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Maybe it’s my fault. I caught Inception after opening weekend, where everyone had already made Facebook statuses about how their minds were blown and that they needed to see it five more times in order to understand it all. Of course you didn’t need to see it multiple times to understand it – if so, it wouldn’t be a very good film, would it? The movie is perfect in its exhibition of a multi-layered, confusing screenplay and making it all work. So I understood it and didn’t need to see it again (besides, it’s fucking long). Had I seen it again, maybe it wouldn’t be fading from my mind quicker than Marty McFly’s family from the photograph. I’m sure I will see it again and that will help – but then again, even after my first viewing of Memento everything was stuck in my brain. I’m sure it’s my fault, though...

4. The Fighter

Sports movies are lame. Boxing movies have been done to death. Mark Wahlberg movies set in Massachusetts are starting to get old (the world will explode if Wahlberg is in the next Dennis Lehane adaptation!). So why would I be excited for The Figher? What new things would it bring to the table?

Absolutely nothing. It’s the same ol’ underdog story we’ve seen before. Lower-class Massachusetts looks just as rough (or exaggeratedly rough) as it always has. And yet The Fighter has lots of acclaim. Why?

Because it’s really good. Somehow, a generic (albeit true) story gets turned into a compelling, exciting film, and not just because of the actors. While Mark Wahlberg is really good (although I am a Wahlberg defender), Christian Bale and Melissa Leo really stand out. Amy Adams, not so much. I don’t get her praise (she’s serviceable). Is it just because she says “fuck,” which she usually doesn’t do? Being rewarded for playing against type is fine, just as long as it’s a deserving reward.

Outside of the acting, though, The Fighter is still strong. It’s not the best picture of the year (and I don’t actually think anyone considers it such), but it’s hard to find large faults in it. Sure, I could do without the prologue/epilogue with the real Dicky Eklund, but if that’s one of my major complaints, that’s a good sign.

5. The King's Speech

The King’s Speech is a good movie. I only know about one or two people who dislike it, but they also don’t like I Am Love so I discredit their opinion. It’s as crowd-pleasing a movie as a movie can be. A major problem with crowd-pleasing films, though, is that the crowd is pleased and can easily look past its flaws.

Sure, Colin Firth is good and Geoffrey Rush even better (and I stand by that more than I feel that Aaron Eckhart was better than Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight). Firth’s gimmicky performance can win the hearts of audiences, but after having seen the film twice, I’ve decided that it’s not that difficult of a performance. Firth does a good job, but sometimes he doesn’t seem to really try. I think some of that may be the screenplay’s fault (I’m going to buy everyone in the Academy copies of Grown Ups if it wins best original screenplay), but often acting can overcome screenplay faults. Firth can’t do that, and that makes me sad. Rush’s character – infinitely more interesting, exciting, and, in the end, difficult – requires more work (if anything, I think playing a stutterer would be fun). Rush succeeds in every regard, and if Christian Bale hadn’t played a weight-shifting-necessary role, he’d win best supporting actor and I’d be happy.

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