3. Up in the Air
Jason Reitman's frequent flyer comedy features the strongest performance of the year by the always great, George Clooney. It's been over a month of this film being on this list, so if you don't know what it's about by now you ain't been paying enough attention. Just do yourself a favor and go see it.
2. Me & Orson Welles
I don't know who this Christian McKay guy is, but I'm following everything he does from now on. Yeah this is ostensibly a Zac Efron vehicle, but it's McKay as the controversial egotistical actor, Orson Welles, that powers every single frame. Director Richard Linklater(Waking Life, Before Sunset) creates a love letter to the theatre, and a very convincing period piece at that. Not that it should come as any surprise, since the film's look was crafted by many of the same people who produce Mad Men
.1. Avatar
Rare are the opportunities to bear witness to history, but I honestly believe James Cameron's sci-fi epic is as close to what it felt like when people saw Star Wars for the first time as we're likely to get. My review here says it all: groundbreaking, magical, timeless, awe inspiring.
DVD Pick: The Hangover
And you thought your bachelor party was the shit, didn't you? It ain't got nothin' on Todd Phillips' Las Vegas comedy. That is unless you routinely find missing babies in your closet, kidnap Asian gangsters, and make mortal enemies out of Mike Tyson. Having seen it now for the third time, the humor remains largely intact, and the dynamic trio of Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis are as likable as ever. The unrated version adds about ten additional minutes of footage, none of which are all that funny but do flesh out Jeffrey Tambor and Justin Bartha's characters a little more.
