Top 5 Movies of 2010

Spurred on by a random question of the week (thanks Pedro) I decided to do a little end of the year article on my top 5 movies of 2010. This is easier than top 5 games, because I go out to the movies a lot, but I don't really play games the year they come out, so I'd be more apt to do a "Top 5 Games of 2009 or 2008ish... or 2005". So without further ado here is The Worlds Worst Critic's Top 5 Movies of 2010!

5. Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese is a fantastic director. Lauded by the like of Robert Ebert he changes things up a bit for Shutter Island. The slightly fantastic and mind messing elements of this film are great, it's Scorsese doing the modern "artsy" approach and it works well. This movie provided a fantastic sense of paranoia and had a great payoff. The last line has an eerie resonance and what is akin to a wink and a nod. This is a perfect blend of old hollywood and new, well worth a watch.

4. Jackass 3D

You can read my review for this film here. To sum it all up, this film rises above its immature aspects to become something wholly unique. It is about friendship, it gives words and images to something almost indefinable. While not for everyone this was probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. If you have a strong constitution I highly recommend it.

3. Toy Story 3

Seeing as a PIxar film was my favorite movie last year it's not to hard to imagine why Toy Story 3 is on this years list. Simply put it is beautiful, not only in how it looks, but how it brings to end a story I (and most of you) grew up with. It's exciting and touching, it amazes me that pixar can bring out more emotion in a group of toys than most movies can with real world subjects. The end of this film will have you in tears, assuming you have a heart that is.

2. Inception

I wanted to give Inception my top spot, but it got beat out ever so slightly. This movie is amazing. The plot is NOT convoluted or overwrought (as some would say), it's easy enough to follow and the description alone should have you clamoring to see it. Again, like in all my top 5 it is the subtle aspects of the film I enjoy the most. Yes there are grandiose dreamscape action sequences and a plot about being in a dream in a dream in a dream and so on. There is also subtlety though, in a way that shows what regret can do to a man, and what love is. If you haven't seen this film yet, please do. The ending will definitely have you talking.

1. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

I am a nerd. If you read my blog you probably know that, I just wanted to make it clear that Scott Pilgrim is Nerdvana. It is single handedly not only a perfect graphic novel adaption, but also a fantastic video game movie. That's right, despite not being based on a video game it seems to defy (or transcend) genre logic and become a game movie, only it's good (and the game for the movie was good too). Directed by a personal favorite of mine Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) the editing is fast and furious and the dialogue takes center stage. This movie may have underperformed at the box office, but rest assured, it is still an epic of epic epicness.

So there you have it, my top 5 movies of 2010. Inception has a game in the works and I positively can't wait for it. If you were wondering my top pick for movies in 2009 was "Up" and my pick for 2008 was "Brothers Bloom". I insist you watch both, they will make you a better person. The holiday season is in full swing so I hope everyone is staying safe. I'll be back to report on all the awesome games my wife gets me!

Jack@$$: It's like 'Saw' as a comedy

This is going to be by far the most ridiculous sounding review I ever write. Not because I loved Jackass 3D, but the reason I loved it. My enjoyment did not come from the ridiculous stunts and rude humor (though they were hilarious), but for something else. I can't even believe I'm going to say this, but it was deep. This was more than just a series of short pranks and men tempting darwin. This film is comradery personified. It is an up close and intimate look at friendship through the ages.

Let me paint this on a broader canvas. Jackass initially starts as any other entry in the series (albeit in 3D). Each and every gag elicits the same reaction: They vaguely set up what is going to happen (or in some cases jump right into the gag). At this point you figure out what is going to happen before the impact or action, you cringe, gasp, then laugh. The process is almost exhausting, but a movie where you get tired from laughing? I'd call that a success of a comedy.

Throughout the film you will see these men destroy their bodies (and minds) for our entertainment. At face value it's funny, but there is something behind all this. When the movie opened Johnny Knoxville introduced it in the usual fashion. The first thing I noticed was how much older he looked. Granted, I didn't watch the show very often while it was on because I didn't have cable, I still caught it enough. Toward the end of the movie Knoxville makes a comment about doing this for 10 years, and that's when it hit me.

A decade later and these guys are still the best of friends, even though they constantly torture each other. Jackass 3D is a testament to those friendships, perhaps like the ones you had back in high school, or elementary school, or maybe it speaks to you now. That, for the most part, is what I was thinking about as the credits rolled. I thought about my best friend Jake who is now married, living in North Carolina, and working for Uncle Sam. I thought of talks about Metal Gear Solid 2 with 'nextgenps2'. My first date with my wife at Yogurt Land. Hanging out in my friends garage till 4am. All of these things came to mind because of this film, it certainly is an odd power, but Jackass 3D wields it elegantly. The credits roll to early footage of the Jackass gang, some stuff before the series even made it on TV, all to the catchy tune "Memories" by Weezer (I tried to find the version from the film, but the video below is actually the 'official' music video, not the one from the credits).

Yes, Jackass 3D is a raunchy comedy, which I usually don't buy into. Then again, raunchy comedies are almost never this good. From the very beginning you get the feeling that the cast is reuniting after some time apart, and realizing that the best times they had were together (even if they constantly need to protect their *ahem* family jewels around each other). I've never really had a friendship like that in particular (the kind that hurt each other for laughs), personally I avoid pain, but just because I never had a group of friends like that I didn't feel alienated or out of touch with the cast. These guys genuinely care about each other and that's what shines through. That is how this movie succeeds where so many others fumble, the relationships.

So there you have it. In my opinion Jackass 3D will probably be one of the best films of the year, and it seems like a fitting farewell to this cast of characters we grew up with. A decade ago these guys picked up a camera and did something stupid that ended up being funny. They stuck with that formula and it still works to this day. Now 10 years later they are older, and perhaps wiser, but with only a faint wink and nod to the camera, they don't like to show it.