Movie Picks and Predictions

Next week I’ll be posting my top ten favourite movies of 2011. In the meantime I’m taking a look back at the flicks I enjoyed most in the previous five years. Plus, I have a stab in the dark at what my favourite films of 2012 will be …

2010

1. Toy Story 3

Darkest Pixar moment?

 How often does a “Part 3” film come along that tops the first two instalments? Practically never. Yet Pixar took a bunch of their oldest characters and defied the odds – ending up with one of the best movies they’ve ever made. The jokes are spot on, the animation is flawless and while there’s so much for the kid’s to enjoy, there’s even more for the grown-ups.

 2. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

3. Fantastic Mr Fox

4. Boy

5. Animal Kingdom

 

2009

1. Up

I was going to include a pic of Carl and Ellie, but they all make me sad. *sniff*

After opening with the most effective tear-jerker of a montage ever, Up brings the fun with talking dogs, a giant chocolate-loving bird and a fight on top of an airborne Zeppelin. Yet in the quieter moments, when the audience is asked to remember the more solemn aspects of the plot, it still works amazingly well.

 2. Coraline

3. Inglorious Basterds

4. Gran Torino

5. Mary and Max

 

2008

1. Wall-E

The 1980's live on in the distant future through Rubix cube artefacts. But hopefully all traces of 1980's music will have been erased.

As you may have figured out, I freaking adore Pixar. 2008 was a fantastic year for movies too, so it’s not like they weren’t up against some stiff competition. But I couldn’t go past it. Wall-E marked the culmination of the studio’s move toward (slightly) more adult, arty and ambitious fare, and the result was an exhilarating piece of cinema.

 2. There Will Be Blood

3. In Bruges

4. Persepolis

5. Slumdog Millionare

 

2007

1. Hot Fuzz

"No luck catching them swans, then?" ... "Err, there's just one actually."

“Finally,” I hear you say. “A non-Pixar movie!” Yes, even though I liked Ratatouille, it paled in comparison to this clever, funny, violent and action-packed romp. For me, the genre mash-up didn’t gel quite as well as in Shaun of the Dead (the team’s previous effort) but it could be the best thing that has ever resulted from three funny English guys watching too many American action movies.

 2. Knocked Up

3. Superbad

4. Science of Sleep

5. This is England

 

2006

1. Happy Feet

"We don't take kindly to dancing, hippy, agnostic penguins 'round here"

And we’re back to animation. You can read more of my thoughts on Happy Feet here.

 2. Children of Men

3. The Prestige

4. Casino Royale

5. Little Miss Sunshine

 

2012 PREDICTIONS

1. The Avengers

This promises at least 10 times more awesomeness than the crappy 1998 movie of the same name with Uma Thurman

If you don’t already know, The Avengers will feature just about every Marvel superhero (with the notable exceptions of Spiderman and the X-Men) and it’s being directed by geek idol, Joss Whedon (creator of the Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse TV shows). Expectations are ridiculously high in the Marvel fanatic camp (of which I’m a casual member) and the Whedon fan cult (of which I’m a full-time member). In other words, this could be a huge let-down for a whole bunch of people. But I have faith. After all, Whedon already managed the near impossible with Serenity (the continuation of Firefly and the first feature film where he was given creative control). There he took an ensemble cast of established characters with complex back stories, and made a supremely satisfying companion piece to the show that (thankfully for the uninitiated) was also an awesome stand-alone film. Which is exactly what The Avengers needs.

 2. Brave

3. Life of Pi

4. Hugo

5. The Muppets

6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

7. Dark Knight Rises

8. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

9. 50/50

10. Arrietty