Richard's Top 5 Favorite Movies of 2010

   As 2010 draws to a close, I look back at the films that have been released this year. There have been countless bad films, many mediocre ones, but only a few of these films were great. These are my favorite films of the year. I will not say that they are all the best films of the year, some of them may not be. Nevertheless, these are the ones that I enjoyed the most out of 2010.

First off, a few honorable mentions:

#10. The Losers

   This was not by any means a deep film; some may say that it is not even a good film. It is an enjoyable film; it does not try to be anything more than an enjoyable action film.

#9. Easy A

   This film perfectly captures the dread of all high school students, rumors. This comedy is nothing short of hilarious, it really shows Emma Stone’s potential as a leading actress.

#8. Kick Ass

   This was an enjoyable film, but I feel that it did not meet my expectations for the film.

#7. Megamind

   This film is a blast, from beginning to end. It is an entertaining parody of the superhero genre that has become so prevalent in Hollywood today. This film is hilarious, and has one of my favorite lines of the year. The line pretty much sums up the film. “Do you know what the difference between a villain and a super villain is? Showmanship!”

#6. Shutter Island

   I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and it was a brilliant adaptation of the novel. It just was not as good as the rest of director Martin Scorsese’ repertoire. Even though it is not as good as the rest of his films, it is still a brilliant film.


#5. Machete

   There are few films that I have seen that were this messy, gritty, over the top, unappealing and yet still good. Machete manages a seemingly impossible feat, if you look at the make up of the film, it seems as though it would not be an enjoyable film. Director Robert Rodriguez’ homage to the grind house and exploitation films of the 1970s and 1980s is an extremely entertaining film that never once has a lull in the action. Everything about this film is awesome, it is so over the top that it settles comfortably into the realm of parody early on in the film and never looks back.

   The cast is great, Danny Trejo holds his own against A-list actors like veteran actor Robert De Niro. The ensemble cast is so eclectic and random that it makes for some hilarious pairing that you would never expect to see. I mean, when have you ever thought that you would see Steven Segal share the screen with Don Johnson and Robert De Niro? For that matter, when was the last time that you saw a Steven Segal movie that was actually good? This movie is not a deep movie, and it does not need to be. It is pure entertainment and there is nothing wrong with that.


#4. Inception

   Do you hear that? It is the sound of countless moviegoer’s minds being blown. Inception is the latest film given to us by director Christopher Nolan, famous for such films as the Batman reboot and The Majestic. Inception impressed me; it is one of the most original films I have seen in recent years. When Nolan revealed that his newest film would “explore the architecture of the mind”, we were left wondering what he meant. Little did we know that he meant this in the most literal sense of the word.

   Everything about Inception is amazing. There is nothing that I can say about it that has not already been said. I will say this; this is an amazing film that I highly recommend to all. It is not a film that you will regret seeing.


#3. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

   It would be an understatement for me to say that I was disappointed with the comic book movies this year. Whether it be Iron Man 2’s drunken stupor, Kick Ass getting its ass kicked, The Losers losing touch with the source material, or Megan Fox hexing Jonah Hex, disappointments abounded in this years comic book adaptations. I was disappointed in all of them, save for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This is probably the best comic adaptation I have seen to date. Few films manage to truly capture the heart and soul of the source material, this film succeeded is droves. I read the majority of the graphic novels that this was based on and to be honest, I had low expectations of the film. I did not think that director Edgar Wright would successfully capture the manic energy that permeated the graphic novel; I honestly did not think that it was possible for the graphic novel to be converted to film. He did more than capture it; he condensed it down to its essence.

   Wright was no alone in this of course; the cast all did an amazing job, especially Kieran Culkin and newcomer Ellen Wong. This film actually made me like Michael Cera in a role, which is odd considering that I cannot think of a film prior to this that I liked him in. Another key element of the film was its lively and energetic soundtrack. The soundtrack incorporated an original score along with classic video game scores.

   This is really is the film for the gamer generation. Nearly every scene has a pop culture reference or a reference to geek culture. It features everything from the Seinfeld music when the doors open to The Legend of Zelda song “Zelda’s Lullaby” playing at surreal or emotional moments. This movie blends a classic story with elements of geek culture, specifically anime and video games. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a must see for any comic, manga, anime, video game, movie, music, television fan out there.


#2. True Grit

   I am honestly surprised that this film came in second on my list. I created this list with all intentions of it being my number one pick, but I honestly felt that True Grit was not suited for the top spot on this list.

   The first thing that I will say about this film is that you must see it knowing that this is not a remake of the John Wayne classic, rather it is a reinterpretation of the novel that both films were based on. The Coen Brothers adaptation is closer to the grim and gritty tone of the novel.

   The Coens do an excellent job creating an authentic and engaging western. The western genre has been on a downward slope in recent years, with only a handful of quality films in the genre being produced this decade. This film is not even in the same league as the so-called western Jonah Hex. Unlike Jonah Hex, this film actually presents us with a likeable cast headed by the amazing Jeff Bridges, who gives an amazing performance. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is gripping to watch in her debut performance, hopefully more will be seen of her in the future. Matt Damon gives a strong performance as well. Jonah Hex himself, Josh Brolin also stars in this film, thankfully this film is here to show that he is still a credible actor after the career threatening Jonah Hex.

   I cannot think of a single flaw with this film, it is as near perfection as you can get. This is one film that everyone should see.


#1. The Town

   I was honestly surprised that I put this at the top of my list. I started this list will all intentions of putting True Grit in the number one spot. That is until I watched the Blu Ray of The Town, then I realized that this was truly my favorite film of the year. This movie is a work of art. This movie is a sheer joy to watch, every element of this film is perfectly executed.

   I wrote an entire review of the film earlier today, I will leave you with an excerpt of the review and a link to the actual review of the film for those interested.

   “This is without a doubt, one of the best films of the year. The Town is an action packed, engrossing film that backs up its action with a solid story."

   The premise is simple enough, after pulling a heist, the leader of a team of thieves (Affleck) checks on a former hostage (Rebecca Hall) and falls in love with her. He hides his involvement with her from his best friend and partner (Jeremy Renner) and attempts to hide his identity from his new love and the FBI agent (John Hamm) pursuing his team. What seems like a simplistic and clichéd plot is actually one of the best films I have seen in years.

   The Town is a masterful film based on the amazing novel Prince of Thieves. It is Ben Affleck’s second outing as a director, his previous film Gone Baby Gone. Gone Baby Gone is a brilliant film, I honestly thought that the film might have been a fluke, it being Affleck’s directorial debut and being a good film. The Town however, proved me wrong. It shows that Affleck may be a better director than an actor. The film is beautiful, an immaculately directed picture that shows that it is a shame that Affleck has only worked behind the lens for two pictures.”

   For more of the review click on the link here The Town.

   Well thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to check out Braeden and Josh's articles as well.