at the movies
top ten films of the year. i actually saw many many movies this year. some great. some not so great. i actually have too many favorite movies to just name a top ten, so i might name some honorable mentions. let’s begin:
10. The Princess and the Frog. i have a soft spot in my heart for the by-the-numbers disney 2D animated features. i love all the classics, plus the neo-classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, and Lilo and Stich. While this might not be as amazing as those films, it was still very enjoyable and beautifully animated. Plus, it may very well have had the saddest death scene of any film this year. i can’t believe they killed that lil Raymond. sads.
9. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. while not as awesome for me as The Order of the Phoenix, i’m putting this on the list because it was such an amazing film technically. unfortunately, the best scene in the movie (and probably of any film all year) is only available on the blu-ray disc. it’s a scene right before Dumbledore’s death (also very moving), as the clouds gather over hogwarts and as the shadows falls, there’s a shot of Snape in close up that is just AMAZING because it’s so slow and deliberate that it brings importance to Snape’s role throughout the whole series and also what is coming up in the next two films.
8. Precious. Okay, here’s my thing with this movie. i LOVED the book. i liked the film. it was not unlike a student film. i didn’t necessarily agree with every decision the director made. HOWEVER, you can not deny the strength of the entire cast. Gabby Sidibe and Monique (especially) deserve every bit of industry recognition they’ve received or will in the futures (oscar noms!). Paula Patton and Mariah Carey (wha…?) are also outstanding and the supporting cast is top notch. you can just tell that a lot of heart went into these performances. and it may very well have the best line of any movie all year: “heeeeyyyy, my name is joann…my favorite color is fluorescent beige…”
7. Julie and Julia. all bow to the greatness that is Meryl Streep. and amy adam, while playing a completely unlikable character, still manages to complete the race, though not in such magnificent fashion as Meryl.
6. Zombieland. beatin’ the shit out of zombies. classic.
5. The Hangover. funniest movie of the year. worth seeing two or three times. plus bradley cooper is hot and i bought the same aviator sunglasses he wore in the movie. the best ensemble of the year.
4. Coraline. i could have sworn that this 3D film, based on the same book, was computer animated. it’s not. that is CUH-RAZY! it is stop motion animation. that is CUH-RAZY! i actually think it’s better than the book. i can’t wait to see what a filmmaker does with The Graveyard Book by the same author (Neil Gaiman)
3. Up in the Air. i normally don’t like George Clooney, but you can’t deny his charm in this movie. it’s funny, a bit depressing and reflective of the times. Anna Kendrick gives the second best supporting actress performance of the year after Monique. it’s too bad they both can’t win the oscar. the director (jason reitman) is on quite a roll: Thank You for Smoking, Juno and now this. and he’s still very very young.
2. Up. i thought this was going to be my number one cause i love me some pixar and i loved this movie so much. i practically tossed a coin for these final two. but god, what fun would it be if, since they release one on average once a year now, pixar topped my list every year? that wouldn’t be fun. ps i love Kevin and Doug. i hate that pixar movies make me cry all the damn time.
1. District 9. i’m usually not a fan of sci-fi. i have no desire to see Avatar or Star Trek. but i really wanted to see this one as i learned more about it. and upon seeing it, i think it’s the one movie this year that stayed with me a bit longer than the rest. compared to 99% of summer movies, it’s budget was miniscule and yet it packed in so much that hopefully (but i doubt it) hollywood might see that you can make a hit movie for the fanboys that actually has a great story, message, heart and action.
honorable mentions:
Sandy B (the proposal and the blind side)
Taken (kickin’ ass and illegal sex trade? count me in!)
Paranormal Activity (i’m all for it’s marketing scheme and i enjoyed the movie–though not scary to me)
worst movie of the year:
Fuckin’ New Moon. No i didn’t see it and have no plans to. i just can’t stand all the media coverage. enough already!!!!
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