Movies of 2010.

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:

#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.