11. Edge of Darkness
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Houston, Ray Winstone, Shawn Roberts and Bojana Novakovich
Plot: As homicide detective Thomas Craven investigates the death of his activist daughter, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate cover-up and government collusion that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence.
P.S.: I know, Mel Gibson has since come out as a crazy person, but that has not wavered my love for this movie. It is one of few movies that I always think about, even after being almost a year since I’ve seen it. The only thing that would have made this a better movie is if it had Robert DeNiro cast as the character of Jedburgh (he originally was attached to play this character.)
10. Green Zone
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan and Brendan Gleeson
Plot: Discovering covert and faulty intelligence causes a U.S. Army officer to go rogue as he hunts for Weapons of Mass Destruction in an unstable region.
P.S.: Whether you believe we should be in Iraq is irrelevant when it comes to this movie. If you watch this, please just enjoy it for what it is…entertainment. Yeah, it’s based on real situations, and the message behind it may or may not be true, but who cares? It’s a great movie.
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan and Brendan Gleeson
Plot: Discovering covert and faulty intelligence causes a U.S. Army officer to go rogue as he hunts for Weapons of Mass Destruction in an unstable region.
P.S.: Whether you believe we should be in Iraq is irrelevant when it comes to this movie. If you watch this, please just enjoy it for what it is…entertainment. Yeah, it’s based on real situations, and the message behind it may or may not be true, but who cares? It’s a great movie.
9. Black Swan
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassell, Mila Kunis and Winona Ryder
Plot: A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan, but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like the evil twin sister of the White Swan, the Black Swan.
P.S.: This is a movie about ballet. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. I was told time and time again that it’s a thriller where the ballet aspect takes the back seat. Those people were wrong. That being said, this was a great drama about someone collapsing under pressure. But, when it does get into the intense part of the movie…it hits hard.
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Stars: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassell, Mila Kunis and Winona Ryder
Plot: A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan, but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like the evil twin sister of the White Swan, the Black Swan.
P.S.: This is a movie about ballet. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. I was told time and time again that it’s a thriller where the ballet aspect takes the back seat. Those people were wrong. That being said, this was a great drama about someone collapsing under pressure. But, when it does get into the intense part of the movie…it hits hard.
8. Restrepo
Directed by: Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Stars: Brandon Olson, Matt Piosa, Kevin Rice, Aron Hijar and Juan Restrepo
Plot: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's year dug in with the Second Platoon in one of Afghanistan's most strategically crucial valleys reveals extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of back breaking labor, deadly firefights, and camaraderie as the soldiers painfully push back the Taliban.
P.S.: This is an extremely powerful documentary that every American must see, to see the realism of war and what these young kids go through over in Afghanistan.
Directed by: Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Stars: Brandon Olson, Matt Piosa, Kevin Rice, Aron Hijar and Juan Restrepo
Plot: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's year dug in with the Second Platoon in one of Afghanistan's most strategically crucial valleys reveals extraordinary insight into the surreal combination of back breaking labor, deadly firefights, and camaraderie as the soldiers painfully push back the Taliban.
P.S.: This is an extremely powerful documentary that every American must see, to see the realism of war and what these young kids go through over in Afghanistan.
7. 127 Hours
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Stars: James Franco, Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn
Plot: A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.
P.S.: I watch a lot of gory, brutal horror movies…and nothing I’ve ever seen has made me cringe as much as this movie did. It’s also not easy to make a movie about a guy in once place for an entire movie stay interesting. Plus, James Franco’s performance of Aron Ralston was easily the best performance of the year.
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Stars: James Franco, Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn
Plot: A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.
P.S.: I watch a lot of gory, brutal horror movies…and nothing I’ve ever seen has made me cringe as much as this movie did. It’s also not easy to make a movie about a guy in once place for an entire movie stay interesting. Plus, James Franco’s performance of Aron Ralston was easily the best performance of the year.
6. Toy Story 3
Directed by: Lee Unkrich
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles and Michael Keaton
Plot: The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.
P.S.: Not only was it a great story, great voice acting, and great animation, it was the absolute perfect way to end the trilogy. It’s such a great, funny, and emotional roller coaster. Also, it’s crazy that they can make you care about these characters for three movies…and they’re only toys.
Directed by: Lee Unkrich
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles and Michael Keaton
Plot: The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.
P.S.: Not only was it a great story, great voice acting, and great animation, it was the absolute perfect way to end the trilogy. It’s such a great, funny, and emotional roller coaster. Also, it’s crazy that they can make you care about these characters for three movies…and they’re only toys.
5. Let Me In
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas
Plot: A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.
P.S.: I would say this remake (of Let The Right One In) exceeds the original in every way. The acting, the script, the directing, the cinematography, the effects…everything is better. Also, I didn’t think they could make the pool scene from the original any better, and they did. Lastly, I think it would be smart to track these two main kids. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of them to come.
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas
Plot: A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.
P.S.: I would say this remake (of Let The Right One In) exceeds the original in every way. The acting, the script, the directing, the cinematography, the effects…everything is better. Also, I didn’t think they could make the pool scene from the original any better, and they did. Lastly, I think it would be smart to track these two main kids. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of them to come.
4. Kick-Ass
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Stars: Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong and Lyndsy Fonseca
Plot: Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.
P.S.: A few little fun facts: Daniel Craig and Mark Wahlberg were both offered the role of Big Daddy. Stan Lee has a cameo. After being rejected by every major studio, Matthew Vaughn raised the money via a dinner party, and made the movie independently…he then sold it to Universal for more than he had originally asked for. Also, Chloe Moretz insists that if she were to use any of the strong language she used in the movie at home, she would be “grounded for years.” She referred to the movie during interviews as “the film” or “Kick-Butt”.
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Stars: Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong and Lyndsy Fonseca
Plot: Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.
P.S.: A few little fun facts: Daniel Craig and Mark Wahlberg were both offered the role of Big Daddy. Stan Lee has a cameo. After being rejected by every major studio, Matthew Vaughn raised the money via a dinner party, and made the movie independently…he then sold it to Universal for more than he had originally asked for. Also, Chloe Moretz insists that if she were to use any of the strong language she used in the movie at home, she would be “grounded for years.” She referred to the movie during interviews as “the film” or “Kick-Butt”.
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman, Brandon Routh and Chris Evans
Plot: When Scott Pilgrim falls for Ramona Flowers, he has trouble breaking up with his current girlfriend, Knives Chau, and tries to romance Ramona. As if juggling two women wasn't enough, Ramona comes with baggage: seven ex-lovers, with each of whom Scott must do battle to the death in order to win Ramona.
P.S.: What makes this movie so great is the fact that Michael Cera (who always plays the same character) stepped out of the normal role that plays to play an ass kicking hero. Yes, he’s still the nerdy awkward guy, but within a second can turn into a total badass. Also, most of the credit for this movie goes to Edgar Wright, deservedly. His direction was almost like it was its own character, and added a great feel and tone throughout the movie. The best description of this movie that I’ve heard is: “it’s like a musical, only instead of singing, they break out into a fight.” It describes it perfectly.
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman, Brandon Routh and Chris Evans
Plot: When Scott Pilgrim falls for Ramona Flowers, he has trouble breaking up with his current girlfriend, Knives Chau, and tries to romance Ramona. As if juggling two women wasn't enough, Ramona comes with baggage: seven ex-lovers, with each of whom Scott must do battle to the death in order to win Ramona.
P.S.: What makes this movie so great is the fact that Michael Cera (who always plays the same character) stepped out of the normal role that plays to play an ass kicking hero. Yes, he’s still the nerdy awkward guy, but within a second can turn into a total badass. Also, most of the credit for this movie goes to Edgar Wright, deservedly. His direction was almost like it was its own character, and added a great feel and tone throughout the movie. The best description of this movie that I’ve heard is: “it’s like a musical, only instead of singing, they break out into a fight.” It describes it perfectly.
2. The Town
Directed by: Ben Affleck
Stars: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm and Blake Lively
Plot: As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.
P.S.: I know a lot of people dismiss this movie because it’s a Ben Affleck movie. But, it’s Affleck at his absolute best. Not only does he give a great performance, he gave great direction…not to mention he co-wrote the script. Also, Jeremy Renner is very quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, and will be robbed if he doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for his performance in this.
Directed by: Ben Affleck
Stars: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm and Blake Lively
Plot: As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down.
P.S.: I know a lot of people dismiss this movie because it’s a Ben Affleck movie. But, it’s Affleck at his absolute best. Not only does he give a great performance, he gave great direction…not to mention he co-wrote the script. Also, Jeremy Renner is very quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, and will be robbed if he doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for his performance in this.
1. Inception
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy and Marion Cotillard
Plot: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: plant an idea instead of steal one.
P.S.: Who didn’t see this one coming? If you’ve read any of my past posts, this should come as no surprise. What is there to say about this movie? Except for everything about it is perfect. Some of the greatest actors and actresses in the world, and not only the greatest director, but the greatest team out there (the same team that made The Dark Knight) worked together to create this masterpiece that still has me talking and theorizing all these months later.
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy and Marion Cotillard
Plot: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: plant an idea instead of steal one.
P.S.: Who didn’t see this one coming? If you’ve read any of my past posts, this should come as no surprise. What is there to say about this movie? Except for everything about it is perfect. Some of the greatest actors and actresses in the world, and not only the greatest director, but the greatest team out there (the same team that made The Dark Knight) worked together to create this masterpiece that still has me talking and theorizing all these months later.
Honorable Mentions:
-The Social Network
-Exit Through The Gift Shop
-Shutter Island
-Brooklyn’s Finest
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
-Exit Through The Gift Shop
-Shutter Island
-Brooklyn’s Finest
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
