10. The Other Guys
This may come as a surprise, but I am not a huge fan of Anchorman. Maybe it was aimlessness of the story, maybe it was the annoying characters, but I'm not a huge fan. The Other Guys, however, took the talents of Will Farrell and gave him a terrific straight man in Mark Walberg. These guys really know how to play off each other's strengths, and it show, because I laughed harder than any film I believe I've ever seen in theatres before.
What made this more than just a parody of Buddy-Cop movies is the surprisingly developed storyline involving the misinvestments of the NYPD pension funds. I came in with no expections, and had to follow a storyline in a comedy movie! The ending credits then had the gall to feature a political message: a series of animated graphs shows how corporate CEOs get multi-million dollar golden parachutes, while the police get stiffed. I was blown away that a Will Farrel film had relevant political commentary.
9. The Town
The Town is The Departed mixed with Michael Mann's Heat. Ben Afflack shows his influences as director, but it's still a strong crime drama. The robbery sequences are superbly directed, effective in gluing me to my seat. Not as complex or thought provoking as Ben's prior effort "Gone Baby Gone," The Town still pretty good.
8. Shutter Island
Best. February release. Ever. (Yes, that means you, Passion of the Christ!) It's a haunted house movie, a psychological thriller, a mystery, and period piece all in one. Leo is a great actor able to command the screen in whatever movie he's in, and during Shutter Island, I was totally wrapped up in his paranoia as he wanders the freaky mental-asylum-based island. The movie really messes with you, misdirects you, and sends you for a ride.
Most horror movies are awful, but Shutter Island functions well on all levels and shows off the mad chops of Martin Scorsese.
7. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
I won tickets to see an advanced screening of this and came in with no expectations. That is the only way to see this movie, come in with no expectations, because it blew me away with it's "epic awesomeness." This is the greatest video game movie ever made, precisely because it's not based on a particular video game (an anime, actually,) but on the idea of video games. This is the first film to successfully utilize and mix the aesthetics of both Japanese anime and video game action. Remember the movie trailer-voice guy? and how he always says things like, "This is the white-knuckle thrill ride of the summer!"? Well, THIS IS the white-knuckle thrill ride of the summer! It's absolutely hilarious, doesn't take itself too seriously, has not only the most fun sequences of the recent memory, but also the best artistic uses of CGI all year. Even if you hate Michael Cera, see Scott Pilgrim. Really, see it.
6. True Grit
The fact that Hailee Steinfeld is being referred too as a supporting actress is a travesty. She, as the 14-year-old girl that instigates this adventure, is the focal character and holds considerable weight next to Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon. Bridges is so much fun to watch as a drunken cowboy that still has his skills together, and Matt Damon did well as the comic relief. The relationship these three characters have as they travel to find the murderer of Mattie Rose's father almost as great to watch as the supremely photographed landscapes they travel around. True Grit is yet another in the long line of Coen Brother's successes, and definitely easier to watch than the horribly depressing (but brilliant) "A Serious man."
5. Enter the Void
This was the best theatre-going experience I had all year. Enter the Void is a French-made, Tokyo-shot, English-language film that is a trip to watch. The entire film is either in the first person of the main character, or shot just behind his head. Oscar is a drug dealer in neon-lit Tokyo, but gets shot in the first half-hour. The rest of the film chronicles his life in loose memories up to that point, and him as a ghost observing what happens to the people he knew next.
The camera work is mind blowing and the special effects are special. Never this year has a movie actively wonder, "How did they do that?" The best way to describe this foreign film is as a sequel to "Requiem for a Dream." But while Requiem for a Dream is filled with insanely quick cuts that make it seem like a music video from Hell, Enter the Void is filled with long, extended shots that carry the camera to all sorts of disturbing places. Be careful with this film, it will challenge you like you would not believe.
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