Monday, January 3, 2011

2010 Year In Review: The Top Ten Movies of 2010 That I Watched, Among Other Things

2010. A year I'm not all that fond of. Well, half of it was good. I could make it a year in review of my depressing and/or awesome personal life, but no one gives a damn. I'll just say this... The mind can make a heaven of hell, or a hell of heaven. Life doesn't suck, it's the perception that can suck. It really is what we make of it.

I was going to do a Top 10 Games of 2010 That I Finished list...

...then I realized I've only beaten three 2010 games in the calendar year. I may do game reviews and all that, but the fact is I am a few years behind on my games.

I can't very well do a Top 3 Games Of 2010 That I Finished list.


3. Metroid Other M
2. God of War 3
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2

...okay, I guess I can. But it makes more sense to do a movie list, given how much time I spent at the movies this year, reviewing things for various papers. So I'll do that, and talk about the year in entertainment. Things I liked this year, and whatnot. Let's go.



THE TOP TEN MOVIES OF 2010 THAT I WATCHED
(Excepting the movies that came out this year that I didn't see firsthand... so if Indie Film X was the greatest thing of all time, but I didn't see it, it won't be here)

Note: Inception will not be on this list. I have a bone to pick with Inception, in that I was one of the four people who thought it actually wasn't great.


10. Shutter Island
Directed by Martin Scorsese, this "what is actually real?" thriller had me trying to figure out the truth right up until the end. "Am I real?" I said when reached for comment, while looking at my hand and waiting for it to start fading away. Either way, it was a good movie. Could have been better, but it was good. The setting (off the shores of Boston), the weather (stormy), and the time period (retro, complete with mobster hats) all gave it a pretty unique feeling that no other movie that I saw this year really had.

9. Easy A
This high school comedy flew under the radar of a lot of people. Emma Stone was great as the lovable protagonist as she dealt with a nefarious clique of mean girls and more desperate guys than one can shake Amanda Bynes at. Miss Bynes was good too, as the ultra-uptight, rich snob, "villain" of the movie. The ending was a little on the predictable side, but I really liked this movie. It's one of those rare teen movies that manages to be real with its audience. Some people might think this is a silly movie to have on a top ten for the year, but it's my list, and By God, here it is.


8. Iron Man 2
The sequel to the impeccable Iron Man is decent, if not as great as its predecessor. One of the strong points of this movie is that it has a far more formidable foe for Tony Stark to deal with... right up until the anticlimactic final fight. It could have been better, but it was still a wild ride. It is also noteworthy for building up The Avengers. It needs to be said, when that movie eventually launches, nerds everywhere will have to change their pantaloons.

7. Buried
Review: http://coronajumper.blogspot.com/2010/10/movie-review-buried.html
This movie made a huge impression on me. It was a bold idea that legitimately could have been accomplished by anyone with a camera. That isn't taking away anything from the people who made it (including Ryan Reynolds who turned in a surprisingly serious performance here). Everything here is done so well that it's difficult to not be fully into the movie by the time it ends. Leaving the theater, I heard a lot of people going "wow", and that isn't too shabby for a movie that could well have had no budget at all. One of the most unique movies ever made, hands down.

6. Predators
Review: http://coronajumper.blogspot.com/2010/07/movie-review-predators.html
In retrospect, I disagree with my own review of this movie. It deserved a bit better than I gave it, and the characters, while generally what society would call "bad guys", were likable and generally charismatic overall. This is a review that I'd almost like to re-write eventually, but I don't normally do that. I believe that (spoiler alert) the new Super Predator (for lack of a better term) slaying the Classic Predator was a metaphor for this movie trying to be bigger and badder than the original. Was it? I'm not sure, but the fact that I have a tough time saying which of the two is better is proof enough that this movie was great.

James Cameron's first true masterpiece since Terminator 2 (haw, suck it Titanic) blew me away, and given the numbers it did, it blew a lot of people away. It steals story ideas from multiple sources, but when it comes to tales about how humans are bad bad creatures, Avatar makes it all seem new again. Note: Technically the movie came out in 2009, but the fact that it stayed in theaters months into 2010 means I'm counting it on this list.

4. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Review: http://coronajumper.blogspot.com/2010/08/movie-review-scott-pilgrim-vs-world.html
This...oh yeah. This was really good. Yep. Yeeeeah. Definitely the best video game related movie of all time. Such luminaries as The Wizard and Doom can't even begin to compare. Too bad they cut the Chrono Trigger X-Strike out of the final movie, though.

3. Harry Potter 7.1
Review: http://coronajumper.blogspot.com/2010/11/movie-review-harry-potter-and-deathly.html
Dark, scary, and otherworldly, this movie gave me chills. Anyone who saw Fellowship of the Ring probably remembers how scary the Nazgul were, right? Well, about half of this movie made that kind of impression on me. It brings the dark, and our heroes deal with it via a lot of savoir faire. Well done.

2. Toy Story 3
Review: http://www.coronajumper.com/2011/05/movie-review-toy-story-3.html
Perhaps the most critically-acclaimed movie of the year, this movie literally has something for just about anyone out there with a soul. It's brilliant in every sense of the word. The Wall-E of this year, and a damn fine movie. Pretty incredible.


Absolutely my favorite movie of the year. Do I think that it's better than Toy Story 3? That's a tough call, and I'd lean towards no. It's a statistical tie overall, however, and Black Swan had me absorbed in a way few movies have done since I saw Fight Club a decade ago. Speaking of which, the similarities between Black Swan and Fight Club are a bit eerie. It also draws heavily from The Wrestler (they even started out originally as the same movie). Those are two seriously good movies to be drawing influences from. As a result, I can safely call this my favorite movie of 2010. Review forthcoming on this one...


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DVD BONUS MATERIAL

The Top 5 Songs I Liked In 2010

5. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
...............yeah, I'll admit it. I seriously liked this song. It strikes me as having a lot of heart behind it, and I respect that. Kinda sounds like a 90's song, and in this case it isn't a bad thing.

4. Misery - Maroon 5
This is a catchy song about man's plight with woman.



3. Show Me A Good Time - Drake
This was a bang-up year for Drake. Weirdly enough, at first I couldn't stand the guy. Then I actually listened to a few more of his songs, and realized how good he is. He's in his heyday right now, too. The fact that this song is produced by Kanye (debatably one of the best mainstream producers out there) makes it even better.

2. Never Stop - Chilly Gonzales
Best known as "that iPad commercial song". I really dug this song over the course of the fall, and the way it builds up tempo as it progresses is pretty cool. Insanely hip and catchy song.



1. Cinderella Man - Eminem
Eminem's phoenix-like rebirth/ascension in 2010 was something to behold. This is a guy who spent his last few albums goofing off and trying as hard as he could to offend people while imitating Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and talking about suicide ad nauseum. He turned things around with his Recovery album, finally putting his immense talent behind some more positive messages. Eminem has grown up, and it's good to see it happen. I didn't hear "Cinderella Man" until towards the end of the year when a friend played it, but it really made an impression on me. More than just a profane rapper, this is a guy with massive potential as a storyteller, and he has proven he can use it to full effect.

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The Top 3 Things That Made My 2010 Better
3. The NBA - The drama surrounding Lebron James was just one large part of the overall increased attention the NBA got this year. The divisions are as competitive as they've been in over a decade, and a new generation of superstars have taken center court.

2. Passion - At some point early in the year, I figured out exactly what it is.

1. Breasts - The best part is, they are sometimes found in groups of not one, but two.

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My Top 5 Pastimes in 2010 

5. Doing things I shouldn't be doing
Whether it be a round of beers after school or intense brooding that resulted in lost man-hours before a deadline, I was all about doing things I shouldn't be doing this year.

4. Video Games
This one is timeless, and fuels a lot of what I write on here. The only reason games aren't higher on the list is just because I didn't have much time for them for most of the year.

3. Reading Shakespeare aloud
This transpired in my classes, and it was always a good time when it did. Reading someone's lines in an exaggerated, deep voice draws much laughter and merriment, and I have heard that it also has the potential to score you The Poon, 'bro. Just going by what I've heard. Mileage may vary. Thank me later.

2. Unleashing the Fury of Valhalla via the typed word
This is what I'm doing right now. It gives me an outlet, for sure. I hope to keep it going for a while and expand my efforts. It's good that I have this, because it's a pastime that actually contributes to one's success in life.

1. Girl-Pleasuring 
I spent a substantial portion of the year on this. It's good times.

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Top 5 People I Could Have Done Without in 2010
5. People who smell strongly of pee
Especially when they're on the subway, or in other crowded places. There may or may not be a reason for this, and I'm not one to judge, but I could still do without this.

4. Snooki
I have nothing against Snooki herself, or any particular members of The Shore. My issue is that, for whatever reason, Snooki gets all the mainstream mentions. I don't know if anybody realizes it, but there are other people on the show.

3. Kesha
No, I'm not going to spell it with a dollar sign. Holy shit.

2. Guys in Tapout shirts
Somebody needs to tell these guys that they look like a bunch of douche-nozzles. If you actually train at a dojo, great, more power to you. If not... quit posin' and frontin', as the kids say.

1. Busybodies
You know the types. Those people who aren't happy unless they're constantly, unflinchingly in other people's business, telling me and the people close to me how to live. They made my 2010 hell right up until the end of it when I escaped.

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The Top 4 Funniest Writers on the Internet in 2010

4. Sarah Palin's Twitter (google.com)
This woman is comedy gold. I don't know where she gets her material, but the kid's got a future doing stand-up on Broadway.

3. Joe Delaney (electricfeast.com)
If you don't know Joe... well, sooner or later you will. You will.

2. Seanbaby (seanbaby.com)
Seanbaby has been rocking the internets for years, and while he sometimes makes jokes seemingly by stringing random words together the way manatees do, his penchant for hilarity knows no bounds. He claims that every time he does a new blog post, fifty pussies explode. To which I say... for the love of God, man, stop before any more innocent people die!

1. Spoony (spoonyexperiment.com/)
Another hilarious internet fiend, Noah Antwiler is not only funny, his postings are thought-provoking and intelligent. He gives inspiration to us little guys. His Final Fantasy VIII reviews are true hilarity, and that's just the beginning.

5 comments:

  1. I need to see Black Swan. Perhaps tomorrow night...

    Emma Stone is a babe and I've thought that since Superbad. However, I have no intention of seeing "Easy A."

    Drake is GQ's "Man Of The Year" for 2010 which he kind of deserves. So, "Bang Up year" indeed.

    Yeah, I kind of like "California Gurls," too. I don't like that I like it, but it's just one of those catchy-ass top 40 songs that you can't help but like. I dislike every other Katy Pery song, though. She really can't sing. But, her talent as a singer isn't really why she's famous. It's basically her image. Which is a nice image.

    A top 40 song I really don't like is that Maroon 5 song. But I've never liked them. Adam Levine is good on Kanye's "Heard 'Em Say," But they really could've got any singer for that guest spot.

    To bring back the GQ stuff, I've been wanting to see buried ever since I read an interview in the magazine with Ryan Reynolds about that movie. It sounds like he went through a lot of shit to make it which is interesting.

    Thanks for representing Electric Feast. That's the new crew. And yes, Joe is definitely one of the funniest people on the internet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "1. Spoony (spoonyexperiment.com/)
    Another hilarious internet fiend, Noah Antwiler is not only funny, his postings are thought-provoking and intelligent. He gives inspiration to us little guys. His Final Fantasy VIII reviews are true hilarity, and that's just the beginning."

    Why am I just now hearing about this?

    ReplyDelete
  3. "Easy A" isn't for everyone. Hell, it isn't even really for me under normal circumstances. They did a great job with it though, so I said what the heck and included it on the list. Much the same way I might have included American Pie on a favorites list like this ten years ago, just because it got on my good side despite being an inherently silly movie.

    As for Spoony... I didn't know he existed either until about a week ago when I was referred to his Final Fantasy reviews. He's hilarious, and a cool guy in general.

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  4. You're so right about Snooki stealing everybody's heat. I wholeheartedly support including "silly" movies like "Easy A" on Top 10 lists, and I'm wishing and hoping for the day a straight-up comedy like "The Hangover" wins Best Picture. I love Shakespeare and the NBA as much as the next guy. You realize how controversial an anti-Inception movie review would be, right? Hell yeah on the Chilly Gonzales song, and nice double meaning on "escaping" 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think Other M was a decent game,Also for wallpaper. however, as a fan of the Metroid series I feel like Other M has screening onto my heart.
    I collected this game series from at PIJ.
    http://bit.ly/METROIDOtherM

    ReplyDelete