Before you scroll down, there might be some spoilers... so read at your risk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Moon - Sam Rockwell is fucking awesome, add Kevin Spacey as a robot with a smiley face to show emotions and BOOM fucking awesome and best movie of the year, I can't say anything more about it, just watch it! *****

2. Taken - Liam Neeson will kill you and all that you love. To be fair, he did warn them first. The unrated cut is actually slightly different than the theatrical cut, but not enough to charge extra. All hail the world's newest action hero: a 50 year old Irishman known for previously playing a cuckolded husband and a Jesus analog cg lion. ****1/2

3. Watchmen - While I do risk inviting the wrath of purists by saying I liked it, Watchmen was pretty damn good. I'm sad about the loss of the squid. But the fight scenes were excellent, and it quite accurately portrayed a distopian mid 80's. Not the game-changer the fanboys were hoping for, though. That was V. But Zack Snyder continues to deliver, and his strange casting choices always pay out. ****

4. District 9 - Best sci-fi movie in a few years was made by a bunch of nobodies at the bottom of the world. And the best we can do is throw money at Michel Bay to watch him shit out another movie. Come on Hollywood, get your damn act together. ****

5. Inglorious Basterds - Tarantino's much like Mickey Rourke. He may never win an Oscar, but goddamn if he ain't making a compelling case every few years. ****

6. Hurt Locker - Pretty good meditation on what it means to do what you love in life. Starts out an example of macho behavior and gets better as it goes along. Not worth all the Oscars, but good nonetheless. ****

7. Up In The Air - Seems like there were a lot of good movies this year about what it means to be happy, and how that may be very different for two separate individuals. And, of course, the fact that sometimes there is no happy ending. Sometimes you get what you've always wanted, only to find you isn't what you want anymore. ****1/2

8. Fantastic Mr. Fox - Pretty fantastic. Roald Dahl would be proud. His books have ended up as rather good movies. ***1/2

9. Crank 2 - Imagine watching the first Crank at full volume half a foot from the screen on mushrooms. That's what this one is like. Which makes no sense. Jason Statham is dead as hell at the end of the first one. There was no plausible way they could have made a sequel. At the end of this one, he's electrocuted and burning to death and hallucinating. They'll probably make a third one. And it'll be even more psychotic and awesome. ***1/2
 
10. Ninja Assassin - I know I know, what the fuck am I thinking right? It was good, tons of crazy shit happening at once, people not dying after being cut open by razor sharp swords and shurikens, but fuck if you can't enjoy the mindless digital bloodbath that can only be compared to the bloodiest anime's known to mankind. Who'd a thought that a South Korean Pop Idol could kick the shit out of his former clan? I sure as fuck wouldn't want to come toe to toe with him.  ***1/2
 
 Honorable Mention

9 - World's gonna end. Just a matter of what - not whom - survives after that. ***1/2

Land Of The Lost - Not sure why everybody hated this one. Will Farrel is in rare form. Danny McBride is unseasonably good to boot. And the second act in the desert is absolutely hilarious. ***1/2

Zombieland - A coming of age story for the generation Z. Plus, one of the best opening credits I've seen in a great while. ***1/2