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Dragon, Swan among year’s 10 best films

The story of a whisky-swilling curmudgeon, a ballet dancer’s journey into madness and an animated depiction of a teen’s friendship with a gentle dragon are among the year’s Top 10 films as selected by the writers and editors of The Canadian Press.
Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman
In this film publicity image released by Sony Pictures Classics

The story of a whisky-swilling curmudgeon, a ballet dancer’s journey into madness and an animated depiction of a teen’s friendship with a gentle dragon are among the year’s Top 10 films as selected by the writers and editors of The Canadian Press.

In alphabetical order, the films are:

127 Hours — What didn’t James Franco do in 2010? The recently moustached university student appeared on 30 Rock, published a short story collection, played Beat legend Allen Ginsberg in the film Howl. And he also starred in Danny Boyle’s gripping 127 Hours, about hiker Aron Ralston, who cut off part of his own arm after it became trapped under a boulder. Franco is mesmerizing as he grunts, weeps, strategizes during the ghastly ordeal.

Barney’s Version — It took 12 years for Canada’s uber-producer Robert Lantos to wrestle Mordecai Richler’s sprawling, four-decade tale into a feature film, but he achieves it here with style, humour and a stellar international cast. Paul Giamatti leads the way as the cantankerous, cigar-chomping Barney Panofsky, while Dustin Hoffman is a scene-stealer as his foul-mouthed father, Izzy. It’s not a perfect adaptation, but thanks in large part to Giamatti’s sweetly romantic portrayal, Barney’s Version is a satisfying tribute to a beloved Canadian literary figure.

Black Swan — After a break with the more conventional drama The Wrestler, director Darren Aronofsky returned to his auteur filmmaking ways with this stunningly off-kilter tale of a ballerina who is pushed to the emotional and physical brink after winning the lead role in Swan Lake. Here’s hoping the visionary director who brought us Pi and Requiem for a Dream will finally be rewarded for daring to be different.

Daydream Nation — Rife with nods to the work of David Lynch and the Jake Gyllenhaal cult favourite Donnie Darko, this fully realized tale of angst in a rain-swept small town is a bold debut from Canadian writer-director Mike Goldbach. Kat Dennings is wonderful as a headstrong teen whose charms enthral a hunky teacher and stoner student, neither of whom have any idea what they’re getting into with the complicated, confused Caroline.

Easy A — Those who pine for the days of Hughesian teen comedies past received a rare cinematic gift with this whip-smart popcorn pleaser. Emma Stone puts in a star-making turn as brainy high schooler Olive Penderghast, who — embarrassed to admit she spent a weekend alone — fabricates a story about losing her virginity. When the fib ricochets through the halls at warp speed, plucky Olive decides to make the most of it. Soon, she’s making up all kinds of sexual tall tales to help out persecuted male classmates, even adorning her clothes with a scarlet “A” (a nod to the Nathaniel Hawthorne classic she is studying in English).

How to Train Your Dragon — This fable fortunately avoids the typical hallmarks of Dreamworks’ animated fare: no winking pop culture references, no flailing attempts at comedy and few distracting cameos from celebrity voice talent. No, like its spiritual ancestor The Iron Giant, Dragon is a winsome fairy tale that aims for timelessness instead of the rapid-fire gags of, for instance, the Shrek series.

The King’s Speech — The perfect film to shake off your period-piece phobia or historical-drama disdain. This true story of an unyielding speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) who helps King George VI (Colin Firth) overcome a crippling stammer amid a looming war is both touching and hilarious and actually makes the royals relatable. Scenes between Firth and Rush are like a master class in acting while Helena Bonham Carter is equally exquisite as the King’s wife, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the Queen Mother).

The Social Network — Is The Social Network a true-to-life portrayal of baby-faced Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, or a one-sided character assassination? And does it really matter? Whatever the real-life story, the film stands as a fascinating look at how anti-social geeks are winning over the cool crowd in this digital age and becoming some of the world’s most powerful people.

Splice — This sci-fi/horror film inspired outright revulsion by shocking some theatregoers with its grotesque sexual twists, but a willingness to dive into ever-horrifying scenarios is what makes Splice one of the most intriguing films of the year. Sarah Polley is captivating as a hotshot geneticist so bent on glory she will manipulate human nature itself to achieve stardom.

Winter’s Bone — An unvarnished and unflinching look at rugged life in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains, this drama based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell is a standout in every regard. Jennifer Lawrence knocks it out of the park as Ree, a hard-bitten teen who is determined to find her missing drug-dealer father as she cares for her two young siblings and her mentally challenged mother in their ramshackle home.