FINAL TOP TEN MOVIES LIST

I waffled over (a turn of phrase which I adore) these picks for at least three weeks before I was confident enough in my choices to post them. Movies ended up being very hard to choose this year and I still don't think I'm entirely sure about the ordering of my top five. People complained all year about how 2010 was a "weak year", but now that it's come and gone, I actually really enjoyed a lot of movies this year; certainly more than 2009. I'll proceed to count down from ten for 2010 until I hit my FAVORITE film of the year. I'm judging these purely based on what I enjoyed the most. That means I might be bias to my personal tastes.

10. Kick Ass.
Prior to this film's release I was sure this was hipster garbage/trendy bullshit/etc etc etc. I avoided it for a long time before Sarah got me to see it. Sure it is "popular" and trendy among teens because at the core it is a teen movie; but there's a lot of great satire in this film that pokes fun at the conventions of the superhero genre. Like any other comic book geek, I've spent a while wondering if I were to actually don a cape and cowl how would I go about doing it? Where do you even begin? It's an interesting premise; but rather than go for a realistic angle they went for over the top violence. It works pretty well and makes an entertaining movie. Also, I'm a huge fan of anything CAGE, so the fact that he plays "Batman" was a major plus. Oh...and the last line is a Jack Nicholson Joker quote. Kudos.

9. Tron.
I must admit a bias here seeing the movie under..."ideal" conditions. I'm not a fan of movies that only focus on sight-gags, like Avatar, but unlike Avatar, this movie doesn't try to pretend to be some highbrow poignant piece of art. It's just meant to be fun and sleek and cool...and JEFF BRIDGES.

8. Iron Man 2.
Yet ANOTHER movie I was so ready to despise and I was so satisfied with. This is just rock and roll bliss playing out on screen. Robert Downey is always believable and cool, and I enjoyed Paltrow, Cheadle and the other members of the supporting cast (EXCEPT SCARLETT BLECH) as well. Sam Rockwell really stole the show and made the movie for me as corporate jackass Justin Hammer; easily one of my favorite film characters of the year. The action is good and the tone of the movie knows just what a superhero film should be. It takes itself just seriously enough.

7. Easy A.
Teen movies can be pretty fun if they're done tastefull and if the script is solid. It's been a while since a touching and sincere one has come along, despite the goofy stereotypical portrayls of high school always found in cinema. The last one I loved was Mean Girls, which is almost difficult to criticize; and while I have some problems with characterization and suspension of disbelief, not to mention motivation of the main character in Easy A, the acting carries it. Emma Stone is a natural and Stanley Tucci somehow manages to steal the show despite only being in like three scenes.

6. Black Swan.
Oh. An art film. I guess I'm getting to the meat of the issue now huh? This movie was immersive, surrealist and totally psychotic; and I felt it was Natalie Portman's best acting role to date. It's nice to see she's graduated the George Lucas school of wooden acting and moved on to bigger and better things that really showcase her ability. She's about 90% of the movie and the other ten percent is mostly comprised of her reflection in various mirrors, but it's creepy and it actually has a good message about the impossibility of perfection.

5. 127 Hours.
Horrifying and kinetic, I didn't have great expectations for a Danny Boyle film, but James Franco was totally fantastic; and I feel he gave the best performance in a lead role of the year. It's so much more than a movie about a guy who falls down a hole and cuts off his arm, it's about a guy clinging to life but also struggling to figure out what's worth living for simultaneously and regretting all his careless misanthropic years while staring death in the face. I loved it.

4. Toy Story 3.
Until the most recent revisions to my list, this was fittingly number 3, but I realized my top 3 are all interchangable and I like them all just about evenly. Since I like this movie a little bit less than those, it has to get number 4, but that doesn't mean it's not brilliant. Pixar is just on top of their game with every release. Tear Jerkers for adults and adventure films for kids. I loved Lotso Huggin Bear, the antagonist of the movie as well. A perfect ending to a series I grew up with. If this won best picture, I'd be thrilled.

3. The Town.
I really don't know if this is my favorite or 2nd or 3rd. This was a HARD call, but I have to go by entertainment and gut reactions so this is going to have to get the number 3 spot. Amazing that Ben Affleck co-wrote and directed and acted (very well at that) in this local crime movie. It's a lot of fun to watch and while the plot kind of rips of "Heat" a lot of aspects are just as well done, if not better; especially the romantic aspect. Jeremy Renner is pretty great too, and the nun masks were awesome.

2. True Grit.
I previously said number one, and I may go back to that notion but I loved this movie. The Coen Bros. are always fantastic and quite possibly the most talented directors alive right now with their fantastic pacing and humor. Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon and most of all Hallie Steinfeld are oscar worthy in their respective roles and nothing feels over done or out of place. It's traces of Coen humor scattered across a bleak western with a fairly light hearted adventure story. Unlike a lot of the Coen's recent work, I feel like this one will please just about everyone (except my tasteless friends).

1. MACHETE.
A top ten list ultimately comes down to what I personally had the most fun watching and enjoyed the most as a viewer, and watching Machete I was like a kid in a candy shop. This movie appeals to my sensibilities on so many levels: humor, glorified violence and "lame irony". The casting alone is an absurd joke despite strong leads from Danny Trejo and Michelle Rodriguez (forget Jessica Alba) with unexpected great performances from Steven Seagal, Lindsay Lohan, Robert DeNiro, Cheech Martin, and even cameos from the likes of special fx genius Tom Savini. After Grindhouse, the most fun I had at the movies in 2007 I was bloodthirsting for more and Machete delivered. Sure it's not a high concept thinking piece, but what the hell...I bothered to see it FOUR TIMES theatrically. Rodriguez makes the kind of movies that to me as an aspiring filmmaker seem like a ton of fun to work on and the end result just has the cast and audience sitting back and laughing together having a great time.

well there you have it. My wordy top ten, but I really put some thought into this list and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Here are my honorable mentions:

Jackass
Predators
The Fighter
King Speech

and I still want to see Despicable Me, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Blue Valentine and Winter's Bone.

4:00 in the morning and it's an exciting time for film

Well alot of people said 2010 has sucked. I disagree, because I've really enjoyed a handful of films this year. The thing is though, those 5 films that I enjoyed were the only films I saw that were worth a shit this year. So in a sense I can agree with those who have been knocking this year for cinema. I know it's really early to be doing any sort of Oscar pooling, but I am really excited for a few films at the present point in time...so much so that I can't sleep. What films you might ask? Well how about I count down a list and you pretend like you care and maybe you might learn something? I'm going to count down films coming out either this year or next year until I hit my most anticipated release (2011 is the cutoff cause 2012 is just too far to think ahead without a Batman trailer)...

10. Green HornetI'll be the first to admit this doesn't look that great...but I liked the pacing and flow of the trailer quite a bit and I like Seth Rogan and Waltz so it should be pretty fun. This is just the tip of the ice berg for upcoming movies though so I had to toss in a few bullshit ones.

9. Harry fucking PotterHas anyone else gotten a vibe of legitimacy from the past few potter films? Like they're actually stylish, and not just in the sense of grand stupid adaptations. Like...they actually have given me the chills on occasion, especially when Alan Rickman is doing something awesome. This newest one is being marketed as the most important movie you'll ever see to the point where it will burn your fucking eyeballs out of your skull, but at the same time I half believe it. I grew up with this limey bastard and this is the conclusion of his story. Whose going to die? We already know but watching the epic trainwreck play out and possibly win a cinematography Oscar in the process is going to be quite the sight...

8. Due Date
I love Zach Gally and I love RDJ. Putting them together is almost insulting. Comedic genius at the same time. On that visceral level, I'm pretty pumped for this, but at the same time, I was genuinely disturbed by the trailer because Zach is the entire focus of the situational comedy. No love for RDJ. In fact, he's the butt of the joke in most of the cases. A total straight man. If you've seen Tropic Thunder, you know that RDJ can be pretty damn funny himself and it's sad to see him made a fool of and not get to do anything witty and just get pissed off the entire movie. You could have hired a lesser actor for that kind of gig. At the same time I can't wait to laugh at Zach's antics, even if I'll come out of it feeling slightly guilty.

7. Battle: Los Angeles
So this one is quite a few months off, but it's got a few things I like: post apocalypse. stupid action violence. Aaron Eckhart screaming and most of all...Michelle Rodriguez, whose kicks a ton of ass. I'll be seeing this one on opening day no doubt.

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger TidesAlright call me an idiot or whatever, but I really enjoy these films. I liked the first one and I enjoyed the second one despite it being crap. The third one was pretty wretched but I'm confident that without Orlando Bloom on the payroll it has serious potential. This is roll that Johnny Depp is made for and I'm sure alot of people will be happy to see him making a comeback.

5. Paranormal Activity 2 I know my horror movies, and I know that I haven't been scared by one in a few years. Paranormal Activity was as effective as they come though. As soon as it ended I was a bit sad, that this unique and audience captivating experience probably wouldn't come along again for several years...after all, the main characters died...how can there be a sequel? Well, the public demands more, and much like the prequels of star wars, I fully expect the ruination of a good thing. I'd be lying out my ass though if I can't say I was totally giddy seeing a trailer for ANOTHER paranormal activity so soon though. Hopefully it's as gut wrenching as the first one was, but that will be a hard act to follow. If this movie didn't scare you...I'd like to know what did.

4. Green Lantern
This is a really good superhero concept that APPLIES to movies. Like I'm not sure why this is just a movie now. Lantern is deserving as any for a film and Renolds is a great lead role. I think this has serious potential to be a stellar film (unlike Thor, which wont even make this list). This will also prove (if it doesnt suck) that DC knows what they're doing outside of Batman and can make films that compete with Marvel. I'm not too well read on this character, but I know it has a lot of potential.

3. Black Swan
Arronovsky. Padme Amidala. Meg Griffin. What a fucking epic combination. I'm only half kidding too. This movie looks absurdly creepy and well crafted at the same time. Lesbians, ballet, nightmare sequences and people turning into swans. I can't quite explain what it's about (and I dont want to spoil it for myself either) but this movie is getting a lot of hype and I'm getting pretty excited to experience it for myself. Just look at that poster. Aldready winning awards! Before the poster was even designed no less. Not that that says anything except PRETENTIOUS, but I think we need one of these "elite" films shoved into the mix every once in a while to remind us we have individual thinking ability.

2. Captain America

This WOULD be my most anticipated, but I don't trust Marvel. I trust Johnson. He made Rocketeer a pretty entertaining film, and it would fit the mood of a cap movie perfectly. Not sure I like Chris Evans as the lead, especially cause it retcons marvel's already troubled universe of films. But here's the thing. I love Cap. He's my favorite hero outside of Batman. I like the jingoism. I like the old timey symbol of hope in world war 2. I also really like Red Skull (and Hugo Weaving is good casting at that). If only I had more faith they were actually interested in making an original and even poignant film, instead of trying to fit into the stupid avengers project (which WILL suck) and compromising the direction their story could take.

1. True Grit
Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges. Cowboys. Brolin. Damon. Badass little girl character. Just watch the perfectly paced, and musically cued trailer. This is the masterpiece of the bunch I can already tell. The Coen Brothers are at the top of their game, true masters in the art of directing: perfect and simplistic and chilling all at once. This one looks to have a bit of satisfying action to boot. The trailer manages to give me chills every time. Christmas day hopefully will bring us the Oscar film of the year.


well I'm tired. I'm sure I forgot some upcoming movies to look forward to.