Keepin' It Reel is a blog that deals with everything movies and TV. If there's an awesome TV show on right now or a sweet looking movie coming out, I'll talk about it! I'll also attempt to go a single week WITHOUT talking about Nicholas Cage.
So...how'd I do on my Oscar guesses? Well, it turned out I did pretty well! I got 18 out of the 24 categories correct, and 5 out of the 6 major ones right. I was pretty sure David Fincher was going to win Best Director for The Social Network (he was robbed), but Tom Hooper managed to beat him out.
Here are some of my other thoughts...
I thought James Franco and Anne Hathaway were perhaps the worst Oscar hosts that I can remember. I had a feeling from the beginning that hiring non-comedians was going to be a poor choice, but I had hope that these two of all people could pull it off. I was wrong. James Franco was practically emotionless the entire time and it looked like Anne Hathaway was trying to overcompensate for James Franco's dead weight. There are TONS of comedians who would have been a much better choice. Even the opening montage with the hosts entering the Best Picture movies was pretty mediocre this year.
I don't care what anybody says- this movie WAS NOT good. I purposely bet against it twice because I thought this POS could never win. I don't care how cool the Art Direction or the Costume Design was, just the fact that it can now be referred to as "Oscar winner Alice in Wonderland" is a travesty. Tim Burton is definitely at his best when he's working on original work, but apparently there are people out there who enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Yikes.
I knew The King's Speech would win Best Picture and Best Actor for Colin Firth, but I must admit I've never seen the movie. 127 Hours and The King's Speech were the only Best Picture nominees I haven't seen (yes- I saw Winter's Bone! It was okay.) But for the first time in a long time, I think the Best Picture winner looks really boring and have absolutely no desire to see it. I usually am never like that as I always like to give a movie a chance, but for some reason this movie really doesn't appeal to me. I've heard it's good, but just everything about it looks so average. I will eventually give it a chance and maybe I'll post my reactions on here, but I don't know- it looks so blah.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the night for me was the fact that Exit Through the Gift Shop didn't win Best Documentary. It wasn't even about the movie as I'm sure Inside Job was good, but I think everyone was hoping that Exit Through the Gift Shop would win so we could get a look at Banksy. There was controversy before the show because apparently if he won he would accept the award in a gorilla mask in order to conceal his real identity, but the Academy president refused to let that happen. It turned out the controversy was for nothing as Banksy didn't even win!
Christian Bale is an incredible actor and I had faith that he was going to win yesterday. But for some reason I know a lot of people bet against him, which made me nervous. I think anyone who actually saw The Fighter would realize it was an incredible performance and there was no way he could have lost. With that said, I'm making a prediction that this is just the first of many Oscars for Christian Bale as he's truly an incredibly talented actor.
Inception was a great movie and it definitely didn't get the credit it deserved in the major categories this year. How could David O. Russell get nominated for Best Director over Christopher Nolan? That's insane. It was good to see Inception win the Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects Oscars though. The movie was truly innovative and I think will be remembered for many years to come.
What did you guys think of the Oscars? Did you like the show? I thought it was pretty mediocre overall. How'd you do with your picks?
Tonight is the night where the Academy gives out Oscars to the best work in the film industry in 2010. I've always had a big problem with the Oscars as I feel like a lot of the time they pander towards certain audiences (like old people). There's sort of a tradition among Oscar nominated movies where certain movies and performances are guaranteed nominations over other types of movies. You'd be shocked to hear that barely any horror films have ever been nominated (even movies like The Shining!). Before The Dark Knight, guess how many comic book movies were nominated? Now guess how many boring, by-the-books period pieces have been nominated.
This year I think the Academy did a better job than usual. Christopher Nolan should have been nominated for Best Director of Inception, without a doubt though. Either way, below are my picks for who WILL and SHOULD WIN tonight. Obviously the two aren't necessarily the same. Let's see how many I get right!
Best Live Action Short Film
Will Win: Na Wewe
(can't judge- didn't see any of these)
Best Animated Short Film
Will Win & Should Win: Day & Night
Best Documentary Short
Will Win: Strangers No More
(again, can't judge- didn't see any of these)
Best Documentary Feature
Will Win: Inside Job
Should Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Will Win & Should Win: Inception
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Will Win & Should Win: Inception
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Will Win & Should Win: Inception
Best Original Song
Will Win & Should Win: "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3
Best Original Score
Will Win & Should Win: The Social Network
(why wasn't Daft Punk's TRON score nominated??)
Best Achievement in Makeup
Will Win & Should Win: The Wolfman
(weak, weak nominees this year)
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Will Win & Should Win: The King's Speech
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Inception
Best Achievement in Editing
Will Win & Should Win: The Social Network
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Will Win & Should Win: True Grit
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Will Win: In A Better World
(didn't manage to catch any of these this year)
Best Animated Feature of the Year
Will Win & Should Win: Toy Story 3
(duh)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win & Should Win: The Social Network
Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: The Fighter
Best Achievement in Directing
Will Win & Should Win: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Will Win & Should Win: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
(toughest of the major categories)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Will Win & Should Win: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role
Will Win & Should Win: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role
Will Win & Should Win: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: The Social Network
Make sure to come back here after the show to see how many I got right!
Yesterday was the Super Bowl and for those of you that watched the game, you were treated to a bunch of new trailers for some of this summer's big blockbusters. Below are the big TV spots that were shown and some of my thoughts....
I always had high hopes for the Captain America movie, but I think this trailer made me even more excited. It just seems like it has a different vibe than any other superhero movie out there, and that's why it has an edge over Thor in my opinion. I'm really digging the World War II setting and I really like the supporting casting of Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones (even though their parts in the trailer are minimal.) The trailer shown yesterday also gave us our first look at the villain Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving). The only weird thing about this trailer was "skinny" Chris Evans which I'll apologize for if it's really him, but if it's CGI it looks terrible.
VERDICT: PRETTY AWESOME
Thor, on the other hand, was a little disappointing to me. It used pretty much all footage that we've already seen and didn't offer anything new. I'm also getting a little worried about the amount of time spent on Thor's origin before he comes to Earth as I think origin stories can be really overplayed. I think Thor is going to be a lot like a gritty Superman story, if more time was spent on Krypton in the original Superman movies. Either way, this SuperBowl ad didn't do anything to change my mind on Thor.
VERDICT: MEH
My God that sound is so annoying! Why would they use that? Anyway, anyone that knows me knows I think the Transformers movies suck. They're boring and I can never remember which robot is which. Awful. But I think this TV spot, featuring a lot of slowed down action, was really effective. The one shot with the person diving out of the plane with the other plane crashing was incredibly cool. I don't think this is going to be a good movie by any means, but this TV spot at least makes me think the movie will look cool.
VERDICT: DECENT
This movie looks so cool! Like an idiot, I totally forgot to list it as one of my most anticipated movies of 2011, but especially after this TV spot, it definitely is up there. The idea of James Bond and Han Solo fighting off aliens is pretty incredible itself, but with Jon Favreau (director of Iron Man) directing as well, I'm sure this movie will be pretty great. It's also kind of funny how some of the shots were really similar to the shots used in the Transformers TV spot. I'm sure this movie will kick that movie's ass though. Extra points for including a nude Olivia Wilde in the TV spot.
VERDICT: REALLY COOL
Didn't I see this movie four times already? It's kind of amazing that the Fast and the Furious franchise has lasted this long. I remember how cool the original one was in middle school, but it's also hard to forget how lame the other ones were. This franchise also gets points taken away for dumbest use of a number in the title of a movie- for 2 Fast 2 Furious. As for this trailer, I do like the addition of The Rock as the "villain" of the movie as I think The Rock definitely has the potential to be really good when he tries. I do think however that as cool as the car chases may be, this franchise is getting really tired.
VERDICT: BORING
Everyone knows Johnny Depp was the best part of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but can Johnny Depp carry the entire franchise on his own? This fourth movie will literally strip itself of everything from the first three- nearly all the major actors and the director included. Unfortunately, I'm getting more of a bad spin-off vibe from Pirates of the Caribbean 4 than a good sequel. What's even more confusing is that based on this TV spot, it literally looks like they're going to have characters very similar to the ones Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley played. Honestly, this doesn't look good.
VERDICT: UH OH
Whoah this is a really cool teaser. No one really knows what Super 8 is really about and this was our first clue. Although not much was revealed, we can now speculate that it is indeed some kind of monster movie, but exactly what type of monster no one really knows. I think this teaser gives off a very Steven Spielbergish feel (he is producing) similar to ET or Jurassic Park, which is a very good thing. Director JJ Abrams described this movie today as a cross between The X-Files, ET, Stand by Me, and The Goonies. WHAT. Sign me up.
VERDICT: PLEASE COME OUT TOMORROW
Well, that's it for the Super Bowl movie spots. I thought the regular commercials were pretty weak this year though. What movie trailers and commercials did you guys like?
It's not always easy predicting what movies will be good. Sometimes you just see a trailer or hear about a movie and you know it's going to be a great film. Other times, and more often, a movie will look really good but will end up disappointing.
Even harder than making my Top 10 list of the year is making a Top 10 list of my most anticipated movies of this coming year. I'm sure by December I'll look back at this list and be embarrassed by a few of these because of how bad they end up being.
But without further ado, the Top 10 movies of 2011 that I can't wait to see...
*NOTE: These movies are in order of theatrical release.
SOURCE CODE (APRIL 1)
If you haven't seen director Duncan Jones' debut film Moon, definitely check it out. It's a really complex movie that blows your mind with its different twists and turns. In today's world of movies that are mostly remakes and/or sequels, Moon was refreshingly original. Duncan Jones' next movie looks like it will be just as cool as Moon was. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, and Vera Farmiga, Source Code is about a soldier who wakes up in a different body and realizes his mission is to find the bomber of a Chicago train. It seems really complicated, but judging from the above trailer, it looks like it will be an edge-of-your-seat thriller.
THOR (MAY 6)
With the success of The Dark Knight and Iron Man, there was inevitably going to be a lot more superhero movies released. 2011 will see three more superhero movies and each of them has the potential to be excellent. The first one released this year will be Thor. While Thor boasts an incredible supporting cast of Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, and Stellan Skarsgaard, Thor isn't the most well-known superhero on the planet. Part of what made The Dark Knight (and to a lesser degree Iron Man) successful were the new takes on iconic characters. Nevertheless, I'm sure Thor will be really good. It's directed by Kenneth Branagh, whose best known for directing Shakespeare plays-turned-into-films Hamlet and Henry V. That alone makes me think that Thor will be a much different class of comic book movie and I'm excited to see what this cast and crew can do.
THE HANGOVER PART II (MAY 26)
There hasn't been a trailer released for The Hangover Part II yet, but there's no doubt about it that it will be a great movie. The original was flat-out hilarious and this sequel has the potential to be just as funny as we will see our three main characters (and Doug!) heading to Bangkok for Stu's wedding. Obviously hijiinks will ensue and they will inevitably lose Doug again (judging from the pictures released so far). All of the cast from the first film will be returning, including Ken Jeong and Mike Tyson, and will also feature cameos by Liam Neeson and Bill Clinton! I can't see how this one can't be good, but it makes me nervous to see that this movie has different writers than the first one, including a guy who co-wrote the atrocious Scary Movie 4 and Superhero Movie. Craig Mazin- I will kill you if you screw this movie up.
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (JUNE 3)
The original X-Men movies were pretty awesome, but they definitely didn't reach their full potential. By the third movie, it was clear that the franchise just wasn't working. To fix this problem, the writers behind First Class came up with an interesting way to re-do the series while still keeping this film a part of the others. X-Men: First Class is a prequel to the original X-Men trilogy, featuring many of the same characters just much younger. This time around the director is much better (Matthew Vaughn, director of Layer Cake and Kick Ass) and if you ask me, the cast is much better too. James McAvoy (Wanted) will be playing Professor X and Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds) will be playing Magneto. The supporting cast is also a who's who of underrated actors including Rose Byrne (Damages), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Nicholas Hoult (UK Skins), Ray Wise (Robocop), as well as THE Kevin Bacon. My guess is that X-Men: First Class will prove to be better than at least two of the three original X-Men movies.
SUPER 8 (JUNE 10)
Besides what's revealed in the teaser trailer above, not much is known about J.J. Abrams' next film Super 8. There is literally no description on IMDB right now, with the only hint to what the plot of the movie might be is its tagline, "Next summer, IT arrives." So how could I be excited about a movie that I know absolutely nothing about? Well, I know it's written and directed by J.J. Abrams, the genius behind Lost and the new Star Trek movie. It's also executive-produced by Steven Spielberg. Personally, I'm loving the mystery about Super 8. What the hell is in that truck in the teaser trailer??? I hope I go into the movie in June completely unaware as to what the movie is really about. The best advice I have for the Super 8 team is to reveal the least amount of information as possible about the movie. NOTE: Some people are thinking it's a surprise sequel to 2008's Cloverfield (J.J. Abrams produced Cloverfield, so it's possible, but not likely).
RISE OF THE APES (JUNE 24)
The original Planet of the Apes movies were a huge hit when they were released, so it was probably somewhat disappointing to fans of the original when Tim Burton's shitty 2001 remake was released (You suck Burton!). Well Hollywood is trying again and so far it looks like they're doing a lot more this time around to make sure this doesn't suck. Instead of Mark Wahlberg in the lead role, we have James Franco and Slumdog Millionaire's Freida Pinto, as well as John Lithgow, Brian Cox, and Harry Potter's Tom Felton. Perhaps the most intriguing part about Rise of the Apes is the decision to have the apes in the movie by CGI motion-capture creations, a la Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies. Even the same actor who played Gollum, Andy Serkis, will be playing the main ape. This movie will also be set in present-day San Francisco, which also adds an interesting twist. I'm excited for this one.
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART II (JULY 15)
I actually skipped the first Deathly Hallows movie because I found the first half of the final Harry Potter book to be incredibly boring. Despite that fact, there is no denying how freaking epic this final Harry Potter movie will be! Just the thought of the final fight inside Hogwarts translated to the big screen gets me really excited. Ten years of these great movies finally culminates into this last one. My one piece of advice though? Lose the really cheesy piece of shit epilogue that was attached to the end of the book. It made me want to throw up with its corniness. Apparently, someone's already been cast as Albus Severus Potter though. Blech.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (JULY 22)
The third and final big superhero movie of the year, also in The Avengers cannon like Thor, will be Captain America: The First Avenger. Like Thor, Captain America also has a really good supporting cast, including Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, and Toby Jones. But unlike Thor having the talented Kenneth Branagh directing, I'm surprised to see that Jurassic Park III and Jumanji director Joe Johnston was given such an important movie to direct. This Captain America movie is the last movie in The Avengers franchise (which also includes Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor) before the actual The Avengers movie, so it's important that this movie is good to increase the hype. Marvel hopefully sees something in Joe Johnston that I don't, because I'm really hoping this movie is good. Captain America is a different kind of superhero movie because he's created during World War II and that will hopefully provide a much different perspective that's never been done before.
HUGO CABRET (DECEMBER 9)
I'm not familiar with the book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" that this movie is based on, but everything about the movie looks really good. It's going to be directed by Martin Scorsese and it will mark his first foray into 3D filming. It stars Chloe Moretz (Kick Ass) as well as Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Lee, Michael Pitt, and Michael Stuhlbarg. So what is it about? According to IMDB, Hugo Cabret is set in 1930s and is about an orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station who gets caught up in a mystery involving his father and a robot. It's going to be a family movie, but still- Martin Scorsese making a kids movie in 3D with that cast? Sounds good to me.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (DECEMBER 21)
Full disclosure: I've never seen the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movies nor have I read any of the books. I've heard they're really good, but I've just never gotten the chance to get into them. I'm sure before the American version of the movie comes out, I'll get a chance to, but for now I can only go by what I think the movie will be like. Another thing I probably have to disclose: I typically HATE IT when Hollywood remakes a foreign movie within a few years of the original film. Just release the damn foreign movie as it is! You don't have to Americanize everything! Foreign films aren't that unaccessible, I promise! With that being said, if they HAD to remake this series, they picked a damn good team to do it. David Fincher, fresh off his probable Best Picture Oscar win for The Social Network, will be directing and Steven Zaillian (Mission: Impossible, Schindler's List, Gangs of New York) has adapted the screenplay. The cast includes Daniel Craig, Stellan Skarsgard, and Robin Wright, with The Social Network's Rooney Mara playing main character Lisbeth Salander. The original was about "a journalist who is aided in the search for a presumed dead woman by a young female hacker." Apparently this new remake will stray a little bit from the original though, especially in the ending. With a pedigree like this however, how could they go wrong?
Those are my most anticipated movies of 2011? What movies are you looking forward to?
2010 was a weird year for movies. Looking back at the post below which includes all of the movies I saw that were released this past year, there were a lot of disappointments. The Expendables wasn't the amazing movie it should have been. Get Him to the Greek was okay, but there wasn't a really good comedy like previous years that would have made it on to my Top 10 list. Even things that should have been surefire hits like Iron Man 2 weren't what they could have been. I don't know if it's a fair claim that movies are worse than they used to be, but it's accurate to say I saw a lot of average to below average movies this year.
That's not to say that there weren't some amazing ones though. Below are my Top 10 favorite movies of 2010.
10. TRON: LEGACY
I was really excited to see TRON: Legacy. I'm one of the few people I know that has actually seen and enjoyed the original TRON, also starring Jeff Bridges from 1982 (yes, way before I was born). The original was really ahead of its time when it came out in terms of technology and I was expecting the same from this sequel 28 years later. While I admit perhaps the story was not exactly what it could have been, I thought TRON: Legacy contained some of the most incredible CGI and visual effects I've ever seen. From the light cycle races to the disc fights, visually this movie was outstanding. Usually the fact that a movie is in 3D is a deterrent for me, but the 3D here is awesome. If you're looking to just have some mindless fun and have your mind blown away by some incredible visuals, this movie is for you. Plus, Jeff Bridges is awesome and Daft Punk's score for this is even more awesome!
9. SHUTTER ISLAND
I don't really understand why February's Shutter Island is being forgotten about now during awards season. Sure, the end was a little predictable, but that doesn't take away from the incredible cinematography and direction by Robert Richardson and Martin Scorsese. The acting is really good too- everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and Jackie Earle Haley are all at their best. So why no love for Shutter Island? Everyone loves a good detective mystery movie, and although I guessed the ending to Shutter Island well before the characters did, there were certain parts of the movie where I was completely clueless as to what was going to happen. I'm guessing the February release date has something to do with it, but I'm hoping Oscar voters remember this cool thriller.
8. BLACK SWAN
When I first watched Black Swan, I had no idea what to think of it. There were parts of this movie that made me feel really anxious and disturbed and just downright uncomfortable. I chose the above picture because I thought Winona Ryder in particular had a scene that was unexpectedly gruesome. But when you take a step back, you realize that most of these emotions are what director Darren Aronofsky intended for the viewer to feel and in that sense he succeeded. This movie is about a young dancer's descent into madness as the pressure of being a top ballerina for an important show finally gets to her and you're really taken on that journey with her. This movie caught me completely off guard from what I thought it was going to be like, and part of me is still digesting what I saw. What I do know is Natalie Portman gives THE best female performance of the year and I strongly feel that had anyone else been cast in the role, the movie would not have been as good.
7. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
I'm really sick of Michael Cera. He's the same character in every movie and after Youth in Revolt earlier last year, I had just about enough of him. So when I heard about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, based on the hit graphic novel series, I wasn't too excited. Little did I know that this movie would end up being one of the most fun movies of the year, despite it starring Michael Cera AND Jason Schwartzman (who I find equally annoying). With both video game and comic book influences, the visuals behind Scott Pilgrim are incredible. This movie is the first ever live-action video game and it works really well. It uses such video game staples such as enemies turning into coins when dying and the main character picking up extra lives to beat the bad guy to perfection. I highly recommend this movie- it's a lot of fun!
6. EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
I love a good documentary and Exit Through the Gift Shop was the best one this past year. It begins as a documentary about the underground world of street art and a filmmaker's quest to seek out infamous street artist Banksy. When the two finally meet, Banksy decides to take over the filmmaking and the previous director, John Thierry, turns to a life of street art. The most interesting part of this documentary is the question of its authenticity. Banksy is such a mysterious character (he never reveals his identity), that both himself and this movie have brought about a lot of questions. Are John Thierry and Banksy the same person? Was this entire documentary staged? There are so many possibilities of what's really going on in Exit Through the Gift Shop that it only adds to the incredible story. Whether it was fully staged, slightly staged, or completely legitimate, it doesn't take away from an entertaining viewing.
5. TOY STORY 3
Who would have guessed that fifteen years after the original Toy Story came out, the third and final entry in the series would be just as good as the original? Toy Story 3 is very funny, especially with the new additions of Jodi Benson and Michael Keaton playing Barbie and Ken. But Toy Story 3 wasn't all laughs, addressing such serious themes as moving on and even death. Looking at a lot of the mindless garbage geared towards kids today, it really makes you appreciate movies like Toy Story that have heart. I also think that Toy Story 3 definitely deserves its probable Oscar nomination for Best Picture and although it won't win, I think it has even more of a chance than Wall-E did.
4. TRUE GRIT
Anytime a Coen Brothers movie comes out, I have high expectations. They are, after all, the same guys who created The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, Fargo, and No Country for Old Men. Add in Jeff Bridges in a role that was originated by John Wayne, as well as Matt Damon, Barry Pepper, and Josh Brolin and you have a surefire winner on your hands and that proved to be true. What I loved the most about True Grit was the fact that everything seemed really authentic. From background actors who seemed legitimately from the time period to the way the principal actors spoke and acted, True Grit transported you to that time in the west. I thought Jeff Bridges was incredible and the little girl, Hailee Steinfeld, definitely deserves an Oscar nomination. Combining the right amount of action and dialogue, the Coen Brothers proved that they could succeed in the Western genre just as well as they succeed in other ones.
3. THE FIGHTER
I was really surprised how much I liked The Fighter. There are tons of movies about boxing out there, especially boxing movies based on a true story. But The Fighter proved to be different by focusing more on the boxer himself and the different events going on in his life while he was fighting for the championship. I think The Fighter succeeded by not making a movie about a boxer who has problems in his life, but about a guy who has problems in his life who is a boxer. Instead of focusing the entire movie in the ring, which we've seen a million times before, the writers and director David O. Russell instead focused and depended on some incredible performances. And there is some incredible acting in The Fighter. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo provide two of the best supporting performances of the year and I hope they both win Oscars. Christian Bale in particular is AMAZING as Mark Wahlberg's character's drug addict brother, who is so loyal to his brother that he's ignorant to the fact that his drug addiction is actually hurting the family.
2. INCEPTION
I think it's too early to call Christopher Nolan one of the greatest directors of all time because he only has six movies under his belt. But with Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and now Inception all among my favorite movies of all time, Christopher Nolan is undoubtedly going to be in consideration soon. All three of those movies were groundbreaking because they were incredible action movies but they didn't sacrifice good performances for good action. By casting award winning actors in his action and comic book movies, Christopher Nolan has brought both genres to new heights. Inception was no exception. It boasts an incredible cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, and Ellen Page, among others. But the greatest thing about Inception was its amazing action and special effects. The scene pictured above was one of the coolest things I've ever seen! The premise and complexity of Inception were all so amazing that it easily could've been my favorite movie of the year if it weren't for...
1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK
I want everyone to remember back nearly a year ago when the first trailer for The Social Network was released. "A movie about Facebook- that's gonna suck!" was the general response the movie got among my friends, despite me trying to tell them that I thought it was going to be really good. With the incredible team of Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher, how could it not have been? Before seeing The Social Network, I had no idea what the backstory of Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg was. Who knew that he was such a snake who would screw his own friend out of millions of dollars? Using that story that is incredibly appealing to my generation in particular, The Social Network was really entertaining. Sorkin's quick-paced dialogue kept things interesting and just the fact that Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield could keep up with it is a testament to how awesome they were in this movie. Yes, even Justin Timberlake proved he deserved to be in the best movie of the year. It's actually hard to pinpoint what my favorite thing about The Social Network was, but just by watching it you get the feeling that you're watching a modern day masterpiece. It just gives off that aura. I would love to see more Sorkin-Fincher collaborations in the future as I think they make an awesome team. As for The Social Network, I believe it deserves to win Best Picture of the Year and looking at all the awards its received so far, I'm sure it will do so.
So there's my Top 10 favorite movies of 2010? Comment below if you agree or disagree about my picks! What were your Top 10 favorite movies of the year?
Will 2011 be a better year for movies than 2010 was? I'll be back in a few days with a look at some of my most anticipated movies of 2011.
I'm still working on my Top 10 Movies of 2010 list. There are still a few movies that I know would probably make it onto my Top 10 that I haven't gotten a chance to see yet. Obviously I won't be able to see everything that I want, but I'm gonna hold out an extra couple of days before I give in and finally make my list. Some movies I'm still hoping to see include The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Town, and Animal Kingdom.
Below is the list of all of the movies I've seen this past year. Can you guess which ones will make my Top 10 list? After looking at the list below, maybe some of these will refresh your memory and help you make a Top 10 list too.
*The movies are listed in order of release date, certainly not quality order!
