My Flick Picks from 2010

The year has almost come to an end and what a year it has been for movie going audiences! I certainly had a ball watching the wide array of movies that the big (and small) studios threw in our direction. But not every one of them measured up to my expectations. Some were great in bits and pieces, others were sore disappointments, while some shined like gems.

So here's the low-down on the movies that "I" feel were outstanding in the respective divisions -

Best Action Flick - The A Team

The re-imagined cult action series from the 80’s makes its debut on the big screen with a bang. With Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper, the new A-Team does a whole lotta justice to their small screen avatars. The sheer madness and insanity involved in the action sequences make this my favorite action flick of the year. And yes, "I love it when a plan comes together."

Best Visual Effects Flick - Tron Legacy


The long awaited sequel to the cult classic “TRON”, may not have the same appeal as its predecessor, but the flick scores pretty high in the visual effects and imagery department.
The updated Game Grid and its inhabitants make for some uber cool looking neo-mancers. The highlight as in the first film, is of course the light-cycle races and the Disc Battles. The flick also has some truly orgasmic background score by the techno duo Daft Punk.

Best Drama Flick - The Social Network


I have to admit, I was skeptical about the success of this one. Making a biographical flick of someone who is merely 24 didn’t really sound that interesting. Especially if that person happens to be a Geek. But David Fancier did a fantastic job narrating the story behind the youngest billionaire in the world. The background score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross elevates the brilliance of the movie exponentially.

Best Animated Flick - How To Train Your Dragon


Although I caught this gem on the small screen, the visuals of the animation were still awesome. Not to mention the characters and the overall Story were an absolute treat! The other contenders (Toy Story 3, Despicable Me and Shrek Forever After) for this category were also great, but this one stands apart for its great one-liners and numerous heartfelt moments.

Best Comedy Flick - Date Night


Featuring two of the best TV comedians, this flick may have failed to generate box office buzz, but was my favorite comedy flick of the year, beating even Due Date and Get Him To The Greek.
Both Tina Fey and Steve Carrel have had substantial background in comedy and have successful TV shows of their own. So to watch them together was to hard to pass up. The comic chemistry between Carrel and Fey is simply amazing. I would pay to watch them in another movie any time!

Best flick of the year - Inception

Original and briliant intellectual plot – Bhwaaarrm! Fantastic direction and cinematography - Bhwaaarrm! Top-notch  performances by the stellar cast - Bhwaaarrm! Stupendously Haunting background score Bhwaaarrm! Bhwaaarrm! Bhwaaarrm!

Without a doubt, this has to be the best movie of the year. The intricate plot, the plot within a plot, the back stories, the concept, it all just made this flick an absolute treat to watch. Nolan draws on his experience of working on big-budget flicks (The Prestige, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and weaves it ever-so skillfully with his master story telling ability (Memento, Insomnia) and brings to audiences a movie that is destined to be one of the best movies of this decade (maybe even this century).


Special Mentions
Although not covered in the categories above, there were a few other movies that do deserve a mention of their own.

Iron Man 2  
The sequel to John Favreau's rendition of Marvel's Superhero gives RDJ plenty of room to ooze his charm and wit. Not to mention a sultry Scarlett Johansson and the evil maniacal Mickey Rourke.

Due Date
Another RDJ starrer, this one was essentially a Road Trip gone wrong thanks to the shenanigans of Zach Galifianakis. Although not as hilarious as some comedies, it did tickle the funny bone now and then.

Alice In Wonderland
Tim Burton's interpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic has his signature style all over the flick, which is a GOOD thing. Add to that Johnny Depp as the mad-hatter and you have a quirky and twisted movie that makes for interesting viewing

Despicable Me
Another Steve Carrel starrer, this animated flick is rib-tickling as hell. And with a plot that would work only in the animated world, the laughs just keep on coming.

The Karate Kid
Another reboot, this one a far-cry from the original, brings my beloved Chinese action hero, Jackie Chan to the role of the mentor with the new kid on the block, Jaden Smith as the protagonist. With some awesome Kung-Fu sequences and great comic timing between the two leads, this one is definitely  worth a watch.


So there you have it, the Best of the Best from 2010 as I saw it. Feel free to leave your comment and your personal recommendations for the categories.

Of Legacies and Sequels-A Tron Story

In 1982 a movie starring Jeff Bridges as a brilliant computer programmer sucked into the computer world, wowed movie going audiences with its (then considered) "cutting edge" computer graphics and cyberpunk imagery. The movie was TRON, which went on to become a cult classic.

Fast forward 28 years to 2010 when the LONG anticipated sequel to the cult classic is to be released. The movie, aptly titled TRON:Legacy takes the cyber universe from the first movie to a whole visually updated new 3-D experience.

The movie is of course yet to release. But the buzz for it began almost a year ago with a teaser trailer (a rather long one at that!) showcased at the Comic Con 2009.



To those who had no clue about the original movie, this trailer was only eye candy and simply looked "AWESOME". But fans and viewers of the original movie were instantly hooked since they saw the protagonist from the previous movie, Kevin Flynn and his coded program, Clu (Both played by the talented Jeff Bridges) in the clip. Fans realised that the sequel had some connection with the original and wasn't some lame attempt to reboot or simply cash in on the "TRON" banner. Their interest was definitely piqued.

The viral marketing continued in various media and Disney (the studio that has produced both TRON movies) was leaving no stone unturned to ensure brand recall for their cyber flick. Even their latest acquisition, Marvel comics got to play a role in the marketing, with the comic book behemoth having published a limited series comic book which served as a gap between the two TRON movies.

The latest set of trailers (the official theatrical versions) that have been released confirmed the rumors of the rather deep connection between the new movie and its retro prequel. These trailers definitely look even more wowsome and appealing than the teaser trailer and have certainly ensured that not just the fans of the original, but even noobs are hooked.

Theatrical Trailer 1



Theatrical Trailer 2



But the real question remains. Will the sequel be as big a success as the original? Despite all the positive reactions to the trailers and the story (synopsis and plot easily available at the Tron Wiki, IMDB or Wikipedia), I have my doubts about the new flick. Don't get me wrong, the new movie IS going to be absolutely amazing and will definitely wow audiences and I am going to watch the movie irrespective.
But the original movie is a cult classic and a pop culture phenomenon.

Despite a "geek" oriented plot, the movie still marveled audiences for one reason. The original movie was released in an era where computers were being considered the next big step in evolution. Everyday breakthroughs were being made in the computing world and predictions of super computers capable of running on their own (read Artificial Intelligence) were becoming a hotly debated topic. This was the same era that saw other cult classics such as Short-Circuit, War-Games, Blade Runner and The Terminator being released.

The Original Tron Movie Trailer



From a visuals perspective, the movie was ground-braking. Almost 80% of the movie is rendered through computer graphics. Not only are backgrounds and props CGI cool, but the intense (by the standards of that era) action sequences are equally spectacular. The most amazing visual of course being that of the light cycle races.

The Light Cycle Races



Another aspect that worked tremendously in the favor of the original was the analogy that the creators had drawn between the computer world and the real world. Computer programs resembled human beings, more specifically the human programmers who coded them and their characteristics were a reflection of the purpose of their function (for example an accounting program looked like wore thick glasses and was rather introvert, cool huh!). Of course this has been done to death in numerous movies since (The Matrix anyone?).

I am certain the creative folks at Disney have done their homework and have ensured that the sequel has its own set of unique aspects that will stand apart from the first movie. But there is only so much creativity in the world! Having said that, the special effects for the new movie truly look awesome and the slick new look given to the cyber universe, and the fact that the movie is being released in a brand new 3-D format, the TRON experience at the cinema halls shall be Legendary.

One thing is for sure, this TRON fan is certain to catch the sequel when it hits the big screens in December. And even if you haven't seen the first movie, do catch this one. Who knows, you may be inspired to catch the original after watching it!

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