I wasn’t even going to put together a best films list because I simply don’t see many movies in theaters. But then I managed to post quite a lengthy one as a response on someone else’s blog: http://breagrant.com/blog/ So I’m reposting it here. Enjoy:
1. Iron Man: I’ve never been a huge fan of the character, but god did I love this movie. For Marvel’s first film, they really knocked it out of the park. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark was the best casting of any super-hero in any comic book ever (and, yes, that’s including Christopher Reeve as Superman).
2. The Dark Knight: Just watched this again today. It’s hard to screw up Batman. Granted, we’ve all seen it done (thanks Joel Schumacher!). But Batman’s got such a great rogue’s gallery and such a great supporting cast, you have to willfully ignore the source material to screw it up. Which is why I give Iron Man the nod for best film (it was the more difficult task). That being said, I still love this movie. And I found Heath Ledger’s performance to be even more mesmerizing the second time around. It’s tragically ironic that for once the villain doesn’t die at the end of a Batman movie, and then the actor dies instead. So much potential there (for both the actor and the film series).
3. Young @ Heart: If you want a movie that will alternate between making you laugh hysterically, inspiring you, and making you weep like a little baby, this is the film for you! It’s a documentary about a choir of senior citizens who sing songs like “I Want to Be Sedated” by the Ramones and “Schizophrenia” by Sonic Youth. I’ve recommended this film to every single person I work with and any library patron who’s asked me for a good movie. Not one person has ever come back and told me they didn’t love it. You are not human if tears don’t stream down your face when they sing Coldplay’s “Fix You”. Easily the best moment in any film I’ve seen this year.
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall: A Judd Apatow produced film starring Kristen Bell? How could it not be great? I was so psyched for this movie very early on and it totally delivered. Just hilarious.
5. Wall-E: Pixar can almost do no wrong, but I was not a huge fan of Ratatouille, so maybe my expectations were lowered a little bit for Wall-E. There is no dialogue for such a large chunk of the film and for it to remain so engrossing over that time was quite a feat. Also, possibly the best romance in a film this year.
6. Hellboy 2: I did not like the first film at all. It had some cool ideas, but overall I found it cheesy and cringe-worthy at parts. The second film is amazing. Mike Mignola and Guillermo del Toro teamed up to created some of the craziest, yet beautiful, monsters ever to appear on film. So often bad CGI will pull me out of a movie, but I could not tell you what was CGI-ed in this movie and what was a practical effect. It was seamless (at least on my HDTV screen).
Honorable mention: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: I don’t know if it should be called a TV show or a short film or what, but whatever it is, it should be on the year’s best list for that category. So I’m throwing it on here. Funny, tragic, and everything else Joss Whedon is known for.
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