What is it: A horror movie about a young boy whose next door neighbor turns out to be a vampire-wait come back!-who can only survive by feeding on the blood of innocents. And boy are there innocents to be fed on.
Why did I buy it: I really enjoyed the movie when it first came out, and I've been meaning to buy it for some time now. Well, it got to be Valentines Day and I kind of wanted to see some people get brutally murdered to keep my mind of things.
What's it come with: Well it comes with the movie for one. On the Blu-Ray it looks good. It's not the best looking movie I've seen, but it's a fine transfer. In terms of special features, there's not a whole lot, but what it comes with are all really good. There's a 20 minute long making of feature that hits some of the big aspects of film making like casting, shooting, you know, the important things. Whats cool about this is it's mostly narrated by the cast, all of whom are very charismatic and funny.
Also found on the disc are two short featurettes about the movies special effects, one about the CG and one about the car wreck scene. The CG one is interesting, as it shows the different passes on CG shots. The problem with this, though is it does it with no voiceover and almost no sound. While the effects are pretty cool, the presentation is a little boring. Of course, the whole thing is only about five minutes long, so it's not hard to watch. The second one is far more interesting as it discusses one of the coolest scenes I've seen in a movie in a long time. It's a straightforward explanation of how they got the shot. There was a lot more involved in it than I expected.
The Blu-Ray also comes with two commentaries. Well one commentary and a picture in picture extended special feature that runs along with the movie. I haven't actually had a chance to watch either of these, but I'm sure they are quite interesting.
Final thoughts: This is one of the best horror movies to come out in the last few years. I bought Let the Right One In last year(Let Me In is ostensibly a remake of it) and I'm glad to have Let Me In in my collection. The special features are great, even if there aren't very many and the movie will be watched several times in the future.
Final Grade: B+
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Saturday, March 5, 2011
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Must be Stopped!
Let me start off by saying I LOVE How I Met Your Mother. It is one of my favorite shows on TV right now, and this season is one of its best. Having said that, this show needs to end. The very concept of the show is such that it needs to have an ending. It is a show about how Ted meets his future wife, or more accurately, how he becomes the man ready to meet his future wife. Because of this, we know the show must win one of two ways. Either it ends with him simply MEETING the mother or, more likely, it ends with the wedding of Ted and the aforementioned wife.
The fact of the matter is, it's getting hard to be invested in Ted as a character until this woman is met. Take this current season for example. It's hard, if not impossible to get invested in the relationship between Ted and Zoey. We knew from the beginning that this relationship was doomed, since we have been told exactly when and where the meeting will take place. For those who missed that information, we were told the relationship is doomed at the end of the episode "Garbage Island". In fact its impossible to get invested in any relationship Ted is in since we know it's doomed.
What's been nice about this season, though, is that we have been able to see the characters grow and mature a lot. Barney in particular is almost unrecognizable from who he was in season one. This has been very interesting and entertaining to watch and I'm excited to see where Barney and Marshall in particular end up.
Which brings me to this. For those too lazy to click a link, How I Met Your Mother has been renewed for two more seasons. Now this may not necessarily be a bad thing. If they can write toward a finale, it will be great. The problem I have is that THIS season has felt like it's building toward a finale. I could very easily see it ending after one more season, but two seems too be stretching it to the point of breaking. Again, if the writers and show runners have a clear idea of where these next two seasons are headed, you will hear no complaints from me. What worries me is if they run out of good stories to tell. I think all the fans can agree that season five was a misstep, and that's the future I foresee if there is no solid end date. Side note, I do not want to see Marshall and Lily have a baby on the show. I don't think they can have compelling or relatable stories about them with a baby.
I love this show, and I will be sad to see it go. But I would rather see it end on a high note then come to hate what it has become. I hope the next two seasons are the best we've seen, and I hope for the best from all these actors. Eight years will have been a long time to spend with these characters, and I only want to keep being a part of their world. Please don't let me down How I Met Your Mother.
The fact of the matter is, it's getting hard to be invested in Ted as a character until this woman is met. Take this current season for example. It's hard, if not impossible to get invested in the relationship between Ted and Zoey. We knew from the beginning that this relationship was doomed, since we have been told exactly when and where the meeting will take place. For those who missed that information, we were told the relationship is doomed at the end of the episode "Garbage Island". In fact its impossible to get invested in any relationship Ted is in since we know it's doomed.
What's been nice about this season, though, is that we have been able to see the characters grow and mature a lot. Barney in particular is almost unrecognizable from who he was in season one. This has been very interesting and entertaining to watch and I'm excited to see where Barney and Marshall in particular end up.
Which brings me to this. For those too lazy to click a link, How I Met Your Mother has been renewed for two more seasons. Now this may not necessarily be a bad thing. If they can write toward a finale, it will be great. The problem I have is that THIS season has felt like it's building toward a finale. I could very easily see it ending after one more season, but two seems too be stretching it to the point of breaking. Again, if the writers and show runners have a clear idea of where these next two seasons are headed, you will hear no complaints from me. What worries me is if they run out of good stories to tell. I think all the fans can agree that season five was a misstep, and that's the future I foresee if there is no solid end date. Side note, I do not want to see Marshall and Lily have a baby on the show. I don't think they can have compelling or relatable stories about them with a baby.
I love this show, and I will be sad to see it go. But I would rather see it end on a high note then come to hate what it has become. I hope the next two seasons are the best we've seen, and I hope for the best from all these actors. Eight years will have been a long time to spend with these characters, and I only want to keep being a part of their world. Please don't let me down How I Met Your Mother.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Oscar Nominations - The Big Ones
Well here we are, a couple days before the Oscars ceremony and we will soon find out how much of this speculation is correct. What better time to do the last categories left in my little prediction piece? Here we go.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Winter's Bone
Toy Story 3
True Grit
127 Hours
The Social Network
This is very good category this year, of course it is most years. I think the clear winner, though, has to be Aaron Sorkin's script for The Social Network. From the very first sentence, this movie grabs the viewer's attention and doesn't let them go until the final shot. There has been much debate as to how close to reality this movie is, but in my mind, that doesn't matter. What matters is that the audience cares about the characters, they follow the twists and turns of the drama, and that even though the audience more or less knows what is going to happen, they stay surprised.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kid's Are All Right
The King's Speech
Again, another solid group of nominees, but this one doesn't quite have as clear a winner. This year either Inception or The Kings Speech. This one was a tough call for me, because if it was strictly up to me, Inception would be the winner. It was interesting, it was fun, and it was mind bending. This movie had everyone talking for weeks after it came out. However, I think the more likely winner is going to be The Kings Speech. It has the feel of a movie that the Oscar voters typically go for and Inception is decidedly not.
Animated Feature Film
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3
This is another category in which what I want to win and what will probably win are two different movies. I absolutely LOVED How to Train Your Dragon. I saw it more times in the theaters than i think any other movie ever. It had more heart than any movie I've seen in a very long time, with one possible exception. Toy Story 3 will probably be the winner this year, and that's my pick. The thing about Toy Story is that people like me literally grew up watching these movies. The original Toy Story is one of my earliest movie going memories. So seeing this franchise come to an end, especially the way they did it, was very emotional for all of us. Toy Story 3 gives these characters that we've loved for fifteen years a send off worthy of what we all had hoped from them.
Directing
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David O. Russell - The Fighter
Tom Hooper - The King's Speech
David Fincher - The Social Network
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - True Grit
This is another amazing category this year. All five of these movies were amazing and had amazing direction. As is the case with many of the categories this year, this is more or less a two horse race. It comes down to The Social Network and The King's Speech. Both well directed and both very deserving of winning. I personally feel like The Social Network was the better directed movie, but best direction usually goes hand in hand with best picture. I personally think that The King's Speech will win best picture so I think it will also win direction.
Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
When looking at best picture after they've added an additional five nominees, one has to look at the nominees for best director. If one of these ten was not nominated for direction, it most definitely will not win best picture. As I said before, the two categories usually go hand in hand, since I picked The King's Speech for direction, it would be foolish for me to change my vote for best picture.
So there you have it. All 24 awards. I'll do a follow up after the awards to tell you all how I did.
Directing
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David O. Russell - The Fighter
Tom Hooper - The King's Speech
David Fincher - The Social Network
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - True Grit
This is another amazing category this year. All five of these movies were amazing and had amazing direction. As is the case with many of the categories this year, this is more or less a two horse race. It comes down to The Social Network and The King's Speech. Both well directed and both very deserving of winning. I personally feel like The Social Network was the better directed movie, but best direction usually goes hand in hand with best picture. I personally think that The King's Speech will win best picture so I think it will also win direction.
Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
When looking at best picture after they've added an additional five nominees, one has to look at the nominees for best director. If one of these ten was not nominated for direction, it most definitely will not win best picture. As I said before, the two categories usually go hand in hand, since I picked The King's Speech for direction, it would be foolish for me to change my vote for best picture.
So there you have it. All 24 awards. I'll do a follow up after the awards to tell you all how I did.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Oscar Nominations - Smaller Films
Well we're getting close to the end here. To be honest, this is going to be a short one (see what I did there), I haven't seen most of these, but I thought I'd give my opinions on what might win.
Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143
Ah, the live action short film. The least seen category of nominees, even fewer people have seen these than the foreign films. For this category I'll go with Wish 143. The synopsis the Oscars provide is as follows: "When a terminally ill young boy is granted a wish by a charitable foundation, he makes a surprising request." Sounds depressing enough to be an Oscar winner to me.
Short Film (Animated)
The Lost Thing
Day & Night
Let's Pollute
The Gruffalo
Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Look is there any real competition in this category? Day & Night was above and beyond even Pixar's usually amazing shorts. The other ones do actually look good, but I think this year goes to Day & Night.
Foreign Language Film
Biutiful
Dogtooth
In a Better World
Outside the Law
Incendies
I have only seen Dogtooth in this category and it was good, but I think Biutiful starring Javier Bardem has the weight of that name behind it. That will probably be enough to carry Biutiful through to the win.
Documentary (Short Subject)
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
The Warriors of Qiugang
Sun Come Up
Hey look another category I know nothing about the nominees. I'm going to arbitrarily pick The Warriors of Qiugang, that sounds Oscar worthy, right?
Documentary (Feature)
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land
Well, I've only seen the one nominee in this one, but luckily, that one is my pick. Exit Through the Gift Shop is not only one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, but it was one of the best movies of last year. If it doesn't win, I will be very surprised. Of course, if it wins I will also be surprised. See, for those who don't know, Banksy, the director of the film, is a street artist and a most secretive one at that. He is known for his shenanigans and the Academy doesn't know what do if he wins.
That's all for today. check back tomorrow for the big four. The two writing, directing and of course, best picture.
Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143
Ah, the live action short film. The least seen category of nominees, even fewer people have seen these than the foreign films. For this category I'll go with Wish 143. The synopsis the Oscars provide is as follows: "When a terminally ill young boy is granted a wish by a charitable foundation, he makes a surprising request." Sounds depressing enough to be an Oscar winner to me.
Short Film (Animated)
The Lost Thing
Day & Night
Let's Pollute
The Gruffalo
Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Look is there any real competition in this category? Day & Night was above and beyond even Pixar's usually amazing shorts. The other ones do actually look good, but I think this year goes to Day & Night.
Foreign Language Film
Biutiful
Dogtooth
In a Better World
Outside the Law
Incendies
I have only seen Dogtooth in this category and it was good, but I think Biutiful starring Javier Bardem has the weight of that name behind it. That will probably be enough to carry Biutiful through to the win.
Documentary (Short Subject)
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
The Warriors of Qiugang
Sun Come Up
Hey look another category I know nothing about the nominees. I'm going to arbitrarily pick The Warriors of Qiugang, that sounds Oscar worthy, right?
Documentary (Feature)
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land
Well, I've only seen the one nominee in this one, but luckily, that one is my pick. Exit Through the Gift Shop is not only one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, but it was one of the best movies of last year. If it doesn't win, I will be very surprised. Of course, if it wins I will also be surprised. See, for those who don't know, Banksy, the director of the film, is a street artist and a most secretive one at that. He is known for his shenanigans and the Academy doesn't know what do if he wins.
That's all for today. check back tomorrow for the big four. The two writing, directing and of course, best picture.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Oscar Nominations - Technical Awards Pt. 2
Makeup
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman
I'm going to be honest with you readers. I haven't seen any of these movies. But I do still have a pick. While I heard universally bad things about The Wolfman, the one good thing people had to say about it was the makeup effects. I think the other two are just age makeup so Wolfman is definitely the most bombastic of the three.
Music (Original Score)
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
If it were up to me How to Train Your Dragon would win this no contest. But I don't get to decide and this is more about who I think will win than who I think should win. Having said that, I think The Social Network has the best shot at winning this category. Apart from the fact that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score is excellent, Reznor makes for the better story. See, for those who don't know, Trent Reznor was the front man for Nine Inch Nails. Now he makes Oscar nominated film scores. So as amazing as the soundtrack to How to Train Your Dragon is, the score for The Social Network is much more likely to win.
Music (Original Score)
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
If it were up to me How to Train Your Dragon would win this no contest. But I don't get to decide and this is more about who I think will win than who I think should win. Having said that, I think The Social Network has the best shot at winning this category. Apart from the fact that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score is excellent, Reznor makes for the better story. See, for those who don't know, Trent Reznor was the front man for Nine Inch Nails. Now he makes Oscar nominated film scores. So as amazing as the soundtrack to How to Train Your Dragon is, the score for The Social Network is much more likely to win.
Music (Original Song)
Coming Home from Country Strong
I See the Light from Tangled
If I Rise from 127 Hours
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3
This is kind of a tough category to call this year. Mainly because none of these songs are that great. Also, where the heck is Sticks and Stones by Jonsi from How to Train Your Dragon? This award will either go to If I Rise or We Belong Together and of those two, I would lean toward We Belong Together. The writer of If I Rise won last year, and Randy Newman has only won one Oscar, and that was for the score to Monsters Inc. so I think he's due.
Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable
Ah the sound categories, where no one knows the difference between the two, and generally crappy movies can be nominated. I'm not going to pretend to know the difference between the two and just go with which movies have the best sound effects. In this case that would be Inception. Excellent sound design in Inception where things had to sound normal, but just off.
Sound Mixing
Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit
Again, I'm not sure what the difference between the two sound categories is so I'm going to just go with Inception again. If someone can explain to me the difference I might change my pick, but for the time being, I think Inception is the best bet. Especially since it almost certainly won't win Best Picture, and Nolan was snubbed in the Director category. These might be consolation prizes.
Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2
Another fun category that usually includes blockbusters that were not that great. Did anyone even see Hereafter? Again, this one has to go to Inception. Between the folding city and the zero g fight sequence, this had the best effects of the year. Iron Man 2 comes close, but this one goes to Inception.
Well that's all for today. Check back tomorrow to see my picks for Writing and the Short Films.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Oscar Nominations - Technical Awards pt. 1
Today we discuss some of the awards that most people don't really care about, but I find them interesting. I don't know a lot about what some of these entail, but I have a basic understanding based on previous winners.
Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit
From what I understand, Art Direction is more or less how a movie looks. Like the costume category, this one usually go to period pieces. That's why I'm guessing The King's Speech will probably win this one. Though I would like to see Inception or True Grit win also. Any of those three were beautiful movies to look at.
Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
Cinematography is the way a movie is shot, and it's one of the things that I always notice. It is one of my favorite parts of a movie and this years nominees are all spectacular, though I might have put 127 Hours in place of The King's Speech. This is a tough category to call this year as all the nominees are beautifully shot, but I think the winner should be Black Swan. The way this movie was shot just added to the intensity of the film, heightening the tension and drawing the viewer in. It would not surprise me if The Social Network won, but I prefer the cinematography in Black Swan.
Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit
Costume design is one of the most overlooked categories at the Oscars. Mainly because it's boring. As I said before, usually it just goes to the period pieces that no one saw. That's why I've picked The Tempest to win. No one I know saw it, and it has very extravagant costumes. Not much more to say here except True Grit and The King's Speech both have decent shots of winning based on them being period pieces.
Film Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
This is a pretty easy category for me. 127 Hours takes place for the most part in one spot. With a man trapped under a rock. Without the amazing editing it had, it could have been the most boring movie of the year. In fact, quite the opposite is true. 127 Hours ended up being one of the most intense and engaging movies due largely to the fact that the editing is fantastic.
That's all for now. Look for part 2 of the Technical awards tomorrow.
Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit
From what I understand, Art Direction is more or less how a movie looks. Like the costume category, this one usually go to period pieces. That's why I'm guessing The King's Speech will probably win this one. Though I would like to see Inception or True Grit win also. Any of those three were beautiful movies to look at.
Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
Cinematography is the way a movie is shot, and it's one of the things that I always notice. It is one of my favorite parts of a movie and this years nominees are all spectacular, though I might have put 127 Hours in place of The King's Speech. This is a tough category to call this year as all the nominees are beautifully shot, but I think the winner should be Black Swan. The way this movie was shot just added to the intensity of the film, heightening the tension and drawing the viewer in. It would not surprise me if The Social Network won, but I prefer the cinematography in Black Swan.
Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit
Costume design is one of the most overlooked categories at the Oscars. Mainly because it's boring. As I said before, usually it just goes to the period pieces that no one saw. That's why I've picked The Tempest to win. No one I know saw it, and it has very extravagant costumes. Not much more to say here except True Grit and The King's Speech both have decent shots of winning based on them being period pieces.
Film Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
This is a pretty easy category for me. 127 Hours takes place for the most part in one spot. With a man trapped under a rock. Without the amazing editing it had, it could have been the most boring movie of the year. In fact, quite the opposite is true. 127 Hours ended up being one of the most intense and engaging movies due largely to the fact that the editing is fantastic.
That's all for now. Look for part 2 of the Technical awards tomorrow.
Friday, February 11, 2011
My Top Ten Movies of 2010
It might be a little late, but I don't care, it's my blog that I time share with Andrew. So here comes my TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2010
10. Splice - This was a really well done horror/monster flick. It was kind of a modern take on the Frankenstein story, but there was a lot more too it than that. This movie was not so much about the scares as it was about building tension and then releasing that tension in unique ways. Speaking of which, if you have an issue with nudity or weird sexual stuff you might want to avoid this one, because it has that. Like a lot of it. If you can get past that, though, it's a really good movie
9. True Grit - Now after I watched this I didn't know how I felt about it. At first I thought I didn't like it. But the more I thought about it the more I found things that I liked about it. I don't know how much I can say about this, except that I really want to see it again. There was a lot here to like, and I fully expect to get more out of it the more times I see it. '
6. Inception - This movie was a phenomenon when it came out. Everyone was talking about it. And with good reason. Inception is an incredibly well crafted movie and it's a shame that Christopher Nolan was snubbed at the Oscars for direction. A little weird, a little confusing, this movie nonetheless never fails to entertain. While it didn't seem to make a point quite as much as some hoped, Nolan has, at least, made a fun, high concept heist film.
7. The A-Team - Now here's a movie you won't see on many peoples top 10 lists. It's not exactly what most people would call a "good movie", but darn it, I had a lot of fun seeing it. In fact if this was based solely on fun had, this movie would be in the top three. Liam Neeson being awesome is always helpful in adding to enjoyment of any movie.
6. 127 Hours - If you are looking for an intense, engaging movie, then look no farther than 127 Hours I missed this one the first time it came out in theaters, mainly because I didn't have a job at the time. Luckily, it was rereleased a few weeks ago and I got to see it again. I love Danny Boyle, the director, and his style of film making really gave an energy to the story of a man trapped between a rock and a hard place. literally. James Franco also gives an amazing performance, it's a shame he'll probably be overshadowed come Oscar time.
5. The King's Speech - This is straight up just a good movie. It has excellent performances, an excellent script, and is all around just very entertaining. It doesn't surprise me that this movie has the most Oscar nominations this year. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Not much more to say than that.
4. The Social Network - Another one on this list that is just good. When I first heard that they were making a movie about Facebook, I was not excited. After a while I had heard the good buzz, but just still wasn't interested. Finally I watched the trailer. This trailer, and everything changed.
10. Splice - This was a really well done horror/monster flick. It was kind of a modern take on the Frankenstein story, but there was a lot more too it than that. This movie was not so much about the scares as it was about building tension and then releasing that tension in unique ways. Speaking of which, if you have an issue with nudity or weird sexual stuff you might want to avoid this one, because it has that. Like a lot of it. If you can get past that, though, it's a really good movie
9. True Grit - Now after I watched this I didn't know how I felt about it. At first I thought I didn't like it. But the more I thought about it the more I found things that I liked about it. I don't know how much I can say about this, except that I really want to see it again. There was a lot here to like, and I fully expect to get more out of it the more times I see it. '
6. Inception - This movie was a phenomenon when it came out. Everyone was talking about it. And with good reason. Inception is an incredibly well crafted movie and it's a shame that Christopher Nolan was snubbed at the Oscars for direction. A little weird, a little confusing, this movie nonetheless never fails to entertain. While it didn't seem to make a point quite as much as some hoped, Nolan has, at least, made a fun, high concept heist film.
7. The A-Team - Now here's a movie you won't see on many peoples top 10 lists. It's not exactly what most people would call a "good movie", but darn it, I had a lot of fun seeing it. In fact if this was based solely on fun had, this movie would be in the top three. Liam Neeson being awesome is always helpful in adding to enjoyment of any movie.
6. 127 Hours - If you are looking for an intense, engaging movie, then look no farther than 127 Hours I missed this one the first time it came out in theaters, mainly because I didn't have a job at the time. Luckily, it was rereleased a few weeks ago and I got to see it again. I love Danny Boyle, the director, and his style of film making really gave an energy to the story of a man trapped between a rock and a hard place. literally. James Franco also gives an amazing performance, it's a shame he'll probably be overshadowed come Oscar time.
5. The King's Speech - This is straight up just a good movie. It has excellent performances, an excellent script, and is all around just very entertaining. It doesn't surprise me that this movie has the most Oscar nominations this year. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Not much more to say than that.
4. The Social Network - Another one on this list that is just good. When I first heard that they were making a movie about Facebook, I was not excited. After a while I had heard the good buzz, but just still wasn't interested. Finally I watched the trailer. This trailer, and everything changed.
I instantly fell in love. The combination of David Fincher's directing and Aaron Sorkin's script was like peanut butter and jelly. They went perfectly together. This movie was exceptionally shot and had the best script out of any movie I saw this year. It just barely got left out of my top three, but I just had more fun watching the others.
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Here we have the second most visually striking movie of the year. And it's a close second. This movie is literally a live action comic book. I don't know how Edgar Wright managed to do it, but he perfectly adapted the feel of the comic book to the screen. Everything about this movie was just fun, which is the qualifying factor for this list.
2. How to Train Your Dragon - This movie. I saw this movie more times in theaters than any other movie I think ever. This movie is beautiful. The score is fantastic, the visuals are amazing. I still get chills every single time at one particular moment in the film. That moment is literally my favorite moment out of any movie this year. Until midway through December, this was my favorite movie of the year, and considering it came out in March, that's quite an accomplishment. There is literally nothing about this movie that I don't like. If you haven't seen it do it, just buy it.
1. Black Swan - This movie is absolutely visceral. It grabs you by the throat and never lets go. The reason it is my number one pick is not because it is the best movie, King's Speech and Social Network both beat it there, or even because it's the most fun, How to Train Your Dragon and Scott Pilgrim beat it in that category. No, the reason Black Swan is my favorite movie of the year is because it is an experience like no other. I said earlier that Scott Pilgrim was the second most visually striking movie of the year. Black Swan is the first. Darren Aronofsky has this way that draws you in and pulls you along for the ride. The best thing about this movie is Natalie Portman's performance. She gives the single best performance of any actor in any movie this year. If she does not win the Oscar, then all faith in the academy is lost. This movie is beautiful, it's horrifying, it's captivating, and it's the perfect movie experience this year.
So there you have it. What do you think of my list? Agree or disagree? What changes would you make?
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