#10) 'Zodiac' - A great movie, inspired by true events and great obsession. This movie doesn't tell you who the Zodiac Killer was or might be. It lets you investigate for yourself.
#9) 'Cast Away' - Ultimately led by Tom Hanks powerful performance, 'Cast Away' is a film I could watch over-and-over again. It also makes me think not only of what I would do on that small piece of land to survive. But it almost makes me wish that I was there whenever I'm feeling down. A place of peace and quiet.
#8) 'Mystic River' - Still my favourite Clint Eastwood-directed film. It's so powerful and so shocking, all in one. With terrific performances throughout and a great screenplay, I'd say that this film deserved every Oscar it got (and then some).
#7) 'The Incredibles' - This is the way that 'Fantastic Four' should've been handled. You care about the characters, you're thrilled by the action, you laugh with the family and you enjoy it all around. This is still my favourite Pixar-animated movie.
#6) 'A Bittersweet Life' - A beautifully-told revenge story with the ultimate human-touch. The title for this film most-definitely suits the film, it's bittersweet till the very end. This single film puts The Punisher's three-film outings to shame. Check it out.
#5) 'The Descent' - Forget all the films that claim to be the "scariest movie of all-time". This little film right here slowly delivers on that claim. Also, it's nice to see an all-female cast in a horror movie for a change. And for once, they're not just there for sex-appeal or to show off some skin. They're there to make great characters, and they succeed. So much so that once you get to the "scary part", you may just want to turn off the movie for the sheer-terror that you've just experienced. And, trust me, the memory of that terror will stcik with you for quite a while...
#4) 'About Schmidt' - Moving on now to a far more delightful film. 'About Schmidt' is simple and sweet to the point where it's hard for me to explain why I like it so much. It's just a film that I'm always thinking about whenever I feel like having an adventure for my own.
#3) 'District 9' - Undeniably my favourite film of 2009, 'District 9' is (in my opinion) the 'Robocop' of this decade. It's extremely violent. It's got a lot of dark-humour. It's action is subtle, but impactful. The story's simple. But the idea is uncanny. Sucks to be all you 'Halo' fans, but it rocks to be a fan of science-fiction originality. 'District 9' delivers.
#2) 'Lost In Translation' - Much like 'About Schmidt', this movie is a movie I can watch over-and-over again because it makes me feel like I'm on a good vacation with people I absolutely adore. The two leads in this film (Murray and Johansson) are outstanding. I certainly do hope that we see more of Sofia Coppola, as a writer/director, in the future. She knows the character of being human.
#1) 'American Psycho' - And, yes (that's right). 'American Psycho' is number one on my list. Why? Well, because I love this film. It's a smart and highly-entertaining blend of genres. Christian Bale gives the best performance of his career as Patrick Bateman, as his character goes through plenty of personalities. At one point, he pretty much embodies a '70s/'80s slasher villain! It's a character that calls for diversity and Christian Bale delivers. Not only that, but the film is a thought-provoker. What I absolutely love about the ending is that it confuses it. It makes you think back to everything that could've or even may have transpired. It's a fascinating film that will leave laughing, cringing and confused about what you have just seen. And that's what I love about it.
