It's 2010, as you've all probably realized by now. And an article that begins with such a sweeping, obvious statement can only mean one thing: the author is coaxing you into the most horrible of new year traditions, the year-end Best Of/Worst Of list.
Still, the end of the year does demand some kind of reflection, however shallow. So, in order to make my year-end list more palatable, I’ve decided once again to avoid the Best Of/Worst Of categorizations (and the past year entirely), and instead look toward the future. What could be more appropriate as the decade mercifully ends? So here are my choices for the top things of 2010. (It’s never too early to start!)
Top Three Movies Of 2010
Hungry Hungry Hippos
Strange, haunting, dreamlike—those aren’t words you would normally associate with a game whose objective is to make your plastic hippo eat more marbles than your opponent’s plastic hippo. But leave it to Spike Jonze to turn a kids game into a movie about the (sometimes dangerous) games kids play. John Goodman, as the voice of Loki, the lumbering head hippo, was a revelation.
Forward
In 2010, we were all inspired to move forward, thanks to this stirring, based-on-a-true-story tale of a wealthy Fargo mom (Amy Adams) with a thick North Dakota accent who found an abandoned Chippewa teen on the side of the highway during a snowstorm, and coached him into becoming one of the best forwards the sport of ice hockey has ever seen. Was it cheesy when Adams shouted “Break his teeth like ya break bread with your family, Hok’ee!” ? Sure. But sometimes cheesy is good.
Susan Boyle: Les Miserables In 3-D
In 2010, we all learned to never underestimate the power of Susan Boyle, showtunes, and
3-D.
Top Three TV Shows Of 2010
Modern Family
The show that pretty much everyone agreed “wasn’t that bad” in 2009, continued to be “pretty okay, I guess” in 2010. After all, when Sofia Vergara yells her catchphrase, “Ay, I’m yelling!” it’s hard not to flash a confused smile.