The Top 10 Best Movies of 2010

Aaaaand, we're back. So, let's take another trip on Blu3Danny's Halfway-Decent Time Machine^TM back to 2010. 2010- the start of a new decade. SO much heavy stuff happened that year. There was destructive earthquake in Haiti. WikiLeaks reveals some important information to the public that made the US government a little nervous. SpongeBob SquarePants did a little "whoopsie" in its pants. And I graduated... from the 10^th grade. Clearly, that very last one is one for the history books. But that's not what here for- you guys are here for the Top Ten! Or rather, the reason WHY I put each movie on each spot... since you can VERY clearly see the list. Anyway, as fan as these movies are concerned, they're pretty good... DAMN good, in fact. Better than 2009's movies for sure, and there's a lot to see from many different genres. 2010 was a good year, but what WAS the best of the best? Well, let me tell you:



#10. Buried

2010 had TWO movies featuring a single character stuck in a deadly claustrophobic scenario- I'll be covering them both, one here, another one later, starting with Buried, a thriller about, well, being buried alive (obviously).  Okay, it's basically just Ryan Reynolds in a Box: The Movie- sure, it's already terrifying for those who are claustrophobic, but for a movie that is all about one character in a box, it keeps you SO interested- it can't be that easy to write or even capture the shots for a movie like this. It's a very thrilling ride that keeps your eyes glued to the screen all the way through. The movie is REALLY good for... 95% of the time. The ending might annoy some people, and I can't say I'm a fan of it, but Ryan Reynolds is a dreamy- captivating, I mean, as ever, and it is a very fun movie to watch with a group of friends. Wait... seeing a movie like this... somebody should make a sequel to this, but instead burring Friedberg and Seltzer somewhere in the Sahara desert, as they suffocate from trying to throw horrible pop culture jokes at each other... it'll be great!

... actually, it would be terrible.




I think I'm the one getting buried for this...

#9. Toy Story 3

So, guys! How good was that third movie! Pretty good- damn good, I mean... it's on this list for a reason! I mean, what can I say that everybody hasn't said already, it's a really fun, really captivating movie, Andy's toys are back and better than ever as they try to break out of this deceivingly cheerful prison and go back to Andy before he leaves for college. Of course, it won't be so easy with their leader- warden, more like it, who will keep them prisoners to the eeeeevil kindergarten classroom, so they can be torn apart like a human getting thrown in a pit of angry chimps- speaking of which, there is a cymbal-banging monkey that keeps a SERIOUS eye on them all the way through and must somehow avoid his watch or there WILL be Hell to pay. Oh, and Buzz reveals his true nationality. Yup, that's a thing that happens.

I think I'm skirting around the issue- I'm sure pretty much 95% of you reading this are wondering why the movie is so low on the list. Well... I gotta be brutally honest, it's the actual story that brought the movie down for me. Not because it's bad, but it's because they already did this with Toy Story 2. That's the major distracting flaw with the film- it's Toy Story 2 with a brand new coat of CG (also, I STILL will not forgive the movie for removing Bo Peep. Yeah, she wasn't the deepest character, but I'm more angry at the fact that they never said WHY she's gone. Come on, Pixar- it's not even like the voice actress was dead? What the serious fuck? >:[ ), and the other 5% who DON'T like this movie is probably for this same exact reason, and you're probably wondering why it's on the list at all? Well, because even a Toy Story movie at its worst is still full of the lovable characters, thrilling adventure, and SERIOUS emotional punch that makes this series what it is- a rare species of three movies in which all of them are good- no, GREAT; the Lord of the Rings series is the only other trilogy to accomplish this. I do love that this movie is perfectly closes up, not only this movie, but the entire arc as a whole... which is in and of itself a rare feat- three movies that are ALL individual stories, yet are all part of ONE big story? Now you're just showing off, Pixar. But, by now I'm convinced that Pixar can do NO wrong... okay, except for Cars but that was a fluke! It'll NEVER happen again...

... wait, what's their next movie? Cars 2?!


...

... this is going to suck, isn't it?

Well, guys, Pixar was great while it lasted. So cherish Toy Story 3 deeply, because it is going to be the LAST good thing they make for a LOOOOONG time. Cherish it.




Now on the other end of the scale, we got a guy who went from being crap to cinema darling in just a few years. Who is this glorious underdog that we're talking about?

Ben Affleck?!

#8. The Town:

Maybe this guy should just go behind the camera- not that he's not a good actor or anything, he IS pretty good here, but it's clear he was BORN to direct, which is especially evident in this thrilling movie about a gang of robbers who... rob banks (obviously). Now the thing to keep in mind is that one of the robbers (Ben Affleck) is the token good guy of the group, who eventually forms a bond with our female lead (Rebecca Hall) thinking he's a really sweet guy- which he CAN be- and even after he discovers his secret, he reveals that he wants to get away from this life of crime and just start over... yet, it is NEVER turned into a romance, because though the movie wants you to root for Ben Affleck to survive this one last gig, it NEVER makes you forget the shitty stuff he did. To boil this down into a simple sentence, if Twilight was good, it would... you're not taking me seriously by this point are you? I can't blame you, but the main point is that there is a LOT depth to be found from such a deceptively simple story. It's reminds me a lot of Mud, which I loved, for the same reason that this movie starts off with something simple and blooms into something more complex and fascinating from there. I hate to say this about Ben, but even though he REALLY proved that you can be a great actor in this movie, he doesn't hold a candle to Jeremy Renner. To describe his character in the simplest of terms, he's essentially a grounded Joker, somebody who is VERY suicidally unstable yet is incredibly resourceful, not to mention he is also the one ultimately helps Ben Affleck to succeed in his goal even at the cost of- SPOILER. If that's not a friend, then THE PONIES LIED TO ME!!

Also, is it just me, or does anybody else get a Dark Knight vibe from this movie? Huh... maybe THAT'S why they casted Ben Affleck as Batman... it makes a lot of sense to me... though we could do without the corny Boston accent, not that the comically-deep growly voice is better. Actually, at least with the accent, we'd understand you!



 #7. The Secret of Kells 

Yeah, yeah, I know the movie came out in 2009, but it didn't come out in the States 'till 2010, not to mention the Academy nominated it for "Best Animated Feature" at the 2011 Oscars, so it technically qualifies for this year's list. Anyway, now that I got THAT out of the way, let me open up by saying: HOW DID THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR SKUNK FU! MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THIS? I mean... Skunk Fu! is like this...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUIPsN…

... yeah, it's THAT type of show. Which is pretty much TUFF Puppy BEFORE TUFF Puppy existed... and The Secret of Kells is like this!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvETqX…

... how are these from the same studio?! The people who work there are... TERMINATORS, AREN'T THEY?! They're pretty DAMN talented Terminators, I'll give them that, because this movie is really, really something else. I don't know how to explain it, but there is something about this movie that feels like something Hayao Miyazaki would do, if he was Irish... and that's essentially the best way to describe this movie, it's a Studio Ghibli film that was made in Ireland. The art style is absolutely gorgeous, it captures and reflects a very fantastic otherworldly feel. Wait a second... this is like Epic, except if somebody made it GOOD- it makes you feel like you're in another world, and though the characters may be fairly simple, they get you involved through their journey in a fantastical adventure and it shifts from calm and serene to terrifying and intense, and you just watch in awe the whole time. THIS is how you capture the audience into your world (which, granted, was borrowed from a source that is centuries old) and show them a trip like no other. I just... don't know what else to say, I STILL feel blown away by this. Very, very well done, Cartoon Saloon; I'm not sure if this movie was a fluke, but if you guys are going to make more stuff like this, then... I guess you can call me a fan. At least this proves how much full of shit Leap Year was- there ARE wonderful people in Ireland... and I'm halfway sure that one of them simply exists just to prove me wrong.



#6. Exit Through the Gift Shop

I'll admit, I... don't watch as many documentaries as I probably should, and... I mean, there's no reason why NOT to; especially when they're about as somebody as endlessly fascinating as Banksy... or is it? Yeah, there's a LOT of debate as to whether or not this is a real documentary or not, though the director (Banksy himself) claims that it is, but the movie endlessly screws with you about whether or not about street artist Thierry Guetta (AKA Mr. Brainwash) ABOUT Banksy or it's the other way around, or... fuck. You know what... I know what this movie is about, yeah, it's about the BEST INTERNET TROLL WHO EVER LIVED. This guy is LITERALLY trolling you, but when you can be as endlessly talented as Mr. Banksy, you have carte blanche to do whatever you want... and yet, Banksy is VERY uncomfortable with revealing the slightest bit about himself, just in case you couldn't tell by his real-life Shy Guy getup. There's just something mesmerizing about seeing this guy do what he does. You may or may not be interested in street art- I can't say that I am- but this movie pulls you into the world of one of the most interesting artists ever. I highly recommend it for all of you to watch it... just don't ask me if you should find a point to it, because I STILL don't know what to believe. Fuck Inception- THIS guy pulls you into a dream, into a dream, into a dream, into a dream, into a dream, into a dream...



Move over Pixar, because Dreamworks RULED the animated world this year.

#5. How to Train Your Dragon  

By all accounts, this movie is pretty much made of every single idiotic animated movie cliche that you could find under the sun, yet... they made it work here, and not just work in the way of "well, that was better than I expected", but in the way of "... HOW do you do this?". See, the heart of this movie lies in Hiccup and Toothless, and... it's essentially The Iron Giant, but with dragons... and it TOTALLY WORKS. They had the perfect mix of elements that make this, easily one of Dreamwork's best movies- up there withKung Fu Panda and Shrek 2 as one of my favorites, at least. What sets HTTYD apart from DreamWorks' usual output is that this is their most serious movie to date, but it's not the stupid level of seriousness that The Last Airbender tried AND failed to achieve. No, it manages to get you really captivated in this budding relationship between these two characters. What DOES make this movie different from The Iron Giant is that there is essentially NO antagonist. I mean, there's the Green Death, but he's never brought on by the movie as some sort of EVIL antagonist- the real conflict is about Hiccup proving that dragons are not mere mindless killers. I... don't understand why, even though this movie is set in Scandinavia, the kids don't have any sort of accent- not counting Jay Baruchel's annoying, nasal, helium-whiny voice, yet the adults DO have accents. Consistency? Well, I can at least let it slide in favor of THOSE KICKASS FLYING SCENES! Avatar had some cool flying scenes, admittedly, but they do NOT compare to HTTYD's by a LOOOONG shot, just... awesome. I hope they do more with this series in the future, I'd LOVE to see more!



#4. 127 Hours

Aaaaand... now for the SECOND half of the "Claustrophobia Movie Showdown" we have: a Dude and his Rock! Yeah, between Buried and this movie, I say I love 127 Hours the better of the two, mainly because it has a MUCH better (not to mention much happier) ending. Again, I don't know how it's possible that two of these movies exist, let alone for them to be THIS good. I guess 127 had the edge (pun) on being based on a true story... which usually means they had to romanticize facts of the actual even to make for a better movie, yet on the other hand THIS IS A MOVIE ABOUT A DUDE WHO CUT HIS OWN ARM OFF TO SURVIVE! You can say what you want about the guy for how he got himself into this predicament, but cutting your OWN arm takes some SERIOUS balls. Interestingly enough, the movie itself seems to be aware of this detail, it first portrays James Franco as your average 30-something jack-off who does stupid things just because HE CAN, and yet when the movie goes on it turns him into such a sympathetic character that it makes YOU want to go out there and help him! And this movie is... much more light-hearted than you'd think despite its grim subject matter- I don't want to spoil anything, but there's a dream sequence in this movie that ends into something that is just laugh-out-loud hilarious. This guy was just having a good time that ended in tragedy, but came back around into one of the most amazing stories of self-preservation that would melt my heart if it didn't have the MOST CRINGE-INDUCING SOUNDS OF BONES BREAKING that I have ever heard in my life! I didn't even DO this extreme adventuring, yet I feel like we all can learn a valuable lesson from this: ALWAYS tell your parents you're going somewhere before you go.

... don't give me that look. You never know when YOU will get your limbs crushed by a boulder. Unless you're Chris Redfield, in which case you have nothing to worry about.



The birth of an asshole. Awww, it is one of the most captivating things in nature.

#3. The Social Netwrok

Now, regardless of how close to reality this movie is, you don't even think about it just because of how engrossed you become watching Jesse Eissenberg, playing Mark Zuckerberg as he and his collages work on what will become on of THE biggest websites ever. A movie like this would not have the kind of pacing that it does, thanks to its sharp, fast dialogue that keeps entranced as you see Jesse build his empire... WHILE burning a few bridges in the way. You REALLY want to hate this guy, just for the way he screws people over to accomplish his goals, and yet you STILL want him to succeed, because- regardless of how you feel about Facebook- he is responsible for something that turned the Internet into what it is today, though not without some of the, shall we say, less-than-friendly practices he employed to get there. Hey, Thomas Edison did similar things, yet he's congratulated as the guy who invented the lightbulb. All of this tells me that you will NEVER be truly successful 'till you make a few enemies... which is terrifyingly realistic the more I think about it. Um... but what do I have to worry, it's not like YOU guys hate me, right?


... RIGHT?



I don't know if you noticed, but the movie that won the "Best Picture" award is NOWHERE to be seen on the list... which is odd, because I usually give it one spot on the list (though never #1, amusingly enough). Now, I'm not saying that The King's Speech was bad, or anything, but it left me feeling a bit cold. It just has "We want Oscars" written all over it; so despite some strong performances with its two leads, it didn't really offer much special to me. On that same note, there was NO horror movie on my "Worst of 2010" list... but, that's mainly because there were no horror movies in 2010 (at least not a single one worth talking about). I wonder if there's a connection here...? Probably not. Anyway, here's MY pic for what should have been "Best Picture"- a horror movie!

#2. Black Swan 

What a fascinating concept this "Darren Aronofsky" has come up with- a horror movie... that actually claws at the terrors in your subconscious. Wow, it's almost like... horror movies should be about cheap jumpscares featuring Leatherface with a chainsaw FAILING to carve up some dumb teenagers. Not that horror movies have hit THAT kind of low, yet. Part of the reason why I love this movie so much is because the reason why is because it's all about a fear we can relate to- the fear of not living up to your expectations, of pushing yourself to the limit by trying to impress, though "limit" is the key word, and boy, OH BOY, there is going crazy, there is sheer insanity, and then there is THIS. The movie forces you to watch the absolute lengths that Natalie Portman goes through to deliver the performance of a lifetime... was it worth it? I ain't saying anything, but it will leave you floored. Movies about people going insane are great. I like it. Another!


Aaaaand before I wrap this up, a few honorable mentions, and a couple more movies that I wish I could have put on the list, but didn't have the room.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

- Tangled: Good stuff, Disney. See, there's nothing wrong with princesses- especially not when they kick ass like this. Give me MORE princesses!

- Hot Tub Time Machine: This is.. probably the most unusual choice, but I do love this movie a lot. It's incredibly strange, but it is to time travelling movies, as The Hangover is to mystery movies. I LOVE The Hangover (the ORIGINAL and only), and I support any movies that fly the same flag. Definitely a very overlooked movie, and I hope more people watch it. At least, they will NEVER make a sequel to this movie, right?

- The King's Speech: At least this movie proves that the Brits aren't as sophisticated as they think they are... oh, who am I kidding, they even make the word "tits" sound like well-aged wine from 150 years ago... no, it still sounds like "tits".

- True Grit: This is the movie that I was debating to put on the #10 spot, then I saw Buried and it just BARELY lost. Still, when Westerns are good, they are AWESOME. Definitely a close #11.

- Inception: Maybe YOU are in a dream and don't realize it. Now, if somebody could make a shorter sweeter version of this movie, with much better-delivered exposition, I would like it a WHOLE lot more.

- Kick-Ass: ... oh, who am I kidding? This movie FUCKING SUCKS. I thought I could bring myself to lighten up, but... no- STILL hate it. Maybe I should have put it on the "Worst List", now that I think about it. I WOULD gladly watch a Big Daddy though.



And now for my favorite movie of the year... as if I have to explain myself at this point. I mean... it WAS the first thing I ever reviewed for a reason.

#1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

And not a single soul was surprised. Funny that both my LEAST favorite movie of the year (One of them, at least.) and my ABSOLUTE favorite movie are both adaptations of properties I love. But while The Last Airbender stumble and flopped by giving us a neutered version of an amazing series, Edgar Wright proves how to do it right (more pun!) by slimming the series to its essentials, yet delivering it to us in a way that is both instantly recognizable, yet incredibly unique. If THIS counted as a video game movie, it is THE best video game movie EVER, but it's not just video games, it borrows elements from anime, kung fu films- the action scenes are AMAZING, the special effects bring the entire world to life, the comedy is great (though this being Edgar Wright, I'd expect nothing less). There ARE fans that were disappointed by the stuff they had to cut down, but I think that they made the necessary right decisions to make this the gem that it is- also, you all make sad, so very, very sad. I gushed about this movie 4 years ago, and I STILL gush like a dork about it to this day, so it only makes sense that it would be not only the Best Movie of 2010, but also one of my ALL-time favorites. Got a problem with that? Too bad, it's MY list. I'll see you all in 2011.