With the Oscar nominations coming out Tuesday morning, I thought I'd detour into my favorite films of the past year ...
The list below was made using the extremely nerdy Weisman Rating System, which awards points in three categories: Ambition (how grand the film's aims were), Execution (how well the film met those aims) and Personal Impact (how much the film affected me personally). The scale is weighted toward the latter category, because I don't really think anyone can be completely objective about a film – and ultimately, there's some subjectivity that enters into the first two categories as well. That's why this isn't a best picture list, but rather a favorite picture list. So take all the point totals with a grain of salt ...
I saw 33 films from 2010, which might seem like a lot to some and not all that many to others – my nearby seatmate at Variety, film critic Peter Debruge, sees more than 250 movies each year. Most of the films I saw were of quality – anything that gets over 15 on my scale is something that I consider good, and that accounts for 28 of the 33 (and the difference between No. 1 and No. 28 isn't all that huge – just a matter of having a few more flaws). The next four get an overall thumbs down from me, though they had some redeeming value. The only true dog in the bunch was "Chloe."
It's not really a hip choice, but "The King's Speech" came out on top for me. Several people I know felt it was phony, but the movie really did work for me. You'll see my comments on the rest below.