Merry Christmas!

What better way to spend Christmas than with a movie?

Best movies of the year.

Ratatouille
I can't remember seeing this much acting in an animated film before. The whole "marionette" thing going on between Remy and Linguini is a perfect example. I remember watching a making-of documentary about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. No one ever talked about the rotoscoped Snow White or Prince. The only characters the animators really cared about were the elfs. They wanted each elf to have his own personality. This meant making each elf act. It also reminds me of Pinocchio when he is released from the strings as well as that drunk mouse from Dumbo. Those are perfect examples of acting in animation. The moments in Ratataouille where Linguini and Remy become puppet and puppeteer are fantastic examples of acting. This movie had long moments of acting without any dialogue. Now that's animation!

Transformers
It was a tough decision between this and Ratatouille for the #1 spot. It has no plot, no character development, and no point. But let's not focus on what it doesn't have and talk about what it does have: giant #$*%ing robots beating the @^%# out of each other. How could it not be good? Maybe it would be better if it had ninjas. But not giant robot ninjas because that would just make my head explode. Yes, it has ground-breaking visual effects, but what I actually liked was the human touch. No, not the "love story," but the way most shots of the Transformers are from people's points of view: over their shoulder, through their windshield, or through the window on the 42nd floor. This little touch made the robots even more menacing.

The Simpsons Movie
I had high hopes for this going in and I wasn't disappointed. What makes the first several seasons of The Simpsons so special is that they are not only funny, but sweet as well. Anytime characters goofed up, you felt sorry for them. They realized their mistake and tried to fix it. The early episodes had empathy. These days the show is just apathetic and numb. Each episode is a random series of events with each character throwing out one-liners. This movie goes back to the early days. Homer goofed up and tries to fix it. HIs family supports him (up to a point) and by the end the family grows closer. Also, the movie didn't ignore the fact that the television show isn't about the Simpson family. It's about the city of Springfield. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough Comic Book Guy in the movie.

300
Perfect in every little detail, even down to the Frank Miller-esque blood spatters. This film is gracefully beautiful in is grotesqueness, if that makes sense. The fight scenes are quite elegant and perfectly choreographed. And it uses slow motion at just the right times. The film as a whole looks wonderful. CGI blood is the future of cinema.

Zodiac
I loved the movie when I saw it, but I didn't realize just how much of it used bluescreens, layers, and other post-production CGI tricks. Even the victims' blood was CGI. I guess my prediction from 300 was on the nose.

The Bourne Ultimatum
I didn't get confused until after seeing the movie when I found out that this one doesn't pick up where the second one left off until halfway in. Now I have to watch all three of them again.

Spider-man 3
What they should have done is taken out Sandman completely. We didn't need to revisit Ben's murder. But keep Gwen Stacey and the love triangle. They also should have taken out Eddie Brock. Just let Peter put on the black costume, enjoy it a little too much, and this way Peter's dark side becomes the villain. Then when he separates himself from it, Venom is born. Venom is still just the black suit with a new life of its own thanks to Peter. But no, they had to have Eddie Brock because there would be an outcry from fans if the movie strayed from the comic. I hate when fanboys think they know the best way to make a movie.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
At least it made me not regret watching the previous movie, which had absolutely no plot or point. It did, however, look very pretty.

Shoot 'em Up
Fun. Pure, senseless, pointless fun. I think there's a story in there somewhere and a message about guns and how accessible they are...dangers...blah, blah, blah, whatever. This movie rocks. It's full of action, bullets, blood, and explosions. It has one of the greatest soundtracks ever, and the robot baby was freakin' hilarious. So grab a carrot and enjoy.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
Similar to Rocky and Bullwinkle, if you don't like it then you just don't get it.

Blades of Glory
Pretty funny, but it's no Anchorman or Talladega Nights.

Pan's Labrynth
Spooky, creepy, and sad. I thought it was a great film to look at. There were a few holes in the plot, but that usually never keeps me from enjoying a movie.

Rush Hour 3
Don't even ask why I saw this one. All I'll say is that it needed less "comedy" and more "Jackie-Chan-edy." Except the scene with the nun. That was pretty damn funny.

Michael Clayton
Okay, I didn't see this one, but I did hear it was pretty good.

Fine. So they aren't the greatest movies of the year, but they are the ones I saw.

Jason