Ben's Top Ten Movies of 2010

All right, I wasn't originally going to do this, but I'm curious as to the reactions I'll get. This isn't going to be a Top Ten from Hell, just what I liked this year.

10: Machete: Very rarely do I put a movie that is political on a Top 10. Machete, while political, if purely mindless fun. How fun? Imagine if a movie was made about Brock Samson's greatest kills, and throw in some of the best looking women to boot. Okay, so, only one was really attractive, in my opinion (the mom... and she's a red head, too!), but it's still fun stuff. Also, I'm awaiting the sequels: Machete Kills and Machete Kills Again, which, according to Danny Trejo, is going to happen.

9: Smash Cut: Yes, Smash Cut was an HHMR. The trick was, while it was an incredibly bad movie, with even worse acting, it was a lot of fun to watch. It's gory, and repetitive, but never boring, seemingly embracing its terribleness as part of its ridiculous charm. The cherry topping has to be Sasha Grey's best line ever said: "I just kissed the severed head of my dead sister. I'm going to celebrate with some trauma counseling." Smash Cut is a must see for cheesy horror movie fans.

8: The Expendables: Stallone's latest movie had no right being as fun as it was, much less as emotional at points. Yes, it has mindless violence and jokes about Jet Li's height. It also has Jet Li fighting Dolph Lungdren, Sly Stallone fighting Steve Austin, and Jason Statham kicking the ass of a wuss who thinks it's a great idea to beat a woman. On top of that, David Zayas plays a surprisingly sympathetic villain, and Micky Rourke give an incredibly stirring speech about how violence can make you lose your soul. The Expendables is a very surprising movie: fun and it makes you think... but not much.

7: Predators: Predators is a sequel that is done right this much later in the series. It serves as both a sequel and a reboot. I was weary about Adrian Brody being cast as the main character, and even more about Topher Grace being in it. I was genuinely surprised by the homages to the first (including using the original soundtrack), and the multilayered storyline. This is also the second movie on this list that Danny Trejo is in. Unfortunately, they kill him in the worst way possible, but, they make up for it with Yakuza vs Predator melee action.

6: Repo Men: I'm one of maybe three people that actually liked Repo Men. The movie was nearly exactly the same plot as Repo! The Genetic Opera, right down to the "singer" character having fake eyes. Where Repo Men truly shines is with the way it embraces itself as it's own movie. It never takes itself seriously, but it never gets so funny that you forget what's at stake. It's a good balance of humor and twists and turns. Oh, and the ending is one of the more interestingly executed twists that has appeared in an action movie.

5: The Book of Eli: The Book of Eli can be described as Fallout: The Movie up until the last 15 minutes. After that, the movie takes what it's been building up to, and turns the entire movie on its ear. What's more interesting is that after watching it the first time, you see the subtle hints at the big twist in the end. It's one of the few movies that has kept me in my seat in some time.

4: Splice: I really didn't think I was going to like this movie at all. I'm hard pressed to even call Splice any genre. It's sci-fi, it's horror, it's drama... it's frightening, but not in the sense you'd think it would be. You aren't afraid of the monster (most of the time), but of the philosophy of what the humans are doing. Watching the evolution of Dren alone is one of the biggest reasons to see this movie. The movie evokes a strong emotional response that isn't what you'd expect to feel from it, and its always changing. Think of this as a spiritual successor to Cronenberg's The Fly.

3: Let Me In: I don't like vampire movies. I really don't. I think vampires are outdated and over done. And yet... I love this movie. Think about that for a while, and you'll know why this is so high on the list,

2: Black Swan: Black Swan is an unusual creature of a movie; its bizarre enough to repulse you, but beautiful enough to keep drawing you in. I've said before that every scene is designed to seem surreal, and every line of dialogue is written to alienate and intrigue you all at the same time. You'll be on the edge of your seat, but you'll still be in your seat, frightened, yet not able to look away. And not in that bad car accident (or Terror Toons) way.

1: Toy Story 3: Believe it. Toy Story 3 is really that damn good that it's # 1 on my list. I grew up with the originals, and I used to collect figures. I loved feeling like a little kid when I was a little kid. And this movie reminded me of why I did. By the end of the movie, I was both nostalgic about my own childhood, missing my time back then, and happy that I got to experience it all over again. It's very rare for me to want to sit in the theater for the next showing just so I can experience it all over again. Toy Story 3 is the movie that did it, and I still can't wait to see it again.

Ben