Hold Steady came back. And I did not remember this. Of course.

But The Roots are always fun, especially with John Legend. I could never quite get into the Black Keys, but I can always try again. And that Kanye/Jay-Z LP is going to be...I'm not even sure what to say, but just know that it will be amazing. That is all.

TOP TEN TIME!

I thought Hold Steady was gonna be top 5 for sure. Actually I can't even think of what will be. You've used pretty much everything so far!

Wonderful set of 10 albums here. Love the "sonic tour-de-force" phrase to describe Janelle Monae. Great words on Broken Bells. You took the words out of my mouth about both The Hold Steady and Apples In Stereo; wish I could describe it the way you do. I might have to lift some of your sentences and put © 2011 Dr. Spaceman next to them. Nice to see you representing The Roots, as always, and Black Keys as well. GREETINGS FROM AKRON, OHIO!

I like when music plays like bananas to you. I like imagining that.
Seriously though, I do have to agree with you on Apples but my problem was seriously lack of exposure (much like with The Roots). With The Roots, I just loved it and then other stuff overriding it and yet it being magnificent when I did hear it randomly... part of me actually was wondering earlier if my list should have been made earlier because yeah, maybe they should have been higher, haha. As most of the time, great write-ups!

You'll be happy to know I finally got black keys latest album! Now to actually listen soon... later today, mayhaps?

Kanye and Jay-Z! Woo! New albums in general that I'll forget about by the time they come out!

Posttt some of the top 15 alreadyyy

10. The Foreign Exchange - Authenticity

Phonte Coleman, one half of the recently disbanded hip-hop group Little Brother, is one of the great underrated talents in music today. I mean truly underrated. That word gets thrown about often for big pop artists and what have you, but Phonte is truly underrated. His work with Little Brother is a body of 4 really great hip-hop albums that recall the Native Tongues movement of the early '90s. Phonte got some major mainstream attention as Drake has mentioned several times that Phonte is his favorite MC, and that he strives for his balance of amazing rhyme skills on top of relatability. So, if you like or don't like Drake, you know the guy you can thank/blame.

With Little Brother gone, Phonte has continued his then side project but current main gig in The Foreign Exchange, which pairs him with dutch hip-hop producer Nicolay. The first album Connected was mainly rap oriented, but they really discovered something great with their second album Leave It All Behind. Phonte rarely rapped, but instead sung on the majority of the album, and what that lead to was a Grammy nomination in 2009 for the song "Daykeeper." Things were going well for them.

Now, with The Foreign Exchange's latest album Authenticity, they are continuing what made Leave It All Behind so special, but also taking risks. Phonte mentioned in an interview with the Village Voice that they didn't want to be purposely baiting the Grammys with this album. One of the most startling ways to do this was when the group needed a female singer to sing on the country-tinged song "Laughing At Your Plans." Since Phonte is friends with Norah Jones, Nicolay wondered if she could do it. Phonte, however, shot it down, and instead went for unknown Chanate Cann, who does as beautiful a job as anyone could have.

A few paragraphs in, and I have barely stated why this album is great. Do you folks have what you call a morning album? An album for whenever you wake up, and as you drink your coffee/have breakfast it plays in the background to let you get ready for the rest of the day. Authenticity has been that for me ever since its release in October. Nicolay's electro production (with some shades of Radiohead at points) and Phonte's soulful singing about the ups and downs of relationships makes for some amazing listening as you get ready to take on the day. This is not your party album. This is the album you put on as you reflect, and look outside at the snow on the ground.

This album continues to grow on me with further listens. As late as a week ago (actually as I was prepping the 20-16 set) this album was in that group of albums. However, a listen in that day changed my mind, and it went all the way into the top 10. I have no idea if this writeup convinced you to check this album out (if you are even reading this far), but i'd really love it if you did. Coming up in the next 9 albums will be (for the most part) some well-known albums that everyone knows are great. Authenticity hasn't gotten the respect it deserves on all of the many year-end lists publications and websites have put out, and it saddens me. Do yourselves a favor and check out Authenticity, an album that is progressing the genre of R&B in ways no one else is doing currently. This isn't that teen R&B stuff. This is grown up music.

Best Songs:
01. Everything Must Go
02. Don't Wait featuring Darien Brockington
03. Laughing At Your Plans featuring Chanate Cann


09. Robyn - Body Talk

With placing Robyn’s Body Talk at #9 I will get exactly two reactions: 1) Robyn??? That pop singer from the ‘90s??, and 2) #9?? That is way too low!

There are many other people on this board who are bigger Robyn fans and can describe the amazing things she has been doing this decade, so I won’t try to step on their write-ups. However, I will say some of the things I do love about Robyn, especially regarding this album/set of EP’s.

1) The music, of course, is just amazing. I mentioned in my “Dancing on My Own” write-up that Robyn is doing this sort of pure-ABBA-like pop that no one else is attempting currently, and I stand by that. You can pick any song on either the Body Talk compilation or any of the EP’s, and it will be stuck in your head that entire week.

2) I imagine this isn’t an original thought, but Robyn’s music is the best pop music you will never hear on the radio. There is no real reason why any of these songs aren’t massive pop hits, beyond that she isn’t part of the major label Titanic machine. In a way, though, I kinda love that about it. Sure, she should definitely have more people love her, and more money given to her, but this way it is kinda like the best kept secret in music. You will only hear about Body Talk due to word of mouth, and that’s a lot more exciting than hearing about an artist due to a constant barrage of promotion/radio plays.

3) Robyn’s career coming full circle. I am a sucker for great stories to latch onto music, and Body Talk has one of those. When Robyn was releasing music in the late ‘90s (like the wonderful “Do You Know (What It Takes)” and “Show Me Love”), she was working with pop music producer/writer Max Martin. Obviously, if you are on ATRL you know who Max Martin is (as this forum should basically be called The Forum That Britney Built, Martin was a huge part in her career). Since the ‘90s, Martin has done some great and not so great pop songs that have become huge hits. Anyway, point being: Robyn and Max Martin worked together for the first time since the ‘90s on the wonderful “Time Machine.” To have both of those people work together for the first time in over a decade, and make it feel like a natural extension of their '90s work is kinda amazing

I don’t know how you folks found out about ATRL. But I imagine if you are a member from either 2000 or 2011, you are pretty much predisposed to love Robyn and her Body Talk series.

Best Songs:
01. Dancing on My Own
02. Indestructible
03. Time Machine


08. Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song

Country was the first genre I grew up on, so I have always had a soft spot for it. At the same time, I don't care for the majority of the country that gets played on the radio. To me, what makes Jamey Johnson and his album The Guitar Song great is that it is an album that will play very well to people who have loved country all their life, as well as people who say the only country artists they love are Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, etc. it is very much in that lineage.

What Jamey Johnson did with this album is kinda insane. For starters, it's a 2 CD album. With the only exception I can think of being Vince Gill's These Days (which was 4 CDs of new music), this is generally not done in country music. The first disc, dubbed The Black Album, is the more dark, and downtempo disc. While, disc 2, dubbed The White Album, is the more upbeat, and positive disc. This isn't just 2 CD's because they had that much content (like the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, which was a 2 disc album that should have been 1). It's 2 discs, because it tells a story, and has a thematic point to it.

Highlights include the title track, which features country legend Bill Anderson. The song, as the album is titled "The Guitar Song", is a story about a guitar that has been played by all the greats, that just now sits in a pawn shop waiting to be bought. Which may sound a bit hokey, but the way Jamey tackles it is by having Bill Anderson do the more traditional part, and him coming in bringing in the modern edge to it. It's very well done.

Another thing I really enjoy about this album that I rarely hear happen: The songs continue to play. What I mean by that is long after the actual lyrics of the song are complete, Jamey and the band continue to jam on for sometimes as long as 2 minutes and it's very enjoyable. This is not a Phish/jam band album, where that becomes tiresome after a while. This is just letting the main rhythm continue for a minute or two more as they clearly enjoy themselves. I can't speak for everyone, but I enjoy it as much as they seem to be enjoying playing on it.

As much as I have enjoyed Miranda Lambert's last couple albums, this to me is the definitive country album of the past 5-10 years. It brings in country songwriting vets (ala Kanye West bringing in fellow rappers to help write songs on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy), and makes this sort of country album that no one else in the genre is attempting. If your taste in country only extends as far as Taylor Swift, this isn't the album for you. However, if you love that old outlaw style of country, and are sick of the slick, and processed style that is polluting the radio, this will be your new favorite album.

Best Songs:
01. California Riots
02. The Guitar Song featuring Bill Anderson
03. That's How I Don't Love You


07. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

One of the major music events of this year, in my opinion, was when The Suburbs was the #1 selling album in North America. This was not only huge for Canadian based band Arcade Fire, but also huge for independent label Merge Records. Merge, run by Mac and Laura of Superchunk (who you will see a little bit later), is a label they started in 1989 as a way to just put out their Superchunk albums. Since then, it has become one of the greatest record labels in the world, as they also count Spoon, She & Him, Wye Oak, The Mountain Goats, among many others, as part of their roster. It was a great week for independent music beating the Goliath that is the major labels.

Oh yeah, the album itself. I have no idea where this ranks among my favorite Arcade Fire albums, but I will say it is better than Neon Bible. Even since its release in August, i'm still not sure if I have fully grasped what Arcade Fire was trying to accomplish with this album. Which may sound like a negative, but it's more of a thing on me. It says a lot about the quality of the music itself that it can rank as #7, even when I can honestly say that I don't like it as much as Funeral. But then, what is better than Funeral? Not a whole lot.

This may feel like a cop out of a write-up, but I know you can read many great write-ups on this album (or even on this very forum by folks like Roger and Ryan). Just know that there is a very good chance that after I give this more listens it could very well become my favorite Arcade Fire album. I have a feeling that is what might happen.

I think I have contradicted myself 3 times in this write-up. Oh well.

Best Songs:
01. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
02. We Used To Wait
03. The Suburbs



06. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

Whether this album is James Murphy's last LCD Soundsystem album or not, he at least ended 2010 on a high note. Not just with This Is Happening, but with his wonderful score for an equally wonderful movie in Greenberg. It was kinda out his comfort zone, but you could still tell that the same guy behind LCD Soundsystem did the score.

As for This Is Happening, gosh. What a great album. Sound of Silver ranked at #1 for 2007, so this may seem like I don't like the album as much as that. And while that may be true, to place second to Sound of Silver is pretty easy to do. While much of the attention of this album has gone deservedly to "Dance Yrself Clean", what with its out of nowhere electronic break*. However, my two favorite songs on the album "All I Want" and "I Can Change" are just so ****ing great and I often don't hear them talked about. "All I Want", specifically, feels like the spiritual successor to my favorite song off of Sound of Silver "All My Friends", with its longing, and as a track that is continually building. That song is the kind of song I can just play at any point of the day, and feel better.

Even if this is James Murphy's last LCD Soundsystem album, I imagine he will continue to do something great. Whether he puts together a group (like his long rumored Classic Rock-inspired group), or wants to get into film scoring, it will always be great. I look forward to taking the journey with him.

*Funny story regarding that. I was at an independent bookstore in the U.S. that was very tiny and cozy. The album that they happened to be playing was This Is Happening, and "Dance Yrself Clean" was currently on. I was right in the middle of the swarm of people, and once that moment came on every single head in the store flinched. It was awesome.

Best Songs:
01. All I Want
02. I Can Change
03. Dance Yrself Clean

Sorry for the delay. I did a couple of these write-ups on separate days, and had a bit of writer's block, as silly as that sounds.

Next up: ALBUMS 5-4. Maybe tomorrow? Definitely by the weekend. And following that will be my movies list, before I get into the top 3 albums.

Thanks for all the comments!

Talking about how awesome the stuff on your list is would spoil my own so I shall refrain from doing so. But !!!

'The Suburbs' is an amazing album! I like your write-up, in fact.
'This Is Happening' is a nice album too, but it's not his best. Hope he continues making music in the future.
Haven't heard the whole Robyn's album, but "Dancing on My Own" is great!

Robyn and Arcade Fire = THE BEST.

Reading your Robyn write up, in particular, was really interesting.
I haven't been able to get into her music, but her story is so bloody fascinating. Got mad respect for her

Obviously nice to see TAF getting some love
Canadians FTW.

Cant wait to see the top 5

Body Talk is just perfect, one of my favorite albums this year
Arcade Fire

"Show Me Love"? More like "Show Me This Album Instead".

That (not so) clever pun out of the way, I'm guessing that I really do need to check this Robyn album out, since everyone else is raving about it so much. I can't say that I was a gigantic fan of LCD Soundsystem's latest. I liked it, but I didn't love it. That said, you're right about "All I Want". Damn, what a great song. As much as I love The Suburbs, it can never be better than Funeral. Then again, Funeral is one of the ten greatest albums ever created, so it's almost impossible to match that greatness anyway. But The Suburbs DID come close to matching its greatness.

TOP FIVE! WATCH OUT!

I had no idea that Max was involved back then or even reunited. I mean, it makes sense, but despite all of that... I just never found myself getting into Robyn -_- So many people praising her and yet all I can do is like her when I hear her and actually enjoy having the album.

lol Goliath that is major labels. I don't think you contradicted yourself. I can somewhat understand where you were going with your write-up for Suburbs. It's what had me secure a spot for them on the list but not be too certain of where to place them.
Moments like yours concerning Dance Yrself Clean don't happen too often for me but the mention made me smile. Actually, the whole write-up for LCD resulted in a warm-ish feeling

Arcade Fire,Robyn

This here is a particularly great set. You got the Fire in the Arcade, you got the Soundsystem of the LCD, you got the Robyn with the Talk of the Body, you got even more stuff I haven't heard but should.

Nice perspective on Robyn, and also I like how you mentioned some other great tracks from This Is Happening besides the big one that I and everybody else in the world mentioned.

GOOD WORK!

05. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

I understand that some people are still waiting for an Outkast album, and so am I. With that said, if you consider yourself an Outkast fan, and you didn't listen to Big Boi's Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, what are you doing???

The sound is the same Dungeon Family-era style that Big Boi and Andre have been rapping on since '94. Just because Andre doesn't appear on the album (he does produce standout track "You Ain't No DJ", however), it doesn't mean that Big Boi is going pop or anything. Far from it, unless you consider having a single that features George Clinton growling about weed being pop.

In fact, as much as I enjoy Andre, i'm glad Big Boi went on his own to do an album like this. He's always been the most underappreciated of the duo, and he's getting his best spotlight to date on this album. Not every song hits ("Follow Us", while it features some stellar rapping from Big Boi, also features an awful buttrock hook sung by some nobody), but it's generally a very cohesive and replayable album.

This album is a lot like an album by an old rock veteran who still releases music as good as ever, even if they don't change their sound. This is the hip-hop equivalent of that. You don't see Big Boi attempting some insane thing hip-hop has never done before. It's, again, that classic Dungeon Family sound that has been refined and perfected for nearly 20 years. And i'm perfectly fine with that. My #1 album last year, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, was the same Wu-Tang sound from the '90s, and that didn't make it at all dated. If you are one of those grumps who is like "I miss classic hip-hop", then this album will play perfectly for you.

Best Songs:
01. You Ain't No DJ featuring Yelawolf
02. Shutterbugg featuring Cutty
03. Shineblockas featuring Gucci Mane


04. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding

I feel that the return of Superchunk this year was not nearly as heralded as it should have been. They came back this year, and recorded their first album since 2001's Here's to Shutting Up, and it is truly as good of an album as they have ever recorded.

Though maybe it's because their breakup of sorts wasn't all that tumultuous. The only reason why the band stopped was because they wanted to do new things apart. That's it. No legal drama, or touring on separate tour bus. Since the breakup, Mac and Laura have continued to run Merge Records and make it one of the great record labels in the world (as they got their first #1 album this year in Arcade Fire's The Suburbs), and Jon Wurster has gone on to become the permanent drummer for The Mountain Goats, as he also continues to do phone calls on the life-changing The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling.

So, what has the time apart done for the group? Judging by Majesty Shredding, it has helped them make one of their most focused albums in their over 20 year career. Like the Big Boi album, they aren't doing anything they haven't done before. Whatever comes into your mind when I mention a good Superchunk album, it's the very best version of that. The reason why this album charts above more ambitious albums by artists like Arcade Fire, and LCD Soundsystem is because, to me, it's one of those albums where every song on it could be your favorite song. There's not one dud on this disc. Due to its All Killer No Filler stance, it makes for such an amazing listen. You could start the album from the beginning (at first single and best song on the record "Digging For Something"), start it in the middle or put it on shuffle and you would get just as much enjoyment as you would any other way. This isn't a concept album, where the songs tell a big story. It's just 11 very strong songs that becomes an even stronger whole.

In fact, the comeback I would compare this to is Dinosaur Jr. The classic 3 person lineup (J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, Murph) got together for the first time in years to record 2007's Beyond, and to use the cliche, it sounded like they never left. They then went on to make 2009's Farm, which was somehow even better. If Superchunk could follow in Dinosaur Jr's footsteps, and record an album of songs like this every couple of years, i'll be the happiest person in the world.

Best Songs:
01. Digging For Something
02. Learned To Surf
03. My Gap Feels Weird
04. Crossed Wires
05. Rosemarie
06. Winter Games
07. I Could List The Entire Album


Next up: THE MOVIES LIST BEGINS. This will be a top 20 posted in two parts. Ideally, i'll post 20-11 on Saturday, and 10-1 on Sunday. And then from there, if i'm feeling extra ambitious, i'll post the top 3 albums on Monday. ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE. NO REFUNDS.

Thanks for all the comments!

Body Talk is so masterpiece. The Suburbs

So! Movie List time. Some things of note:

- Even though I try to see as many movies as possible (I go to the theater as less as two times a month, and as much as four, as well as renting DVDs, etc), I still didn't see everything I wanted to. For one, I haven't seen The King's Speech, which I hear is more than your typical dry royalty movie, and is actually quite exciting. I also missed out on seeing Emma Stone's Easy A, which I continue to hear good things about. Also, on the artier side, I continue to hear that Carlos is really amazing. However, it is a 5 hour movie, and I generally don't have 5 spare hours just to watch one thing.

- Due to the amount of movies I see in a given year, not everything charts. In some cases, naturally, because it wasn't very good, or it's good, but not good enough. So yeah, just know that if say, Iron Man 2 isn't on the list it isn't because I didn't like it. I did!

- I feel 2010 wasn't that strong of a year for movies, which is why it is a top 21. Last year I did over 30 movies, and I could have done more. 2010 started off weak, and eventually rallied and produced some movies I know I will be watching numerous times in the coming years.

Before we begin, here's a list of the movies that were this close to making the cut. All of these movies are very good, and if you haven't seen them, you should take a look at these as well. In no particular order:

The Ghost Writer
The Town
Youth in Revolt
Green Zone
The A-Team
Jackass 3D (The second best use of 3D this year, and one of the best theater going experiences this year)
----------------------------------------------------------------


21. Shutter Island
Director: Martin Scorsese
Written by Laeta Kalogridis (Based on the book by Dennis Lehane}
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams

In terms of a directorial/technical level? Perfect. Scorsese is clearly having a lot of fun doing his first kinda-horror movie, and i'd love to see him take on the genre again sometime in the future. In terms of the writing? OK. I'm not entirely sure if the ending works, but the journey to get there is a lot of fun, so it doesn't really bother me. Not one of Marty's best, but still obviously worth seeing just for the level of craft on display.


20. The American
Director: Anton Corbijn
Written by Rowan Koffe
Starring George Clooney, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuton, Paolo Bonacelli, Irina Bjoklund

Thank goodness for George Clooney. There's no way a very European movie like this would be smuggled into over 2000 theaters at every multiplex in North America without him. Anton Corbijn, one of my favorite music video directors, and director of the great Ian Curtis biopic Control, does a really great job of handling the very deliberate tone throughout. Even though not a lot happens, it is never boring. You may disagree with me, but I was personally enthralled from beginning to end. Its story has been done many times before, which is why it isn't as high as it should be. However, it is a very good version of that story, and Clooney and Corbijn do a very great job.


19. Please Give
Directed and Written by Nicole Holofcener
Starring Catherine Kenner, Oliver Platt, Ann Guilbert, Amanda Peet, Rebecca Hall, Sarah Steele

This was the first movie i've seen of Nicole Holofcener's, and I would love to see more because of it. A funny comedy that also makes you think afterwards. The whole cast is superb, and its New York-based setting makes it a very easy and rewarding watch. Not for everyone, but if it is for you, you will love it


18. Winter's Bone
Director: Debra Granik
Written by Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini (Based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell)
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Dale Dickey, Shelley Waggener

The big critical darling that came from Sundance this year. Debra Granik really perfects the setting for this movie, as it is a setting that features many colorful characters, and dreary landscapes. Just watching the Jennifer Lawrence character walk around the Ozarks is always interesting, and I could have watched a movie of just that. The best part of the movie, however, is John Hawkes (most well known from Eastbound & Down, and Deadwood) as Teardrop. It is a very different style of character from ones he has played in the past, but it is played with typical John Hawkes-ian perfection.


17. Cyrus
Directed and Written by Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass
Starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener, Matt Walsh

The Duplass Brothers work with huge actors! The experiment worked out as Cyrus is a very real, and funny comedy that features some of John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill's best work to date. Anyone who says Jonah Hill plays the same character in every movie should watch Cyrus, as they won't be saying that after they watch it.


16. Rabbit Hole
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire (Based on his play)
Starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Sandra Oh

A movie about a couple grieving after the death of their son does not sound like a very fun watch. However, Rabbit Hole is one of the most relatable and real movies I have seen on the subject ever. I have unfortunately had some grief in my own life, which is why this movie really connected for me. Also something you wouldn't expect: It's really funny. It is not a dirge of a movie, but instead a great examination on the concept of grieving. I really hope people check it out.


15. Never Let Me Go
Director: Mark Romanek
Written by Alex Garland (Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro)
Starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield

Yet another case for saying that the best Sci-Fi movies don't have any lasers or robots. This movie didn't get nearly enough attention as it should have a few months ago, as Mark Romanek does some of his finest work (which is saying a lot coming from the director of such music videos as Johnny Cash's "Hurt"). I can't really discuss the concept without spoiling it, but it is heartbreaking, powerful, and features career best performances from pretty much everyone involved. It's out on DVD next month, and I hope it finds a larger audience. It deserves it.


14. 127 Hours
Director: Danny Boyle
Written by Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyle (Based on Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston)
Starring James Franco

Danny Boyle is working with the same team he worked with on Slumdog Millionaire, but delivers a far different movie. I've always loved James Franco, and I love him getting such a big role like this. For a movie that pretty much just has him on the screen, it is never boring. Boyle does some very inventive techniques (some of which may turn off viewers, but they worked for me) to make it exciting. And once that moment happens it is one of the best film moments of the year. I didn't faint, and you likely won't either. Go see it.


13. Toy Story 3
Director: Lee Unkrich
Screenplay by Michael Arndt (Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich)
Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, You Know The Rest

Just because I placed this movie outside of the top 10 doesn't mean I didn't like it. Far from it, I loved it a lot. I love how the second act is a prison escape movie, I love the amazing third act. I love it all. The only reason why it's not in my top 10 (or even the best animated movie I have seen this year) is because i'm still not sure why this movie had to exist. Yes, everything the movie did was beautiful, and it was enjoyable beginning to end. But after a run that included Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Up, it is slightly disappointing to get a second sequel to a movie that already had a great end to it. So, as good as the movie may be, it doesn't feel revelatory to me. Basically all i'm saying is those original Pixar movies knocked my socks off, because they were so different, and exciting. By definition, the best Toy Story movie possible is still something you know the basics of. I have no idea if this made sense or not, but still. It's ****ing #13. Isn't that high enough?? I'm just saying it is an A-, instead of the A+'s of the Pixar movies I listed above.



12. The Fighter
Director: David O. Russell
Written by Scott Silver, Paul Tarnasy, Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tarnasy, Eric Johnson)
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo

The reason why this movie is not a formula boxing movie is 100% David O. Russell. DOR, the man behind such great movies as Flirting With Disaster, Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees, brings his indie sensibility to a big, crowd pleasing audience picture. Parts family drama, parts really good boxing movie, it is more successful than I could have ever thought. The choice of using the actual HBO cameras to shoot the boxing matches was a really nice touch, and added a sense of you feeling like you were watching it on HBO live. The performances from top to bottom are great. Wahlberg is a great rock to the movie, Christian Bale is winning the Oscar this year for his utterly energetic performance, you fall in love with Amy Adams yet again, and Melissa Leo is unrecognizable, and does typically great work. Darren Aronofsky was originally going to make this movie, but instead decided to do Black Swan. Seeing how well David O. Russell managed to nail the material, and how well Aronofsky did with Black Swan, it truly worked out for everyone.


11. MacGruber
Director: Jorma Taccone
Written by Jorma Taccone, Will Forte, John Solomon
Starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Val Kilmer, Maya Ruldolph

Will Forte's big career breakthrough! Oh wait, the movie didn't do well. Damn! While MacGruber isn't as instantly classic as The Lonely Island's other movie Hot Rod, MacGruber is still really amazing. Using the basic blueprint of all '80s action movies, MacGruber is the most successful version of one of those movies in a year full of them. The getting the band back together scene in particular, is a howling highlight. Will Forte is one of my favorite people in the world, and i'm glad he at least got to do one movie with his sensibilities. I hope he gets to do at least one more, as he is deeply missed on Saturday Night Live.

--------------

Sorry for how truncated some of these write-ups are. I hope I at least conveyed in some form why these movies placed as high as they did. Tomorrow's top 10 will have fuller write-ups, as they are the movies I am most passionate about.

Thanks for all the comments!

Toy Story 3

No films for me this 2010.
Haven't heard those 2 albums, but from what I've seen before, can't wait for top 3!

Oh man, Shutter Island. The second time I watched that I couldn't stop looking at it like it was a looney toons cartoon. The ending completely ruined it for me, even though I liked it the first time.

You were half and half on Toy Story. You were right it was disappointing for Pixar follow up that amazing originals trilogy with a sequel, but I disagree that it had no reason to exist. Abandonment was a theme in the second one, but it wasn't front and center. We knew that Andy would eventually get tired of playing with his toys. The resolution to that made the entire thing worth it to me. Not sure how Cars 2 is gonna achieve something like that, but I won't start doubting Pixar now.