The top 5 movies of 2010.

Well, all of the other cool kids (film critics) are doing it so here’s my list of the top 5 movies of 2010. Bear in mind that I haven’t seen every single movie that’s come out this year. If I saw True Grit and/or Black Swan, I can guarantee that those would be on this list.

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World- I’ve never had this much fun watching a movie before. Scott Pilgrim was incredibly energetic, had some great acting, a great soundtrack, and fantastic directing from Edgar Wright. Instead of trying to be something different than a video game, like most video game movies do, it revels in both the lore and culture of the gaming world.

4. Let Me In- This was one of the best horror films to come out in years, and I’m surprised to hear myself say it, because it’s a remake of a fantastic Swedish movie. I’m also surprised to hear myself say that it surpasses the original. It was beautifully shot, had a chilling orchestral score to accompany it, and was incredibly well acted. Chloe Grace Moretz continues to impress me as an actress. It wasn’t a perfect adaptation of the original, but it had subtle homages that never felt out of place.

3. Leaves of Grass- I think that Inception is not the only movie that will make you think about thinking about things that you probably don’t think about in everyday life and no I did not use “think” enough. Leaves of Grass is a philosophical, prophetic, racist, sexist, action comedy drama about finding out what it means to be yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be shocked at the racism, and you’ll have a good time doing it. This movie had two amazing performances from Edward Norton who plays two twins who are drastically different in every sense of the word. One is a big time professor and philosopher who likes to play by the rules while the other is a redneck marijuana dealer who lives life without any rules. They play very well off of each other.

2. How to Train your Dragon- This was one of the biggest surprises I’ve had all year. I didn’t go into the movie wanting to hate it, but my expectations weren’t exactly high. This movie combined great acting and story with fantastic cinematography and an amazing orchestral score. It’s one of the few movies that uses 3D right, and I personally thought it was better than Avatar in that aspect. While Avatar had more impressive technology to use, I never felt immersed in the world. With How to Train your Dragon, the flying sequences made it seem like you were on top of a dragon and soaring across the sky. The acting was pretty incredible in this movie. Each of the characters were played perfectly by their actors and actress’.

1. Kick Ass- I know that putting Kick Ass as my #1 movie of the year will cause some controversy, but quite frankly it deserves it. I have never been this amazed with a movie before. Sure if you look at it from the outside, it’s just a bloody over the top action movie. However, if you look at it deeper, you’ll see a great story about what justice really is backed up by fantastic acting and a near flawless score. I don’t think I can praise the soundtrack enough. Every piece of music fits its respective scene near perfectly, whether it needed to be comedic or dramatic. It’s one of my all time favorite movie scores. All of the characters were very well developed and were relatable. Although they all had their flaws, some more so than others, they were likeable. This really helped the movie during the more intense scenes because you genuinely cared for them. Although this movie can be extremely violent, I think it’s a movie that everyone should see. I could honestly go on for pages about why this movie was so good but this explanation is already becoming too long for a top 5 list.

And there you have it! My top 5 movies of 2010!