It's been a year since Film Geekz officially launched as a site and with it one of the first articles was a Top Ten/Bottom Five list. It doesn't even remotely feel like it's been a year since then, I guess time flies sometimes.
Now before we begin I have to admit up front I missed a lot of films this year that I think would have been on this list (good and bad), but this list isn?t about just about accomplishments in film making it?s about films that are just down right enjoyable and have a high re-watchable quality to them.
Enjoy
The Best
1. The Dark Knight
I?m pretty sure that nearly every best of list you'll find The Dark Knight and Wall-E are within the top five (if not higher), both films are insanely well written layered and at the same time crazy enjoyable. The Dark Knight tops the list because well..it's Batman dammit! But not only that it's a movie that is just so well done I catch something new each time around and after repeated viewings I have very (if any) gripes or feelings about how it could or should have been done. Filled with great performances this movie just owns the world it lives in. It's an amazing piece of' art and even though I knew I'd enjoy it I didn't think I'd adore it.
2. Wall-E
This one I knew I'd adore, it's Pixar and it's robots. However I didn't expect to find a movie with so many powerful messages and yet at the same time be one of the greatest romantic films of all time..and it did all of that with so little dialog. Take note this is a movie that not only defied traditional storytelling it may have changed it forever.
3. Iron Man
While The Dark Knight was all doom and gloom Iron Man brought us the most fun and enjoyable super hero movie to date. It's smartly done and just fun to watch. Robert Downey is Tony Stark and his comeback year couldn't have started any better than this.
4. Tropic Thunder
Another comedy about the world of film making? AB-SOL-UTLY! Finally a comedy that has the nerve to poke fun at itself and also be raunchy and over the top. Robert Downey really took a risk playing it up in this one but he never lets up and just sells it.
5. Cloverfield
Love it? Hate it? Made Ya Sick? That seems to be the only three points of view on this movie. Fair enough, it's not a complex movie, or even a well acted one. But for someone who loves giant monster movies this is a perfect fit since it's told from the point of view of the poor bastards who are the ones getting stomped on. Many people dismissed this as The Blair Witch meets Godzilla but that's not a fair comparison nor accurate. If nothing else I love it because it's just not like everything else out there.
6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Anyone who's ever been dumped needs to see this movie, anyone who lust likes to laugh should see this movie. One of the best break-up movies ever made for the simple reason that it keeps everything balanced and doesn't just paint things in black and white, at some point you will feel sorry for everyone in this movie and also root for all of them.
7. In Bruges
Still can't define exactly what it is about this movie that I love; it's just a fun little movie and a little gritty. Didn't really expect Collin Farrell to wind up on my list but here he is. In Bruges is just one of those movies you don't know quite what to expect and it keeps surprising and sucking you in.
8. Zack and Miri Make A Porno
It's Kevin Smith and porn...I know what I like. Ok honestly there's very little sex or nudity in this movie, it's just a very funny and yet very mature (for Kevin Smith anyway) love story.
9. Be Kind Rewind
This is nothing less than a love letter to movies. Sure it's a bit lopsided and has trouble finding its groove but it?s just pure in its love of being creative and paying homage to the world of film. Not sure why but Henry loved this movie and picks it out on the regular for viewing..he is my kid so being a Film Geek could very well be genetic.
10. Quantum of Solace
Bond, James Bond. While I enjoy Casino Royale more this is no slouch. I like Daniel as Bond and one hopes he'll stick with it so long as the scripts are good. Solace is got action in spades so all they need to do next time round is give Bond a bit more charm and smirky-ness.
The Worst
1. The Love Guru
This movie is just painful to watch on every level and should just be avoided at any and all costs. Imagine a movie full of bad stereotyped characters throwing bad jokes every 3 minutes while a crazy dude named Bubba sits in your living room strangling a box full of kittens. It's that painful and we expect better from you Mike, but hey congrats you made Disaster Movie seem almost tolerable... almost.
2. Disaster Movie
Yeah I know putting this on the list is kind of a given and a lot like picking on the slow kid in class but at least Meet The Spartans was watchable after several (dozen) drinks. Please stop making these movies, its lame, its talent less, and worst of all not even remotely funny.
3. 10,000 BC
This is one serious clusterfuck of a movie that couldn't decide if it wanted to be a serious movie or some goofball comedy with cavemen. This is not a line you can straddle with this type of movie and it fails on an epic level while trying.
4. Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D
This movie sucks in one extra dimension, and thats 2 too many. The plot is bad, the action is stupid, the acting is so wooden even George Lucas is shaking his head in disapproval.
5. Babylon A.D.
This is a movie that was trying so hard to be the next Blade Runner or Mad Max and ended up sucking so bad even the director wanted nothing to do with it...a movie that sucked so bad Vin decided to go back and cash in on Fast and Furious again...and if that flops expect The Pacifier 2: Doody Calls.
6. Funny Games
I know plenty of other critics really enjoyed this movie but I have no love for this one. It tries far far too hard to be a cult classic and nothing about these two yuppie dipshits is threatening, my 7 year old would have kicked their asses and sent them home crying.
7. X-Files: I Want To Believe
Ok I know that part of the reason for this being on the list is simply that as a fan I'm pissed off. I'm honest enough to admit that, but I'm not big enough to let it go long enough to leave it off either. Fan issues aside the movie is a total disaster, the plot is thin and just all around uninteresting. While I expect an X-files adventure to be confusing this thing was confusing because of poor writing and not any of the normal X-Files mythology.
8. The Happening
The movie equivalent to having your arm sawed off by a maniac with safety scissors, it's painful, it'll take a long long time and once it's over you'll feel like a piece of you is missing.
9. One Missed Call
So you get a phone call and you die? Wow that?s scary. I'd have been more impressed about a group of debt collectors who've decided to literally hunt down people...I bet you shit your pants if you thought the gang from Columbia House was going to show up with chainsaws.
10. Prom Night
CAN WE PLEASE STOP MAKING PG-13 RATED HORROR MOVIES NOW?! Seriously I get it that its all about the money and getting stupid kids into seats and trying to cash in on the "Unrated" cut later but even the unrated cuts of these movies suck total ass boogers. Prom Night is so tame I started thinking I was watching someones actual Prom Video....zzzZZZZzzzzzz.
That the list and I gotta tell ya for a year that had both a Star Wars and an Indiana Jones film it's a sad state of affairs that neither made the best list, but at least they didn't land on the worst list (though Clone Wars came close to doing so). Now as I was saying I know some of the films I missed this year would have no doubt made this list in one way or another sadly you just cannot see everything I guess (not in theaters anyway). I'm sure I'll catch up with those films on DVD soon enough though.
Every year when I sit down to write these lists it's always amazing to me to look back on the year that was and realize just how many good films were made but sadly I find it harder settle on a list of the bad ones, so much so that I increased the worst list from five to ten this year just to do it justice, and had I not been so lazy I planned to increase the top list to fifteen...but when its all said and done I am lazy and was too busy thinking about the top hotties list.
Hope everyone had a great year and I look forward to seeing how this year pans out.
Has it really been a year? 
