watch it: movies of 2010

Hello, everyone! How are you? Finalizing your New Year's Eve plans? I am excited to ring in 2011! For many reasons...one of which, for me as a big film fan, is the arrival of awards show season and a whole new year of movies! In the meantime, I present to you my Overview of 2010 Movies : )

My Top Five Best Movies of 2010*

The Social Network
Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Brenda Song, Rooney Mara, Rashida Jones

I saw this movie in theaters twice - and I rarely see movies in theaters more than once. I love this movie about the creation of Facebook and the legal conflicts that ensued. The writing is outstanding, expertly telling a story that is both funny and serious through flashbacks and deposition scenes. The acting is top-rate - every actor is perfect in their role, expertly handling and executing the light-hearted and heavy parts of the story. The music and cinematography are so well-done, they're like more supporting characters - adding to the story in a way that it wouldn't be the same if they were gone, but they don't overwhelm you or take your attention away from where it should be. Amazing, amazing, amazing. This movie deserves every award it's nominated for. (picture source)

Toy Story 3

Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

As People magazine pointed out, Toy Story 3 proves, if anything, that Pixar simply cannot make movies anymore. They make instant classics, masterpieces of the film world, not just of the animation and children/family genres. As a young woman who was just beginning elementary school when the first Toy Story arrived in theaters and is currently in college, this movie was especially poignant for me. Andy is about to leave for college and is trying to decide what toys to give away, which to keep, and which to take to college with him when the toys accidentally get dropped off at a day care center. This movie made me cry three times. THREE TIMES. And I still want to watch it over and over. A must-see for people of all ages. (picture source)

Easy A
Emma Stone, Penn Bagdley, Amanda Bynes, Aly Michalka, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson

I know this movie is classified as a teen comedy/romantic comedy, which generally aren't critically acclaimed and don't make top "movies of the year" lists, but this isn't a typical teen or romantic comedy. It's not just funny, it's super witty and its brand of funniness is of an irresistible, off-beat nature. The story is basically an unique, modern-day retelling of The Scarlet Letter, going beyond the basic boy-and-girl, party-scene formula so many teen movies fall upon. Emma Stone is fantastic, excelling at both humor and more dramatic scenes (so good, in fact, she's been nominated for a Golden Globe). The supporting cast is superb, adding to the humor and drama without overpowering Stone's lead. I highly recommend seeing this film. (picture source)

Date Night
Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Mark Wahlberg,
James Franco, Mila Kunis, Taraji P. Henson

Again, I realize that comedies are usually not placed on "top movies of the year" lists very often, nor are movies that were released in the first half of the calendar year, but Date Night was awesome. It starred two of the funniest actors today, Steve Carell and Tina Fey, who rocked the humorous, action-packed, and sensitive parts of the film and provided the audience with the believable chemistry of a couple who's been married for some time. The supporting cast did a great job, especially stand-outs James Franco, Mila Kunis, and Mark Wahlberg. The story is crazy and of course unlikely, but extremely fun. I highly recommend it to fans of Carell and Fey and to those in search of a fun movie night. (picture source)

Shutter Island
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley,
Michelle Williams

I have to admit, I struggled quite a bit in choosing my final top movie pick - I was debating between Shutter Island and Inception, and I was not going to pick both and have two mind-twisting, Leo thrillers on my list. I ultimately chose Shutter Island because (a) I'm a sucker for the underdog and (b) it was UNBELIEVABLE. Don't get me wrong, Inception was mind-blowing as well and most definitely a must-see, but I was highly impressed by Shutter Island. As someone who is in no way a fan of the scary movie genre, I was surprised at my ability to handle the story of Shutter Island - it's more a suspenseful thriller. I appreciated the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio and the always-wonderful Mark Ruffalo, as well as the direction of the great Martin Scorsese. The end is moving, terrifying, and mega-intriguing all at once. Not a movie to watch by yourself or super late at night, but definitely one to see. (picture source)

*All the 2010 Movies I Have Seen & My Ratings
(five star movies are highlighted purple and were the only
consideration for the my top five movies of the year list)

When in Rome ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Daybreakers ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Dear John ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Valentine's Day ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Shutter Island ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Cop Out ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Alice in Wonderland ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Green Zone ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Bounty Hunter ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Hot Tub Time Machine ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
How to Train Your Dragon ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Date Night ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Kick-Ass ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Back-Up Plan ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Iron Man 2 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Letters to Juliet ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Get Him to the Greek ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Killers ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Toy Story 3 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Eclipse ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The Last Airbender ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Despicable Me ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Inception ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The Sorcerer's Apprentice ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The Other Guys ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Eat Pray Love ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Going the Distance ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Easy A ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The Social Network ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Due Date ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Unstoppable ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Harry Potter 7 Part I ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Love and Other Drugs ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Tangled ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
TRON: Legacy ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
True Grit ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Full 2010 movie list found here
Some other Top Movies of 2010 lists: MSN, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, Moviefone

What movies that you saw in 2010 were your favorite? Your least favorite?