Best Movies of 2010...So Far

Here it is mid-July and I figured it was just about the perfect time to unveil my favorite movies of the year thus far. I actually thought it was going to be a weak year for movies, but this summer has been a boon for Hollywood with new Shrek and Toy Story installments, The Karate Kid, Twilight: Eclipse and, most recently, Inception.

Fittingly, these all make my list of favorites this year. And a look ahead shows a slew of movies sure to make audiences feel good about the way 2010’s movie year ended (Gulliver’s Travels, The Coen Brothers’ True Grit, Little Fockers, Everything You’ve Got, which is already being described as a younger version of It’s Complicated, and Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg’s Boston flick The Fighter.) Oh, and there’s another Harry Potter film coming out.

After a slow start to the year in movies, considering Avatar came out in late ’09, we’re in for a real treat for the last five months of the year. Here are some movies that I’m particularly excited about:

Updates of film classics: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Tron: Legacy

My favorite actors: Hilary Swank (Conviction), Julia Roberts (Eat, Pray, Love), Robert DeNiro (Machete) and George Clooney (The American). Due Date, the comedy starring Robert Downey, Jr., and Zach Galifianakis should be a winner too.

Buzz builders: The Social Network and the animated MegaMind voiced by Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.

Movies by directors I love: The Next Three Days, a Paul Haggis helmed pic starring Russell Crowe, Unstoppable, another Tony Scott-Denzel Washington collabo, Hearafter which is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Matt Damon who is also set for The Adjustment Bureau, a mega-hit in the making for early 2011.

And now for my best movies of ’10 so far list:

Inception – Maybe it’s the fact that I’m about halfway through a week-long juice cleanse, but this Chris Nolan movie is my favorite of his. Sure, I love Dark Knight and Memento, but I felt like the acting was what stood out for me in those films. In this one, I really loved Nolan’s way of telling this story – a very energetic, don’t-stop-thinking-for-a-second one – that trumps brilliant acting by Leo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, and especially Ellen Page.

Twilight: Eclipse – This is the first one I’ve caught at the theatres, IMAX to be exact, and what a treat. I was a late-bloomer to the Saga, but now I’m all about it and don’t mind admitting as much. This one had the most action which made it the easiest one for me to digest.

The Karate Kid – Did you really think Will Smith’s son would fail? God knows I didn’t. Jaden Smith is a star in the making if you consider a $170-million US gross “in the making”.

Get Him to the Greek – The best comedy since The Hangover and I’ve officially become a Russell Brand fan.  And, yes, Diddy does his (comedic) thing.

Iron Man 2 – Getting Don Cheadle involved was a good decision, but it was also an easy one since this franchise is a can’t-miss thanks to Downey, Jr.’s, star turn in the original.

Book of Eli – This is definitely a movie that I can see myself re-watching on HBO or Showtime for the next few years.