Although 2010 still feels like a distant memory already, I’m not quite done with it yet. I mean, for one thing I’ve yet to discuss my top 5 films of last year and it’d be a tragedy to forget to do it. Right?
Oh and would you look at that, here they are, my top 5 films of 2010 (plus honourable mentions for another 5 which didn’t quite make it).
5: Easy A
Not really chosen by another other critic I have seen as one of the top films of last year but I cannot praise this film highly enough. Emma Stone is showing herself as being one to watch out for and having bagged the role of Peter Parker’s love interest in the next Spiderman film I can’t wait to see what she goes on to do. She is however just one of the things which makes Easy A so perfect. I defy anyone who watches this film to not wish that Olive’s parents were their own (Stanely Tucci once again proves himself to be immensely likeable when he isn’t in the midst of a dyer film) and I also defy anyone not to punch the air a la The Breakfast Club when the film’s final act rolls around. The best teenage comedy in years and worthy of comparisons with John Hughes finest moments; top class entertainment.
4: Kick Ass
Can you believe this film almost didn’t get made? No, me neither. Operating outside of the studio system and funded through very brave (and smart) investors Kick Ass is one of the best superhero films in years and it achieves this by being one of the best parody films in years: Superhero Epic Date Scary movie this ain’t. It is equal parts funny and horrifying, never glorifying the actions of the title character which enables it to critique the whole idea of the superhero genre in a way not many other films have managed to. By shooting in a colourful comic book style Matthew Vaughn reels you into a false sense of security which is quickly destroyed as Kick Ass himself learns that being a superhero can prove to be bad for your health. Chloe Mortez’s epically brilliant Hit Girl and Nicholas Cage’s Big Daddy though are the film’s real winners. The Banana Splits sound tracked fight scene which reveals Hit Girl for the first time has got to go down as the scene of the year and that line, you know the one I mean, well, I still laugh when I think about it.
Furthermore, it is rare that a film can surpass its source material but Kick Ass does with ease. It turns what is ultimately a fun if not breathtaking comic book and transforms it into one of the best comic book adaptations of all time. In total, it does exactly what it says on the tin: it Kick’s Ass!
3: Toy Story 3
I would trust Pixar with my life. Hell, in going to see Toy Story 3 I trusted them with my childhood and they didn’t let me down so why not give them the rest of my life as well? The conclusion to the best movie trilogy of all time, Toy Story 3 shows clearly why Pixar are the best of the best at what they do. Honestly, think of another movie trilogy which is better? The Godfather has a flabby final number as does Spiderman, Back to the Future dips in it’s middle act and the less said about Return of the Jedi’s Ewoks the better.
Toy Story 3 is story telling brilliance to a Shakespearean degree: it is the most tragic and heart breaking film of the year (I cried like I haven’t done in years when I first saw it), it looks simply beautiful and, above all, it is absolutely hilarious. It is endlessly watchable no matter what mood you are in and is up there with the finest movies of all time. Not making this my number 1 movie of the year was a hard decision but the next two films just edged it…
2: Inception
Where to start? Christopher Nolan has created a film which I can find no fault with, it is that most elusive of things, an almost perfect movie. And I only say ‘almost perfect’ as perfection is quite obviously impossible in this universe. But Inception comes bloody close.
This is the second time in a row that I have walked out of a Christopher Nolan film utterly speechless, not being able to find the right words to describe the epic which I had just witnessed. The fight scene in the revolving corridor, the mind bending plot which has different conclusions and explanations every time you watch it, the image of Paris folding in on itself; just a few reasons why Inception is going to be very hard to beat in the sci-fi action genre for a very long time.
Moreover though, what Inception proved was that cinema audiences and not made up of 10 year old boys who want to see Robots kicking the crap out of each other for 3hrs in the summer. It is a summer blockbuster which ticks all of the right boxes (Explosions! Guns! Crime!) and all of the Oscar season boxes as well (Great acting! A brilliant script! Making you think and discuss after you’ve left the cinema!). Its success proves that people want to be entertained whilst not sacrificing a good story. We needed Inception to prove this and I am so happy it has. The Dark Knight Rises cannot be released soon enough.
1: Scott Pilgrim
I thought long and hard about this choice. Inception is without a doubt the best movie of the year, as I’ve said it’s nigh on perfect. Scott Pilgrim isn’t, I’m well aware of this; it’s a bit baggy in places and it’s slightly too long but at the same time not long enough. However, Scott Pilgrim is unquestionably my favourite film of the year and one of my favourite films ever.
I saw this 3 times at the cinema and honestly considered going more times until I checked my bank balance. I truly loved it more every single time as well. The moment the first Sex Bob-Omb song cut in on my first viewing I didn’t stop smiling, laughing or marvelling at the genius that is Edgar Wright. There is so much happening in each scene and behind each scene that on one or two viewings I’ve spent about 10 minutes of the film just watching the backgrounds, trying to spot something I haven’t seen before.
More than anything though, Scott Pilgrim is utterly unique. It looks like no other film I have seen as in essence, it isn’t a film at all. It’s a video game and a comic book where everything is moving; the visual effects deserve awards galore and they blend seamlessly into the action (at the moment of writing this they have been included on the long list in this years Oscars). Michael Cera proves himself to be more than Arrested Development’s George Michael (a role he has played endlessly in recent years) in the fight scenes. This shows no more obviously in the final show down in the Chaos Theatre as swords swirl in blazes of pixelated glory and nameless bad guys explode showers of coins.
It is a film which is faithful to the source material without feeling the need to stick to it like glue as other comic adaptations do as well. Through his direction Edgar Wright fuses the feeling of the comic book whilst never making you feel that he has sacrificed his vision to appease fan boys (of which I can honestly say I am one when it comes to Scott Pilgrim). He has grown as a director since Shaun of the Dead and Spaced but has never lost the unique flare which makes his pieces tantalisingly brilliant to watch. The way scenes are cut together, the way the camera whizzes about without making you feel nauseous in the fight scenes and the way he manages to capture those awkward, tender moments between Scott and Ramona prove Edgar Wright has the talent and deserves to be making movies of this quality for a very long time to come. I for one at least, will be first in line for anything he makes.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World then may not be perfect but that doesn’t matter in the slightest. It is without a doubt my favourite film of 2010 and one which deserves to be a lot bigger than it is. If you haven’t seen it, go and buy it on DVD/Blu Ray. Hell, buy two copies- I’m sure a friend would appreciate it and love you forever for providing them with a gift as brilliant as this. Truly an epic of epic epicness!
Honourable Mentions
Banksy- Exit Through the Gift shop- A laugh out loud is it/isn’t it documentary as subversive as the culture it focuses on.
Social Network- A lesson in how to make a film about unlikable people captivating.
Chico and Rita– A classic love story made out of time. Endlessly beautiful.
4 Lions– Chris Morris is a genius. I defy anyone to prove otherwise after watching this.
Monsters– Who needs millions to make the best Monster movie of the year? Not Gareth Edwards, that’s who.
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