|
1: No Country for Old Men
Probably the Coen brothers' best film- and I love Fargo. Beautiful camera work and cinematography, fantastic acting, and Chigurh. If you've seen the movie, just saying "Chigurh" is enough. If not, then I can't describe how brilliant Chigurh is.
2: The Lookout
For a long time this was #1. Marketed like a heist movie, but in reality a fantastic character study. Strong performances all around, especially Jeff Daniels in what will probably be an overlooked Oscar worthy performance.
3: American Gangster
Could've been #2, but Crowe's first parts dragged. But I would hold this up as being the antithesis of Scarface, and in 10 years time, if this isn't rap's new favorite movie instead of Al Pacino doing his Cuban Blackface, then I give up on the genre.
4: Zodiac
For a movie where arguably nothing happens to the main characters, this one can build some tension. I could see where someone would think it's boring, since the two big payoffs are about what isn't said, and in one of the instances, something that was said like halfway through the movie and never mentioned again. When the staredown IS the big payoff, and it works, then you know you're watching some top-quality filmmaking.
5: Eastern Promises
Viggo Mortensen should work with Chronenberg forever. I'd only seen him in GI Jane, the LOTR movies, and parts if Hildago. Then I saw A History of Violence and found out he could act (sorry, but it's hard to tell when the roles you've seen someone in require 0 range). And then I saw this, and my GOD. It's a shame he seems to be persona-non-grata for the Oscars, because Nikolai is all kinds of awesome in this.
6: Rescue Dawn
Christian Bale continues to suffer for our entertainment. If going from The Machinist to Batman Begins wasn't enough, he's basically doing the same thing again, only with a Western thrown in.
7: Superbad
"I'm gonna give you the best blow-J. With my mouth." The initial viewing had me about falling off the chair, and while subsequent viewings aren't as laugh-out-loud funny, they hold up quite well.
8: 3:10 to Yuma
Crowe is better here than he was in AG. And Bale is Bale. But for me, the real story of the movie is fucking Ben Foster. He's another guy who should be getting award attention for his performance but will probably be overlooked. The ending didn't QUITE work for me, but it's all great up until that.
9: Bug
Unpleasant, occasionally nauseating, and exhausting. But still, it's a hell of a movie, and again there are great performances. I would love to see the play this was based on, I can't imagine the intensity of seeing it live.
10: Futurama: Bender’s Big Score
Here I was thinking it was going to be a lame year for animation. But then Futurama comes and saves it. Everything I loved about the show is present in the movie; emotional moments, catchy musical numbers ("Going to War" is awesome), and a staggeringly wide array of styles of humor. Off the top of my head, I can't think of many other places you'd see math jokes, puns, goofy rhymes, physical humor, and dick jokes blended together.
Looking back, this has been one of the best years for acting in a long-ass time. I still have yet to see Juno or There Will Be Blood, and both of those could be top 10 contenders.
Worst movie I saw was Shrek the 3rd, but I am pretty selective about what I see in theaters.
|