with him, just as police arrive at their home, finding evidence of John’s plan.
The couple collect up their son, then pick up an elderly couple in order to throw off the police’s descriptions of a family of three. John purposely leaves information about a flight, which the police follow, allowing them to leave for Caracas. A flashback shows Lara was not the murderer, as the family now settle into their new life in Venezuela.
With a strong, sympathetic performance from Crowe, The Next Three Days is a meticulously told story, leaving you in suspense to the end.
The Other Guys
Dir: Adam McKay | Sony Pictures
With a star-studded cast, this ridiculous buddy cop comedy, from director Adam McKay, follows two police offers, desperate for action.
In the NYPD, detectives Danson (Dwayne Johnson) and Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) are considered New York City's best policemen, despite regularly causing millions of dollars of damage chasing low profile criminals. Everybody in the department idolise them, apart from Detective Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), who is jealous of the attention and the regular action, whilst sitting in the background. Hoitz mistakenly shot Derek Jeter during the World Series, which led to him being demoted and receiving backlash from his colleagues. Hoitz sits with Detective Gamble (Will Ferrell), an accountant who enjoys the easy life.
After Danson and Highsmith die during a pursuit, Hoitz persuades Gamble to look for more action, instead of sitting behind a desk. With Captain Mauch’s (Michael Keaton) blessing, they begin to follow a small lead on multi-billionaire David Ershon (Steve Coogan), but uncover a bigger plot between him and his client Lendl Global. As they start to work together, Hoitz take a liking to Gamble’s wife Sheila (Eva Mendes) and finds out that Gamble has created an app called ‘Faceback’ allowing you to identify someone from the back of their head. Soon Gamble’s previous life becomes clear, as Hoitz realises that he once had a dark personality, whilst working as a pimp, before turning his life around. Lendl hires mercenaries to kill Ershon, after they discover that he plans to cover his losses, instead of paying them back. Mauch temporarily takes them off the case, but they convince him to let them continue when they find solid evidence.
Hoitz and Gamble confront multiple criminal organisations at a meeting, where they realise the money is coming from the NYPD pension fund, leading to a shootout. After they stop the wire transfer, Ershon, Hoitz and Gamble are shot, before Mauch arrives with backup.
With some surprisingly good action sequences, Ferrell and Wahlberg have wonderful chemistry, leading to a daft, but furious action comedy.
The Way
Dir: Emilio Estevez | Icon Entertainment International
Profound drama, from director Emilio Estevez, follows a father trekking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in his son’s memory.
Whilst out golfing with friends, Ophthalmologist, Dr. Thomas Avery (Martin Sheen) receives a phone call from Captain Sebastian of the National Gendarmerie. Calling from France, the Captain informs Thomas that his son Daniel (Emilio Estevez) has been tragically killed. Daniel was in the French Pyrenees, walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, when he got caught in a storm.
The Camino de Santiago is a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. Tom travels to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenean foothills, initially looking to bring Daniels body home, but in homage, decides to walk the trail, taking his ashes with him. On the first leg of the trek, he meets Joost (Yorick van Wageningen), walking the trail to lose weight. Despite trying to lose him, Thomas begins to appreciate the company. After stopping at landmarks his son would have visited weeks before, Thomas and Joost meet Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger), who is walking the pilgrimage to flee an abusive husband. Travel writer Jack (James Nesbitt) is desperate to find inspiration on the trail, hoping to write a novel like his idol James Joyce. Thomas doesn’t initially divulge why he is walking the pilgrimage, but as they move further forward, he slowly opens up to each of the group, allowing Jack to write a story based on his journey.
After a young Romani steals his backpack containing Daniels ashes, the boys father returns it to Thomas and as a way of an apology, invites the group to a Gypsy party. Finally, they reach Galicia, but the group move forward to Muxía to scatter the remainder of Daniels ashes. As the say their goodbyes, Tom sets out to Morocco, on another adventure.
Each character is sincere and intriguing in this engaging story and with its stunning cinematography, The Way is both thoughtful and heartfelt.
172 Hours
Dir: Danny Boyle | Pathé
Based on Aron Ralston's memoir Between a Rock and a Hard Place, director Danny Boyle tells his incredible story in this biographical drama.
Set in 2003, whilst hiking in Utah's Canyonlands National Park, mountaineer Aron Ralston (James Franco) befriends two hikers. After showing them an underground pool, they part ways. Whilst he begins a solo descent of Bluejohn Canyon, Aron uncharacteristically loses his grip and falls, dislodged a boulder, which immediately falls, pinning his right wrist to the side of the canyon wall.
After a few moments to collect his thoughts and comprehend what has happened, he attempts to move the huge boulder, to no avail. As he didn’t tell anyone where he was going to be climbing, he realises nobody will look for him there. In the middle of a dramatic desert landscape, despite its vast and empty terrain, Aron panics, frantically calling for help. Completely alone, he begins to use his camcorder to document his situation. After working out how long he can survive on his remaining rations, he slowly picks away at the rock, using his pocketknife. Freezing cold at night and quickly running out of food and water, his condition deteriorates, resorting to desperate measures, as he drinks his own urine. He also fails in his attempt to move the boulder, after the pulley system he develops isn’t strong enough. Initially the camcorder keeps his morale high, but after a few days, dehydration and the thought of dying leads to depression. As he hallucinates about past relationships, his family and his survival, he enters his sixth day in the canyon.
As he toys with the idea of amputating his arm, using materials from his hydration pack and spring hook, he fashions a tourniquet. After he breaks the bone in his arm, he uses his knife and miraculously cuts himself free. In a state of shock, he wraps the stump, to prevent further blood loss, before rappelling down a 65-foot drop, and hiking for 7 miles. After being spotted by a family, a Patrol helicopter takes him to hospital.
With a great performance from Franco, 172 Hours is claustrophobic and gripping in this true fight for survival, which Boyle portrays to perfection.
Black Swan
Dir: Darren Aronofsky | Searchlight Pictures
This melodramatic story from director Darren Aronofsky revolves around a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake as the star loses grip on reality.
Opening its season with Swan Lake, the New York City ballet company director Thomas (Vincent Cassel) is holding auditions. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) auditions for the roles of the innocent White Swan and the sensual Black Swan. Backstage, Nina attempts to persuade Thomas, but when she rejects his advances, she discovers that her mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) has been given the part of The Queen. During a party to celebrate the opening of the new season, ageing ballerina Elizabeth (Winona Ryder), who believes that Nina was given the part of Swan Queen as she is sleeping with Thomas, confronts Nina. The next day, a car hits Elizabeth, with Thomas believing Nina is the culprit.
A new dancer immerges in Lily (Mila Kunis), but despite Erica being unimpressed, Thomas asks Nina to study her. Whilst training, Nina’s mental state declines, as she begins to see visions of herself. Lilly and Nina go out to dinner, but when Nina has her drink laced with ecstasy, they supposedly sleep together. Nina arrives the next morning to find Lily dancing the part of Black Swan. After confronting her, Lily denies what happened and Nina wonders if she had imagined it. On opening night, Erica and Thomas worry for Nina’s health, but Nina persuades Thomas to allow her to dance. During the show, Nina’s visions cause her to fall on stage. Nina’s hallucinations lead her to thinking that Lily has turned into an evil doppelgänger of herself, consequently stabbing her to death. She soon realises that she has killed Lily, but returns to the stage as Black Swan for a magnificent performance.
Upon returning to her dressing room after a huge standing ovation, Lily appears and congratulates her, much to her confusion. Instead, she has glass in her own stomach, realising that she did it to herself without realising. During the final act, the theatre erupts in adulation, but as the cast notice the blood, Nina slowly loses consciousness.
Black Swan is a dark and surreal portrayal of a woman slowly bordering on insanity, that’s both terrifying and visually stunning.
Inception
Dir: Christopher Nolan | Warner Bros. Pictures
A thief infiltrates his victim’s subconscious to extract information in this ambitious science fiction thriller from director Christopher Nolan.
Using military technology, in a dream world, infiltrating their targets' subconscious, Dom (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are "extractors". They are approached by Saito (Ken Watanabe), to perform a different type of corporate espionage, instead requesting that they plant information, rather than steal it. Saito promises to allow Cobb to return to his children, by clearing his criminal status if he agrees.
The “inception” is simple, Cobb must convince Robert (Cillian Murphy), the son of Saito's competitor, to dissolve his father's company, without knowing of their involvement. Cobb recruits forger Eames (Tom Hardy), pharmacologist Yusuf (Dileep Rao) and student Ariadne (Ellen Page). Yusuf creates a sedative for multiple levels of subconscious, which the group must enter at different stages. Upon entering the dream world, each member must awaken the other team members from the deeper dream simultaneously, as time flows faster across each level. Whilst Ariadne constructs a dreamscape, known as a maze, she discovers Cobb's own subconscious has a negative projection of his late wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), which may endanger their objective. Robert accompanies his father’s body on a ten-hour flight, where the team sedate him into their shared dream. Within the first level, Robert’s subconscious fights back and Saito is shot. Dying would result in him going into “limbo”, resulting in forgetting they are in a dream. Cobb reveals he and Mal spent years in limbo, where he created a totem to ensure that they could distinguish dreams from reality. Mal committed suicide; not realising that is wasn’t a dream, leaving their children with Cobb's father-in-law, Professor Miles (Michael Caine).
As the group move down each level, Mal kills Robert, resulting in Cobb and Ariadne rescuing Robert and Saito from limbo. As the idea is planted, Robert awakes, believing his dying father told him to be his own man. As they all wake up, Cobb leaves to supposedly re-join his children.
Full of audacious set pieces, Inception requires complete attention and with the multitude of far-fetched action sequences, you sit in awe.
Four Lions
Dir: Chris Morris | Optimum Releasing & Drafthouse Films
In his directorial debut, Chris Morris offers up a dark comedy about a sensitive topic, as four helpless British terrorists begin their training.
Omar (Riz Ahmed), his cousin Waj (Kayvan Novak) and their friends Barry (Nigel Lindsay) and Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) are a group of radicalised British Muslim men who aspire to be terrorists. Omar despises Western society and along with his foolish cousin, they set out to Pakistan for an al Qaeda-affiliated training camp. Whilst Faisal trains crows to be used as bombers, Barry recruits Hassan (Arsher Ali), who is reluctant to join.
Omar and Faisal flee Pakistan, after Omer destroys part of the camp, attempting to shoot down an American drone. Despite their disastrous trip, Omar takes charge of the group, disagreeing with Barry about the where they should be planting bombs. Omar’s brother tells him that war and violence are unjustifiable, but Omar and his wife mock him. Soon after he leaves; they begin producing explosives, called TATP. Barry, Waj and Faisal begin testing TATP, which has been planted inside a microwave. As the explosives go off, a fireworks show in the distance drowns out the sound. Omar criticizes Barry for leaving the safe house, due to the heat from local authorities watching him. As they return to the safe house, Hassan has let in neighbour (Julia Davis), who they find dancing together. Despite their neighbour being oblivious to the situation, they put all of their TATP in grocery bags and flee. As they cross a field, Faisal trips and is killed by the explosives.
As armed police raid Omar's brother's house, the group wear mascot costumes to target the marathon. As they arrive, Hassan loses his nerve, resulting in Barry detonating his bomb, leaving the three of them running from police. Despite a change of heart, Omar is shot at, whilst Waj hides in a kebab shop. As Omar is left alone, he contemplates his final seconds, and during an epilogue, it’s revealed that he unknowingly killed Osama Bin Laden, when misfiring his rocket back in Pakistan.
Incredibly bold and provocative, Morris doesn’t hold back in this outrageous but hilarious satire, full of incompetence and absurdity.
Honorable Mentions:
Kick-Ass
Dir: Matthew Vaughn | Lionsgate
The Fighter
Dir: David O. Russell | Paramount Pictures
Toy Story 3
Dir: Lee Unkrich | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The King’s Speech
Dir: Tom Hooper | Momentum Pictures
Hereafter
Dir: Clint Eastwood | Warner Bros. Pictures
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