This was easily the largest question mark for me and it bounced in and out of my top ten as I was putting it together. At first I had Winter’s Bone here, then Rabbit Hole, and when it came down to it the entertainment factor had Edgar Wright’s 8-bit wonderland winning out.
I’ve watched Scott Pilgrim vs. the World three times, twice in the theater and once at home, and I will freely admit it isn’t as good the second time as it was the first, but it is still largely entertaining. My only knock against the film is that it runs a tad too long, but the massive amount of fun it delivers more than makes up for that fact.
When it comes to fun at the movies I don’t think it is a stretch to say none had my laughing as loud as I was while watching this one. Easily the #1 comedy of the year.
Funny and dramatic, The King’s Speech is the only film on this list I haven’t seen more than once, but just watching the trailer again brought back all the emotion I felt while watching it the first time. It’s rare for a film to truly tap into the bond formed in a male friendship the way The King’s Speech does and that is a testament to the performances from Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.
This is largely a rather sappy drama in its more heartfelt moments, but I still got goosebumps watching the trailer when Rush as King George’s speech therapist asks, “Why should I waste my time listening to you?” and George (Firth), or “Bertie” as he’s called most of the film, replies, “Because I have a voice!” You know a film is good when lines that could just as easily be found in a soap opera are performed in such a way that they absolutely floor you. This is a great film and it’s no wonder why it is still in the conversation when it comes to debating Oscar’s Best Picture.
I’ve been waiting since June to use the screen capture above as I referenced the scene in my review when I wrote, “I was bowled over late in the film as the outlines of each of these fantastic characters served as silhouettes against a beaming bright light. It’s an absolute showstopper that encapsulates not only the 103 minutes that make up Toy Story 3, but brings together the other 172 minutes from parts one and two.”
Pixar has become the animation house that not only taps into the fun animated films provide, but they’ve managed to elevate their films above being simple children’s pictures as they have increasingly become more adult in nature. Before Pixar the idea of an animation studio continually dealing with more adult subject matter while at the same time operating on a level children can understand, appreciate and enjoy would have been considered impossible. However, with Pixar it has now become an expected norm, something that could potentially work against the studio down the road.
