As I've said before, I am going to take every 2010 release I saw this year, and narrow them down into my top 15 movies of the year, and my bottom 15 of the year. Here is that list below: Unfortunately though, I tried to add posters for all 30 movies, but this post was having some technical errors, so the posters for the listed movies are with the review I wrote for each one. Be warned that as I saw these movies a second time, I changed my mind from the rating I gave with the post, so please don't be that confused. Also, I'll probably be seeing a lot of 2010 movies that are still in theaters or in redbox and HBO, so look out for those reviews as well, but those movies, no matter how much I love or hate them will not be added to this list. Instead, they will be added to a couple of lists that will be under my 10 favorite movies ever list, and these lists will be updated every year, so look out for that. So without further ado, here is my top 15 and bottom 15 movies of 2010:
Now I know what you must be thinking: Why did Zach even chose to review this movie, let alone watch it? Let me tell you why; because it is a sweet, funny, heartfelt, and imaginative way to get inside the head of a curious 9 year old girl. Ramona and Beezus is quite possibly the sweetest movie that I saw in 2010, with humor, heart, and imagination to pull the audience all the way to the end. Sure the poster may seem that Selena Gomez of TV's 'Wizards Of Waverly Place' is the main star of the movie, but it's that little girl next to her, who plays Ramona from the title that steals the show. A young actress named Joey King plays the quirky 9 year old girl, and basically steals the movie with her performance. I can see a lot coming for this young actress, which shows that her performance along with the help of the supporting cast, director Elizabeth Allen, and the stories from the mind of Beverly Cleary make Ramona and Beezus THE must see rental for families and young girls alike.
So the plot goes like this: Ramona, a curious but trouble making 3rd grader deals with her friends, family, life problems, and here world of imagination. She tries to do the best she can, but everyone tends to laugh at her except for her sweet aunt, her car, and her one best friend. How will Ramona get through he hard, yet sometimes enjoyable life. Through the power of her imagination, she can be herself in that world and her real life.
Now from the previews this may just seem like any kids movie as an excuse to go see a flick. But let me tell you, as a soon to be 14 year old, this is a movie for everyone. Well, not for any other male teen out there, since I'm guessing they'll just think of it as a little girl's movie. But let me tell you that those guys who see this movie don't understand that it's just not their kind of movie. You have to have the right mind and the right heart in order to enjoy this movie. This movie explores the average little girl's mind by using her kind of curse words, her imagination to get through the day, and the problems she deals with, both with her family and her social life. And that's one of the best things about this movie: It explores the harsh times and the happy/funny times of life seen through the eyes of Ramona Quimby.
Like I said before, it's young Joey King who steals the movie from the rest of the ensemble cast, including Selena Gomez, Sandra Oh, and Josh Duhamel. I'm not saying that the rest of the cast wasn't good. In fact, they also contribute to the movie's sparkle. Other supporting cast members include John Corbett as Ramona and Beezus' loving father, Ginnifer Goodwin as Ramona's mellow and understanding Aunt, and Bridget Moynahan as Ramona's mommy. People shouldn't go to see this movie just for Ms. Gomez, since she's only in the movie for half of its initial running time of 103 minutes. The other cast, especially John Corbett help bring the movie to its highest points, and to some of its sadder sequences involving financial problems, romantic interests, and deaths. But this movie has the words, "Great Family Fun" written all over it. And that's exactly what it is.
Don't let the somewhat poorly edited trailer fool you away from this movie. It's actually the younger family version of Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, not to mention more enjoyable. Though I can't wait to see the 2nd Diary Of A Wimpy Kid movie in March, (yes, this year) I'd surely love to see the rest of the Ramona Quimby books come alive on the big screen. I have personally read a couple of the Quimby books when I was younger, and I must tell you that they are good books for younger kids. It's not a movie for the teen guys like me. (yet, not like me) It's more of a movie for the faint of heart, the younger generation, and the adult/old generation, since it's a family movie, plain and simple. So do you think your family's messed up? You don't know messed up and funny until you meet Ramona and Beezus.
Action comedies can differ from time to time. Some can involve cops, like The Other Guys. Others can involve secret agents and spies, like Knight and Day, Tom Cruise's latest effort to score money and regain fans he might've lost in the past. This time, he brings along Cameron Diaz, his previous costar from Vanilla Sky. Now I've never seen a single Tom Cruise movie before, not even Mission Impossible, but like all moviegoers I started watching this with an open mind, hoping to kill 2 hours and have some fun. And boy, Tom Cruise delivered the goods for me, as Knight and Day was one of the most fun rentals I've ever had.
The synopsis is pretty standard for this kind of movie: an average American woman gets swiped off her feet by an undercover spy who is risking both of their lives for an everlasting battery. But if this battery gets in the wrong hands, who knows what will happen. Yeah, this sounds like a corny plot. But that's just what happens with 20th Century Fox, they send out trailers showing the main stars of the movie and some awesome and funny sequences, but don't explain what the movie's even about. But I don't care, this movie is still a fun ride.
Now like I've said I've never seen a Tom Cruise movie before, so I don't know if he's terrific at his game. However, after seeing this movie, I can surely say that he is hilarious. The way he explains every situation to Cameron (clueless in this movie) Diaz is funny to us and intriguing to both the damsel and the audience. Cameron Diaz plays her usual thing, the out-of-control damsel who either wants everything to be perfect or have a normal life. But in this movie, we see her get drugged, shooting weapons, etc., which makes it very funny to watch. The other cast are just the spies tracking the leads down, and a clueless teenager who invented the battery I talked about earlier. It's the main leads who make this movie very very fun.
Now the story may not be that original, and some of the casting may have not been cool to watch, but it's the funny jokes, awesome action scenes, and the main actors who help Knight and Day see it's light. It's not a movie where the plot is reliable, it's a movie where you just have to sit down and watch your mind melt for 2 hours, like this summer's The A-Team. (Which coincidentally they both came from the same studio) Now I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves action and comedy, but I wouldn't recommend this to people who aren't fans of the two main leads. See if you don't like Tom Cruise or Cameron Diaz, then you might as well rent something else to satisfy your appetite. So if you enjoy action, comedy, Tom Cruise, or Cameron Diaz, you just might want to check this out. I wish I got to go see this movie on the big screen, since that is what this movie was made for. So what time of day do you perfer: Knight or Day? Whichever day you perfer, then take that time of day to watch Knight and Day.
When you hear the name Robert Pattinson, the first thing that probably pops into your head is Twilight, where he plays the dreamy, sparkling vampire Edward Cullen. As this may be hard to believe, Mr. Pattinson here wants the Twilight Saga to end soon, since he wants to branch out into other genres. So his first attempt in doing so is Remember Me, a tragic yet compelling movie that is full of drama and tragedy that may have you crying at the end. You can probably call this movie a love story, which it is, but it's also a coming of age story, since the main character must overcome his loneliness and find his true place in the world.
SYNOPSIS (Courtesy of Fandango.com) Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn’t think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. But soon, hidden secrets are revealed, and the circumstances that brought them together slowly threaten to tear them apart. Remember Me is an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one’s life.
Now this movie isn't a terrific, Oscar winning film like Titanic or Slumdog Millionaire, but some (including me can't deny that this is a good movie. The story is just your typical love, drama, an tragic story, but with another modern twist. Now this movie isn't a filmmaking breakthrough, or one of the greatest movies ever made, but it's a good drama a a nice, yet depressing way to spend 2 hours. With every romance comes dramatic tragedies. What that means is, if you hate sad movies, don't see this movie. This film is very sad the moment the first scene begins. You'll know this since the movie has moody yet somewhat powerful music throughout. But if you're a tough person who can handle anything, or has a girlfriend wanting to spend a Saturday night with you, then try to look for this movie, and you might actually enjoy it.
Now I would like to point out that Robert Pattinson accomplishes what he intended to do when making this movie: get away from Twilight. Yes, he's not just some pretty boy making out with Bella Swan and taking his shirt off every 30 minutes, he's slowly but surely becoming a serious actor. I can compare this step of acting to what ZacEfron did with Charlie St. Cloud, except this movie was made specifically for mature teens/adults, and not for screaming girls who just want to see a hot guy take his shirt off. I can see Robert Pattinson going places someday, well, as a serious actor, no less. It's not like will see Robert Pattinson in a romantic comedy with an actress his age. Oh shoot, I just gave many movie studios another crappy idea and another way to make what I call "lazy money". I just hope to see Mr. Pattinson in more movies like this, and establish himself as an actor and not as a teen heart-throb for the remainder of his acting career.
So overall, Remember Me is a good movie. It's one where you can relate to the characters as if they were friends or brothers/sisters of yours. It has drama, romance, and tragedy all blended together. This is also a very mature movie for mature audiences. Parents, even though this has one of the world's biggest teen-sensations, be warned that this deals with the reality of life, including bullying, love, and death. So if you have kids who love Twilight and love Robert Pattinson, don't let them get near this movie. Not only will they not understand this movie, they'll be exposed to adulthood before they even got to puberty. But other than that, Remember Me is a romance that I think shouldn't be missed. So, even when he's long gone from acting, how will you "Remember" Robert Pattinson; as the teen heart-throb, or as a serious actor? You decide.
Ah, here we are again. 20th Century Fox releasing a dumb movie about a tough action star or raunchy comedian working with something totally kid friendly. First it was Garfield, then Fat Albert, then Alvin and the Chipmunks, and now it's Tooth Fairy. Tooth Fairy takes Dwayne Johnson, who was once a tough wrestler/action star, who now stars in many crappy kids movies. But as hard as this may be, and it really is shocking for me to say this, but Tooth Fairy is actually one of his better kids movies, but it's not because of the main actor himself. I'm just going to save you some time on reading the synopsis, so I'll just summarize the summary: Jerky sports star becomes tooth fairy after telling little kid there's no such thing as one.
Now like I said, this movie was not a disappointment. This movie was not made towards critics and adults. This movie was made directly towards families who want to get to the movies, or in this case, watch on HBO. I believe that Dwayne Johnson is one of the worst actors in Hollywood right now. In every Dwayne Johnson movie I've seen, he is never a believable character. All I see him being for another few movies is just another tough wrestler/action star who takes on dumb kid roles that many actors could do much better. The only exception for Mr. Johnson is the hilarious Get Smart. Now getting back to the movie, it's not Mr. Johnson who is a good actor in this movie, it's the supporting cast. Julie Andrews and Billy Crystal are possibly the best part in this movie, even though those actors are probably in the movie for a maximum of 30 minutes. The rest of the movie is just a kid-friendly, unharmful movie, that families may or may not enjoy.
So to sum up my short review of Tooth Fairy, this movie was just okay. It's not terrible, and it's not teriffic, it's just decent family entertainment. On the plus side, it's better than Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. If there's nothing else you and your family can find on stars, this might be the best choice for you. I'm not saying that parents will enjoy the movie, but I know the kids will absolutely love it. Although it has a teribble story, special effects, and acting from the lead characters, it's saved by some of its corny jokes and supporting cast. So should you go see Tooth Fairy? If you're in a family with small children, it'll be better just to watch their reaction on the movie than just watch the movie itself. Overall, if you do watch Tooth Fairy on HBO, your kids will surely have a good time. As for the adults, well, at least the movie is free, right?
