Here is my end of the year list of favorite movies. Be prepared.

1. The Expendables. This is the big one for me. The action this movie provided was on a massive scale, and I had such a blast watching this in the theater. It was an almost easy choice. The next movie gave it really stiff competition though.

2. The Social Network. This movie struck me. When I saw it opening night, I knew I was watching a masterpiece. Eisenberg steals the movie (if he’s not nominated for Best Actor it’s going to be as criminal as Rourke losing to Penn) and the term “Winklevi” still brings laughter to me. It was a tough choice to choose between Sly’s return to slam bang action, and this movie that was about facebook’s creation. Sly and action edges this out.

3. Edge Of Darkness. Gibson is a pariah right now. Doesn’t mean the man can’t act anymore. I saw this twice in the theater, and what’s even more surprising was how much Vanessa loved it. She never wants to see something twice, and she was adamant that we see this one again. Solid drama, and surprisingly bloody violent moments, including one which is my top shocking moment of this year.

4. Piranha 3D. FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN. Seriously. This was the greatest 3D movie I saw this year. This is the type of movie 3D was made for. Looking forward to the aptly titled sequel, Piranha 3DD.

5. The A-Team. Speaking of fun, here’s a tv show turned into a movie that is up there with a select few that is actually a really good movie adaptation. This movie was going to live or die by the casting of the 4 leads, and it was a success. Neeson friggin’ OWNED as Hannibal (although to be fair, George Peppard  is the real owner of John “Hannibal” Smith), and Sharlto Copeley showed the world that his role in District 9 wasn’t a fluke.

6. True Grit. I had seen 2 movies that were shit before seeing this masterpiece of filmmaking. Jeff Bridges was the absolute right choice to play Rooster Cogburn, and Hallie Steinfeld has an amazing debut. Also, tons of pitch black humor in this movie as only the Coen Bros. can do. 

7. From Paris With Love. This was the first movie I saw this year in the theater, and it was on Valentine’s Day and it was with Vanessa. Great action, and Travolta channeling Vic Deakins/Castor Troy this time as a good guy equals to one hell of a fun movie. So sad that this flopped at the box office. I would gladly watch the further adventures of Charlie Wax.

8. The Book Of Eli. The awesome score, and really interesting plot (I love theology and theology mixed with a post apocalyptic world equals great to me) Plus Ray Stevenson whistles the theme from Once Upon A Time In America.

9. Hot Tub Time Machine. It’s criminal that this hilarious movie failed at the box office. This is one of the funnier movies to come out this year, but it seems to be finding it’s way on disc, and people will see what they missed in the theater.

10. The Crazies. I was never (pun intended) crazy about the original, so I was really open to this remake. Color me surprised when it turned out to be a really solid movie, and had a downbeat ending. Something a lot of big studios don’t really like going for often.

11.Jackass 3D. This movie and Piranha 3D are a fun combo. Seeing both of them together will cause you to have stomach pains from laughing too much (or throwing up).

12. Machete. Jeff Fahex steals this movie. As does Seagal. Plus a naked girl takes a cell phone out of a certain place, and Danny Trejo has his first love scene on film at 66 years of age. Yeah, this movie rocks. 

13. Get Him To The Greek. Some people hate Russell Brand, but he just works in this movie. However, the real reason to see this movie is for Sean Combs. The man makes you believe that he’s been doing comedy for years. He needs more comedy roles. In fact, I want a movie just based on his character.

14. Kick-Ass. No way a studio would have financed this. Vaughn had to raise the money himself. Plus Cage. If anything, see this movie for Nicholas Friggin’ Cage. Looking forward to the sequel.

15. Toy Story 3. a fabulous ending to the story about a kid’s set of toys, and it does have it’s share of emotional moments. I know I wouldn’t be able to part with any of my toys.

16. The Town. Affleck and Renner run this movie down in a MACK truck. Especially
Renner. His final scene is nothing short of amazing.

17. Red. This is another movie that surprised me with how great it turned out. I was expecting a fun time, but I got great action that pushed the PG-13 boundaries, and John Malkovich stealing the movie.

18. Clash Of The Titans. The only movie I didn’t see in 3D this year as everyone on the boards had said that the 3D conversion was crap. A lot of people hated this movie, but I loved the action. Playing through God Of War III yesterday and the day before has me wanting to revisit it.

19. Knight And Day. This is the Tom Cruise show. He takes the public’s perception of his insanity and plays it well in this movie. Cameron Diaz I could care less about. It’s all about the Cruise and he is still charismatic as he’s always been. 

20. Tron: Legacy. I had a bad experience today watching this movie. The theater’s projector went out twice, and the bulb burnt out the second time. Both times it happened during the climax of the movie. I didn’t get to finish it (and got a refund), but the other 85% of the movie that I had seen, and the visuals, along with the really loud and bombastic Daft Punk score earned it a place on this list. Looking forward to seeing the rest of it soon.

If nothing you saw has irritated you yet, prepare to be irritated by my honorable mentions.

Other movies that I greatly enjoyed but didn’t make my top 20. In no particular order. 

1. Jonah Hex
2. Legion
3. Death At A Funeral
4. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
5. Predators
6. Splice
7. The Other Guys
8. Inception
9. Shutter Island
10. A Nightmare On Elm Street

Looking forward to the next year, and all the movies that it brings.

Rene’s song of the day: “Recognizer” by Daft Punk.

Thanks for reading my blog and see you next time!