Possible Spoilers ahead. You have been warned.
#10.) Love and Other Drugs
I am not a fan of romcoms. I can probably count the ones I actually enjoy on one hand. But, I like Jake Gyllenhaal and I like Anne Hathaway so I thought I’d give this one a chance. I’m glad I did. This is a romantic comedy that actually remembers the comedy part of the genre. This is a romantic comedy that stars two actors who have talent. Love and Other Drugs is about a young drug rep named Jamie Randall who falls in love with Maggie Murdock, a woman struggling with early onset Parkinson’s. The two leads have great chemistry and are one of the more believable onscreen pairings that I’ve seen in this type of movie. The supporting cast, particularly Josh Gad, provide a lot of laughs and the elements of drama and comedy blend very well here. Plus, as a child of the 90’s, I was happy that the movie was set in the mid 90’s. Loved that soundtrack. It was a blast from the past.
# 9.) Shutter Island
Creepy, atmospheric, and haunting. Shutter Island is about a Federal Marshall named Teddy Daniels who goes (along with his new partner) to Shutter Island where a woman went missing from an insane asylum. This is one of those movies that try to make you feel like you’re the one going crazy. Bizarre editing makes you question if you’re sure you really just saw what you think you just saw. This film has a brilliant cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and Michelle Williams (who is just freaking scary in this). There are quite a few twists and turns in this, even so, the ending is not totally unpredictable, but still somehow works, probably due to how strong the actors are. This film was originally set to be released in September of 2009, but for some reason was pushed back to February 2010. Thus, making it a nice addition to my list
# 8.) Frozen
This film has a very simple premise. Three young people get stuck on a ski lift as the mountain shuts down for the entire week. I wasn’t sure they could drag that out for an hour and a half and keep the suspense but they do. Parts of it were difficult to watch. For instance, at one point one of the characters breaks their legs (and by breaks, I mean shatters) and watching him try to move himself forward at all was horrible. The characters are likeable and honestly, there isn’t much that they could have done in their situation and I feel that they made the best decisions that they could under the circumstances. Also, I’m never going skiing again.
# 7.) Daybreakers
There are so many vampire movies out there today that it’s difficult to come up with an original or at least originalish story for them. Daybreakers features a world where humans are the minority after a vampire virus has infected most of the human population. With more and more vampires and less and less people, the vampires are desperately trying to find a solution for the blood shortage crisis that’s getting worse and worse. Ethan Hawke stars as Edward (really? They went with the name Edward?), a vampire filled with self-loathing. He meets a group of people who think they are on the verge of a cure for vampirism. This movie isn’t scary but man, is it gory. It’s cool to see what a vampire run world would look like and it remembers not to take itself too seriously. It’s nice to find something a bit more original these days when everyone is jumping on the vampire bandwagon.
# 6.) Red
Who in the world would pass up the opportunity to watch Helen Mirren fire a machine gun? This movie was just insanely good fun. About a group of former CIA agents who are now being hunted down. Every character has enough to them to make the world seem real and full. I particularly enjoyed Brian Cox and John Malkovich. They provided most of the laughs for me. And I’m always appreciative of the sexy Karl Urban. I feel like the plot itself was not all that exciting, but all the actions scenes were well choreographed. I never would have thought of using a gun to bat a grenade away from me. But then, I guess that’s why I’m not with the CIA, or a screenwriter.
# 5.) Inception
The big blockbuster of the summer. And for good reason. This is a rich and engaging story and is easily one of the stand outs of the year. It’s about a group of people who break into people’s dreams and steal information from them. This is another Leonardo DiCaprio led film and also another one where he’s being haunted by his dead wife. Oh well, the rest is amazing enough to overlook that one superficial similarity to Shutter Island. Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, and Cillian Murphy make up most of the supporting cast. What I love about this movie is that there really is no villain. The team has a target but even he is not really a bad guy. The only villain is merely a product of Cobb’s (Leo DiCaprio) mind. If I have one complaint, it’s that the dream worlds were a little too organized and normal. It wasn’t quite surreal enough for me (despite the anti-gravity scene). Still, this is one that stays with me.
# 4.) Easy A
By far the best teen comedy I’ve seen since Mean Girls. A teenage girl named Olive becomes the focus of all the school gossip when someone overhears her telling her best friend that she lost her virginity. Unfortunately, Olive was lying to her friend. After a male friend begs her to act like she slept with him, all the guys start making deals with Olive for the same treatment. This is the first time I’ve really been impressed by Emma Stone. That girl is so charming and funny and effortlessly carries this movie. I didn’t know she had it in her. Her family (mother, father, younger brother) is a huge source of comedy in this. Her parents are played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson. It’s so refreshing to me to see a teenager in a film actually get along with her parents, joking around with them, and just generally having a good relationship with them. Not all teens constantly fight with their parents. Amanda Bynes plays a character I never pictured her as. Thomas Haden Church plays Olive’s favorite teacher and he has some great delivery. I went into this movie with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. It’s a hilarious movie that everyone should check out.
# 3.) The Social Network
The story behind Facebook. I never would have thought it would have been such a dramatic one. It almost makes me ashamed to be on Facebook, because frankly, if this movie is accurate, Mark Zuckerberg is a jerk. Mark (Jesse Eisenberg) gets this idea for Facebook (and by gets, I mean steals) and gets his best friend Eduardo, played by Andrew Garfield, to finance it. Unfortunately, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) gets involved and easily manipulates Mark. The film is told in flashbacks as Mark faces two lawsuits. The script is nearly flawless. This is not a short movie but not once did I wonder what time it was or when it would be over. I was captivated the entire time. Mark is an incredibly difficult character to like. He simply doesn’t seem to understand that human’s have feelings. He doesn’t understand why the things he does hurt the people around him. All my sympathies were firmly with Eduardo and Garfield did a great job playing a guy trying desperately to stay afloat and keep what he rightfully deserves. I was also impressed with Timberlake, even though Sean is even more unlikeable than Mark because he is calculating and deliberately cruel. Frustrating and thoroughly fascinating. This movie has to be seen by everyone. It’s too good to be overlooked.
# 2.) The A-Team
I wrestled and wrestled and wrestled with where to place this movie on my list. Objectively, it’s a pretty average movie. I know that. I know it has problems. I know that The Social Network is a better made movie than this. However, in terms of which movie has personally touched my life the most, this one wins out. Since seeing it back in June, I have sought out the original show and fell in love with it. That led me to watching many other things starring the actors of the show and the movie, the original Battlestar Galactica, District 9, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Rocky III (yes, I actually willingly watched a Rocky movie. I’m so ashamed). I’ve bought posters, books, and action figures. I’ve made fanvids, I’ve written fanfic and I’ve obsessively counted the days until the movie comes to DVD. Because I adore the characters of Hannibal, Face, BA, and Murdock so much in any way, shape, or form, this movie took the number 2 spot. This is an origin story for the team. It is about their original arrest and trial and how they came to be on the run. The actors clearly had a lot of fun with it and the four leads are a joy to watch. In addition to them, Jessica Biel and Patrick Wilson deserve a mention to for adding to the film. The action is over the top and the whole thing is ridiculous fun. Watch the flying tank scene and you’ll see what I mean.
# 1.) Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Edgar Wright is officially my favorite director. What I love about him is that it is obvious from his films how much he actually cares. There is so much detail and thought put into his movies that I feel his soul in everything he makes. I don’t often feel like that about a director. Like his other films, this one has a large group of characters and they’re all so distinct that the whole world he’s created feels real. Even characters with only a couple of scenes feel fleshed out. There are so many characters I love in this. Scott’s fake high school girlfriend, Knives, his band mates, Stephen, Kim, and Young Neil, his roommate, Wallace, his sister, Stacy, and his enemy, Julie. I could go on, but I won’t. This is the most unique film I’ve seen all year. I initially didn’t want to see it because I’m tired of Michael Cera but once I found out Wright was directing, I was sold. The story is about Scott Pilgrim who has his heart set on the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers. Unfortunately, in order to be with her, he has to defeat her seven evil exes. The first fight scene is a little jarring because it’s so over the top and out of this world but once you learn to go with it, the whole thing is one great ride. The use of music in this was very impressive. I don’t recall music being that big a part of Wright’s previous films, and he did a great job making it fit here. Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, and Jason Schwartzman play a few of Ramona’s exes and each ex (though most of them only get a scene or two) are memorable and must be defeated in a different way. This movie is not for everyone. Not everyone will get it but if you get it, you’ll love it.
