2010: A Summary of a Year

2010 is almost over. Can you believe it, because I can't! The year has been pretty good, I've seen many awesome films (and quite a bunch of less awesome films as well, but that's unavoidable, I guess). I hugely regret that I didn't make a list of all the films I watched during 2010 (it did cross my mind, damn it), because I'm pretty sure I've broken a personal record. 2010 was also the year when I started blogging, so I guess we can say my year hasn't been a total waste!

To wrap the year up, I look back to the various phases I went through this year. (A phase: A period of time during which I am hugely enthusiastic about something or someone, and can't fully concentrate on anything else.) There's been unusually many of them! Also, I'll very reluctantly make an unofficial top five of my favourite movies of 2010. Don't take it too seriously. There are too many potentially awesome films I haven't yet seen! It's mostly there just for show.

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My SIX PHASES of 2010

The Robert Downey Jr. phase (January - March)

Not often I go see a film in the cinema twice. Even less often three times. But I did see Sherlock Holmes three times, and I can only blame the unbeatable charm and overflowing hotness of RDJ. During the phase I also watched a lot of lousy films from his early career (and one damn good one that led to another phase later on) and the fourth season of Ally McBeal. That's when the phase probably reached its peak and I was more fanfirl-y that I've been in years and it was highly disturbing and I'm glad it's over now. (And I'm only half-kidding.) I'm still very much RDJ's girl, and I regret I managed to miss Due Date in cinemas.

The River Phoenix phase (March - April)

The short-ish but passionate River Phoenix phase was triggered by the end credits of Stand by Me, as my even-slower-than-usual brain realised that the charming young fellow in the film was actually River Phoenix. Many of his film are almost impossible to come by, but judging by every film I have got my hands on, River was spectacularly talented and an amazing person and all the praise he's ever got is most definitely deserved. Also, when it comes to talking about River Phoenix, one can't get away without mentioning that he has one of the most photogenic faces EVER.

The Lost phase (~April - June)

My Lost phase has been going strong since 2006, but this year it culminated around the series finale in May. All year long I had been regularly freaking out once a week, as the final season teased and shocked and thrilled me to pieces. Lost is the most popular label on my blog, which shows that the Lost phase still isn't over. Just this week I completed a project I had been fantasizing about for years, as my Complete Lost Marathon finally ended. Lost truly has been one of the highlights of the year, but it was also a significant highlight of the whole decade. Dude, it's been awesome.

The Charlie Chaplin phase (June - July)

This is one of the few times ever I've become this excited about something that could easily be considered 'intellectual' (not that Lost, for instance, isn't, ahem). Thanks to RDJ (yep, I still think I owe him this), I read Chaplin's autobiography, loved it, and watched all of his films I could find. Oh and loved them, too, to say the least. I found it quite amazing that I so thoroughly enjoyed something that had been done before the 90s, or even before the invention of talking pictures! So uncharacteristic of me. Chaplin's films are wonderful, oh so wonderful and I'll be eternally grateful to RDJ. Haha.

The Disney phase (August - September)

Before and especially after our spectacular trip to Paris - which included that fateful visit to Disneyland - I couldn't make myself watch anything that wasn't animated and or didn't have a happy ending and a few cute animal friends. I watched more Disney films in a month than I did during the whole year when I was five. And oh did I have a blast! By the time I got annoyed at The Little Mermaid and actually began to look the films critically (first time for everyhing), I figured the time had come to finally shake the phase and move on. Luckily, an old favourite was coming back from a summer hiatus.

The Glee phase (October - December, and beyond)

 Glee, oh Glee! Just when I thought Lost had left a hole in me that nothing could ever fill, along came season two of Glee, and reminded me that there is one show out there that has that potential. Not that the hole is completely filled (won't ever be), but it doesn't ache anymore. Glee has been quite a dominant factor in my life recently: I created a blog dedicated to it, I'm listening to the songs on repeat, I ordered a ticket to their live concert and I want to marry Chris Colfer (oh, if I were a boy!). Glee has quite a steady position in my life, and this phase will continue to live on... Side by side with whatever I next get crazy about.

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My (unofficial) TOP FIVE of 2010

Rare Exports

Okay, so. Rare Exports is here, because 1) it was a good film and 2) because it's not every year Finns make a film that one might even consider when thinking about the best films of the year. I might have liked The Deathly Hallows a bit more, but hey, the patriot in me wanted to give this film some more credit. (And I make sure DH pt. 2 will be on my top five of 2011. Promise.) And it's not only that it is a rare export when it comes to domestic cinema. Rare Exports is an imaginative and bold piece of work, it creeped me out, it made me laugh and gave me chills and, quite unexpectedly, a touch of Christmas spirit as well.

Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass kicked off my summer of various action adventures, such as Robin Hood, Iron Man 2 and Prince of Persia, and ended up kicking the crap out of all the rest. It is an entertainment bomb. It introduced two bright stars of tomorrow, Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz, and also features the brilliant Christopher Mintz-Plasse. One of my favourite moments (in addition to everything that includes Hit-Girl) still is when the main character is worried that if he dies, he won't find out how Lost ends. What a relief I don't have to worry about anymore! Because, on some of my less proud moments, I did. Anyway, Kick-Ass kicks ass.

Inception

Er, what? What is Inception doing this far from number one? Wasn't it pretty much the most mind-blowing thing I'd seen in ages, a complicated and intriguing masterpiece by the genious also known as Chris Nolan, and simply just the grandest cinema experience ever? Well, yes. As you can see, I haven't numbered the top five, even though they are supposingly in the order of superiority. It just felt wrong. When my friend asked me what my five favourite movies of 2010 were, he also asked me to mark put a star after each film that was so damn incredible you forgot it was a film you were watching. (continues below)

The Social Network

(cont.) (He asked me for the list in Facebook. By the way.) Inception was the only was that I starred. So why oh why are The Social Network and another film topping Inception? Well, quite frankly, I don't know. I'm just listening to my gut. I can't say which one I liked more, because they are so very different. Both left me in awe, but in different kinds of awe and for different reasons. I actually at one point promoted Inception to number two, but finally dropped it back down again, because this was the original order on the list in Facebook. And as we know, Facebook is the bible of today's world. And yes, The Social Network is freaking genious.

Toy Story 3

So here we are, then. 2010 is just about in the bag and my most favourite film ended up being... not a sci-fi epic nor an origin story of a web page... but a third instalment of an animated film series. Um... okay? I guess what happened here is that number three and number two were too busy wrestling with each other that they forgot one little Toy Story 3. Whoever saw that coming? ... I did, actually. (Just remembered that I did!) Here's a direct quote (with spelling errors and all, sigh... 'askes'... I should probably fix that) from my Inception post from July:

" So - if someone askes me in the end of this year what was the BEST film of 2010, I will probably say Inception. If they ask what was MY FAVOURITE film, I will say something else. Something silly like Toy Story 3 or Kick-Ass or Harry Potter. "

And yes, I don't think this is such a scandalous or unexpected choice after all. I mean, whoever has seen the film knows it's brilliant in so many wonderful ways. I'm definitely campaigning for Toy Story 3 to win the best picture Oscar, and not only because I like underdogs and tend to fly the flag of those who REALLY don't stand much chance of winning, but also because I think it has a tremendous amount of potential. I mean, don't you want an animated picture to win the Oscar some day? So why not now? (Yeah, yeah, okay. In my dreams. Anyway.)

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Okay. So. A wrap-up of a wrap-up... 2010. What a year! And I have a sneaky feeling that 2011 might be even better! There sure are a big bunch of films worth expecting on the way. 2010 took us beyond infinity, but who knows, we might go even further next year.

Happy two thousand and eleven, everyone! Enjoy the fireworks tonight!

Long stories short

Here's a sample of the films I've watched in the past few days!

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

I thought about being radical and choosing a picture not featuring Gene Kelly hanging on a lamp post with an umbrella, but came around in the end. Because it just doesn't get much more iconic than that, does it? This was only the second time I saw the classic, and I liked it even more this time! Cosmo is awesome and so are all the tap dance numbers, especially Good Morning. Lina and her horrible accent ("I cayn't stand'im!") crack me up, and yes, nothing quite puts a smile on your face like the Singin' in the Rain number. I want the spring here so I can do that, too! A bit less exuberantly, though, maybe.

"Tell me the truth, am I a good actor?"
"As long as I'm working for Monumental Pictures, you're the greatest of 'em all."

Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone is one of my childhood favourites and was still quite charming. Though I couldn't stand to to watch that iron to fall on that poor guy's face. That hurts too much. Macaulay Culkin (has the most difficult first name ever) was awesome as a child actor, shame growing up didn't really work out for him.

P.S. I swear I never got the joke below when I was a kid. Was it a bad translation or didn't I read the subtitles or was I just plain dumb? I just though it was funny how Kevin was jumping up and down and yelling something. Oh well.

"When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone."

 Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins was a tiny bit too long. BUT still enjoyable (almost) all the way! Julie Andrews is amazing, just amazing as Mary. I guess only now I really, FULLY understood why everyone's fussing about her (and why Chris Colfer wants her to play Kurt's grandmother on Glee). Also, Dick Van Dyke (has one of the most wonderfully ambiguous names ever) as Bret is so thoroughly JOLLY that I wanted to jump though the TV screen just to hang out with him. Oh and I think I came up with a potential New Year resolution: to learn say that super... mumblemumble...docious word fluently five times in a row. There's enough challenge for a whole year...


"You know, you can say it backwards, which is 'docious-ali-expi-istic-fragil-cali-rupus', but that's going a bit too far, don't you think?"

Panic Room (2002)

Panic Room was not David Fincher at his best, but a good, solid thriller anyway. There are two things on the top of my mind: 1) The long C.S.I.-ish shots from one room or floor to another, through keyholes and air conditioning pipes. Cool. 2) Kristen Stewart. And the fact that she didn't annoy me AT ALL! I actually liked her a lot, can you believe it?

"We can't get in the panic room. That's the whole point. We have to get her to come out."

Lust, Caution (2007)

Finally I managed to watch this, it's been my intention for quite a while. My fears about deadly boring two and a half hours were needless, as the film turned out to be surprisingly suspenseful and compelling, in addition to being very intelligent and skilfully crafted. Lust, Caution is one of those films that keep whirling in your head long after watching, because there are some interesting holes to fill. A very good film, I'm glad I watched it. (Not so sure if all the sex scenes really needed to be that graphic, but oh well, at least they've got people talking...)

"Keep playing."

Splice (2009)

(Speaking of graphic sex...) Well, wasn't this a queer little film? I don't know if I liked it, exactly, but I do know it kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end. The CGI was fantastic, how did that creature look so much like a human, but still not quite? Splice made me certain that I do NOT want to know what's going on in all the shady laboratories around the world. Ignorance is bless. It was a very bold film and I understant why some people might despise it. But know this, Adrien Brody has the most awesome nose in the world!

"What was that?"

"A mistake."

 Oh dearie me! Time to go to bed. I have to be fresh and sharp for tomorrow's ultimate LotR marathon extravaganza!

The Annual Post-Christmas Gloom

Every year Christmas is awesome. Every year it's so jolly, merry, gleeful and happy. Every year you look forward to it for weeks, for months, even. And every years it's over far too soon. By Boxing Day you get sick of hearing carols on the radio and the Christmas tree is just waste of space in the living room. Just today I was unable to finish a slice of ham on my plate, which probably means that Christmas is officially over. Don't know about the rest of you, but for me, that's always a bit depressing. 361 days until Christmas... 363 days until the annual post-Christmas gloom. Sigh.

Anyway. I had a lovely Christmas. And quite satisfactory movie-wise, too. Santa heard my wishes and so I already got to re-live the awesomeness that is Toy Story 3. One of Santa's little helpers (read: my brother) surprised me (not really) on Christmas Eve, as he casually grunted that I'll get one present later. My guess is he'll just finally hand me the money and tell me to go buy the Inception DVD myself. Oh well. It's the thought that counts, right... I also got one of those '1001 films you must see in your life' books, which is awesome! So far I've only seen a humble 111 films from the list, but the book is very motivating! Maybe now I finally manage to sit through 2001: A Space Odyssey and various other, eh, not-so-inviting classics...

I've watched a big bunch of movies during the past few days, and I'll probably write shortly about them when I have a moment. I'm also trying to write a summary of the year and develop my resolutions for 2011. (2011...? Gee. Slow down, time, will you...) Oh and last night I finished The Complete Lost Marathon! Hurrah! Next I'll probably rewatch the first two seasons of Skins (my friend brought them for me from England, awesome!), and then it'll be season two of either True Blood or Mad Men. Oh and I'm not even half way through The Chamber of Secrets... I clearly overestimated myself and the amount of things I wished to do on my holiday. Too soon I have to start worrying about all the damn essays and exams I failed to do before Christmas... BUT NOT YET.

Christmas time will always be, just as long as we have glee

With these words and tunes Eeva wishes you all a very gleeful Christmas! Let us eat until we burst and may Santa bring you something nice and special. Enjoy the holidays, my dearies!

A Christmas Tradition vol. 5: The Snowman

The Snowman is the oldest and holiest of all the Christmas traditions I've developed over the years. It has been a highlight of my Christmas Eve as long as I can remember - an probably even longer - and I seriously think my Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without it. I even watched it on DVD the Christmas I spent in England (before going to work my ass off... Also, I had fish and chips for a Christmas meal. Well, we did get a proper meal the next day, but it was funny to think that it is usually the day of the year when I eat the best meal).
 

 The Snowman is wonderful. It's sweet, funny, heart-warming, and finally, sad. When at the end of 'Joulupukin Kuuma Linja' the girl starts to play the intro of Walking in the Air with piano, that's when my Christmas really begins. That song just instantly triggers my Christmas spirit. I even like the version sung by the lady with that horrible accent. Aww, tomorrow I'll get to see it again, for the millionth time... It never gets old. The Snowman IS Christmas Eve.
 

"I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snows I had ever seen. Snow had fallen steadily all night long and in the morning I woke in a room filled with light and silence, the world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness. It was a magical day... and it was on that day I made the snowman."

Trailer for Hanna

I've been looking forward to Hanna since I heard about it, and by the looks of it I haven't been waiting for nothing. Saoirse Ronan is most probably one of future's big names; she's already snatched an Oscar nomination for Atonement, so deservingly. Now she rejoins forces with the Atonement director Joe Wright, and there's two good enough reasons to look forward to something. There's Cate Blanchett, too! And don't we all just love child assassins?

As a bonus, the story is partly set in Finland, which is of course cool for a humble little folk like us. Sure, it was actually shot in Germany, but anyway. Do you think they're actually trying to speak in a Finnish accent there, or just in some undefinable, random accent? I guess they're not Finnish, just living in Finland...? Anyway, Finnish accent must be terribly hard to acquire. It takes talent to sound so ugly, haha.

2011 looks gooooood.

A Christmas Tradition vol. 4: A Nightmare Before Christmas

"What's this? What's this?" asks Jack Skellington over and over again when he visits Christmas Town and finds everything oh so different from the things back home in Halloween Town. One wouldn't think a story featuring skeletons, boogie men, vampires and other spooks makes a very good Christmas tale. It does, though, if Tim Burton has something to do with it. Enough have been said about the film, we know how good it is. The songs are fantastic in a guaranteed dannyelfman-y way.

The 'What's This?' scene is the most christmassy sequence in the film, and it's also my favourite. It really captures the spirit of Christmas unexpectedly well! So I just let the lyrics to speak for me, because a) they'll probably get my point across better than I would and b) I'm busy wrapping presents and worrying if the ham we just bought will taste right.

 

What's this? What's this?
There's something very wrong
What's this?
There are people singing songs 

What's this?
The streets are lined with
Little creatures laughing
Everybody seems so happy
Have I possibly gone daffy?
What is this?
What's this? 

There are children throwing snowballs here
Instead of throwing heads
They're busy building toys
And absolutely no one's dead 

There's frost on every window
Oh, I can't believe my eyes
And in my bones I feel the warmth
That's coming from inside