10. The Beaver
Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence,
Written by Kyle Killen
Directed by Jodie Foster
In what should have been the comeback of Mel Gibson (the worlds most adorable anti-semite) this film at its heart is about a broken man trying to get back his family. It is witty, quirky, and very smart. Aside from his crazy rants, Mel Gibson is a pretty good actor and he shows us why in this movie.
9. Thor
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson,
Written Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Don Payne
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
A buff, blonde man from the space (Asgard) disobeys his father's orders and is banished to Earth where he must reclaim his hammer and his honor. Thor is my favorite Marvel superhero and Kenneth Branagh did an awesome job at bringing this ridiculous story to life as we all eagerly await The Avengers.
8. The Muppets
Starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, The Muppets, A buttload of cameos
Written by Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller,
Directed by James Bobin
There's really not much to say about this one, it's amazing, it's funny. I mean come on, look at the poster.
7. Source Code
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga,
Written by Ben Ripley
Directed by Duncan Jones
This movie was really cool, it had a great sci-fi idea and just ran with it. It's like a video game, no one would have guessed that replaying the same scene again and again would be so interesting
6. Rango
Starring Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Timothy Olyphant, Ray Winstone,
Written by John Logan
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Hands down the best animated film of the year. The detail in this film is amazing, it's a great ode to the great John Wayne and Clint Eastwood westerns, but with animated animals! Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski have brought another great adventure to life.
5. Martha Marcy May Marlene
Starring Elizabeth Olson, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes,
Written by Sean Durkin
Directed by Sean Durkin
I was lucky to see this movie at Sundance last year, knowing nothing about it and was blown away. Elizabeth Olson shows she can act, unlike her two older sisters and John Hawkes is so creepy its amazing. One of the best thrillers I've ever seen and it leaves you with a chill. Great Stuff.
4. Hugo
Starring Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helen McCrory, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Jude Law, Richard Griffiths
Written by John Logan based on the novel by Bryan Selznick
Directed by Martin Scorsese
This is a movie for people who love movies. It has the best use of 3D in the history of film as it gives a tip of the hat to the silent films of old. The cast is great, the writing is great, and the directing is great. It's one of those films that will just never go away.
3. Drive
Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman
Written by Hossein Amini based on the novel by James Sallis
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Ryan Gosling's best performance since Lars and the Real Girl, and the best action movie of the year, even if it almost all happens in the last half hour.
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Philip Baker Hall
Written by Will Reiser
Directed by Jonathan Levine
This is the breakout performance for Joseph Gordon-Levitt and with all these aging stars in Hollywood it's great to see someone young give the best performance of the year. Based on Will Reiser's real life situations as he defeated cancer, I felt more for this movie than I did any other....Except maybe.........
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Evanna Lynch, Matt Lewis, Warwick Davis, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton, Helen McCrory, Ciaran Hinds, Bonnie Wright, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, David Thewlis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, Natalia Teno, Robbie Coltrane Written by Steve Kloves based on the novel by J.K. Rowling
Directed by David Yates
It was a fitting end to the biggest film series of all time, and yes I am a bit biased because I have grown up on these films, but no one and nothing can ever accomplish what this film, and this series has accomplished over the last decade. It wins as the best film of the year.
Honorable Mentions: The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,
