6. Where The Wild Things Are
Great film. Totally Spike, and that's probably the cause of most of my frustration when it comes to this movie. Most of the people that I talk to don't like this film because it is to weird for them, and they haven't seen any of Spike's other work. The thing that kept this film from being higher on my list was not the weirdness, how can you see Being John Malkovich or Adaptation and not know that this will be weird. I just wanted to have a little more fun than this film offered me, not to say I wanted it to be a "fun movie". I really liked it however and I have the sneaking suspicion that my appreciation of it will only grow with multiple viewings.
7. The Hurt Locker
I'm not going to go into too much detail about this film. It is just really great and I cannot say how happy I am that it beat Avatar for best picture. I love seeing small budget films acknowledged and rewarded, especially over films that have offensive budgets and average scripts. Great performances, lots of famous actors showing up with small parts, realist shooting. Just a really good movie
8. District 9
Probably no one will be more surprised than my brother to see how high I rated this film. When the trailers first started coming out I was not a fan, right Zach? :). And the only reason I ended up seeing it in the theater is because a couple of friends invited me to join them. Needless to say I had a blast with this movie. Incredible first film from newcomer Neill Blomkamp. I'm sure he can take his pick of projects after the success of this film and I hope he continues to impress. Also I have to say how much I enjoyed Sharlto Copley in his debut in the lead role. It was definitely one of my favourite performances of the year.
9. Goodbye Solo
This is probably the smallest film on my list. It is just a really powerful story about people and how they can make a meaningful impact on each others lives. Some people may get turned off by this "bare bones" film. No sets, no special effects, most of the people are not even professional actors. All those factors just made the film that much better for me. I have more appreciation for films that rely more on strong scripts and strong performances then on editing and special effects.
10. Sherlock Holmes
I was really excited for this film even though I didn't see Jude Law as being a good casting choice for Watson. After seeing the first trailer my excitement lessened, which in the end was a good thing for me because it lowered my expectations to a reasonable level. I had a lot of fun with this film and I cannot wait for the sequel. I like how you could see some of Guy Ritchie's trademarks, particularly the stylized slow-mo mix in shots like in the boxing match. But I was glad to see that he restrained himself and focused more on making it good film that had mass appeal, after all a Christmas day movie starring Robert Downey Jr. is obviously intended to be a blockbuster. I really loved the look of the film. I loved Hans Zimmer's score. And I especially loved the chemistry of Downey and Law. Their on screen moments together were the highlight of the film for me and, as I said, I cannot wait for the sequel to really develop that.
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