What Stuck: Favorites of Years Past - 2010

Welcome to a new bi-weekly series. A popular trend at the end of the year is to list "best" films one saw in the previous 12 months. But chances are those lists change over time, as more films are seen and the true favorites are weeded out as the Blu-rays fly off the shelves for multiple repeat viewings.

So now I'm looking back, year by year, sifting through what has really stayed with me since making that initial "best" list, if one was made at all. I accept something as a favorite if I've watched voluntarily (not for a review/blogathon/podcast, etc.) more than once and I've spent money, or asked someone to spend money, for a copy to place on my movie shelf. Also, there's no definitive countdown number for every year; so a list could be one movie to twenty, though it's probably more an average of seven. So starting back with 2010, because it's still too soon for 2011 and 2012, here we go...

Easy A

I'm surprised just how much I still like this movie. Of course it mostly rests on the shoulders of the lovely Ms. Stone, and the very entertaining "adults" in the film, but it's one of those to watch just to feel good for 90 minutes. It was given to me as a Christmas gift that year, though I didn't ask for it, but I've watched it numerous times since and I'm pretty close to changing my Holy Trinity of Teen Movies (Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls) into a quartet.

Winter's Bone

Honestly, these smaller, indie dramas rarely make any favorite list of mine, but Ms. Lawrence's coming out party has managed to stick around. Everything about this mystery set in rural Missouri feels completely genuine without being difficult to watch, and that's a rare thing to say. Plus the performances of Lawrence and Hawkes are unstoppable.

Black Swan

Shockingly, this one barely made the list. Why? Because I've only watched my copy once. It's not that I hadn't been chomping at the bit to give this dark ballerina story another spin, but I didn't have time until very recently. I love everything Aronofsky (I've even watched the difficult Requiem for a Dream at least 5 times!) and should never put two years between viewings of his films.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

It was the beginning of the end of an era for us HP nerds. Some haters complained that nothing happened for two hours and it was an incomplete film, but I soaked up every minute without seeing any issues, because I had, you know, read the book and knew there wasn't going to be action every ten minutes. And in case you weren't aware, it plays beautifully back-to-back with Part II.

Inception

My love has slipped a little with multiple viewings, but, like all things Nolan, it's still just so damn cool. On my initial viewing, I honestly thought it was a lot more depthful than it really is, so I don't get something with each watch, like I hoped. But each viewing is still a lot of fun, so it evens out.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

It's still so much ridiculous fun, it should be illegal. I actually asked for a copy for Christmas in 2010, but didn't get it because it was sold out everywhere in town. (Got the copy of Easy A instead, so not complaining.) My mind still melts at its humor and video game style. It's a sensory overload in the best possible way.

The Social Network

Despite all the fun, mystery and nostalgia that 2010 offered up, it's still this drama about a group of young, rich asshats that still wins the year for me. Written smartly and directed coolly, the movie's characters and stories should annoy me, if not downright piss me off. Yet I get lost in it's great performances and stunning style every time. What a damn fine year for film.

In case you're curious, here's my initial list from 2010.