OVP: Previously, in 2010

2010: A Look Back

So, as I just mentioned, I have officially finished the 2010 Oscar Viewing Project.  This is our second completed year.  To peruse our last year, just click over here and look through the "Also in 2011" section at the bottom of the screen.  As you might be able to tell, I'm super excited about this-though I've got 2014 films to go in the Oscar Viewing Project, these write-ups are definitely my favorite part of this project, and I'm excited to cast my votes for the best of 2010, having seen all of the nominees.

But first, it's important that we get in a 2010 "State of Mind," and so like any good-theater experience, we've got to have some previews.  So, remember back two years ago, into 2010.  Consider rethinking your votes for Allen West, Scott Walker, and Mike Lee.  Start debating the finale of Lost.  Commence jamming to your Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, or if you're me, Eminem albums.  And also, of course, remember the movies.

Box Office

This is what the Top 10 at the (Domestic) Box Office looked like:

1. Toy Story 3

2. Alice in Wonderland
3. Iron Man 2
4. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
6. Inception
7. Despicable Me
8. Shrek Forever After
9. How to Train Your Dragon
10. Tangled

2010 doesn't look quite as franchise heavy as 2011, though that may just be because it was the start of franchises rather than a sea of sequels.  The year was dominated by animated films, with five of the top films being cartoons.  Installments in the Avengers, Harry Potter, and Twilight series continued to contribute heavily to the Box Office and though people oftentimes complain about a discrepancy of what people see and what scores at the Oscars, both Toy Story 3 and Inception were in the Top 10 at the Oscars and the Box Office (with True Grit, Black Swan, and The King's Speech also all clearing $100 million domestically).

The Films I Missed

I've of course hit all of the Oscar nominees, and surprisingly I've seen the Top 10 Box Office films, but as we are also going to touch on the precursors for each of these awards and my recommendations of who should have been nominated, I should share some of the high profile films that I haven't seen.  The biggest Box Office scorers that are on my "missed" list include Clash of the Titans, Grown Ups, Little Fockers, Megamind, and The Last Airbender.  Since the Golden Globes and SAG Awards are heavy predictors of the Oscars, I saw the bulk of their nominees, but still missed some high profile citations for Burlesque, Love and Other Drugs, Frankie and Alice, The Concert, Conviction, and Get Low.  The Cannes Film Festival honored Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives as their top movie of the year (they don't quite have the same criteria as the other awards, but I never ignore the Nobel Prize of Film).  And I'm just noticing the critical love for Carlos at LAFCA, though I thought that was a TV movie.  I'm currently only planning on catching Burlesque and Uncle Boonmee of that list (the Uncle Boonmee review will be intermixed in the next couple of days along with the OVP writeups), so if you think I should catch another one, make sure and point it out in the comments.

And there you have it-a brief preview of 2010.  Now onto Oscar!