Top 10 Movies of 2010




Well here ya go. Again, as a pastor, husband and father of 3 kids, it's getting tougher and tougher to see as many movies as I like. But, these are the 10 best as I saw them:

1. Toy Story 3 - Pixar strikes gold once again. Last year my fave movie was Up. Some friends were surprised I put TS3 at #1. Maybe I am getting more sentimental in my old age, but this film is just so great. I almost teared up at one point as the toys grasp onto one another as they face what looks like certain doom.

2. Carlos - A leftover gem from the Vancouver Film Festival. This was originally a tv series - and you can tell why, as it clocks in at 5.5 hours! The VIFF, screened the entire film, with a 15 minute intermission to make it tolerable. It was edited down to 2 hours and 20 minutes, which is the version I saw. Traces the ascent of the most formidable terrorist of the 20th century - Carlos the Jackal. Spy thrillers are probably my fave genre of film - and this is one of the best I have ever seen. So much more, because it is based on a real man.

3. The Prophet - A foreign film. Won the grand jury prize at Cannes last year, release in North America this year. Well constructed, emotional with tight story telling power. Shows how a scared 19 yr. old prisoner quickly rises in the ranks to be the leader.

4. Social Network - On the surface this story appears quite dull. The birth of social networking juggernaut, facebook? Yippee. Yet, a lot like Frost/Nixon, in the hands of a talented director, the film moves very quickly chronicling the world changing technology that Mark Zuckerberg has brought into the world.

5. Winters Bone - There are very few films that leave me in a sense of awe afterward - this was one of them. This film makes the list almost entirely due to the poweful understated acting of Jennifer Lawrence. Not an easy film to see, but rewarding.

6. The Secret in their Eyes - Romance, suspense, comedy and political intrigue all make up this film from Argentina. Using an unsolved murder and rape, the film suggests that ever person has one "passion" that drives them on through life.

7. Inception - Director Chris Nolan (Memento, last 2 Batmans) continues to evolve into one of the most interesting directors around. This is a mind bending film that delves deep into what painful memories we keep hidden away in our psyches, and what wreckage they can cause, if left untended.

8. The Town - What is with the continual use of South Boston for films about bad guys being bad? This follows the same genre with the inclusion of an unlikely romance. Nice action flick - but above average.

9. Shutter Island - Kudos to Dicaprio for making another interesting film. This one is one you need to see with a group of people and then discuss after. At the heart, it examines 2 primary ways of dealing with mental illness.

10. The Last Exorcism - An interesting film about an "exorcist" who uses smoke and mirrors to convince people he is dealing with the devil, when in reality he is just taking money from gullible people. Good gig, until it gets interrupted by what appears the real deal. (Note - some scary scenes may disturb some folks).

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