Top Movies of 2010 and Other Awards

Colton Royle’s Top 5 Movies of 2010 and Other

#5 - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World


There is something to be said about our garage rock, video game, insecure generation, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World says literally all of it in approximately two hours. Scott Pilgrim is fun, it’s hilarious, and it’s remarkably gorgeous. Whether it was the hilarious contrasts in women’s roles, or the quick smirks of witty one liners from male combatants, Scott Pilgrim is genuine. While people outside of the 12-30 age might view this as ridiculous or absurd, Scott Pilgrim is an angst movie that truly taps into what it means to be young in our time. Filled with video game cameos and never really overtly referencing one specific video game, Scott Pilgrim also manages to handle this well with music and their genres. And with every band or game every youth is able to place their own experiences into the details.
    It just felt cool watching what we all love: good looking men and women, quick witty jokes, over the top action, and a character arc. This is a movie that was overlooked and should not have tanked like it did. Hopefully we will look back at 2010 and remember Scott Pilgrim as such a leap in movie style that it will stand the test of time.

#4 - Inception

The film whose ending was discussed vehemently for two straight weeks, Inception is so mind bogglingly incredible, people will talk about it for years. Like the matrix, Inception brings about a whole somewhat new interesting topic to the big screen, presents it in an intelligent, serious manner, and not only did everyone accept it, they embraced it. Inception incredibly managed to pull off “Transformer” viewers without subjecting the viewers to lazy crazy action and stupid plots. Inception is a movie with a particular attention to detail, and while not everything is explained to the audience, we have enough for “oohs” and “ahhs.” We all know and love Inception, and for those that have not seen it, you are really missing out on an incredible experience. With impressive acting from Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, along with good plot progression from Leonardo Dicaprio, audiences were on the edge of their seat for the entire film.

#3 - Shutter Island

Although the twist was easier to see than other movie twists, Shutter Island presents itself in a dark, highly emotional world. With a cold performance from Michelle Williams and a gut wrenching performance from Dicaprio, the world of Shutter Island is never what it seems. Visual moments such as the ash falling from the burning apartment, to the frozen bodies of the concentration camps, the film is so saturated with intensity that I could literally taste its intention. This is what Shutter Island did most that the other movies this year did not, and that was present me with exactly what the main character was thinking or experiencing with an almost 1:1 ratio of visuals. With some clever and intelligent script choices, people have to absolutely see this twice to fully grasp its power.

#2 - The Social Network

While I disagree most with the conclusion of the character of Mark Zuckerburg, this film is without a doubt a pure form of entertainment. Its pacing is flawless, its top moments are fun, and its bottom moments hurt. Jesse Eisenberg is absolutely incredible in his non-social (ironic) depiction of a brilliant man who wanted bigger things. And despite everything being dramatic, electrified, and extravagant, the movie does it just enough to keep us believing. That girl from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody was in it, and she was crazy/hilarious. With Justin Timberlake being Justin Timberlake I didn’t know what that would look like. It looked great. With his complete destruction of my brain with his monologue in the club, I was sold completely on this film. Being such a young age with them, it feels good to be able to root for people that are going to change the world. The Social Network is an excellently acted, presented, and well timed movie.

#1 - Black Swan

It was my most anticipated movie of 2010, and I wasn’t disappointed. Black Swan was beautifully tragic and relentlessly brilliant. Natalie Portman carries a transition with a character that I’ve never seen before in movies. Darren Aronofsky gives us a look at what it takes to be a ballerina and also what it takes to lose your friggin’ mind. While Black Swan may have gotten some heated controversy for its sexual choices, by the time that was in the film, it did not seem at all enticing or blatantly horrifying. It was believable and intense. The movement from reality to madness and confusion was seamless. There is something special in the mild scares to all out grotesque scenes in this film you have to see to believe. Like Shutter Island, this may be the only other movie that presented a pure visual form of a character’s personality and mood.



Worst Movie of 2010 - The Last Airbender

He ruined it. He could not have done worse. The Last Airbender was an experiment gone horribly wrong. With terrible acting, terrible plot structure, God awful lack of attention to important details, the movie was an unmitigated disaster. So what happened? M. Night happened. His spiral downward happened and it crashed into the solid earth here. But maybe it wasn’t all his fault. The source material is so good and maybe there were too many details. Wrong. Go watch Lord of the Rings.

Best Special Effects - Tron: Legacy



I was decently surprised by Tron, even though there are more plot holes than Alice in Wonderland. The one thing I went back for the second time in the theatres was the special effects. Disney created a world so amazing it has to be seen to be believed. Light cycles, disks, canes that shoot lasers, and other amazing feats that made me want to live there instead of here. It was a good time to bring the franchise back, and in my opinion it is our generation’s Star Wars. I geek out at Tron, but in all honesty it looked real good. The plot needs to sharpen up however, if it wants to keep my attention.

Most Fun in the Movie Theatre - Machete



Machete was hilarious in the theater, because we all moaned at the Devil trailer, we all laughed at exaggerated Hispanic vehicles, and our jaw drops at brutal shootings. Machete is a great group experience action comedy that has to be seen to be believed. What started as a fake trailer turned into a non-stop, insulting, and hilarious Hispanic hell bent war. Gritty, and filled with vice from start to finish, you may want to cross your heart before this one.