scott pilgrim vs. world
i may not have been thrilled with michel cera's portrayal of title character scott pilgrim, but that didn't stop this movie from being a blast of hyperactivity and harmless fun. a pretty faithful adaption of the hit comic book (up to the end that is), this movie succeeds because edgar wright is a fan of the source material and it shows.
9)
machete
this is not a movie that will show up on many top 10 lists, but i loved it. It was silly and over the top with violence cheesy one liners and gratuitous nudity. but that's not what got me. what got me is that the script was complex enough not to make feel like an idiot watching it. "high brow" and low brow at the same time.
8)
kick ass
another comic adaption. this was a smart but nasty piece of work that knew exactly what use what to discard and what to add to make the book come to life on the big screen. as a fan of the source material i was pleased to see that this movie was just as hard hitting as the comic.
7)
true grit
coen bros latest film is the rare case when the remake is better than the original, mainly due to pitch perfect performances by josh brolin, jeff bridges and especially newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. westerns aren't usually my cup of tea, but i was immediately taken in by the first frame and didn't want it to end.
6)
black swan
this psycho-sexual thriller is the topic of a lot of conversation lately. sadly a lot of folks don't get it. in the end this is a surprisingly honest depiction of mental illness, from the point of view of the sufferer. to all those who didn't get it, put yourself in the shoes of natalie portman's character.
5)
blue valentine
perhaps the most honest and brutal portrayal of a dying marriage ever done in any art form, blue valentine is not easy to watch. heartbreaking, touching and poignant, you root for the characters even if you know what will happen. this film could go down as the performance of both ryan gosling's and michelle williams' career.
4)
the fighter
i'm no fan of sports, but i have no problem with sports movies and the fighter is one of the best sports movies since the wrestler. christian bale gives one of his best performances as a drug addicted fighter trying to train his brother. a slice of life story with characters you like despite their flaws.
3)
winters bone is a mystery, poverty and the meth trade, but at heart it is a tale of family and the lengths one girl will go to save hers. most hollywood films that exam poverty and middle america do so through big city eyes. this film feels like it was made by characters that are similar to the ones on screen and that makes all the difference.
2)
inception
christopher nolan once again made a film that was both a commercial hit and genuinely good piece of art. visually stunning and narratively complex, inception isn't as hard to follow as some said. watch it again, you'll see. i wav expecting a small little science fiction film, instead we got this mind bending block buster. well played chris, now go make batman 3.
1)
the social network
many critics have dubbed this film the film of a generation. a film that defines where we are in 2010 as people. perhaps, but what really got me about this film is how david fincher managed to maintain his dark mise en sin while dealing with a subject that could be typical and unchallenging. instead he shows the creepiness the can sometimes come with the facebook experience.
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