2010 had a solid selection of movies worth trekking to the theater to spend actual money on to watch. It also had quite a few films not even worth the time to download.
Check out The News-Letter’s picks of this year’s best blockbusters. Most of them are already on DVD, so take December to catch up on the movies you missed.
10. Iron Man 2: This movie wasn’t miraculous as far as superhero films or sequels go. However, the fairly good action scenes and Scarlett Johansson’s sexy spandex suit earn this movie a spot in the top 10.
9. The Ghost Writer: Roman Polanski’s thriller was one of the best movies this year to keep you guessing (it doesn’t count if you never know what is going on...ahem...Inception).
Ewan McGregor delivered a strong performance, as usual, as the cleverly unnamed ghostwriter. He signs on to finish a politician’s (Pierce Brosnan) already started memoir just as reports reveal the politician may be involved in some shady business.
Olivia Williams (Dollhouse) gave a great performance as Brosnan’s wife, constantly keeping viewers unsure of her allegiances. While Kim Catrall’s role was entirely unnecessary, this star-studded film was one of the year’s gems.
8. Alice in Wonderland: This film could make the list on visuals alone. With trippy and colorful CGIs and equally hypnotic actors, Alice made viewers feel as if they had fallen down the rabbit hole.
Anne Hathaway, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Mia Wasikowska as Alice were expertly cast. Often overlooked in comparison with the intricacies of Wonderland, the opening sequence before Alice follows the white rabbit is beautiful in its Tim Burtonized Victorian setting.
7. Paranormal Activity 2: For those who get spooked by ghosts and things that go bump in the night, this is the scary movie for you. As most, it is best seen in a theater or with groups of people to set the appropriate ambiance (re: a lot of people screaming unnecessarily.)
This film is very clever, though, as it expertly ties in to the first movie in a way that we have not seen done before. And the ending of the sequel may be even eerier than the first.
6. Harry Potter 7: The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1: It shouldn’t be a surprise that this made the list. Part one of two, this film signifies the beginning of the end for the wizarding world.
It dealt with the darkness of the seventh book in all the right ways, but also prepared viewers for an epic final installment of the series.
Looking back on this movie, not much actually occurred in terms of plot progression, but it was by no means boring. It took us exactly where we needed to be for the final film’s duels and dark marks and dementors. It has been a great ride.
5. The Kids Are All Right: This film may have been one of the most perfect films to be released this year. Alice’s Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson play two teenagers on the search for their father, a sperm donor.
Their moms (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) reluctantly agree to this. Enter dad (Mark Ruffalo) and a whole lot of chaos. This film has already perked the Academy’s ears for Oscar season. It’s a hilarious coming-of-age comedy that tackles some pretty important issues along the way.
4. Shutter Island: Scorcese certainly knows how to make a movie. Leonardo Dicaprio plays a tortured U.S. Marshall investigating the asylum on Shutter Island, where one of the patients has gone missing.
With the exception of some overdone music, this film epitomizes a great psychological thriller. If you’ve only seen it once, rent it again and you’ll be sure to pick up some things you missed the first time.
3. Toy Story 3: A great ending to Pixar’s trilogy and perhaps the first ever nominee (and winner?) for the Oscar’s Best Picture award.
2. The Social Network: A movie about Facebook had the opportunity to fail on so many levels, but David Fincher’s interpretation did not.
In fact, it was far from it. The opening scene between Facebook creater Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) was smart and snappy and a perfect delivery of Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay.
The movie just went uphill from there. It’s a great look at the transformation of the social networking site that we know and love, but also at the inner development of all those involved with its creation. Oh, and some of it was shot at Hopkins.
1. Inception: For a movie many years in the making, Inception was very much worth the wait. Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack is sublime and the gravity-defying architectural feats are more than impressive.
