Well
I’ve noticed that a few people here and there are doing these best
movies of 2010 lists. So I though I’d get me some of that action even
though realistically I haven’t seen as many movies as I would have liked
last year.
What I think I’ll do is a top five and then just go into a few movies I thought were good, and some that were not so good. Okay, so here are my top five movies of 2010:
What I think I’ll do is a top five and then just go into a few movies I thought were good, and some that were not so good. Okay, so here are my top five movies of 2010:
#5 Shutter Island
A movie I haven’t seen included in a lot on people’s lists is Shutter Island,
a sort of psychological thriller that keeps you guessing from start to
finish, even at the end of the movie you’re unsure as to who’s story is
the right one. There’s plenty of depth into the main character Teddy
Daniels (DiCaprio) and you’re always kept guessing and trying to think
back to events he supposedly went through in the past. The film doesn’t
deviate from Daniels and it has a genuinely good twist to it that really
surprises you especially once you get rooting for him. It’s not been a
bad year for DiCaprio, this one gets a solid 4 stars from me.
#4 The Social Network
One of the biggest movies of this year has been The Social Network,
the film about the founding of the Facebook site. Centred around its
founder, Mark Zuckerberg, the movie shows all the twists and turns down
the road to Facebook’s resounding success, showing all the grisly
betrayals and break-ups along the way. Whether or not any of this film
is actually true or not is debateable, I believe it’s had a lot added to
it to make it a bit more entertaining. It’s based on the book by Ben
Mezrich, which it does deviate from a little in terms of the details.
Put that fact along with the fact that the book itself deviates from the
actual story and your left wondering how much is really true. I think I
summed it up in my review by suggesting you take the book with a pinch
of salt and the movie with a small handful. It’s entertaining,
interesting, and is regarded by many as the movie of 2010. For me, as
good as it is, it’s not the kind of movie that I would want to watch
again. Once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. 4 Stars.
#3 Toy Story 3
Pixar’s annual movie in 2010 was none other than Toy Story 3.
The final chapter of the franchise, this movie delivered everything you
could ask for from the finale. It was done by a different director than
the previous two which would normally have you worried, but Lee Unkrich
managed to keep what we love about Toy Story and also add his own ideas
into the mix without spoiling the recipe. Yes, it’s darker in places,
but it works, and it genuinely makes you laugh along the way. It has
great characters, both old and new, and a great story line which
provides a poignant ending along with the biggest tear-jerker of the
year whilst it's at it. All in all a fitting end to the phenomenally
popular franchise that put Pixar firmly on the map all those years ago. 5
Stars.
#2 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
I didn’t see many comedies this year, mainly because none of them appealed to me at all. One that did appeal to me though was Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Directed by Edgar Wright of Hot Fuzz fame
and based on the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley, this movie became
one of my favourites instantly. I love everything about this movie,
from the comic book style to the silly characters, it is a very funny
film for so many reasons. It’s one of those movies you want to see again
as quickly as possible because you know you’ve missed so much! The
dialogue, the sound bytes, the fight scenes, the Seinfeld reference,
so much to enjoy and so many reasons to watch it again. I still say
Scott should have gone for Knives and not Ramona but hey ho it still
receives a definitive 5 stars from me.
#1 Inception
So that leaves Inception to
swoop in and pick up the number one spot in my list. When this movie
came out, I entered with reasonably high expectations, seeing as it’s
directed by Christopher Nolan and the trailer looked pretty interesting.
I left the cinema completely blown away by its magnitude, and not just
because I saw it at IMAX! The thought that has been put into this film
deserves acclaim on its own, Christopher Nolan knows how to write a
great screenplay and this one is no exception. It’s as original as it is
epic, with so much emotion flying around hand in hand with action
packed scenes that keep you perched perilously on the edge of your seat
wondering if your brain can take much more or not. It’s got fantastic
characters, brilliant actors involved, breathtaking special effects,
moments that make you jump, moments that wrap you up in the emotions of
it all and of course that wondrous moment at the end. Is he or isn’t he?
We all knew it would end that way, I’ve spent much time deliberating it
and well, I don’t know! Obviously this movie gets 5 stars, and deserves
to sit in everyone’s DVD collection.
So
that’s it, my top five movies of 2010. There were other movies I saw
that deserved some recognition. If I were to do a top six then sixth
place would have definitely been Kick Ass. It’s a fun movie that
although takes itself a little too seriously than it should is still a
blast from start to finish. It features some great action scenes, some
fun characters, and provides an interesting take on the whole superhero
movie that we’re all so painfully used to these days. I gave Kick Ass 4
Stars, I would have given it number five in my list, but it loses minor
points because of the totally pointless C-word it throws in half way
through. Utterly pointless, and ruined that scene. Well not to worry Kick Ass is still a very good movie.
Sticking with superheroes, Iron Man 2 came out this year. The sequel to Iron Man
(obviously), this chapter carries on where the other left off, with
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) rebelling against the US Military who
want his flashy and all round bad ass suit. It’s an okay movie, the
villain is played by Mickey Rourke who loses his bird and takes revenge
on Tony Stark, something along those lines anyway, he’s pretty funny in
it, not quite sure if he was supposed to be though. The action scenes
are good, but it doesn’t really add much new to the franchise and fails
to live up to its predecessor. 3 Stars for that one.
My surprise of the year has to be The A Team!
Now, I know everyone hated this movie, but hear me out. I never really
watched the TV show, so that might explain why I liked it. Yes it’s
really corny and has a few lame scenes in it but overall, considering I
expected nothing from it, I was actually pleasantly surprised. ‘Howling
Mad’ Murdock is easily the best character in the film, played by Sharlto
Copley of District 9 fame, as most things that make you laugh
come from him. Oh and that bit where they drive a tank in freefall,
probably the most memorable bit of the movie. I’m giving it 3 Stars,
just for how little it disappointed me.
The other film I saw that I’d say was okay was Robin Hood. Billed as if it were a Gladiator
beater, it really didn’t deliver but was still an enjoyable watch. Much
was made about Russell Crowe’s accent, but the main star in this movie
was the baddie, played by Mark Strong, who incidentally wasn‘t too bad
in Kick Ass either. His acting overshadowed Crowe’s at times. It wasn’t a bad movie but it could have been much better than it was. 3 Stars.
Another movie that was disappointing for me was Alice in Wonderland.
It had a little promise but I largely found it a bit tedious. It
brought back most of the original characters but they just felt weaker
than usual. Johnny Depp was the star and played the Mad Hatter in
probably his worst role for a while. Tim Burton usually gets it right
when working with Depp but this one, along with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,
just didn’t hit the mark. In fact he missed the mark by a fair
distance. Yes, the Cheshire Cat had his moments but the story wasn’t
very good, and I was left feeling a bit empty by the end of it. I’ll
give it 2 Stars, which is maybe a little harsh on it, but three just
feels like too much.
A film that does deserve three stars though is Green Zone,
which came out early on in 2010. I won’t beat around the bush, it’s a
Bourne film, starring Matt Damon. The film’s director, Paul Greengrass,
essentially picked up Jason Bourne by his thumb and index finger and
plonked him in the middle of a war zone. That’s it, there’s your general
premise right there. It’s an okay story and you can’t really fault
Damon at all, but it just feels like a quick cash in after the Bourne
trilogy.
Probably the worst film I saw this year was a British comedy called Four Lions.
It got some very good reviews when it originally came out so I thought
I’d give it a watch. Don’t get me wrong, there are some funny moments in
this movie but overall I just didn’t see the point in it. In a
nutshell, it’s a tongue in cheek look at a bunch of shoddy terrorists
living in England. There are some funny scenes like I said, but I don’t
understand why this is a movie. They should have made a thirty minute
sketch show and just broadcasted the funny parts, simply cutting out the
painful filler in between. The film’s running time is 97 minutes and I
feel like I’ve wasted 87 minutes of my life with this one. One lonely
star I‘m afraid.
So
yes, that’s it, all the movies I saw that 2010 gave to us. There are
probably some good ones missing that I haven’t seen, but I cant really
have an opinion on something I haven’t watched now can I? Notable films
that I wanted to see but didn’t get chance to are Ben Affleck’s The Town; Tron Legacy, which I might still get a chance to see in the coming weeks; and a film called Monsters,
filmed in Mexico with a budget of less than a million dollars I heard
great things about it but never got around to watching it. I’m sure I’ll
catch it eventually.
In terms of best soundtrack, Kick Ass provided some good music from its score, Scott Pilgrim featured some great new tracks that still gets a listen on my ipod, but the winner is Inception
again, simply because Hans Zimmer managed to make it suit the movie
perfectly from start to finish, and no not just because I saw it in
IMAX!
As
for scene of the year, it gets a little harder. Of all the scenes I’ve
seen this year it comes down to three. The final scene from Toy Story 3, Arthur’s zero gravity fight scene in Inception, or the strobe lighting Big Daddy rescue scene from Kick Ass. I think I’ll give it to Kick Ass,
because I feel sorry for it not being in my top five. But hey if you
say a pointless C-word just for petty giggles, that’s what you get.
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