Presidential Spotlight for 2010
Eighth Cosmique Movie Awards
It can sometimes be hard to remember the films you've seen in the year -- and, especially for the year's early releases, to remember if they were released in 2010 or 2009. The-movie-times.com's list of films with a recorded box office release in 2010 is an excellent resource, naturally.
In the past, the President of the Cosmique Movie Awards kept his own notes throughout the year to help him cast his own nomination ballot at the end of the year. This year we've decided to make those notes a little more public. As the year progresses, we will be regularly updating this list of the films the President has seen and his general thoughts about them, including his thoughts about which category or categories they might be suitable for nominating. Naturally, since the list is in progress, those categories are just thoughts -- a favorite drama from March may very well be eclipsed by other worthies come the end of December.
And just because the President has an opinion about a particular film, it doesn't mean you have to agree. As long as we get you thinking about it, the list has served its purpose.
|
Film |
Genre(s) |
Thoughts |
grade |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sci-Fi/Fantasy; Action/Adventure |
There are many things about this latest Tim Burton film that are brilliant. The film is truly a visual feast, sumptuous to the eyes, and had it been released ten years ago it would have been hailed as a masterpiece. But the visual effects are no longer enough to sustain a film for today's jaded audiences and the movie sadly falls short in other key elements. |
B |
|
|
Action/Adventure; Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
After surviving being cast to sea as an infant only to watch his adoptive father be killed by Hades, the demigod Perseus, son of Zeus, embarks on a quest to rescue Andromeda from the Kraken and avenge the death of his family. |
B- |
|
|
Comedy; Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
Four friends accidentally travel to the past with the potential of rewriting history. A lightly diverting comedy with little potential for being nominated for any Cosmos, good or bad. |
C |
|
|
Legion |
Horror; Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
When God first tried to destroy mankind, he used a flood. This time he's sending angels? Seriously? This has to be one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. It feels like it was originally written to be about demons attacking mankind but then some subsequent scriptwriter thought he'd be clever and switch it up a bit. If I end up seeing five films that are actually worse than this and knock it off the Worst Films of 2010 list, it will be a very bad year indeed. But I doubt that will happen. |
D- |
|
Drama; Horror; |
I went to this film with friends expecting the typical horror/thriller vampire film. I was delighted to find that it was more of an artistic drama with suspenseful elements than a traditional horror film. Definitely to be considered for acting and drama categories as well as for horror. |
A |
|
|
Horror; Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
As remakes go, I actually thought it was pretty good. There are significant changes from the original, keeping the story somewhat fresh. Let's hope the subsequent sequels head off into fresh territory. |
B |
|
|
Action/Adventure; Science Fiction/Fantasy |
A fun teenage action/fantasy in the spirit of Harry Potter that suffers somewhat from disjointed pacing and a lack of character depth. |
B- |
|
|
Horror/Thriller |
Begin by accepting this movie for what it is. It's a cheesy T&A horror film with so much female T&A that it could easily be mistaken for something filmed for Cinemax. Nevertheless, as cheesy thriller films go, it's passably enjoyable in that vein. Yes, the male T&A is virtually nonexistent while the female T&A is so nonstop that a purveyor of lesbian porn for a straight male audience could hardly have added more. The suspense is hardly suspenseful, but the jump scenes, while entirely predictable, were nevertheless jumpy. |
C- |
|
|
Comedy; Action/Adventure |
Michael Cera manages to turn his usual hapless-in-love persona into an action hero in this big screen adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels when he discovers, after starting to fall for a new girl, that he must defeat her seven evil exes in order to win her heart. In the end, I felt satisfied but a little underwhelmed after all the hype. Still recommended, but I'm glad I waited for video. |
B |
|
|
Comedy |
This is one of those silly, frothy guilty pleasure popcorn movies. As long as you just enjoy it for what it is and don't expect too much from it, it's a fun flick. It might make my list for Favorite Guilty Pleasure, but I doubt it will make any other 2010 categories. |
B |
|
|
Mystery / Suspense / Thriller; Drama; Historical |
Leonardo DiCaprio is a great actor and Martin Scorsese is a great director, but there's a reason this film was released so early in the year, long before the Oscar-bait season: the twists just aren't that twisty. Still, the acting is excellent and worth considering. It might not make Best Drama, depending what comes later in the year, but it could well make it in the Thriller category. It's "Historical" only in the sense that it takes place in an identifiable time period, but is not based on true events. |
B |
|
|
Drama; Historical |
Spurned after getting dumped by his girlfriend, a Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, creates a retaliatory website that leads to the creation of Facebook, the largest social networking site of all time. Though its historical accuracy can be debated, as a character study and as an example of truly brilliant acting, the film is worthy of the acclaim and the awards being bestowed upon it. |
A |
|
|
Action/Adventure; Science Fiction/Fantasy |
Yet another teen-oriented contemporary fantasy that is a fun romp despite failing to live up to the best in the genre. |
B+ |
|
|
Comedy; Animation |
It's been 15 years since the original "Toy Story" and 11 since its sequel but it was well worth the wait. It retains Pixar's freshness and innovation. Like many successful children's films, the writing has layers of nuance that will allow adults to enjoy it in ways that children won't catch. But while it's a great film for adults, it's a bit dark and scary for young children. |
A |
|
|
Comedy |
In this spoof of vampire movies, Becca moves to the Pacific Northwest, where she becomes torn between her love for a vampire and a werewolf. I am in general a fan this sort of parodying genre films, though none of Friedberg and Selzer's other films quite live up to the classic "Not Another Teen Movie," which was not one of their films. But "Vampires Suck" was absolutely dreadful. I've finally found a 2010 film worst than "Legion." |
F |
|
|
Comedy; Science Fiction/Fantasy |
A faithful adherent to the typical romantic comedy formula that never strives to bring anything innovative or fresh to the genre. |
B- |