Five Surprisingly Awesome Movies of the Year
The Other Guys: Though his track record has been pretty awful (Land of the Lost) Will Ferrell returns to top form in a performance that’s reminiscent of his characters on SNL, while Mark Wahlberg show his ability to do comedy.
Restrepo: Could have turned out to be a snooze about the sacrifice of war, but Sebastian Junger uses a compelling narrative to propel the movie foreward as he follows a company of soldiers during their tour in Afghanistan
The Town: Ben Affleck did a wonderful job directing “Gone Baby Gone,” but he really proves himself with his second film.
Winter’s Bone: A critical darling at Sundance, I was skeptical of this film but Jennifer Lawrence’s raw performance was worth the trip to the theater.
Social Network: The idea of a whole movie about Facebook is laughable, but Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay about the struggle between the company’s founders was flawless. Plus, Andrew Garfield. Sigh.
Five Movies That Were Just as Amazing as Expected
The King’s Speech: I love Britain
Toy Story 3: Pixar is amazing. I’ve enjoyed every movie they’ve released. Let’s not forget this animated film made grown men across the US
Inception: BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHM!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: I’m in my mid-twenties, and Harry Potter is still one of my favorite books.
True Grit: While I didn’t expect this to be a typical Coen Brothers film with quirky characters, I was pleasantly surprised with how beautiful the movie looked. I also really enjoyed the simple plot. It was very refreshing.
Five Most Disappointing Movies of the Year
Alice in Wonderland: I really hate the use of CGI, but I didn’t expect this movie to be so boring. Not to mention the ending was just odd.
Sex and the City 2: This was not nearly to par with the first film or the original show. The script meandered, and the plot had turns that made little sense.
Valentine’s Day: Though I didn’t expect this to be cinematic gold, I had hoped it would be like “Love Actually” since the format of the two movies is similar. It was just AWFUL.
Black Swan: All the critics love this movie. I thought the imagery would be more impressive than it was. I thought the advertised “psychological thrill” would be less comical.
Dinner for Schmucks: I like Steve Carrell, and I love Paul Rudd. This was just BAD.
