The week, and with it, the bulk of my 2010 coverage, draws to a close today with a look at the best of the best. I’m offering up a personal list of superlatives, including most Oscar categories and some other fun fields thrown in for good measure. A tradition at this point.
There will be plenty going on next week, though, despite travel and the holidays. As always, we’ll be at your disposal. But allow me to put a tidy bow on the year here and keep forging ahead…
Best Picture
“Exit Through the Gift Shop”
Best Director
Mike Leigh, “Another Year”
Best Actor
Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”
Best Actress
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
Best Supporting Actress
Lesley Manville, “Another Year”
Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Social Network” (Aaron Sorkin)
Best Original Screenplay
“Another Year” (Mike Leigh)
Best Art Direction
“Inception” (Guy Dyas; Lisa Chugg, Paul Healy, Douglas A. Mowat)
Best Cinematography
“Enter the Void” (Benoît Debie)
Best Costume Design
“Alice in Wonderland” (Colleen Atwood)
Best Film Editing
“Shutter Island” (Thelma Schoonmaker)
Best Makeup
“The Way Back”
Best Music (Original Score)
“TRON Legacy” (Daft Punk)
Best Music (Original Song)
“Me and Tennessee” from “Country Strong”
Best Sound Editing
“TRON Legacy”
Best Sound Mixing
“Black Swan”
Best Visual Effects
“Inception”
Best Animated Feature
“Toy Story 3″
Best Ensemble
“Another Year”
Most Underrated Film of the Year
“The Way Back”
Most Overrated Film of the Year
“Winter’s Bone”
Best Directorial Debut
Banksy, “Exit Through the Gift Shop”
Breakthrough Performance (Male)
Tahar Rahim, “A Prophet”
Breakthrough Performance (Female)
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”
Best Cameo Performance (Male)
Dakin Matthews, “True Grit”
Best Cameo Performance (Female)
Juliette Lewis, “Conviction”
Best Performance in a Bad Film
Carey Mulligan, “Never Let Me Go”
Worst Performance in a Good Film
Ellen Page, “Inception” (not completely her fault — terrible casting)
Best Hero
Nina Sayers, “Black Swan”
Best Villain
Nina Sayers, “Black Swan”
Best Poster
“Devil” (link)
Best Trailer (for a trailer released in 2010, not necessarily a film released in 2010)
“Black Swan”
Most Surprising Film of the Year
“Catfish”
Most Disappointing Film of the Year
“Love & Other Drugs”
Most Ambitious Film of the Year
“Inception”
Most Intriguing Failure
“Stone”
Best Action Sequence
“Inception”
Basically the film’s entire third act is a riveting accomplishment that’s candy for the senses, but specifically the razzle-dazzle of the already famous corridor sequence was a jaw-dropping piece of work.
Entertainer of the Year
Leonardo DiCaprio
At a time in his career when he could easily take the safe route and bring home paycheck after paycheck, here is an actor pushing himself to reconcile art with commerce at every step of the way. His work in “Inception” and “Shutter Island” seemed to further emboss that defining characteristic of his work as a professional.
Five Worst Films of the Year (that I saw, anyway)
1. “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”
2. “Clash of the Titans”
3. “The A-Team”
4. “Alice in Wonderland”
5. “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”
Top 10 Films of the Year
1. “Exit Through the Gift Shop”
2. “Another Year”
3. “A Prophet”
4. “Shutter Island”
5. “Black Swan”
6. “The Social Network”
7. “Enter the Void”
8. “Catfish”
9. “Toy Story 3″
10. “The Way Back”
In case you missed it, check out my “best of the year” column here, analysis of my top 10 here and my “if I had a ballot” post here.
What are your personal winners this year? Have your say in the comments section below!
[Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures]