Rowan’s Top Movies of 20100

I figured that everyone else is doing it, so why can’t I? That’s right it’s time for the traditional, end of year, best and worst movies of the last twelve months. I didn’t manage to see everything released this past year so these lists are just based on the movies I saw. So don’t freak out if your favourite is not on the list, it’s either because I still haven’t seen it or because you’re an idiot and you can’t tell the difference between a good movie and a Twilight sequel. Now these are my personal favourites for the year. I’m not saying that these are better made movies (even though most are) then others, I’m just saying that these are the movies that I personally enjoyed the most. You may notice that there is no True Grit, Black Swan, 127 Hours or The Fighter on this list. This is because as I am writing this it is the 4^th of January and these movies still haven’t been released in Australia yet. While this does mean that we are going to have a lot of great movies to see at the end of this month, it does mean they have missed the 2010 cut off. Anyway enough of that, let’s get to it:

Inception – is definitely one of the year’s best if not the best of 2010. From my favourite director right now (Chris Nolan) come’s the action, sci-fi movie with a brain or if you’d rather, the heist movie with a twist. With Leonardo Dicaprio leading a team into the world of dreams, the film unravels a complex story with multiple layers and themes. It has all the stuff I love about film: heart pounding action, breathtaking effects, fascinating psychological concepts and a pillowcase full of fresh ideas. It should be at the top of everyone’s “must see” list. Inception is one of those rare films that reminds us that just because you have gunfights and explosions doesn’t mean you can’t have a smart movie. (Audio review here)

Toy Story 3 – Is probably the movie I was most looking forward to this year and it delivered. Pixar once again shows how easy it is to make a grown man cry over his toys. If Inception was the brain of 2010 then Toy Story 3 is definitely the heart. The film rounds off the adventures of Woody, Buzz and the gang in a fun and emotional bookend to the series. Toy Story is now being described as one of the greatest trilogies ever made. I recommend you sit down with the kids and the grandparents to enjoy some laughs with Andy’s toys, but you may want to have some tissues handy. (Review here)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – is the movie that was nothing short of an instant cult classic (despite struggling at the box office). It’s hard to categorise this movie but I’m going to try. You could say this is a Romantic Comedy that takes place in a world where video game rules apply. What does that mean? Well basically it means that the main character deals with his romantic issues through over –the-top colourful death battles. Filled with crazy fight scenes, hilarious characters (not always likeable) and it still manages to have genuine heart touching moments. Just about every scene in this movie is enjoyable so if you’re a video game fan or know how messy relationships can get, give it a look. (Audio review here)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – dam just look at that title. I have become quite a Harry Potter fan over the last few years and so I had to put this on the list. I was shocked at the end of the fourth movie when the shit hit the fan and everything got real, but I had no idea just how bad everything would eventually get for the main characters of this franchise. There is no more messing around with magical flights of fancy, this is all about survival now and if the death eaters don’t get them, their sense of hopelessness will. No longer a kid’s movie about kid’s, this is a gripping adult drama and this film feels like the calm before the storm. Come on July 14^th lets finish this thing! (Discussed on Off The Topic)

The Social Network – a fantastic movie about something we all use every day, Facebook. And if you don’t use Facebook…. How did you get here? Anyway The Social Network is the true story of how Facebook came to be and just how alliances and friendships can breakdown when you create something that big. It is a really good movie with a great cast, great script and a fantastic director. But I think it’s important to see this because it’s a part of recent history and like I said, we’re all part of it. (Discussion in article)

That’s it for my top five movies of 2010. I think it’s pretty broad, we’ve got Dreams, Toys, Video Games, Magic and Facebook. Maybe I should really have made a list of ten; it was hard to narrow it down. Here are a few others definitely worth giving a look: Shutter Island, Kick-Ass, Daybreaker, The Town, Jack-ass 3D, Predators, How to Train You Dragon, Legend of the Guardians, Machete, Ironman 2. Now I was going to make this a Best and Worst list but I’ve been warned about making these too long. So I’m going to save the worst of 2010 till next week, this also give me a bit of time to watch some more of these “bad” films. See I’ve been pretty lucky this past year and I’ve missed a lot of the shit. But if I’m going to make the list fair I may have to give Legion, Skyline, etc a look. I just hope I won’t have to pay twelve bucks to go see Gulliver’s Travels. God that looks bad.

See you next week.  

Rowan