10) 'Super 8'
Rating: 8/10
While I was expecting a lot more out of this film, I still walked away from it satisfied. It didn't "WOW!" me, but it did it's duty in providing a summer blockbuster that's a real adventure. I really liked all of the stuff with the kids, although sometimes they seemed to be trying a little too hard to be funny, and the stuff with
the alien attacking was terrifying... until the ending.
The alien needed a little more development as a "character" instead of just being the force to be reckoned with. Anyhow, besides some minor quibbles, this is still a movie that's worth seeing either during a local matinee screening or a full-price with friends. I do recommend seeing it in theaters though because I didn't find that it'll hold up on DVD/Blu-Ray.
9) 'Thor'
Rating: 8/10
This was just as good as I had hoped it would be. 'Thor' is strongly entertaining from start-to-finish and a major improvement over Marvel's last effort, 'Iron Man 2'. Probably the best thing about this movie are the performances, especially from Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki), which elevates the material. The direction in this film, of course, also helps quite a bit in elevating the material past the camp-value that it could have had; my hat goes off to Kenneth Branagh who allows there too be enough time spent on both Earth and Asgard. While I do have some problems with the film, the pacing and runtime of the film, the problems are overshadowed by all that is good with the film.
8) 'Fast Five'
Rating: 8.5/10
What a surprising installment in this seemingly never-ending franchise. 'Fast Five' works on so many levels in being an all-out action flick. Ironically, the only detractor is the fact that they didn't include a street race taken place in the mid-section of the film, which feels oddly cut-out for running time purposes, and it's amazing array of cliches. Still, while the film suffers from many cliches, it sometimes uses those cliches to surprise the audience; for example, one character on the team is promoted as being a traitor but something happens to him that audiences may not expect. 'Fast Five' is a record-breaker and a refreshing kick-start to this dying franchise.
7) 'Captain America: The First Avenger'
Rating: 9/10
What a year for Marvel. First it was the great introduction to 'Thor', now it's the fantastic origin of 'Captain America'. This is an action-packed, sometimes emotionally-wrenching, summer blockbuster. There is a terrific montage of events that play out near the end of the 3/4 of the movie that is perfect for setting up potential sequels that could be just as fun as any 'Indiana Jones' movie. Also, what completely disarmed me about this movie was its surprisingly sweet love-story. For example, there is a lovely scene between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter in a car where the early, skinny Steve mentions that he's "never had a partner" before and how women would be afraid to dance with him because they feared that they would step on him. It is a tear-jerking moment that makes you route for Steve's journey into becoming Captain America. If I had any complaint, it would be that the Red Skull is somewhat of a non-threat in this film. Plus, Cap never (emotionally) has a reason to kick his ass. It's simply his mission to kick his ass. But still, that's okay because the few scenes that the Red Skull's in... the effects are phenomenal. There should definitely be a makeup nomination in place at the Oscars for the work done on the Red Skull. With that, what a phenomenal film this was.
[Screw 'The Avengers', give us 'Captain America II'!]
6) 'American: The Bill Hicks Story'
Rating: 9.5/10
Being a fan of Bill Hicks and his comedy, you know I had to see this one... and I finally did. This is one of the greatest documentaries I have ever seen. The way in which they decided to tell this story is perfect because Bill's life was the perfect story to be told, which is deeply inspiring and utterly brilliant. If anything, the only complaint I had with it was that it made me want to watch his stand-up right afterwards because of all the little snippets they throw in there and I sometimes had no idea who was speaking (I got lost when it was between Bill and his two friends at the ranch). But, besides that, this is an easy recommendation even if you don't even know the guy. He was a brilliant man who will continue to inspire the world in which we live.
5) 'Source Code'
Rating: 9.5/10
I wasn't a fan of 'Moon' like most people are. I find that it's a "one watch" experience with virtually no replay-value because all of the mystery has been solved for us by the ending. Still, it was a strong directorial debut from Duncan Jones and his sophomore effort is certainly no sophomore slump. 'Source Code' is a great film which is almost flawless, except for the fact hat it's too darned short. Clocking in at a little over 90 minutes, I was somewhat disappointed to see that we couldn't spend more time with Gyllenhaal and the others aboard the train; there's a point where it was obviously cut-down as we just get to see FX-shots of the train exploding and the passengers inside. However, this is still just a minor detractor in an otherwise excellent sci-fi thrill-ride.
4) 'Limitless'
Rating: 10/10
Easily one of my favorite films of the year. This is a film that I found to be utterly flawless and absolutely enjoyable. Bradley Cooper is amazing as Eddie Morra who takes the NZT pill and finds that his mind is limitless to ideas and the escapism of certain scenarios. This film is phenomenal and works in the style of 'Fight Club', but also works as an origin story of a man who can either become a hero or a villain in his near-future. What would you do?
3) 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'
Rating: 10/10
No doubt about it, this is the best Harry Potter film ever made and what a pleasant goodbye it sent. While I did have one gripe in the number of casualties taken place throughout the film, I could easily look past that to see what an excellent film this was. The film has a number of breathtaking moments (including Harry's return to Hogwarts, the escape atop the dragon, etc), but the most heartbreaking of those moments comes near the mid-point of the film where a character's memories are shared between the main protagonist and the audience. I love Richard Roeper's idea of nominating Alan Rickman as "Best Supporting Actor" this year, come Oscar season, because he is the true heart of the movie this time around and his impact in this finale gives such depth to the films we've seen years and years ago. This is a phenomenal film.
2) 'X-Men: First Class'
Rating: 10/10
I had a nice feeling about this movie
before all of the buzz begun piling up and, even with all of the outstanding praise, I loved it. I don't remember the last time I've been so satisfied by a comic-book movie; yes, 'Dark Knight' didn't do it for me. Unlike other comic-book films, here's a film that's able to focus on multiple characters and villains and make them all work in the film's duration. The performances are outstanding, some being worthy of an Oscar nomination or two, and the direction is first-rate. Bryan Singer proves, once again, that he was rightfully chosen to kick-start the series and lays trust in director Matthew Vaughn to reinvent the series once more. This is easily the best comic-book film I've ever seen and one of the best films of the year, period. Perfection.
1) 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'
Rating: 10/10
It's amazing how well a movie can improve upon a repeat viewing, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' is one of those rare movies that I absolutely loved to watch again. I love it when movies don't take themselves too seriously (*cough* Tim Burton remake *cough*) and just give us characters that we can relate and fall in love with. While the main star is listed as being James Franco, who (along with John Lithgow) is fantastic as Caesar's guardian, the real star is Andy Serkis who delivers the best performance by any actor this year as Caesar. There is a breathtaking scene near the end of the third-quarter involving a two-lettered word that silenced everyone in attendance, eventually leading to tremendous applause at the two screenings I attended. The movie is a masterpiece and I look forward to future sequels involving this phenomenal creative team. Congratulations to 20th Century Fox, thank you for delivering 100% of the way on (not one) but two of your strongest franchises this year.