The two biggest movies of 2010 were Inception and The Social Network, and both pretty cool. Inception was the closest thing we’ve had to revolutionary all year, and it did give us a whole other world that is open to possible sequels, just like the Matrix did back in 1999. We all know how those sequels turned out. Avatar, last year’s version of the it film, will also have sequels sometime in the future.
If I’m being honest about the best movies of the year, I’m going all the way back to January, which is something the oscars never do. I wonder if they even can. They say January is the dumping ground and I wonder if it’s because movies released at that time can’t even be considered for the next year’s oscars. That’s a shame, because I thought Shutter Island was pretty great. It’s the first movie I saw all year, and I still consider it the best.
After that there’s the Town. And then Inception. Those are definitely my top 3, and as far as I’m concerned, the only really great films of the year. Then there are things like Edge of Darkness, which thrills you, but not in the same way that Inception or Shutter Island did, where you could go back and watch them again and again and see all new things.
Toy Story 3 was pretty creative, and one of the better Pixar animated movies I’ve seen in a while. Better than Up and better than Wall E. Maybe even better than Ratatouille. And I thought all three of those movies were pretty great.
Other movies on my list include The Social Network and Black Swan, both enjoyable, neither one fantastic. Those two movies both kept you feeling the tension throughout, and did not disappoint by the end. I also liked Scott Pilgrim Vs the World, a movie that was intentionally made to feel like a video game, and all the better because it embraced that. It was about our hero battling ex boyfriends who were like guardians at the end of every level. The movie had fun spoofing both games and anime.
Also on the list is The Fighter was great mainly because of the fantastic performances surrounding Mark Wahlberg. Christian Bale as the brother, Melissa Leo as the mother, and Amy Adams as the girlfriend, all gave powerhouse performances. They really brought the story to life, and I have to say, I love the way the movie made its decisions, not based on the audience and the feel good ideas, but based on what might be the reality of the situation.
Other movies on the list are Kick Ass, True Grit, Hot Tub Time Machine. These are the three guilty pleasure movies of the bunch (although most people would consider True Grit more of an art house film.) That movie has the Coen Brother’s stamp all over it, and is rich with dialogue and atmosphere and humor in ways that only they can do. Kick Ass, similarly, is a movie that bares the mark of it’s director, Matthew Vaughn, and just how creative and interesting the movies that this guy makes all turn out to be. It has fantastic atmosphere and gets the best performance out of Nicholas Cage that he’s given in years (maybe even the last great one he will give.)
Hot Tub Time Machine rounds out the list, and it just barely made it on. This is not a great movie, but it is certainly funny and creative. One of the best gags in the movie involves a bellhop who the boys know is someday going to be losing an arm. Every time he has a close call, the guys watch intently thinking this will be the moment when it happens. It’s a movie that just manages to work. The It comedy of the year, (Like Horrible Bosses is to 2011.)
