Marty's Top 5 (or more) of 2010

It's times like these I feel like a bit of an impostor. Top 5 movies of 2010? How can anybody come up with the Top 5 of 2010 without seeing every movie? Well, of the 50 or so movies I saw this last year, here are the ones I think are most worthwhile, in no particular order:

The Ghost Writer – Moody, deliberate thriller that's big on atmosphere, even if it's short on plot complications. A ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) is enlisted to write the memoirs of a former controversial prime minister (Pierce Brosnan). Menace begins to build as the writer learns more than he bargained for.

Animated movies – Another good year for animation featured Despicable Me, an interesting take on the heart and motivation of a supervillain, with clever contraptions and lovable minions;
How to Train Your Dragon, a fresh-feeling, beautiful film about a young viking bucking the system, trying to find a more peaceful way to deal with the community's dragon problem; Toy Story 3, a freewheeling sequel about the nature of friendship, abandonment, and the courage to move on; and the yet-to-be-ClearPlayed Tangled, a re-telling of Rapunzel that's another star in the Disney crown.

Inception / Shutter Island– Leonardo DiCaprio plays an expert looking for answers in a labyrinthine world where the lines of reality are crossed, all the while haunted by the fate of his wife, in which he may have played a part. Yes, they're essentially the same movie, and they don't have much to say about the human condition. But in the hands of Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorcese respectively, the movies are wildly entertaining and visually stunning.

Blasts from the Past – Most of the best movies of 2009 didnt make it on ClearPlay until this year, so here they are:

The Hurt Locker – The idea that war is a drug isn’t particularly new, but there are some stunning set pieces in this view of the Iraqi conflict from a ballistic expert’s view.

Up in the Air – Corporate downsizer (George Clooney) spends most of his working life travelling when he finds a bond with a free-spirited professional woman, maybe letting his guard down long enough to fall in love.

Precious – A bleak but ultimately triumphant story of an unsympathetic girl with an abusive upbringing.

Me and Orson Welles – A young actor (Zac Efron) joins the Mercury Players at the time of Orson Welles legendary staging of Julius Caesar.

The Road – is a horrifying look at a post-apocalyptic world, focusing on the relationship between a boy and his father.

-- by Marty Nabhan, ClearPlay Cinemaniac