1) "Inglourious Basterds" - Quentin Tarantino delivers his masterpiece with this epic fairy tale about a cutthroat band of Jewish American soldiers dropped into Nazi Germany to terrorize and systematically destroy Hitler and the Third Reich. Tarantino incorporates his trademark crack dialogue and unflinching violence into the film and balances an ensemble cast of characters who all share equal screen time, making it difficult to really pinpoint a lead character in the film aside from Brad Pitt's Lieutenant Aldo Raine. Christoph Waltz is simply amazing in his role as Colonel Hans Landa of the S.S., a charismatic yet utterly despicable detective who both relishes and despises his title of "The Jew Hunter". Tarantino refuses to allow history to dictate the ending of his tale of revenge and is able to weave an engrossing and highly entertaining story that leaves you wanting more despite its two hour-plus runtime.
2) "Up In The Air" - George Clooney gives the performance of his career as a man who works for an agency hired to facilitate in the downsizing of companies by firing the employees whose bosses are too spineless to do it themselves. He spends most of his everyday life in airports and airplanes, traveling from place to place without ever actually having to form bonds and relationships with actual people while he strives to reach his goal of ten million frequent flier miles. That is, until a naive new co-worker threatens his world with the convenience of technology. "Up In The Air" is a fascinating look at a man who has become a stranger to even his own family and how, despite his emphasis on human interaction and relationships in his motivational speaking engagements, his lifestyle has left him a man who is truly alone - and without a purpose.
3) "Star Trek" - I had never seen a single episode of "Star Trek - The Original Series" but I was admittedly anxious with anticipation for this summer release. And boy did it deliver. Mixing action with humor, director J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman put forth a compelling and fast-paced new story while paying respects to the original source material that came before it. While sci-fi summer actioners tend to rely a lot on spectacular visual effects, "Star Trek" was able to deliver not only eye-popping visuals but also had the support of a talented young group of actors led by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, who stepped into the iconic shoes of James T. Kirk and Spock, respectively. Pine, in particular, displayed a strong presence as the leading man and made the character his own rather than an impersonation of his predecessor William Shatner. I look forward to watching this crew of characters grow and develop in the sequels that will undoubtedly follow.
4) "Zombieland" - No film balanced humor and horror better than "Zombieland" this year and it made for quite the entertaining ride. Woody Harrelson is nothing short of brilliant as the fearless zombie hunter Tallahassee who eventually reveals a human layer behind his armor of invincibility as the film progresses. Director Ruben Fleischer shines in his directorial debut and caps the film with a final amusement park shootout that goes down as one of the best action scenes of the year. I had my doubts about Jesse Eisenberg after "Cursed" but he is quickly coming into his own with "Adventureland" and his role as the overcautious and often cowardly Columbus in "Zombieland." I was particularly fond of his hysterical scene with Amber Heard and found myself rooting for him as he finally "nutted up," as Tallahasse likes to say, in the climax of the film. Not to mention the stroke of genius that was the surprise cameo by Bill Murray - and the hilarity that ensues when he pops up.
5) "Avatar" - James Cameron spent over a decade making this film and it didn't dissappoint. I was fortunate enough to see the film in 3-D and, after my eyes were able to adjust, found myself immersed in the beautiful world of Pandora. The visual effects utilized in the movie were simply breathtaking and I can only hope these groundbreaking advances are only the beginning of a new wave visual imagery in film. While the story was a little too reminiscent of "Pocahontas" and "Dances With Wolves" and the villains were two-dimensional, I become engrossed in the story of the Na'vi nonetheless and was able to get behind paraplegic soldier Jake Sully and his heroic quest to liberate the Na'vi from the oppressive military forces of Earth. "Avatar" is a film that will polarize moviegoers over the issue of whether or not you can sacrifice story for visuals and still create a compelling motion picture. While I do love a great story, the visuals of "Avatar" are a must-see.
HONORABLE MENTION - "Sherlock Holmes," "(500) Days of Summer," "The Hangover," "The Blind Side," "I Love You, Man," "District Nine," & "Public Enemies"
