Winner takes it all: Best Movie

So, like a lot of my recent posts, this post will just be my version of another blogger's recent post; this time, it will be Amy's blog, and her Best Of 2010 type blog that inspired me. But mine will be more in the standard award show format, with a winner and a few other nominees.

Also, I'll do these posts one by one, so each one will cover only one category. Here goes:
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First up is my favourite movie of the year. And the winner is:

Inception

Inception was a film that I had dangerously high expecations for. Talented director, great cast, intruiging premise, big budget; this had it all going for it. Coupled with the fact that I followed every meticulous little detail about this film months and months leading up to it's release, my personal hype for this movie continued to grow. The only thing that could have saved this film in my mind was for it to be absolutely amazing.

And it was.



Part of what made this film such a joy to watch was hardly knowing anything about it prior to viewing. Usually, trailers of films give away pretty much the whole plot except for the resolution, but with Inception, even after watching the theatrical trailer 5 times, I had no idea what the hell was going on. Everything felt new. Because everything was new.

The plot itself was what some people would describe as confusing. However, I loved it. Chris Nolan is a genius when it comes to switching up the timeline in which he tells his stories (Memento, The Prestige). With Inception however, he took it to a whole new level: 5 levels (I think it was 5) of reality all moving at different speeds tell the story in a chronologically correct order, while not exactly in a chronologically acurate one. Watching everything come together to achieve one goal was a joy to watch.

As far as the technical aspects go (lighting, cinematography, special effects, etc), everything was absolutely top-notch. Nolan has proved with the Batman franchise that he as the skill to handle a large budget, and it shows here. Another aspect as brilliant as the directing itself is the soundtrack written by Hans Zimmer. I'm a big fan of this guy's compositions, and he sure held up his end of the bargain.

I'd be remiss if I failed to mention the acting. While nothing in here is anything the Oscar voters would get excited over, it is worth noting that Leonardo DiCaprio turns quite a cerebral experience into something that is also emotionally satisfying. Under the surface of the movie lies a heart; or more specifically, a father's heart, wanting to get back to his kids, while dealing with the loss of his wife that plagues him with guilt.

This is quite an easy movie to hate on, because dissing something most people like makes you cool apparently. But anyone who claims to enjoy movies should give this one at least 2 honest trys before giving up and saying it was confusing and therefore boring.
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Other nominees:

The Other Guys - Just a genuinely funny movie, packed both with little chuckles and big laughs. This marks a return to form for Will Ferrell, after a run of unfunny films. Read full review here.

Toy Story 3 - Pixar hits another home run with the third entry to this beloved series. While I do feel that Buzz Lightyear plays a more supporting role than he has in the past, overall it's a very entertaining film that satisfies both kids and adults. Also, (spoiler alert) if you don't tear up when Andy describes each of his toys to Bonnie, then you have no heart.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Usually I hate movies that are quirky for the sake of having quirks, but this didn't seem gimicky at all. It's only a matter of time before people get sick of watching Michael Cera play Michael Cera, but he is perfect for this role. Pilgrim is visually engaging, with an array of funny characters (watch out for the scenes featuring Chris Evans and Brandon Routh) and is quite easy to follow despite it's fast paced nature.