Hey guys, this is Josh.
Sorry we haven't posted in... sorry we haven't posted. Many things have gotten in the way.
So we are coming back with a bang;
THE BEST MOVIES OF 2010!
Yep- we're doing it. Normally this would be an introductory post or something like that, though we're starting right here, right now. No criteria or any stuff like that.
Now, let's begin!
5. Easy A
"I just thought of the funniest thing. My name is an Anagram for I love."- Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone)
I wrote a long review of it earlier- you can view it right here. In short, I thought that there were some problems with the characters, but it was other wise a great movie. The film is about a girl who fakes losing her virginity to get popular. This is one of those films that are better than they sound. It is carried by the amazing lead, Emma Stone, and also the supporting adults. Even though sometimes it tries a bit too hard to be like an 80s movie while parodying one, it is still a great film, and the fifth best of the year.
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
"WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB AND WE'RE HERE TO WATCH SCOTT PILGRIM KICK YOUR TEETH IN!" Kim Pine (Alison Pill)
If you do not get the name of the band (Sex Bob-omb), then there is a chance that you might not like this movie. This is full of references to 80s video games and other 80s movies, so you might want to learn more about the 80s before seeing this film. I, though, knew very little about the 80s before seeing the movie, and needless to say I loved it. It is really creative- when someone goes to the bathroom, there is a little pee bar next to their head. As the person goes to the bathroom, it slowly gets lower and lower until it's empty. And that's quite possibly the least creative thing in the movie. It was a flop in theaters, however, which makes me sad that such a great, fun, and creative film was overlooked. (By the way, the word Bob-omb is from Super Mario Bros.)
3. The Social Network
"I'm 6'5, 200 pounds, and there are two of me." Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer)
From here on, my list will have a lot in common with every other critic's list. Anyway, this movie is about the founding of Facebook. In reality, as Mark Zuckerberg said in an Oprah interviews, it just required "a lot of coding," but the movie turns it into a battle between good and evil- except it is really hard to know which one is which. The Aaron Sorkin script is fantastic, with characters talking at lightning speeds. While the reason is rather simple (the director had to make a two hour film under a contract), it just makes the movie that much realer- everyone always seems like they are in a hurry. That is actually very close to real life, where our attention spans are reduced to five minute long chats- thanks to Facebook, ironically.
2. Toy Story 3
"So long... partner." Woody Pride (Tom Hanks)
(Before I start- the director Lee Unkrich confirmed his last name- If you don't believe me, click here)
Chances are that if you have seen the movie, tears are slowly getting ready to come out of your eyes because of the quote. Toy Story 3 is quite possibly the saddest Pixar film ever. I wrote a really long review of it when it came out, which I will show at the end of this post. I am a Pixar fanatic, so I had been following all of the troubles it faced through production, all of the tweets posted by the director, and so many other things. Finally I see it, and it is almost everything I had been waiting for the past four years. The animation, the acting (special props to Tim Allen as Buzz, by the way), and the direction were all just brilliant. I thank Pixar for finally getting this great movie to the big screen.
And the number one film is...
1. INCEPTION.
"Whose subconscious are we going into, exactly?" Ariadne No Last Name (Ellen Page).
Inception; the best film of the year. It's got it all; an amazing script by Christopher Nolan, a great cast headed by Leonardo DiCaprio, and some great visual effects. The thing about this movie is that it makes the seemingly improbable idea of extracting and planting an idea into a person's head real. Even the dreams are directed with a certain grittiness thanks to Christopher Nolan. The last shot, however, is the real kicker (no pun intended)- it is one that makes you think, one that makes people debate for months, but one that I can't spoil for you now. This is the kind of movie that can only be dreamed of (fine, pun intended), and yet it was made.
Well, there you have it. I might do a best songs of the year list soon- or even a worst movies of the year list soon. You just might have to wait and see.
-Joshua
Now I've done my favorite films of the year- what are yours? Please comment!
Here is the aforementioned review that I said I'd post:
Hello! I just got back from Toy Story 3. I thought it was great, but was justthisshort of my infinity-and-beyond expectations. If you've been to a kids movie lately, you've seen the trailer for TS3; Andy goes to college, the toys end up at a day-care center, kids wreck the toys, and they have to get the heck out of there to get back to Andy. Oh, right, and there's about two thousand new characters. With that in mind, this is my rather long review of Toy Story 3. The first half was slow, almost boring, but being none other than the work of Pixar, it was still pretty good. While it did have a few jokes (and a killer opening sequence), I didn't think the film was up to the first two- until the middle. Unfortunately, this is the part I cannot describe, due to possible spoilers. What I can tell you is that this part of the film is action-packed, heartwarming, and funny, which is everything a Pixar film should be. I'd love to tell you everything I loved about it, but you should go see it yourself. Pixar's CGI is as amazing as ever, cartoonish while still looking very realistic. One example is the scene where Woody tries to escape in a bathroom. It may seem strange, but don't worry- it gets stranger. The movie has a unique visual style that has not been seen in any other Pixar film- nope, not even the first two Toy Stories. Any frame from this movie can almost certainly make you smile. But again, the finale's animation will blow your mind. Trust me. It goes without saying that the cast of ANY Pixar movie, let alone the Toy Story movies, is a great cast. TS3 takes this statement higher, adding Michael Keaton and Whoopi Goldberg -in addition to so many others- to the ever-increasing list of characters. That's not to say that the original guys aren't great. In fact, Tim Allen- having a lot to work with, from speaking in Spanish to- well, just being Buzz- does such an amazing job, as does Tom Hanks, voicing the loyal cowboy Woody. The writing is the only problem I had with this movie. As always, the story is very well thought out, but the film was low on witty jokes. Again, a lot of funny moments, but there was only one or two moments (both in the second half) that I knew I would be laughing at years from now. In Up, there was "Squirrel!" In The Incredibles, there was "Don't Wear a Cape!" Heck, in the original Toy Story, there was "To Infinity and Beyond!" But the fact that I can't quote much of it is beside the point. Michael Arndt, who wrote Little Miss Sunshine, and had not worked on a Pixar film before, wrote the screenplay. Sometimes this was a great thing- the finale gets darker than most Pixar films have gone. But you would not hear "I don't think those are Lincoln Logs," in any other of Pixar's movies.
Overall, Toy Story 3, while low on witty jokes and not having an amazing first half, still comes together at the end for another Pixar classic.
Scale: 8/10
