Let's be honest, it's not been a great year at the cinema. It has instead been a year in which most of the films I was looking forward to ended up disappointing. Hollywood's answer to a crap year at the box office appears to be to film everything in 3D next year... like that'll work!
Let's look at the biggest disappointments first... (click the links to see the individual reviews).
Rol's Worst Films Of 2010
5. Iron Man 2
I'm sure there were far worse films produced this year. But not many were quite so disappointing. Except maybe for this...
4. Paranormal Activity 2
3. Cop Out - No review, because I didn't catch it at the cinema. Instead I watched it on DVD. The first half hour, anyway. Kevin Smith... what happened? You've made some rubbish films in your time but I even found nice things to say about Jersey Girl. This though... this was just unwatchable. Mainly because the guy out of 30 Rock SHOUTED EVERY LINE HE HAD RIGHT IN MY FACE UNTIL I FELT PHYSICALLY ABUSED AND HAD TO SWITCH OFF AND WATCH HOUSE INSTEAD. Even Bruce Willis couldn't save this one.
2. The Expendables
Louise loved it. She thought it played as a spoof of 80s action movies. I thought Sly took it all way too seriously. Not the movie I wanted it to be.
1. Solomon Kane
Just shit.
Rol's Best Films Of 2010
10. Whatever Works - The Telegraph named this their worst film of the year. I've never been a huge Woody Allen fan, so I can't really compare it against his more critically acclaimed work. I am however a huge Larry David fan, and this made me laugh and warmed my cynical heart too.
9. The Social Network
Fincher & Sorkin - the dream team. A great movie, but it's still a great movie about flippin' Facebook... hence why slightly less accomplished films have beat it to the top spots.
8. Inception
Visually stunning yet cold, over-complex, and with a predictably annoying "is he really...?" twist.
7. The Disappearance Of Alice Creed
Gemma Arterton proves her worth. For this, I forgive her the dreadful Prince Of Persia.
6. Shutter Island
Another Leonardo DiCaprio film spoilt by its final twist. Still, as an actor he's far less annoying than he used to be.
5. The A Team
90% of the critics (and a good proportion of the public) hated this movie. I can almost understand why... but it made me smile more than just about anything else in the cinema this year.
4. Crazy Heart
Tries a little too hard to be feelgood and Oscar-worthy... but it's still got the World's Greatest Actor playing a washed up country star and Colin Farrell once again silencing the naysayers. Speaking of Oscars - it was about time.
3. Red
Flawed, like The A-Team... but still a hell of a lot more enjoyable than The Expendables. Bruce Willis shows Sly how to do the "old man action hero" genre properly.
2. Four Lions
Chris Morris. Genius.
1. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
If you'd told me at the beginning of the year - or the day before I saw it -that this would end up being my favourite film of 2010, I wouldn't have believed you. I'm still not sure I believe it. But good on 'em. This is how to do a comic adaptation - make it even better than the source material!
