When it was suggested by a student of mine that I compile a list of the best films of this past Decade I knew it would be a daunting task. I mean what criteria do you use; best script, best acting, best action, best drama, most stirring, most scary, funniest, highest grossing, most expensive, most talked about, most popular? It had me going for quite some time let me tell you.
This marks the third year for Your Entertainment Ticket and Alyn Darnay has been a contributor since the site’s inception. Alyn is a director of film, video and Television advertising and most recently had his short film Smooth Operator screened in several film festivals including; Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix and Delray Beach. Alyn is an author and has recently released his book on Script Writing.
This direct to DVD edition of American Pie tops the last two with better direction and more laughs, but the storyline is wearing thin. Strictly for adults but directed at High Schoolers to early college, the film gathers all the clichés from the previous sequels and ties them into The Book Of Love. I do admit that the acting in this one outdoes Band Camp, Wedding, Beta House and the ridiculous Naked Mile, even though the raunchiness barometer is about the same in all the American Pie films.
If you think picking the best films for any one given year is easy, try 2009 with the most diverse genre’s, slick CGI magic and A-list actors taking on some amazing roles. Of the hundreds of movies I have seen this year only a little over 30 were memorable enough from which to consider for my following top ten. Although probably only a small percentage may end up on the short list for best film by the Academy of Arts and Sciences, never-the-less the choices below either impressed, shocked, spun me around, informed, inspired but mostly entertained me to the point that I would want to see them again and again.
News about 10 Things I Hate About You, Make It Or Break It, Surrogates, The Boys Are Back, and I Heart Jonas. The DVD’s release in January 2010.
Dr. Watson I presume is one phrase that still comes up today, but was coined by Arthur Conan Doyle in his novels about Sherlock Holmes over half a century ago. Guy Ritchie takes Doyle’s books and creates a movie thriller starring a great cast, excellent sets and a very creative storyline for the screen. Easily in my top ten for 2009, the film is a must see.
There’s a very cool date film in town starring a fine cast coupled with very good direction. It’s called It’s Complicated and the funny storyline sticks to its title. If you like your romance with handfuls of comedy, then It’s Complicated is a no brainer for you.
A raw action sarcastic comedy/drama, Inglourious Basterds is one of Tarantino’s best no-holds-barred, in-your-face, masterpieces. Now on DVD you can enjoy all the tasteless humor with a lion’s share of brutal sadistic war related violence. When the film ends, check out the many bonus features on the 2-disc special edition that includes a digital copy so you can carry the film around with you on your portable player.
Well it has finally arrived and just in time for holiday giving, the unrated 2-disc digital DVD special edition of The Hangover. I could hardly wait to open the box and snatch out the discs and toss them into my player. No surprise here, the film translates just fine on my home theatre TV. In fact, it is even funnier than I thought when I saw it in the theatre. Able to slow mo, rewind and pause gave me the power over this collectable comedy. AND, the bonus features include 100 new photos from the missing camera.
This fun film gets off to a quick start with some very comedic scenes. I enjoyed Extract more on DVD than I did in the theater. Why you ask? First you don’t need the big screen to enjoy Mike Judge’s style of comedy and you can repeat those scenes that make you laugh. The bonus features are quite good so make sure you check them out.