Movies of 2010

I watched a lot of movies in 2010, most of them at home on Netflix, because I don't have TV reception or cable. Lately I've been watching the series Lois and Clark for my suppertime entertainment (love it!). Sometimes I watch The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I didn't realize it was a series, but the book has a lot of short stories in it and they filmed it as separate episodes. I like the African music, accents, and unique characters. I also liked Who Do You Think You Are?, but only saw two episodes.

These are the movies I would label:

Awesome! (I would watch these again)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (subtitled, Swedish). Pretty brutal, definitely not for kids nor the faint of heart. But I just finished the book, and I'd say the movie is even better, with lots of minor changes like a revision.
Oklahoma! Hugh Jackman. Talent, talent, talent. And fun.
Up! For laughing and crying. Like falling out of your chair laughing. Appropriate for watching with family/friends/kids.
Captains Courageous with Spencer Tracy. Wow! Powerful movie about a boy who starts out as a rowdy troublemaker and accidently becomes a crewmember on a whaling ship.
Eat Drink Man Woman. (subtitled, Chinese) About three very different sisters, who are wondering which one of them will be stuck taking care of their aging father. Meanwhile, he's wondering how long before he can get them out of the house. Lots of lovely food.
Jodhaa Akbar (subtitled, Indian) Sweeping epic, love story, traitors, religious tolerance, sword fights — it's all there and very well done. And not all of the sword fights are between husband and wife.
Ben Hur with Charlton Heston.

Really enjoyed: The Last Airbender, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law), Lawrence of Arabia, Notorious (Hitchcock), The Forbidden Kingdom (a little campy, but Jackie Chan and Jet Li — what's not to like?), National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (old books!), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Bollywood humor/drama that reminded me of Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor), The Big Sleep (Bogart and Bacall), Julie and Julia

A bit dark: The Constant Gardener (not a happy story at all), Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four, No Man of Her Own with Barbara Stanwyck. I wasn't too crazy about any of these. The last one finally has a happy ending, but they sure go through a lot of misery to get there.


Enjoyed, but rather shallow: The Proposal (Sandra Bullock), The Art of Travel (gratuitous nudity), Sky High (has some redeeming angst and morals), Journey to the Center of the Earth (Brendan Fraser), Duck Soup (Marx brothers), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Inspector Gadget, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, Flight Plan (OK, these last two aren't shallow; I liked them OK but don't need to see them again.)

None of them were really awful, but some of the films really stand out and stick with you, while others are just a way to spend time.