The Top Ten films are as follows, ordered according to personal preference:
1) Mr Nobody (2009)
2) A Single Man (2009)
3) Wonder Boys (2000)
4) Udaan (2010)
5) Peepli Live (2010)
6) The Kids Are All Right (2010)
7) The Social Network (2010)
8) Les Roseaux Sauvages / Wild Reeds (1994)
9) The Hurt Locker (2008)
10) The Wings of the Dove (1997)
As I have seen 300 films the whole year, the above listing required some deliberation and some re-appraisals. However, there were so many exceptional and interesting films that comprised my movie viewing experience this year that it would be sinful not to doff my hat to some of those films. Hence, I would love to have them randomly culled from memory. I am sure some of my readers would settle for many of them in their own listings, and I would be more than happy if they do. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them. And, here, they all get a special mention:
Inception,
Normal,
Bolt,
Love Sex Aur Dhokha,
Arekti Premer Galpo/ Just Another Love Story,
Little Children,
Crazy Heart,
Up,
All the King's Men,
An Education,
Good Dick,
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee,
Assassination of a High School President,
Final Destination,
Clerk,
The Freshman,
The Wendell Baker Story,
Abohoman,
Ishqiya,
Havoc,
Dorian Gray,
Breaking the Waves,
The Men Who Stare at Goats,
Alice,
Confessions of a Shopaholic,
My Beautiful Laundrette,
The Time Traveller's Wife,
The Lovely Bones,
Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge,
The Other Boleyn Girl,
Were the World Mine,
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,
Alice in Wonderland,
Precious,
Deception,
Elegy,
Well Done Abba,
Can't Think Straight,
The World Unseen,
Little Ashes,
Pankh,
The Japanese Wife,
Romance and Cigarettes,
The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus,
Twelve and Holding,
Mumford,
Creation,
Becoming Jane,
Control,
Bombay Talkie,
the Open Road,
Ambulancen,
G. I. Jane,
Up in the Air,
Last Life in the Universe,
Shutter Island,
Brothers,
Gone Baby Gone,
2046,
Me & Orson Welles,
Blindness,
Room to Rent,
Never Been Kissed,
Shrek Forever After,
The Draughtsman's Contract,
Step Up,
Half Nelson,
The Indian Runner,
Hotel Rwanda,
Exam,
Gerry,
You Can Count on Me,
Rumble Fish,
Penelope,
I Love You Phillip Morris,
It's Complicated,
Rails and Ties,
Grey Gardens,
Newcastle,
Killers,
Tere Bin Laden,
Incendiary,
I've Loved You So Long,
Shukno Lanka,
Pineapple Express,
Athadu,
Coraline,
Greenberg,
My One and Only,
The Brothers Bloom,
Paris, je t'aime/ Paris,
The Informant,
Hollywoodland,
The Boy in Striped Pajamas,
Y Tu Mama Tambien,
Los Abrazos Rotos,
Peacock,
Aashayein,
Lafangey Parindey,
Nowhere Boy,
Bin Jip/ 3 Iron,
Smart People,
The Witches of Eastwick,
Big Bang Love - Juvenile A,
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,
Frozen,
Knight & Day,
Get Him to the Greek,
Bully,
The Dreamers,
The Boys Are Back,
Autograph,
Zwartboek / Black Book,
Eat Pray Love,
Do Dooni Chaar,
Despicable Me,
Mahanagar@Kolkata,
Chatroom,
Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging,
The Boat That Rocked,
Fifty Dead Men Walking,
Band Baaja Baaraat,
The Town,
Moner Manush,
Phas Gaye Re Obama,
Marley and Me,
Mirch,
Head-On/ Gegen Die Wand,
District 9
and
Donnie Darko.
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| 'Donnie Darko' |
Happy movie viewing in the coming years, friends. Long live cinema, and the magic of cinema!
Wishing all a Happy New Year in advance!
14 comments:
Oh..I have seen only three films from your list :-(. Of them, Udan will be my chart topper :-) I so loved the positivism of that film!
Amazing!!!!
As always!!!!
Your delectable selection is really something that I have always been in awe of.....
I would surely include INCEPTION, UDAAN, LSD, PEEPLI LIVE and THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT in my list of movies seen this year. And there have been other favorites too which are sure to be contenders for the forthcoming Golden Globes and Oscars. But you seem to have missed seeing those. I wish you the very best in the new year, and may you catch up with all the cool upcoming movies and the classics unseen.
Why is there no photograph of a single Bangla film from your list? Isn't it a little partiality towards Hollywood and what they call 'Bollywood'?
This year I consider myself lucky that I have seen all the films from the top ten listed by you, the only difference is that I haven't seen them all in 2010, have seen the early releases in 2009 or the year before.
I would want to know why you gave The Wings of the Dove so much preference (there were several films in the others listed beyond the top ten which are far more loved than that). I'll be happy if you throw some light on that.
Dear Anirban, you overlooked the fact that none of the Bangla films were there in my 'top ten', that explains the absence of pics as I had put only pics from the 'top ten'. But that does not mean that I am partial or biased to films from Bollywood or Hollywood. For your info, the 'top ten' have include films that aren't from the Bollywood or Hollywood domain. There's a mention of some very good Bangla films seen this year, and you know I thoroughly enjoyed them, but sadly they could not be accommodated within the 'top ten'.
Dear Saurabh, the reason that I included The Wings of the Dove is that I was truly impressed by it. Helena Bonham Carter was at her very best in that film, if you ask me, and I say that in spite of having been in awe of her all along, and having seen all her acclaimed portrayals so far. The sinister and sordid Kate-Merton-Milly triangle from the original Henry James novel has been brilliantly translated on screen. I chanced upon this gem of a film late, but I can't let go of the opportunity to include it amongst my favorites.
WHAOWWWWWW!!!!
Truly Amazing!
Your list is endless!
I can never match upto you in my wildest dreams (in watching so many movies, I mean). :-P
Fab listing, dude!
Mine would have included some decent flicks that fail to be seen or fail to find mention by you otherwise..... and they are:
The King's Speech,
Black Swan,
127 Hours,
True Grit,
The Fighter,
Kick-Ass,
and
Another Year.
Oh! Quite a humongous assortment,
must say.....
I have to watch a plenty this year to catch up with you, hahaha
I loved 'Inception', and 'Deception' too........
And I thoroughly loved the Indian movies named by you....
I must say that I love the retro take in many of the films seen this year, and interestingly most have been appreciated too.
anindo da tumi ato nam mone rakhte perecho tar jonno hats off....and some of the films i have watched but most are unknown to me...wish to watch some of them also...
Let me thank all of you who have commented..... and I also am glad that many find favor with my listing.
Remembering names is not that a problem like a movie buff like me, but it is the finer details that often slip from memory, quite obviously.
However, the Net is thankfully here to help me brush up on that.... hahaha.... and the films on home video in my personal collection can always be watched again (though I hardly do that as I do not want to miss the opportunity to watch fresh flicks instead).
From the ones I have seen, I found favor with....
DISTRICT 9
THE INFORMANT
INCEPTION
UDAAN
PEEPLI LIVE
LSD
and
SHUTTER ISLAND.
Ooh-la-la.... it's unbelievable.... you've seen so many good films in the same year! The same goes for me too. Though I had seen A SINGLE MAN, UP, UP IN THE AIR, and THE HURT LOCKER in 2009, and WONDER BOYS, THE WINGS OF THE DOVE, and WILD REEDS even before that.
I am yet to see THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, but have heard lots of good things about it, so, will definitely catch it this year.
PEEPLI LIVE, LSD, and UDAAN made us proud last year, and those are definitely the contemporary Indian gems.
Dude, please tell me about the Bengali and regional films that you've seen.... do give me the updates on the quality stuff happening therein.
Here's wishing you a very Happy New Year and Happy Movie Viewing in 2011.
As expected, a fantastic selection of films. I would like to endorse my recommendation for all of those that I have seen (I missed out on the foreign language films, in French, German etc.) and I am extremely fond of 'Peepli Live' and 'Udaan'. The former also gave me a chance to discover two of the best new faces in Hindi films, namely Omkar Das Manikpuri and Shalini Vatsa; the latter was memorable for a stunning performance by young Rajat Tokas. I loved 'Love, Sex Aur Dhokha (LSD)' a lot too and who can forget the remarkable ensemble cast that comprised several previously unknown names. Even the much successful mainstream film, that fails to find a mention in your list, 'Raajneeti' was found highly engrossing by me, and I loved the cameo of Shruti Seth therein, more than the leading lady Katrina Kaif.
Superb selection!
I am sure you are ecstatic that two of your films have wooed the Hollywood Foreign Press and have managed decent wins at the Golden Globe Awards this year.... I am talking about The Social Network and The Kids Are All Right. I am keeping my fingers crossed for an encore at the Oscars too. I love both the films. I am also extremely fond of Wild Reeds, Wonder Boys, Udaan, Mister Nobody and Peepli Live from your Top Ten.
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