You're A Daisy If You Do

I remember a day where I was sitting at home and watching some of my favorite films. I noticed they all came out around the same time frame. Somewhere between 1998 and 2001, some of my favorite films ever were produced. These films inspired and shaped my taste in cinema forever. These movies made my heart race. I remember my eyes were dry because I wasn't blink to avoid missing one amazing moment. I felt that some of the most perfect films had been created. I have often wondered when a movie would ever make me feel those emotions again. Well I guess the year for those feelings was 2010. Some of the greatest movies ever made have been made this year. This is all in my humble opinion of course. I'll explain why I feel this way about every singe one, then you can watch and judge for yourself. Feel free to leave comments below. Before we get started I just wanted you to know that my favorite directors are Aaron Aronofsky, David Fincher, and Christopher Nolan and I beleive that some of their best work has been release this year. I am not alone as their movies are in the runnings for many awards.

10. Kickass


How often do you see a movie about super heroes that genuinely moves you? How often are they good? How often are you completely surprised? This movie had all those elements..and even though it had disappointing figures at the box office, I predict the film will live on in our minds and possibly usher in a new era. Where the film Watchmen disappointed, and over exaggerated, this movie had just the right amount of violence and shock balanced with great acting and directing. I know I personally cannot wait to see a lot more of Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz.


9. Tangled
You know I had all but given up on Disney making another movie about a princess that wasn't bad. Somewhere a long they way I think they tried something "different" straying completely from the Disney movie formula and leaving Alan Menken behind along with it. Without those two elements I dont think the films have been as strong. It seemed like Disney had to take a different direction and started making more creature centered films. I mean dont get me wrong I love Wall-E, Toy Story etc..but a part of me missed these kinda films. Tangled is a definite throw back to early disney cartoons and guess what Alan Menken is back too!


8. The Extra Man

I got really into Jonahthan Ames' work when I read the Alcoholic. I immediately wanted more and actually "The Extra Man" was the first book I picked up. I have to say that I enjoy the film adaption even more which is due largely in part to Paul Dano and Kevin Kline. I was captivated by Paul Dano's performance in "There Will Be Blood" and it made me an instant fan. Kevin Kline's portrayal of Henry is amazing. I mean he is just how I pictured him. In fact, all the actors did a terrific job. I love John C. Riley as Gershon. Anyway this is a small film and worth a netflix rental. If you love "Bored to Death" you'll probably love this movie!

7.Paranormal Activity 2

Where other horror films have failed this franchise succeeds. I think the best part of these movies is the build up and then the realistic but still terrifying delivery. These movies have played on our fears of being invaded in the place we feel the safest.The second one was even better than the first movie. It ties in well to the plot and the camera is better quality (due to this family having more money in the film) and therefore a lot easier to sit through.

6.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1.
Just like the books, the Harry Potter films seem to have gotten better and better as they've gone along. This movie didn't disapoint. It has been the highest grossing Harry Potter film of the series and one of the best in terms of critical reviews.I have to completley agree with them. I loved it! The thing that strikes me most about this franchise is that every single one of these films have been good. Is there another franchise you can even say that about? Everything about these films has been great from the directing to acting, to costumes and music. This film is no exception.

5. Inception
I loved Christohper Nolan's portayal of Batman, but I gotta be honest. I loved Memento and Sunshine a heck of a lot more. Inception is a return to what Nolan does best, and that's dark and surreal suspense thrillers. It reminded me a lot of "Paprika" which a lot of news sites have speculated was the inspiration for this film. My favorite person in the film was Joseph Gordon Levitt. Its great seeing him take on these adult roles with such ease. This is a definite must own!

4. The Fighter
I have not even seen this movie yet...but I'm adding it to this list. I started reading about this movie back when Aronofsky was directing it. He had wanted Brad Pitt for the role, but Pitt turned the offer down. Mark Whalberg was his replacement but the whole film was thrown off by Pitt turning down the role. Marky Mark was quoted as saying that he was training every day for a film he didn't even know was going to be made. Eventually Aronofsky dropped out too. I have always like Mark Whalberg. I feel like he has gotten some bad roles and a bad rap along with it, but he was excellent in the Departed. I think he and Christian Bale together is a great mix. The film has gotten rave reviews and has been nominated for some awards as well. Thats enough proof for me to know its good and it is only a matter of time before I see it for myself.

3. True Grit

We are all tired of remakes but True Grit delivers big time. The Cohen brothers have another masterpeice on their hands for sure. This film was amazing! I loved Jeff Bridges as Cockburn. He's such an incredible actor. That alone sold the film for me.


2. The Social Network
I loved this movie for so many reasons..and I am going to tell you all of them. This movie was a close second to Black Swan for me. I admit it is tough to choose between them for best film of the year in my book. First of all David Fincher is one of my favorite directors. Since "Fight Club" I have faithfully watched all his films and for the most part they have all been good..as long as we pretend "The Panic Room" didnt happen. This film is a little different for him but still has the same intensity as all his other works. Secondly, Trent Reznor taking the sound track. There was a time people giggled at my suggestion that Reznor tackle sound tracks, but the fact is the man is incredibly talented. He was every aspect of NIN and only had a band on stage with him because he couldn't physically play all the intstruments and sing at the same time, but in reality he was the entire band. Its one thing to be a front man or play an instruments its another to have complete creative control over the whole thing. Many of NIN's tracks were instrumental and I really wanted him to transition into film. Well he did not dissapoint the soundtrack is one of the strongest aspects of this film. Lastly, Jesse Eisenberg is my final reason for loving this film. Jesse Eisenberg is often compared to Michael Cerra thanks to his role in "Zombie Land", but lets be real here. He is a completely different animal when you get to know his work. If you haven't seen "The Squid and the Whale" add it to your netflix queue to understand what I'm talking about. He's an incredible actor and his acting style is probably my favorite. He utilizes the 70s style of very serious, slow and subtle while still being a powerful actor see also Dustin Hoffman, Phillip Seymore Hoffman, John Malcovic and so on.
1. The Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky is my favorite director by far. Requiem for a Dream is my favorite film he's made, that is until I saw this film. I think my favorite aspect about Aronofsky's films is his ability to mix elements of horror, suspense, and drama so beautifully. Everthing from the acting to the music to the cinematography to the story telling is just flawless in this film. When I saw Requiem I actually felt that the score was almost bigger than the whole film. The genius behind that is Clint Mansell. He's an incredible composer and has worked on every single one of Aaronfosky's films starting with Pi. You should also listen to the score he composed for "Moon" (not an an Aronofsky film but an incredible movie!). Not since Requiem has a theme he composed struck me the way the one in Black Swan has. The music in the movie is just amazing and one of the best parts of the movie. Natalie Portman's portrayal of Nina is flawless and compelling. It was truly amazing the way she could go from Nina the scared and fragile girl to Nina the cold hearted black swan. The whole film basically mirrors the plot of Swan Lake and its an incredible and modern adaptation. It sort of reminded me of the Del Toro said about Pans Labrynth. In that film he took the elements of a fairy tale and showed them in a serious and tragic light, which is how many of the fairy tales were originally told. The plot of Swan Lake is a tragedy. This film takes that tragedy and makes it modern and believable. Lastly I want to say that this film reminded me ALOT of "Perfect Blue". There were many scenes in this movie that were almost identical. If you have not seen that movie you need to. Its the best animated film I have ever seen. We lost Satoshi Kon this year...and now is a good time to catch up on his work. He was way ahead of his time and I think "Black Swan" and "Inception" are a testament to that fact.