2010 in Review: Favorite Movies

This is just one post in my wrap up of the year 2010. If you would like to read the rest, click here to the main post.

I saw a lot of movies in 2010 from covering two film festivals but other than that, I didn't really see any films outside of that. Here are some that made an impression on me in 2010.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
It's no secret on how much I loved Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I'm not even a Michael Cera fan. But I love love LOVE this movie. I had every intention of seeing this film before I was asked to review it two weeks before it came out. A friend of mine highly recommended the graphic novels (enough to actually let me borrow all of them) and I was hooked.

So when I got the text message to see the movie, I jumped on the chance. My brother came with me to the screening and got to experience what it was like to be in my journalism world. We showed up 15 minutes before the movie started and we were escorted to our reserved seats (with my name on the signs!) while there was a line outside the door. I would be lying if I said the red carpet treatment didn't affect me. I've been doing this for almost eight years, it's about time I enjoyed some perks.

The movie itself had me before it even started. When I saw the Universal Studios logo appears in 8-bit, I was already giddy. I just loved everything about this film. It embraced everything in my geeky little world: video games, comic books, great music and witty dialogue.

Toy Story 3
The first Toy Story just reaffirmed my belief that toys had feelings like people so I made it a point to play with all my toys when I was little. Yes, I was one of those weird kids. I still have problems picking what I want at the store and I'll never walk into a animal shelter. It makes me all teary-eyed just thinking about it.

I saw Toy Story 3 because everyone told me it was a must see. I didn't want to see it because "I'm an adult and that's a kid's film." Toy Story 3 was great and really hit home. A lot of adults were moved to tears because the ending... Well just watch it. It will move you to tears, unless you have no soul.

Avatar
All I gotta say about Avatar is that it's so pretty! Predictable storyline, but man, it's so pretty.

Hatchet 2
I already wrote what I wanted to say in my Accent post. So here it is again:

I saw the first Hatchet during one of my horror movie marathons and loved it. It's a hilarious throwback to those '80s slasher films... Definitely watch it if you're a big horror movie buff or you just like blood and guts thrown everywhere. There's plenty of it.

Buried
I wrote an article about the film that never got published. Here it is:

The first night of Fantastic Fest opened at the Paramount Theatre with Let Me In, the American remake of the Swedish movie Let the Right One In, and the suspenseful thriller Buried. Buried has one of the most simplistic plot of a man buried alive, but also one of the most impactful.

Nothing like starting the day by waking up gagged and buried underground. That's just the beginning of the 90-minute film. Equipped with a cell phone, and several provisions such as a knife, glowsticks, and a crappy flashlight, Paul Conroy (Reynolds) uses his limited battery life and air supply to contact as much help from the U.S. as he can.

Director Rodrigo Cortes manages to keep the simple story line of a man in a box entertaining with the help of Reynolds' intense emotional delivery. As the movie only takes place inside a coffin, many people instantly wonder how a director could film not only inside a box, but also manage to keep an audience's interest for the duration of the film.

"The first thing you have to do is not to think of the coffin at all, because if you think of the box, you're going to focus on the restriction. So you just think of the story and on the emotions you want the audience to feel. Then you focus on the right way to shoot it with the right narrative and technical cinematic tools, but you don't think if it's possible inside a box," said Cortes.

Reynolds, who's normally known for his abs or as the charming funny man in romance comedies and comic book movies, shows he can be more than that as the average-man-stuck-in-an-awful-situation Conroy. It takes a strong actor to convey a story with just emotions and never having to take off his shirt, Reynolds nails it. While there was some quips thrown in to keep some sort of sanity, Reynolds really brought the audience in the box with him, making them feel as if they were in this situation together. On that note, this is a claustrophobic person's worse nightmare.

"The last day was particularly tough because I showed up to set and there were paramedics on set," said Reynolds during the Q&A with the audience after the premiere. "I said to Rodrigo, 'Why, why, whywhywhy are there paramedics on set?' And he said 'They're here to make you feel better.' I said, 'They're not making me feel better.'"

Without giving too much away, Buried is a film that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats with the "Will he or won't he live?" storyline. It's a film that people will have to see for themselves to get that answer.

Austin Film Festival
All these movies were so great. If they are ever released in theaters or on DVD, watch them.