Bob Sharka’s Best of 2010
Strange year, indeed…I have a “doc” (EXIT THROUGHTHE GIFT SHOP) on my best film list which isn’t in my doc list because, quite frankly, I’m not sure it was REALLY a doc…Terrific film but a doc???? – I still don’t know. Also have Javier Bardem in Mexico’s foreign Oscar® submission BIUTIFUL in the best actor category…even thought of having a “best film requiring a seat belt” category which would have been 127 HOURS.
Toughest pic, again, is the foreign film category….only saw 45 of the 65 but did manage to give the public a sneak of TIRZA (At the Friends Of Film Foreign Film Series) from THE NETHERLANDS, a top twenty for sure, that didn’t get into Palm Springs Film Festival, the biggest and best American Festival for Foreign Oscar® submissions…wondering too why Iceland’s MAMA GOGO - which centers on a son dealing with his aging mother’s health - didn’t make the cut either…I lost a 20 year-old bottle of single malt scotch on that one, thinking the Palm Springs demographic would have loved it, but who said being a programmer is easy? Finally, Greece’s DOGTOOTH…one of most bizarre films in recent memory (and I mean that in a good way) polarized the masses, including myself who loved it and hated it at the same time
Surprise of the year came with Paul Giamatti and Rosamund Pike’s off-the-charts performances in BARNEY’S VERSION…
The doc category was the equivalent of picking Miss America – really tough to go wrong with ANY of the finalists…CATFISH was a laugh a minute, MARWENCOL brought tears to my eyes, INSIDE JOB made me want to cut my OWN throat, JOAN RIVERS; A PIECE OF WORK was, please forgive me, a piece of work, and finally THIS WAY OF LIFE from the Kiwis had everyone breaking out his Psychology 101 text book.
In the SUPPORTING ACTRESS category young newcomer Hailee Steinfeld TRUE GRIT easily took the cake… never believed in the “too young to win” theory but, admittedly support the “they never got one so maybe it’s time” belief…hey, I’m human. Don’t know why but I get the heebie-jeebies every year trying to select BEST ACTRESS but after a couple of light sleeping nights, I ended up with Catherine Keener… forgive me, picking Catherine Keener.
Bob Sharka
Executive Director
Friends Of Film
Pacific Palisades Film Festival
BEST PICTURE
BARNEY’S VERSION
BLACK SWAN
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
HEREAFTER
SHUTTER ISLAND
THE FIGHTER
THE GHOST WRITER
THE KING’S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE TOWN
BEST FOREIGN FILM (Short List)
BIUTIFUL, Mexico
CONFESSIONS, Japan
EVEN THE RAIN, Spain
ILLEGAL, Belgium
LA PETITE CHAMBRE, Switzerland
LA PIVELLINA, Austria
LULA, THE SON OF BRAZIL, Brazil
SIMPLE SIMON, Sweden
STEAM OF LIFE, Finland
THE ANGEL, Norway
BEST ACTOR
PAUL GIAMATTI – Barney’s Version
COLIN FIRTH, The King’s Speech
JESSE EISENBERG, The Social Network
ROBERT DUVALL, Get Low
JAVIER BARDEM, Biutiful
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTIAN BALE, The Fighter
MATT DAMON, True Grit
JEREMY RENNER, The Town
MARK RUFFALO, The Kids Are All Right
GEOFFREY RUSH, The King’s Speech
BEST ACTRESS
ANNETTE BENING, The Kids Are All Right
CATHERINE KEENER, Please Give
JENNIFER LAWRENCE, Winter’s Bone
CAREY MULLIGAN, Never Let Me Go
ROSAMUND PIKE – Barney’s Version
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
HAILEE STEINFELD, True Grit
MILA KUHN, Black Swan
MELISSA LEO, The Town
JACKIE WEAVER, Animal Kingdom
LESLEY MANVILLE, Another Year
BEST DOCUMENTARY
CATFISH
INSIDE JOB
JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK
MARWENCOL
THIS WAY OF LIFE
BOLD INDICATES TOP PICK