Bests of 2010

Happy New Year! Here’s a look back at the previous year in film, based on what I’ve seen so far.

Best Trailer: The Social Network, featuring the orchestral rendition of “Creep”

Best Postscript: “[Cherie Currie] is now a chainsaw artist living in the San Fernando Valley,” in The Runaways

Best Standoff: Teardrop and Sheriff Baskin in Winter’s Bone

Best Outburst of Gunfire: Carlos comes out of the bathroom in Carlos

Best Go-for-Broke Action Climax: The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Best Evidence of the Dangers of Overlong, Momentum-Killing Action Sequences: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Best Actor of the Year (not to be confused with Best Actor in a Leading Role): Andrew Garfield, for The Social Network and, even more, Never Let Me Go

Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes in Winter’s Bone

Best Performance by an Ungulate, Individual: Little Blackie crosses the river in True Grit

Best Performance by Ungulates, Ensemble: A herd of sheep cross Montana’s Beartooth Mountains in Sweetgrass

Best Threatening Lecture: “Anyone who resists will be executed. Anyone who doesn’t obey our orders immediately will be executed. Anyone who panics will be executed. Even if a member of the commando doesn’t obey my orders, or doesn’t follow the instructions outlined in advance, he will be executed,” delivered by Edgar Ramirez as Carlos in Carlos

Best Line: “I’m six-five, 220 pounds, and there are two of me,” delivered by Tyler Winklevoss in The Social Network

Best Catchphrase: “Light bulb!” in Despicable Me

Best Word: “Winklevi” in The Social Network

Best Steve McQueen Performance: George Clooney in The American

Best Death Scene: Jeremy Renner as James Coughlin in The Town

Best Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon (note: I didn’t see Toy Story 3)

Best Euphemism for Masturbation: How to Train Your Dragon

Best Animated Sequence Within a Live Action Film: The story of the Deathly Hallows, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, animated by Ben Hibon

Best Use of Special Effects: (tie) Armie Hammer plays Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss in The Social Network and Nina becomes the Black Swan in Black Swan

Best Evidence that Mickey Rourke is Unfailingly Entertaining: Iron Man 2

Best Evidence that Ridley Scott Hasn’t Read Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Robin’s men voluntarily give up the high ground in Robin Hood

Best Score: The Social Network by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Use of a Single Song: Sigur Ros’ “Festival” for Aron Ralston’s triumphant walk back to civilization in 127 Hours

Best Use of an Orchestral Cacaphony: The “BRRRRRRRAAAAAWWWWRWRRRMRMRMMRMRMMMMM!!!” of Inception

Best Use of Silence: Nic’s discovery of infidelity in The Kids Are All Right

Best 1980s Movie Reference: To The Karate Kid in The Social Network

Best Remake: Matt Reeves’ Let Me In , adapting Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In

Best Historical Recreation: Carlos

Best Art Within Art: Marwencol in Marwencol

Best (Almost) Final Scene: The passing of the note in The Ghost Writer

Best Opening Scene: The breakup in The Social Network

Best Film About Social Media: The first half of Catfish

Best Performance by a Prop: The spinning top in Inception

Best Gut Wrenching Reaction to Impossible Horrors: (tie) Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island and Leondardo DiCaprio in Inception

Best Actress: Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Best Scary-Ass Mother: Jacki Weaver’s Janine in Animal Kingdom

Best Scary-Ass Wife: Dale Dickey’s Merab in Winter’s Bone

Best “Oh shit!” Moment: The stop at the gas station in Let Me In

Best “Oh gross!” Moment: A naked woman produces a cell phone from its, um, hiding place in Machete

Best Moment in an Otherwise Horseshit Film: Aang realizes his potential in The Last Airbender

Best Performance in a Hastily Made Parody of a Horseshit Film: Hokahey as "The Last Carbender"

Best Sight for Sore Eyes: Eli Wallach in The Ghost Writer

Best Eye Candy: Violanete Placido as the oft-naked Clara in The American

Best Film No One Is Talking About: Fish Tank

Best Hope for a Better Year Ahead: The trailer for Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life (which I haven’t actually watched but don’t need to)

What are some of your Bests of 2010?