The last day of the year

Today is the last day of the year and I've been reading a lot of top ten columns in different newspapers. It made me think, 'gosh, maybe I should do that.' Well I went to a website that listed every movie that came out this past year and I found that I liked a lot of movies but I only really loved a handful of movies. So instead of a top ten list, I'm going to list my favorite movies (the ones I will probably or have already bought on Blu-ray). Then I will list some honorary mentions for movies I liked but will probably not add to my collection.

Here goes. My two favorite movies from the past year were "Inception" and "Scott Pilgrim vs the World." Now if you had asked me at the beginning of the year what movies I thought I would probably like the most this year, I would have probably named both of those movies. I love it when my expectations are met or exceeded.

I loved "Inception" because it was such an original concept. The movie wasn't dumbed down, it was exciting and it had some amazing effects. The script was also engaging. I love a movie that you come out of and you feel like you want to continue talking about it. Or you find yourself thinking about it days later. Both of which I did after seeing this. One of the most important things that can endear me to a movie or TV show is originality and this one had it in spades.

"Scott Pilgrim" also had major originality, even more so probably than "Inception." It's hard to even describe this movie. I wouldn't even begin to try to describe it. But it is frenetic, loud, and hilarious. The comic book it is based on is a great read. As far as the movie goes, when I first saw it in the theater it was under some poor conditions and that affected the way I felt about the movie. I was so glad to find that when I watched it again later, it was really a great ride. This movie is not for everyone, but if you like video games, indie bands or comic books, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this one.

Next on my list is "The Social Network." I also found myself thinking and talking about it hours and days after I had seen it. I was already a fan of Aaron Sorkins, so I was excited to go see this movie, despite it being called the 'Facebook movie.' This movie was just so good and worthy of all the praise it has been getting. Just a fascinating portrayal of one of the richest men in American and the road he took to get there.

"Toy Story 3" is another feather in Pixar's hat. I was watching the Blu-ray special features last night and found myself dreaming of what it would be like to work for Pixar. These are the most creative guys in Hollywood and they make family movies. What more could a guy ask for? This was by far my favorite Toy Story movie and any studio that can make the third entry in a trilogy good deserves to be the winner of many awards.

"Iron Man 2" may not be the best Marvel movie but gosh, I enjoyed it. I've had several people point out the 'flaws' of this movie, but for whatever reason I just enjoyed the hell out of this one. Maybe it's because it's preparing the way for Joss Whedon's Avengers movie... or maybe it's just too chock full of geeky references, but I gladly call this one of my favorite movies of the year.

Finally, the last movie on my list is "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1." I don't know if this is the best movie of the series, but if it's not, it's certainly at the top of the heap. It was great. It followed the book almost perfectly and I can't wait for the conclusion. So good.

As you can tell I lean towards the genre entries. So if you're not into these type of movies, feel free to ignore my list. That's who I am. But I would say I don't love any genre movie that comes along, just the well written, directed and acted ones. Also I didn't see every movie that came out this past year so there are probably some movies I would have loved that I have not seen yet.

My honorable mentions from this year include:

Shutter Island

The Ghost Writer

How to Train Your Dragon

Kick Ass

The Other Guys

Nowhere Boy

RED

Megamind

Tangled

Unstoppable

Despicable Me

True Grit

I would like to give a shoutout to two of the worst movies of the last year. "Leap Year" and "When in Rome." I watched both of those movies because I'm a big fan of Kristen Bell and Amy Adams, but gosh those movies were such garbage. Filled with unlikable characters and situations that literally made me groan out loud. Ugh. Avoid at all costs.

Also "Dinner for Shmucks" was awful.

So what did you think of the movies that came out in the last year?