Understated and Underrated: The Films of 2010-Part 2

15. All Good Things

Ryan Gosling in drag, getting away with murder. Sounds like the awful sequel to the equally bad Madea Goes to Jail, but, believe it or not, it works quite well for All Good Things, a movie that blurs the line between reality and insanity, and really gets deep down to the epicenter of a shocking crime. Why does millionaire David Marks hate his wife so much? He has the perfect life and more money than he knows what to do with, so why so glum and angry? Would he be sick enough to kill her? The answers are never perfectly defined, but Andrew Jarecki, the talented director behind the absolutely horrifying Capturing the Friedmans, does not attempt to force ideas or facts down your throat, instead presenting a reasonable argument as to what may have occurred and how the aftermath may have played out. According to the movie, David Marks, the alleged murderer of 2-3 people, is still living freely, which really set me on edge. Overall, a well done and underrated crime thriller.

14. Shutter Island

I'm a stickler for twisted horror movies, so when Scorsese released Shutter Island, I was beyond excited. Unfortunately, it was released several months after its original date, and as a result, was forgotten by December. However, the film was well worth the wait, and had the creepiest of atmospheres. Leonardo DiCaprio, as always, plays damaged and disturbed widower to a T, and his supporting cast is equally compelling. In her one scene, Patricia Clarkson is mesmerizing and slightly crazy, and who wouldn't want to see Max Von Sydow, Antonius Block himself, as an ex-Nazi? The secrets revealed throughout the film kept me on my toes, pondering as to what all of the film could mean. While the film gets a little lengthy and super duper insane, the ending is spooky, and definitely worth the trip through insanity.

13. Another Year

While Mike Leigh is a hit or miss director for me, his most recent film, Another Year, is a superb and quiet film about a year in the life of an older married couple. It sounds dry and dull on paper, but in terms of how Leigh handles his actors, it's quite an astonishing and unpredictable treasure. While Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen are positively warm and delightful as the inseparable couple Tom and Jerry, it is Lesley Manville who gives the performance of the film. She is vulnerable, she is energetic, and painfully stubborn. We watch her go from good to bad, and we truly empathize with her. While she is not the only interesting person in the film, Manville will break your heart and stand out from the crowd completely. She takes a small film and gives a brave performance.

12. Please Give

A delightful dry but well made film about mean people who think they are nice and as such, do mean things, and yet, we are enchanted, even moved, by the film as a whole. I always love Catherine Keener, and she is Oscar worthy as a woman who runs a furniture store that sells pieces owned by the recently deceased, but who dreams of taking the apartment of her nearly dead neighbor. The actors are all superb, and are quite realistic, more so than many of the performances/actors in films this year. They are spiteful, but act like they are justified. It's a film that came out of nowhere, but was just my cup of tea.

11. The Social Network

Whether we like to admit it or not, Facebook has shaped the world in ways that before seemed unimaginable or trivial. It's a website, but it is so much more than that, and with David Fincher's new film, The Social Network, we get to see the behind the scenes story about how one of the most powerful websites came to be, and the conflicts and power struggles that occurred along the way. Going into the movie, I was able to suspend the truth and just go with the story, which allowed me to enjoy the rapid dialogue, the characterization of Zuckerberg and his friend/enemies, and the high melodrama that Fincher used to move the story forward. History, this ain't, but fun, slick, and intelligent, it most definitely is.

Fish, Fighters, and Freaky Dream Sequences: The Films of 2010-Part One

In just one week from tonight, the 83rd Academy Awards will air, and the starletards and suck ups in the Hollywood industry will get a hard on for glamorous dresses, and an even bigger one for ugly ones. People will cry, actors will be disappointed, someone will get cut off before they're finished their Oscar speech.

In short, it's going to be amazing.

To keep with a similar tradition with what I did last year, I'm going to leak my favorite films of 2010 over the course of four days, with Friday being a surprise post. Instead of going with five, I wanted to write about twenty. Well, the word 'Wanted' was not how it played out. I submitted a list of my Top 20 favorite films from 2010 to a film magazine, Film Comment, and hopefully, they will publish my selections. If not, well, you can read them here, and I hope you enjoy them. I'm going to preface my list by saying, the twenty you will see over the next week are different than those of more conventional critics. Films that critics put at the Number one or two spot got slated down lower on my list, or in the case of some films, were left in the slush pile. That's why subjection is a beautiful and glorious thing.

Without further adieu, here is Part One of Five of My Twenty Favorite Films of 2010

20. Catfish

This is similar to Exit Through the Gift Shop in that it also focuses on a larger than life subject, and we cannot really determine if it's a true story or just a pieced together lie. Catfish is wonderful because the story surrounding it is both unsettling and so easy to relate to. Boy meets girl, boy likes girl, she's on the Internet, he smells something fishy(no pun intended), and decides to investigate his new girlfriend. I'm a huge fan of a good old fashioned mystery with an explosive ending and enough tension and twists that you are never sure what the detectives are getting their noses into until it's nearly too late. While I was disappointed by how the trailer marketed the film, for lack of a better word, and made it seem like a pulse pounding horror thriller. In fact, it was so terrifying I lost sleep over it. The film was never going to be as horrific as the trailer advertised it to be, but it did promise a jawdropper of an ending, and it delivered.

19. The Town

2010 was a big year for trashy dramas set in Boston, and The Town feels like the complimentary movie to The Fighter, one that details the life behind Mark Wahlberg's character at an even more microscopic level. Ben Affleck is good as Dougie, a man caught up in crime and corruption. For Dougie, this is just his life, his way of living, and everyone he knows is a criminal or a slime-ball in a baseball cap. Being the Mad Men addict that I am, I really enjoyed seeing Jon Hamm in a role on the big screen, as opposed to playing the damaged and equally compelling Don Draper, which shows how far his range reaches. Rebecca Hall is one to watch, and was equally impressive in Please Give, and Jeremy Renner made the film even better. Not as good as Animal Kingdom, but still worth watching.

18. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was like taking literary crack cocaine. The book was dense and full of action and emotion, and once you got into the story, it was impossible to tear away from it. I'm glad to say that the film was a faithful and enjoyable adaptation of the novel. It's not perfect, and is missing several points that are important to the book, but were bound to be trimmed and discarded in the script writing process. Noomi Rapace captured the raw nerve and sadistic edge that embodies Lisbeth Salander. The film is not a technological orgy of lights, camera angles and noise, but it's still a tightly paced adventure thriller that will please fans and newcomers to the Millennium Trilogy alike.

17. Inception

At this stage, it's easy for me to rant about Inception and why it does not belong on the Best Picture list. Was it enjoyable? Like hell it was! Was it spectacular? Most definitely! Was it meaningful? Well....not so much. The energy and momentum that was sustained during the film was heart thumpingly amazing, as were the stunts and little feats of gravity that kept popping up. Christopher Nolan is a very exciting director, and this is a film that will toy with your brain and wow you on sight alone. That being said, it's a summer blockbuster action movie, and its characters have the emotional depth of a sanitary napkin. I'm glad that I saw it, and was more than in love with the film and its premise, but I have to play devil's advocate and say that yes, it's well made and fun, but Oscar worthy? That's somewhat of a stretch.

16. The Fighter

Surprisingly enough, I really liked The Fighter, and this coming from an avid avoider of sport movies in general(Read: MAJOR Homo). Yes, this resurgence of boxing/wrestling movies/TV shows where the main fighter is looking for a comeback is really being overdone at this point, but since this film is about a real person, I can let it slide. While part of me is convinced that it was made solely as an Oscar bait flick where actors put on fake accents and looked gritty to win a naked golden boy, I was able to look past that and see a well made, thoroughly interesting and enjoyable film. Christian Bale finally can receive the acclaim he always deserves, as can Melissa Leo, both of whom are so immersed in their characters, it's hard to remember that they are actors just as it is difficult to turn your eyes away from them. I liked the struggle between the two brothers and the rough and tumble world they live in. Exciting and quick paced, and highly recommendable.

Why I'm Not Writing a Best Films of 2010 List...yet

So, it's December 30th, one more day until the new year, which means that the nation as a whole is going to now spend the better part of January discussing 2010 and all of the good and bad things that happened this year. Because I am a critic, I always gravitate towards the top pop culture items of the year, whether they be films, books, albums, you name it. But, generally speaking, I will spend the majority of the time reading about the year's top films, which makes perfect sense.

But I am going to be honest with you: I love/hate compiling an annual list of top films.

Why, you may ask? Take it from someone who reviews films as a hobby but also with the intent of finding the best films of the year/finding films I genuinely love and respect. Films I give positive reviews for might not be up to snuff with the general public, which I don't care about, but believe me, a personal opinion can be quite dangerous. If I leave out film X, the fans of that movie will most likely kick and scream about how I neglected their precious movie. I do enjoy discovering that one film that everyone adored that I disliked, but when you find a fan of a film, they aren't going to sit easy knowing there are naysayers afoot.

But the main reason I refuse to produce a list of my favorite films of 2010 is simply because I have not seen all of the films on my must watch list, and I have a strong feeling that after viewing the five films I have left to review, my list will change drastically. Four of the five directors I have great respect for, even consider personal favorites. All five films have actors worth watching, and I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that I'm ignoring their wonderful and well made films.

Now, we have our debate. If it's December 30th, and I haven't seen True Grit yet, should I even give it a spot on the best of 2010 list, or save it for next year? I'm going to say no, if only for the fact that the film came out this year. However, I know friends who would argue otherwise. I also am different in that I count films that did not receive very wide releases, another problem that remains controversial among film critics I know. Having thought long and hard about which film should take the title of Best of 2010, I weighed in the fact that very few people could have seen the film in question, and that it would be hard to count a film that was near impossible to find. Again, while friends of mine who review movies may disagree, I believe it is fair to include a film that was not widely released because it still had an audience and caused enough of a reaction in me to warrant a spot on the list.

So, here I am. Having just spat out random thoughts and ideas for five minutes, I believe that I have justified myself and can promise you an official best of 2010 list come Oscar season. If you know me, you probably already have an idea as to which films will occupy the top slots on the list. If not, well, you can expect a very different group of films from your average list.

"Gleeks" of Nature: Notes from a Former 'Glee' Fan on Why the Show is Terrible...and Must Stay on the Air

Hello, my name is Kamikaze Feminist, and I am a former 'Gleek'.

Why did I love it so much, you may ask. What separates Glee from the rest of the bad TV shows/musicals/teen dramedies? Trust me, I have answers to all of these questions and more, but first, let me tell you a story about the rise and decline of what could have, and should have been, the most fun show on television.

To anyone who watched the initial pilot for Glee, the show they saw was not only shining with brilliance and wit, but it had enough of an underdog story that it felt like it was going to be perfect from season to season. At least, this is what I concurred, because even though the first episode was not 100% perfect, it came close enough and had enough songs thrown into the mix that I could negate the minor issues and come to love it. And you'd have to be a sourpuss to not let out a guffaw upon hearing a high school glee club belting Amy Winehouse's song "Rehab."

The pilot was smartly aired months in advance of the actual show, which left the producers enough of a window of time to generate buzz and get viewers excited to see the rest of the season. They would later employ similar tactics when handling the mid-season break, causing viewers who had invested hours on the show to pine impatiently for the second part of the season, while newcomers who missed it during its initial run were able to catch up in time for the Part 2 premiere.

By the time the official first episode of Glee hit the airwaves, my musical theater loving heart and soul were lifted to new heights come September when I was lucky enough to feel the loud strains of-

Auto tune. Fucking auto tune.

I don't know if there was always computer magic behind the scenes of the show, or if there was supposed to be, the point is, no matter who you have cast in singing roles for a TV show, oh, all about singing, if they sound like pitch perfect robots, then what fun is there in creating a show at all? And it's not like the kids were all musical theater illiterate; Lea Michele, among other cast members, has been on Broadway, and her character is supposed to be a talented but cocky diva in the body of a mini Barbara Streisand. So why in the hell are they looping her natural pipes with a computer?

Granted, the auto tune was not a huge problem in the beginning for me, but was most definitely a sign of things to come. While Glee suffered from some missteps along the way, and could get a tad trite, stereotypical even, there was always Jane Lynch to spice up the action and spit out one liners with the growl of an errant bulldog. Combine that with guest stars like Kristen Chenowith, and the flaws could crawl back into a corner. At least, for the first half of the season.

What made Glee bad? Well, my friends, consider this: When you have a show that centers itself around a high school glee club, as I mentioned earlier, computers and digital singers are a big faux pas. Also, when you spend the entire season following the exact same shtick, committing yourselves to jokes and ideas that should have been used sparingly, because that was their purpose all along. You can tell a joke that is absolutely hilarious, but when you use that joke and its punchline in frequent succession, just because it worked before, how do you expect to enthrall an audience for an entire season?

Take for example the song choices. Granted, the original idea for the show felt like the love child of Election's Tracy Flick and High School Musical, so when you are going to try and add snark and bite to an otherwise hokey concept, it is not such a bad idea to pick songs that are just that, unexpected for a high school glee club to perform (or a teacher for that matter. Seriously, what high school student wants to hear their teacher perform 'The Thong Song'? Creepy if you ask me.) While it is great to pick songs that are original and catchy, the point of captivating viewers should not have to be awkward hip hop/pop for the sake of awkwardness. If every episode features a group of peppy teens singing 'Baby Got Back' it becomes expected. And to play devil's advocate here, quite a handful of the episodes strive to find songs that are less predictable and will still entertain viewers, but unfortunately, the Glee staff appears to be on a road where the show now feels targeted to teenagers and teenagers only. And while being edgy and hip with the kiddies is fun and all, it cuts out a demographic that may need Glee for a number of reasons, parents. But I'll get into detail on that in a minute.

In addition to predictable song choices and cliches of that nature, the plot development, along with the character traits, was what also led Glee down a dark and unforeseen path. Sure, Sue Sylvester is a hoot, in moderation, and yes, it is enjoyable to see the writers use Sue as a bully, a jokester, and a sympathetic person rolled into one character, but eventually the pixie dust wears off and we start to roll our eyes at her more so than we do laugh. Most comical characters have catchphrases, but if the viewer starts to presage the words that come out of their mouths, what is the fun in writing for that person? Again, back to my original thought, that relying on one good joke for more than one episode begins to ware itself out, long before the show's point of expiration.

I could probably go on for another hour on the importance of developing characters, and being a writer, I have done in the past, but that would just be me reiterating myself and I would end up repeating my words quite often. So I think I will segue way into the second part of this article.

As I asked earlier, what makes Glee different from High School Musical, or Kidz Bop for that matter?

The answer, my friends, is homosexuality. Beautiful, glorious homosexuality.

Before I continue, don't take this as me demanding that Glee is a show made only for queers, but, in a way, I think that gay youth, and all young adults for that matter, can, and will, take a show like Glee to heart for a number of reasons. The first being the most obvious answer, because it's two thousand and fucking ten and we still are having trouble giving LGBT human beings equal rights. We aren't allowing innocent people to marry someone they truly love and care for, we are denying hospital rights for life partners, service in the military for dedicated homosexuals, just to name a few things. So honestly, a lighthearted show which recognizes gay teens as human beings is probably not a bad idea to have on the air. When so many young teenagers are committing suicide because of harassment, it's not such a big fucking deal to have a show on public television that provides a comical and heartfelt escape from the ugly and homophobic outside world that we have to face the other 23 hours of the day. And imagine being a parent; you have a son or daughter who has the courage to come out to you, what positive images can you fill your brain with if you do not have a show that does not depict gays as promiscuous and dangerous? Seeing Kurt or Britney and Santana getting their gay on and living happily might make some parents accept the gay lifestyle, and giving them a simple but poignant message can be known to cause a change in heart in parents.

I cannot stress enough how important this is, because really, when you look at it hard enough, Glee is actually an important show and one that is far more accessible and easier to relate to for a teenage homosexual than say Queer as Folk or most other gay oriented TV shows. While Degrassi is popular, not everyone gets cable, so it is not easily guaranteed programming for some teens. And soak up this piece of news, Glee is on Fox of all channels, which stands against pretty much everything else that Glee advocates (which makes a subtle crack at Glenn Beck in one episode all the more edifying.)

And yet, I still find room to argue against Glee, simply because I have had the good fortune of being exposed to a variety of different films, TV shows, and documentaries that I have found infinitely more noteworthy than Glee. One of which is United States of Tara, which features Marshall, a fourteen-year-old boy who struggles with his sexuality and his being different in high school. While the show does not focus specifically on him being gay, neither does Glee with Kurt, but both episodes find room for their queer characters to develop and live their lives. I also prefer Tara because Marshall is who I was in middle school, who I am as a student; wildly opinionated, in love with weird movies and obscure music, all the while acting mature beyond his years, even if he has his missteps. Glee's Kurt is realistic, but sometimes is treated too much like a saint, when in fact, giving him his own flaws and problems will make him even more life like. If there is anything wrong with his character, I would have to say the lack of attention that was brought to his unhealthy crush on Finn. While puppy love and crushes are guaranteed to leave the person unhappy, a reality check and even a quick scolding for his out of line behavior would not have been such a bad thing for him.

To bring this particularly lengthy article to a close, I will just say that I am glad that Glee is on the air, less so because I need it to make me feel safer in my skin, I have grown in that regard already, but because other people are still growing and still becoming full fledged human beings. We don't have to watch it, or even acknowledge its existence, but for those who really, truly need a positive role model and reason to be proud of themselves, you certainly cannot go wrong with a little bit of song and dance.

And that's how Ben C's it.

Through a Lens Darkly: When the First is Not Necessarily the Best

In the underrated film, The Savages, Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour-Hoffman play a brother and sister pair who are faced with the challenge of sending their deteriorating father to an assisted living facility. During a group therapy session, in which the group leader instructs everyone to find something from their parent's past that will ignite nostalgia and help them remember their past lives, the two decide to throw a classic movie night at the senior home. The film they pick is a classic, no doubt, but the reaction that the audience generates is less so nostalgic, more disgusted and horrified. The film is question is The Jazz Singer, which holds the honor of being the first full length talking picture in cinematic history.

It is also the story of one man who derives happiness and freedom from performing in blackface as part of a house band.

Though the two siblings are well intentioned and mean no ill harm in their selection of the film, it makes for an awkward and quite embarrassing confrontation with the African-American orderlies on their way out of the auditorium.

Why did I include this vignette, exactly? Well, try this on for size; while The Jazz Singer is undoubtedly a landmark in the history of motion pictures, today, it is severely dated, and borderline racist(Did I mention the blackface?!). In fact, the DVD cover above right, released just a few years ago, cannot even show the image of Al Jolson, but to those who are familiar with the film, we know exactly what is taking place beyond the shadow. Just because it changed the history of film, does that make it a great film?

Every ten years, the American Film Institute (AFI) will compile a list of the 100 Greatest Films of All Time, and in the past ten years, the AFI has given the film, The Birth of a Nation, a spot on its list. Birth is included because of its exciting special effects, which for its time, must have been something many filmmakers tried to apply to their movies, but failed at doing to. Birth is also a piece of propaganda that glamorizes the Klu Klux Klan, and now serves as a tool for indoctrinating new KKK members. To think that something so reprehensible could still carry clout and popularity in the world of film is appalling, but alas, we have to at least attempt to appreciate its importance.

An example I refer to quite often is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Disney Vault released this puppy as a kick start for both its Platinum and Diamond Collections, which showcase Disney's most prestigious films. It is ranked #1 on the AFI's list of Top Ten Animated Films of all time, and, like The Jazz Singer, it is a milestone, known throughout film history as the first full length Animated film. Though Hollywood expected it to fail, Walt Disney delivered a unique and at the time, unprecedented American movie, and you need only look at the number of small girls in Snow White gowns at Halloween to comprehend the gravity of its success.

Here is when the gloves come off, and I quit the obligatory praising: I hate Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I think it is a dull film with a weak, anti-feminist heroine who dotes on a sexist notion that the key to her freedom is through a man saving her. She is bland, hopelessly in love, and trusts her surroundings far too much for someone her age. A prince just saunters on by her castle, and, no questions asked, Snow White is smitten, and she decides that she loves Mister. Breaking and Entering with all of her delicate sing songy heart.

Am I cynical? Possibly, but take what I just mentioned and apply it to modern cinema. A film with a female protagonist as passive as Snow White can, and does, send feminist scholars and decent human beings alike into a rabid frenzy. Consider the message it gives to young girls: that you should have people do things for you, that the man of your dreams is a good natured stalker, and your place in the home is to clean and cook for your friends and family. It's horse shit, we know this, but still, it is quite prevalent in films of past and present.

However, to play devil's advocate, you can appreciate Snow White for being the first of its kind. And to be fair, it reflected the types of movies that were made for entertainment in the late 1930's. To a family who just got out of the Great Depression, a light hearted musical cartoon with cute critters and silly little men sounds aces better than a drab reminder of the horrible period of history they just emerged from.

Yes, stories that were as complex as they are today would cost studios fortunes to produce, and not to mention, the subject matter would be way over the heads of everyday middle class Americans in the early 20th Century. Something like Inception would probably flop due to lack of technology, while the wonderfully surreal Blue Velvet would land its director in prison for pornography and degradation charges. Something like Snow White was difficult enough to pull off, so an extra element of complexity would only cause disarray.

But back to my original point. When the two films I discussed were originally released, their messages reflected a respective period of time for America. A time when minstrel shows were common place and African-Americans were still unequal. A period when women were expected to dote on their husbands and get boring housework done while the boys go off and play. Thankfully, times change, and the messages we saw then shifted as Civil Rights and the Woman's Liberation Movement kicked into gear. It is entirely acceptable to watch The Jazz Singer and marvel at how much of a trailblazer it was at its time, but when we start to accept its core values and dismiss the crucial elements of the story, that is, I think, when our devotion to the film grows askew and should be severed.

If you wanted to show your child Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs today, I would not call you a bad parent or crucify you on the spot. However, what your child takes from the movie and the messages you feed them at a young age will most certainly alter and affect their way of thinking. Though I will not entirely poo-pooh the thought of owning the film, I would suggest looking at different, more multi-dimensional films for children, ones that are marvelous without pandering too heavily to small children, and will, at the same time, hold the parent's interest. I may not be a parent, but I know that good kids movies do exist, and that the messages they hold on to resonate much stronger than that of a dated Disney cartoon.

To sum things up, cinema is advancing rapidly, as are the quality of films and the amount of things that are both plausible and acceptable in movies. Innovation is crucial to how films are made and produced, and when a film showcases a technological feat, such as sound, or effects, or animation, it most definitely deserves high praise. In plenty of cases, we can enjoy films in spite of their dated morals and messages, and in many other cases, we cannot. To the geriatric patients in The Savages, something like The Jazz Singer brings them back to their childhoods. On the flip side, the African-American patrons see a different film, one that mocks, lampoons, and parades an unacceptable form of racism. Personally, I can look at the films mentioned above and dissect them, and with each layer, pull apart many different stories. Though in the end, their stories remain just that, stories, which I cannot agree with, but will nonetheless analyze. It is likely that another film could have come along and taken each respective place as the first whatever, but with history being as it is, we can only stop and observe, no matter how bitter the aftertaste.

I'm seeing something that was always hidden. I'm in the middle of a mystery and it's all secret.

Catfish
Directed by: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Year: 2010

Not too long ago, I learned something shocking and upsetting about a friend of mine who I'd met on internet. I've belonged to a community of bloggers that review movies for quite a number of years now, and many times found myself talking to members of the group, and occasionally, this said individual.

Around the time the trailer for Catfish came out, I was given the details from another close friend of mine(also from the community) that this person had not only lied about getting into a car accident, but also about a tumor, among other things, all the while evoking sympathy from all of her friends and the people who found her charming and very fun. The fact that they needed to lie to people who had a) already forged close friendships with her and b)just genuinely liked this person, internet or not was both sad and unfortunate. Her friend list on Facebook is dwindling as a result, but she is still actively online.

I thought directly of this individual when I left my screening of Catfish, tying together both the film that I had just seen and the strange fact that the events of the film connected so deeply to my own life and the people who I've met online. Needless to say, it didn't spur a reevaluation of my internet life, nor did it make me second guess the people I've met through the internet, many of whom are wonderful, beautiful people I've had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with over the years. But what stuck out from Catfish is that, for every normal person we meet on the internet, on Facebook, there is always someone who is not who they appear to be, and sometimes, our realization of this simple truth occurs one step too late.

Not to spoil any details, many of which seeped out from the misleading trailer, but what you need to know about Catfish is that it's a documentary that is stranger than fiction, or is the story too perfect to be true? Needless to say, the film could not have been released at a better time, because the film says so much about the internet and its dark undercurrents, and in the end, we are given a disturbing, but also a comical, poignant and even moving film about how easy it is to be duped and how isolating it can be for someone to live entirely online.

A final note, and this is of key importance: No matter how spooky and hype driven the trailer appears to be, do not under any circumstances see it unless you expect to be gravely disappointed. The PR campaign for this film is quite atrocious, considering the actual content of this film, and for some reason, the mystery that lurks within the crevices of the film are now overblown to Saw like proportions. Catfish is truly a film you need to go in and see without knowing too much about the key points of the movie, and even more important, that you do not go in expecting a horrifying and disturbing horror movie. Yes, it's unsettling in parts, and sometimes it's disquieting how frank the film can get, but going in and expecting a horror show just ruins an aspect of the film. While I will say that I enjoyed the film I saw, it was nothing at all like I had expected, which is a disappointment in itself. But alas, the filmmakers clearly wanted their film to be seen, I just believe that their approach to marketing their documentary is going to leave a large number of film goers unhappy.

The Flicks Are All Right: Determining the Best Films of 2010 (So Far)

I'm going to have to admit something:

I don't take pleasure out of the conventional summer blockbuster.

And it's not like I'm such a funsucker that I can't enjoy mind candy every now and then. But summer movies...well, let's just say I'm the kind of film goer who doesn't mind sitting in art house movie theaters and watching good old fashioned indies where people are complicated and sad and things work out the way they do in real life.

But every now and again, I love gazing at Joseph Gordon-Levitt fighting baddies without adhering to the laws of gravity.

We can all agree that until September, October at the latest, the truly noteworthy films of the year are not released. But look deeply into the films that have been released thus far in 2010, and you'll find some stellar films to take note of. Here is a rough list of my personal favorites from the past nine months:

1) Dogtooth(Pictured Above)
I was lucky to see Dogtooth at a horror movie film festival this summer, and having seen the film, I refuse to disclose any information other than the bare bones knowledge one must be aware of before seeing the film and messing with their head. The film centers around a nameless family, controlled by a mother and father who have raised their two daughters and son solely in the comfort of their own home, without any contact from the outside world. The parents give their children incorrect grammar lessons, and create different nightmares that lurk outside of their little house. The end result is an almost documentary-like film that is so full of questions and mystery that are thankfully left to the viewer to decide. Certain scenes will have you laughing out of discomfort, while others will have you recoiling in horror. And the final shot is one of the best I've seen in years.

2) Exit Through the Gift Shop
On the flip side of the film spectrum is the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, a film that feels like a mad cap comedy that is too good to be true. Originally started as a documentary about prominent street artists, including figures like Shepard Fairey and the illusive Banksy, the film takes a 180 degree turn and has Banksy himself telling the story of a man with a camera who wanted to honor the underground art movement/public vandalism project of graffiti art, but ultimately bastardized the artists he so looked up to. Narrated with the crass seriousness of Rhys Ifans, Exit feels larger than life, and we aren't sure if some of the art stunts are truly told as they happened, but that's no matter, because it's a joy to watch them get pulled off. More than a film about graffiti art, it is also an excellent film that debates what good art is, and whether something as shady as street art is truly masterful.

3) Inception
Okay, so maybe the film lacks an emotional core, but whatever, Nolan has hit another film out of the park, and beyond anyone's wildest imaginations. The scenes in this film are breathtakingly beautiful, and quite fantastic to say the least. The action is exciting, full of fight scenes that keep your blood boiling and your heart pounding. Conceptually, it's hair brained: a future where information is extracted from our dreams by dream thieves and used for their benefit. So it's all the more intriguing when the thieves are commissioned to plant information into their subjects heads. Is it perfect? Nope. But this film is just so much damn fun, I can forgive it for all of its flaws and take it for what it is, a popcorn flick that deserves the buzz it receives.

4) Winter's Bone
Ree Dolly is a wise beyond her years seventeen year old girl who lives in the dark and unforgiving Ozarks. Due to her father's complete lack of regard for his family, Ree finds herself raising her two younger siblings while her mother wastes away in their modest cottage. However, Ree's role in her family is made all the more important, when the police tell her that her father is on the run and has put their house on collateral. Simply put, she must find her father before her house gets taken away. The film is dark, and instead of creating a convoluted mystery, the filmmakers decide to dive deeper into the life of the people in this town, and their roles in society. Meth is what ties these sick, sad humans together, and makes Ree's quest even more difficult. Fostered by an unflinching realism, and Oscar caliber roles for Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes, as Ree's methed out uncle, Winter's Bone is a taut, frightening, and surprisingly feminist film.

5) Toy Story 3
I'll admit: I sobbed for the last fifteen minutes of this film. The raw emotions, the importance these characters had in my childhood, and the natural and perfectly handled transitioning of the story made this final film in the trilogy a triumphant and captivating film. The story surrounds the toys from the previous installments faced with a strong problem, their owner, Andy, has lost interest in them. It's not hard stuff people, yet the film takes a mature and wonderfully poignant route that leads the toys on a dangerous journey, but in the end, everything feels neatly put together, which is what the films deserve. And I could not have asked for anything more.

6) The Kids are All Right
Take that, homophobes! One of the best and most honest films of the summer centers around a closely united lesbian couple who break their backs to give their children a happy and fulfilling life. Only their sense of normalcy is rocked by the appearance of the man who technically fathered the two kids by way of his sperm. Needless to say, it's a touching film that is easy to relate to, and feels more than appropriate for modern day America to tackle. And you just feel so warm when you leave the theater, it's impossible not to adore.

7) The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo
I loved the book when I read it last summer, so naturally, I was shaky as to whether or not the film would be smoothly adapted for the big screen. Thankfully, the Swedes hit the nail right on the head and produced an authentic, taut, frightening, and faithful adaptation of Larsson's novel, making edits where edits are due and casting the right actors for the roles. The crowning joy is Noomi Rapace, whose portrayal of Salander is dead on and full of enough spark and anger to have anyone quake in their boots. It's tough to watch, but thankfully, at least this adaptation doesn't skimp out on the brutality that made the source material so compulsory.

And the Rest of the Films I've Seen: Greenberg(3.5/5), Iron Man 2 (3/5), Howl (4/5), The Girl Who Played with Fire (4.5/5)

Films I'm Looking Forward To (In Order): Catfish, Somewhere, The Social Network, Black Swan, Blue Valentine, True Grit, Hereafte, The Town, Never Let Me Go, and Jack Goes Boating.