by Shannon Hood, Jan 6 2011 // 12:00 PM

So yesterday, we ran part one of this post. In case you missed it, here were my picks:
- Waiting for Superman
- Winter’s Bone
- The Company Men
- Rabbit Hole/Blue Valentine (tie)
- The Fighter
Now, without further ado, are the rest of my picks for best movies of the year.
5. The Kids Are All Right
This quirky drama won me over in no time. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play a lesbian couple raising two children who were the product of an anonymous sperm donor. When the kids are old enough, they seek out and find their donor, who is played by Mark Ruffalo.
His character Paul is a perpetually laid-back restaurateur who drives a motorcycle and lives a bohemian lifestyle. The kids are instantly captivated, and develop a relationship with the guy, much to the chagrin of their uptight mom Nic (Bening).
I admire writer/director Lisa Cholodenko for her sensitive handling of the subject matter. A lesser director could have turned this into a slapstick farce, but ultimately the film is funny, touching, and wholly original. It is also universally relatable. Bening is a standout in the film for her performance.
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Posted in: Best of 2010 · Movies · News
Tagged: 127 Hours, 2010 best movies, Aaron Sorkin, Annette Bening, Aron Ralston, Barbara Hershey, Black Swan, Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, hailee steinfeld, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, jesse eisenberg, Julianne Moore, Justin TImberlake, Lisa Cholodenko, mark ruffalo, Matt Damon, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, the Coen brothers, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, top ten movies of 2010, Trent Reznor, true grit
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by Shannon Hood, Jan 5 2011 // 9:00 AM
I was surprised at how much trouble I had narrowing down my top ten movies this year. My top 20 were all very close, but here are the movies that I ultimately enjoyed the most. I readily admit that I did not see near as many foreign films as I would have liked, but by the time I cover most of the mainstream fare, there is simply no time left.
Honorable Mentions: Fair Game, Tiny Furniture, Greenberg, Cyrus, The Tillman Story, The American, Mother and Child, Scott Pilgrim.
10. Waiting for Superman
This Documentary was equal parts frustrating, inspirational, and heartbreaking. Director Davis Guggenheim (No End in Sight) sheds light on the dismal state of our public school system. He follows the plight of several children who live in various geographic regions who are placing all of their hope for an decent education into lottery systems for charter or private schools. Guggenheim relies on their compelling stories for a narrative, while interspersing lots of graphics and cartoons illuminating some pretty harrowing statistics.
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Posted in: Best of 2010 · Exclusive · Features · Flickcast Presents · Movies
Tagged: 127 Hours, Aaron Eckhart, Aaron Sorkin, Amy Adams, Annette Bening, Aron Ralston, Ballet, Barbara Hershey, Ben Affleck, Blue Valentine, Chris Cooper, Christian Bale, Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, Davis Guggenheim, Debra Granik, Facebook, hailee steinfeld, James Cameron Mitchell, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Lawrence, jesse eisenberg, Julianne Moore, Justin TImberlake, Lisa Cholodenko, Maria Bello, mark ruffalo, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Melissa Leo, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole, Revenge Movies, Rosemarie DeWittBlack Swan, Ryan Gosling, Swan Lake, the Coen brothers, The Company Men, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Tommy Lee Jones, Trent Reznor, true grit, Waiting for "Superman", Westerns, Winter's Bone
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by Shannon Hood, Nov 24 2010 // 7:00 AM
When director Danny Boyle announced that he was going to take on the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston, I thought he had gone crazy. Boyle’s last film, Slumdog Millionaire, won eight Oscars, including Best Motion Picture and Best Director, and grossed over $350M worldwide.
The world was his oyster, so why would he squander his opportunity by tackling an unfilmable story? If you recall, Aron Ralston was the hiker who survived a nasty fall while he was hiking in Utah. His arm was pinned beneath an 800-pound boulder, and Ralston faced starvation, dehydration, and exposure to the elements.
After five days he made the decision to amputate his own arm in order to escape. As if that weren’t bad enough, he then had to hike an additional eight miles to reach help. Against insurmountable odds, Ralston triumphed, and became a poster boy for the strength of the human spirit. Sure, it’s a compelling story, but who wants to see a movie about a guy pinned under a rock for five days?
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Posted in: Documentary · Drama · Movies · Reviews
Tagged: "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", 127 Hours, Amber Tamblyn, Aron Ralston, Danny Boyle, James Franco, Kate Mara
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