My Top 5 flicks of 2010

It's that time of year again when the critics throw out their top ten lists for the year. Some people trust the critics, others are skeptical, but what it all comes down to is recommendations from friends right? I'm your friend...trust me on these


In no particular order:



1. True Grit
From the time that I saw the preview in...must have been September...til I sat down in my seat on my birthday on Dec. 22nd, I was extremeley pumped for this film. Maybe it was the awesome trailer that included Johnny Cash singing "cut ya down." Maybe it was desire to see Jeff Bridges continue to rain dominance on the title of actor. Whatever it was, the film straight up rocked. The girl who played "Maddie Ross" was insanely good for her age. For a tough gritty western, it sure had quite a few scenes packed with comedy and really well crafted dialogue. The Coen brothers are geniuses when it comes to making movies. See also "Oh Brother Where art Thou?"



2. Inception
Wow...a dream within a dream within a...I have no idea how someone came up with the concept of Inception, but I'd love to take a tour of their brain. The acting was flawless, and though DeCaprio was headliner, I felt that Joseph Gordon-Levitt of "500 Days of Summer" fame, stole the show. Yes the visuals were awesome, yes the action was epic, but the best part of the movie was the mental journey it took you through. The "what if's" of dreaming took front seat to the rest of the film. Christopher Nolan is a great director, and it's a joy to join him in the world of inception that makes no sense and all the sense in the world at the same time.



3. 127 Hours
Even though I said, "in no particular order," this may be the number 1 pick for me this year for a variety of reasons. 127 hours tells the story of Aron Ralston, an experienced outdoorsman who becomes trapped in one of Utah's slot canyons when a boulder dislodges and pins his arm to the narrow canyon wall. 127 hours later, after exhausting his meager water reserves and turning to drinking his own urine, he sees a vision of his future son playing with him on the couch. Aron wakes up, breaks his own arm and then uses a dull weatherman multi tool to amputate his arm. He then repels down a 40 foot wall with only his left hand, and walks nearly 8 miles to safety... the film and book have been a life changer for me. It's directed by Danny Boyle of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame. It is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.




4. The Social Network
I went to see this one at midnight of opening weekend. I figured, "a movie about legal issues in the computer programming world...I'll be asleep in 10 minutes." However, when the credits started to roll I found myself literally at the edge of my seat. The dialogue in this film was action enough. It was witty and delivered with precision. It's the story of Facebook, and as boring as that sounds...it just rocks your world. The soundtrack written by Trent Reznor was a great choice and will probably be up for score of the year. If you are online, you are on Facebook, and should probably see this film. I'm guessing it will be a major contender for best picture of the year.




5. Scott Pilgrim vs the World
So this would be where I add the fun "movie" to the mix instead of a more serious "film." Scott Pilgrim engulfs both "movie" and "film." Part of what makes a film great is the originality or the fresh approach. Like the critics said, "It's a game changer." The film did awful at the box office yet was critically acclaimed by every review that I read. It's like watching a video game comic book in real life. The pop culture references coupled with hilarious jokes and visually stunning battle scenes makes Scott Pilgrim a can't miss.


6. Honorable Mentions for movies that were just plain fun and though not super artsy and impressive, were a joy to behold on the big screen: Iron Man 2, Predators, Tron Legacy, and Knight and Day.