5) Shutter Island
This film is definitely going to be looked over this year. It's a shame, but it's rare for a film released at the very start of the movie calendar year to receive any such recognition come award season.
I've watched this film about a half dozen times so far. With each viewing, my appreciation only increases. Martin Scorsese's psychological thriller, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is simultaneously chilling, emotional, powerful, and thought provoking. The screen is peppered with beautiful imagery and cinematography, that you can't helped but get pulled in to its sense of time and space.
More things I love about it: pretty much all of the performances. All vary in complexity, but my two favorites belong to Ben Kingsley and Michelle Williams. Even though Williams plays a bit part, her performance carries the most emotional impact and displays the overall subtle creepiness felt throughout the film. I also love all of the nightmare's that Leo's character has to endure each and every night. Hands down this is a beautiful film to watch unfold and it's also one that benefits from multiple viewings.
4) Toy Story 3
Let it be known... this film made me fight back tears. Prior to its releases, I was definitely a tad skeptical about a third film. Yes, everything Pixar makes is miles above the care and quality of 90% of the films out there, but the thought of Andy growing up and going to college had me a little on edge. Lo and behold, there was no reason to fret. Toy Story 3 proves yet again that the geniuses at Pixar are some of the best story tellers of this generation.
The one scene that stands out the most when I think of this film definitely has to be the one in which our plastic heroines lock hands as they're heading for certain doom. I don't think I've witnessed a more intense scene in an animated movie.... ever. Mufasa getting killed in the Lion King doesn't even come close. Toy Story 3 is as hilarious as it is heart warming. This is why is definitely deserves to be on this list. Wall-E is still my number 1 Pixar film, but this one comes close.
3) 127 Hours
James Franco, you should probably win some kind of award for this. Hell, even if it's a Kid's Choice Award, I'll be happy for you.
Without a doubt, this is one of the most claustrophobic and thrilling movies I've seen in a long time. We all know the story by now: Hiker Aron Ralston goes on a trek in the middle of nowhere, gets stuck in a crevice for five days, and has to cut off his own arm to survive. The film (based on the inspiring true story) is somehow able to tell an engaging story with its principal actor trapped in the same space for an hour in a half. Without the performance from Franco, this movie would not be nearly as engaging. In the end, it's really a story about how precious life really is, and how one single person can do incredible things when faced with absolute death.
The film also works so well because the viewer automatically puts themselves in the situation as it unfolds. What would you do in his shoes? Could you bring yourself to saw off your own arm with a dull knife? What kind of regrets would you have if you had to face a fate like this? Would you have told that girl you were sorry? That you loved her? That you should have lived life a little more fully? These are the questions I pondered during this film and it makes one man's personal story all the more personal to each and every one of us. Also, let's just call the real Aron Ralston a complete badass with balls the size of bowling balls and move on.
2) True Grit
If Jeff Bridges didn't win the oscar last year, he would be taking it home this year. Maybe he'll repeat, who knows? However, the Academy can be funny sometimes and will probably not go for Bridges. This, coupled with the buzz surrounding Colin Firth, spells out no two-fer for the Dude.
It should be noted that I have somewhat of a Coen bias. I hold mostly all of what they create in high esteem (barring intolerable cruelty, and the ladykillers, naturally). True Grit is just a miraculous film to behold. It's full of brilliant performances (the most notable coming from newcomer Hailee Steinfeld), as well as a superb script that demands that you listen intently to every word coming out of each character's mouth. I read somewhere that the Coen's rarely ever allow an actor to go off script, and you can plainly tell here because the words are so perfectly spoken, delivered, and purposeful that if they do not win the oscar for best Adapted Screenplay, then the Academy is full of blithering idiots.
1) Inception
This is everything I want in a movie. There is so much to love about this film that I am not going to even try writing a coherent paragraph or two. List spewing, activate!
I love every single action set piece. The film takes your typical caper type shoot out/chase scene film and flips it upside down (sometimes literally). The last hour in a half is so beautifully realized and executed that one can't help but appreciate everything it must have took to put this film from pre to post. This film is the brain child of Christopher Nolan, and I'm going to jump out and say that if his movies were his children, this would definitely be the one he chose to take out for ice cream all of the time. He remains one of the most influential and creative auteurs of our time.
It has to be mentioned that the score by Hans Zimmer is fantastic. Every note, every crescendo, adds to the environment and compliments the film in every way that a musical score can.
I also love Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I feel that this film has cemented him as one of the coolest fucking actors working in Hollywood today.
There's too much to love about this movie. I could honestly watch is 100 times and never get bored. It won't win for best film of the year, but in my mind there is no more obvious choice.
There you have it. What would you put in there?
