Directorial Retrospective: Edgar Wright

Welcome back to another installment of Rhode Island Movie Corner’s ‘Directorial Retrospective’ series. This is where I look at the filmography of any given director in the film industry. Through this series, we’ve covered an eclectic bunch of filmmakers, from blockbuster giants like Michael Bay and Tim Burton to award-winning favorites like David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino. And today, we’re looking at the filmography of a major fan favorite amongst film buffs; Edgar Wright. His newest film, Baby Driver, hits theaters this weekend and in honor of its release, today we’ll be looking at the films that have made him such a popular director. He’s best-known for his somewhat unintentional trilogy of comedy films known as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy. The reason why I say that this trilogy is ‘somewhat unintentional’ is because the primary connection between these three completely different films (the first being a zombie film, the second a buddy cop action film, and the third film being a sci-fi thriller) is the appearance of Cornetto brand ice cream. Yes, folks, these films became a trilogy because of a running gag that was brought up during the second film’s promotional tour. However, these three films have gone on to become some of the most popular comedies in recent years. And today, I’ll be reviewing all three of them plus Wright’s other major directorial effort, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Just a quick disclaimer, though; there’s one film of his that I can’t include here because it’s not easily available online. The film in question is the 1995 western parody A Fistful of Fingers, which was his directorial debut. It did have a midnight re-release a few years ago in Los Angeles, but I wasn’t there for that so I can’t review it today. But to make it up to you folks, I’ll also go over the other big thing that Wright and frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are known for; the short-lived TV series Spaced. How’s that for a slice of fried gold?

SPACED: THE TV SERIES (1999-2001)

Wright, Pegg, and Frost first became known via the short-lived, cult classic TV series Spaced. Wright directed all 14 episodes of the series, which ran for two seasons and was created by Pegg and Jessica Hynes, both of whom Wright had previously worked with on another short-lived series, Asylum. In Spaced, Pegg and Hynes star as Tim and Daisy, a pair of twenty-somethings who bond over their struggles to find new living arrangements. They manage to find a flat that’s going for a cheap price but are forced to act as a couple so that they meet the landlady’s requirements. And thus, one of the most underrated shows of all-time was born; seriously, this show is awesome. For one thing, it’s chock-full of hilarious pop culture references, from Tim’s never-ending disdain for The Phantom Menace to a zombie-fighting sequence that practically served as the genesis for Shaun of the Dead. It also served as an early showcase for Wright’s talents as a director when it came to visual comedy and tight editing (e.g. an argument between Tim and Daisy is intercut perfectly with gameplay from Tekken 2). But amidst all the great dialogue and wacky geek-related imagery, Tim and Daisy prove to be an extremely likable duo. Both Pegg and Hynes are fantastic in their respective roles, and they have terrific chemistry with each other without their characters ever getting into a fully ‘romantic’ relationship. They’re also backed by some highly memorable supporting characters, including Nick Frost (of course) as Tim’s military-loving best friend Mike and Mark Heap as Tim and Daisy’s ‘eccentric’ artist flat-mate, Brian. In conclusion, while it only lasted two seasons, Spaced proved to be an excellent show thanks to the efforts of Wright, writers/leads Pegg and Hynes, and its terrific ensemble cast. If you’re a fan of geek culture and you want to see how the Cornetto team got their start, give this show a watch; I bet you’ll love it.

Series Rating: 5/5!

SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)

While Spaced only lasted two seasons, Wright, Pegg, and Frost officially made a name for themselves in 2004 with a parody of George Romero’s classic …of the Dead franchise; Shaun of the Dead. This film is many things; obviously, it’s primarily a zombie film but at the same time, it’s also a romantic comedy/drama. A good chunk of the plot revolves around main protagonist Shaun (Pegg) attempting to rebuild the relationships that he has with his girlfriend Liz, his mum Barbara and stepdad Phil (“Don’t forget to kill Phillip!”), and so on and so forth. And it’s also a buddy film; of all the films in the Cornetto trilogy, this one arguably has Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s best overall duo (in terms of their comedic camaraderie) via Shaun and his lazy but loyal best friend, Ed. Of course, all of this is happening right around the same time… as a zombie apocalypse. Stuff like this, along with all the fun horror-based visual/dialogue cues that will require multiple viewings to truly comprehend them all, truly goes to show how well-written the screenplay by Pegg and Wright was, as was the latter’s knack for great visual humor. Now, I’ll admit that, of the three Cornetto films, this is probably my least favorite of the three. Let me be clear, though, this is in no way a criticism towards Shaun of the Dead. It’s an excellently-written comedy that serves as a loving homage to the various horror films that it parodies, while also giving us likable main characters and basing it around a simple story of a guy just trying to find meaning in his life… again, during a zombie apocalypse. At the end of the day, though, I guess it’s just because, as I’ve stated before, I’m not that big a fan of the horror genre, hence why I do prefer the other installments of this trilogy. Still, this film is a total blast from beginning to end and it’s easy to see why it became such a cult classic.

Rating: 5/5!

HOT FUZZ (2007)

After hitting it big with Shaun of the Dead, Wright, Pegg, and Frost teamed up again three years later for another hilarious comedy that paid loving homage to another genre of film. In this instance, Hot Fuzz lampoons the many classic films of the action genre, from Lethal Weapon to Point Break and even Bad Boys II. And it does so to brilliant effect, once again thanks to Wright and Pegg’s fantastic writing and their knack for a keen attention to detail. Wright even manages to make ‘non-action’ moments feel like they’re epic and intense sequences through concise editing, like when Pegg’s character, the no-nonsense Sgt. Nicholas Angel, first travels to the peaceful little town of Sandford, where he’s been re-assigned simply because he’s so good at his job that he makes all his fellow officers look bad in the process. But soon, various deaths start occurring all over town, and while initially viewed as nothing more than accidents, Nicholas figures out that there’s more to the story. And without giving it away, the big reveal surrounding this whole ordeal is brilliant and the climax is full of epically hilarious action sequences that revel in all the iconic clichés of the genre. Pegg, of course, is great as Angel alongside Nick Frost as the overly eager officer Danny Butterman, Angel’s new partner who is a big fan of all the classic action films. And, of course, there are also some great cameos as well from the likes of Jim Broadbent as Danny’s father Frank, Sandford’s Police Inspector, Timothy Dalton as the seemingly sinister grocery store owner Simon Skinner, and much, much more. Bottom line; this film is a modern-day comedy classic. If you haven’t seen it before, what the heck is wrong with you? Watch it now! Come on, it’s all for the greater good! (“The Greater Good!!”)

Rating: 5/5!

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SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010)

In between the second and third Cornetto films, Edgar Wright took on his first big ‘adaptation’ in 2010; in this instance, the source material was the best-selling graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by author Bryan Lee O’Malley. Wright and O’Malley worked closely on the adaptation, as the film was first announced after the release of the first graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, in 2004. This was right around the time that Edgar Wright was brought on to direct after he had finished work on Shaun of the Dead. This close collaboration resulted in a solidly faithful adaptation of the series, as subsequent entries were released during the film’s long development period. However, the final graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, wasn’t released until after the end of the film’s production, thus having some minor differences while also including some elements from the film itself. Sadly, upon release, the film did poorly at the box-office as it wasn’t able to make back its reported $85 million budget… which is a shame because it’s an awesome film that, like Wright’s other films, is full to the brim with great homages to various facets of pop culture. In the case of Scott Pilgrim, that mainly comes from video games. The whole plot of the film, in which the titular character finds himself having to fight his new girlfriend’s seven ‘evil ex-boyfriends’, feels exactly like something you’d see in a video game, and the film is indeed structured as such. You don’t even need to be a gamer to appreciate this film’s many references, as they lend themselves excellently to terrific bits of visual and dialogue-based humor thanks to the, as expected, excellent screenplay by Wright and Michael Bacall (who also co-wrote the Jump Street films).

Now, with that said, I’ll admit that parts of this film could come off as being rather weird to those who aren’t really part of the gaming/geek community. Even as someone who is a gamer, this film is steeped so far into geek culture that I feel that some may potentially be drawn off by it. Plus, it does take a little while to get going and Scott isn’t always a likable main character, as mainly evident through how he handles his relationship with his previous girlfriend, Knives. However, once Scott finally starts to fight the Evil Exes, the film kicks into high gear to become an awesome mix of action and comedy just like Hot Fuzz, and it features some of the best fight sequences in recent years. And it’s all backed by an entertaining ensemble cast; Michael Cera is great in the title role as is Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Scott’s new girlfriend Ramona. Ultimately, though, the real stand-outs of the film come from Ramona’s Evil Exes, including but not limited to Chris Evans as a ‘pretty good’ action film star, Brandon Routh as a bass player who also has superpowers because he’s vegan, and Jason Schwartzman as the leader of the Evil Exes. Again, there are a lot of weird things in this film, downright goofy even. Thus, it does sometimes feel like the film teeters on the edge of being more style than substance. However, I’d argue that the film is most certainly more than just a series of flashy video-game inspired action sequences. If you’re able to accept all the crazy stuff in this film, you’ll find it to be one of the most highly entertaining films in recent memory. In fact, it's arguably the best ‘video game based’ film ever made… and it isn’t even based on a video game! (well, not primarily, at least)

Rating: 4.5/5

THE WORLD’S END (2013)

As noted before, the Cornetto trilogy didn’t officially become a thing until after the release of Hot Fuzz, mainly due to an unintentional running gag. During the promotional tour for Hot Fuzz, one interviewer pointed out the appearance of Cornetto Ice Cream in both it and Shaun of the Dead. Wright, who had put it in Shaun of the Dead as an effective hangover cure for the character Ed and then used it again in Hot Fuzz as a homage to its appearance in the previous film, joked that this was the plan all along as a homage to Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colours trilogy. Those films, which were released from 1993 to 1994, were named after the three colors of the French flag; Blue, White, and Red. Each film was then themed around the primary ideals of the French Republic; liberty, equality, and fraternity. But as for Wright and Pegg’s trilogy, while the Cornetto reference was initially just joked about, the two eventually decided to tie it all together. As such, the Cornettos that appear in each film tie directly into their respective themes. A red strawberry Cornetto appears in Shaun of the Dead to signify the film’s bloody horror elements while a blue ‘original’ Cornetto appears in Hot Fuzz to allude to its police themes. And in 2013, this newly designated trilogy concluded with The World’s End, featuring the green mint chocolate chip Cornetto to signify its status as a science fiction story. And while I wouldn’t say that The World’s End is the ‘funniest’ of the three films, it’s arguably the best-written. Of course, being a film written by Wright and Pegg, it’s full of great visual gags, hilarious bits of dialogue, and a sharp attention to detail. For one thing, the opening narration from Pegg’s character, Gary King, directly alludes to future events in the plot, something that also occurred in Shaun of the Dead via one of Ed’s monologues. They even connect the events of the film to the names of the pubs that the main characters visit.

But at the same time, this is arguably the most well-layered script of the entire trilogy. It’s a story about a bunch of friends who attempted to do a legendary pub crawl in their hometown known as ‘The Golden Mile’ when they were younger. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to complete it. Years later, Gary reunites them all, even though the other four have clearly all moved on in their lives, to do it again, as he plans on seeing things through this time to the bitter end (“or lager end!”). Also, did I forget to mention that during this second go-around, they learn that their hometown has been invaded by robots that they refer to as ‘blanks’ or ‘smashy-smashy egg men’? It’s just like Shaun of the Dead, where a rom-com story was based around a zombie apocalypse. In this instance, we have a tale of best friends and a hometown pub crawl that’s set during an alien invasion. Ultimately, though, the whole thing about the main characters redoing something from their past ties directly into the overarching theme of the film. Gary is a person who craves for the more free-spirited adventures of his youth despite the inevitability of growing up. Thus, when he tries to do the pub crawl again as an adult, he soon realizes that things have changed quite a bit since he was younger, both in terms of how his friends have grown compared to him and how much their town has changed since the last time they were there (i.e. invaded by robots). Meanwhile, he’s still stuck in the past and it’s clear that he’s made a mess of his life because of it. By the end of the film, he admits to his best friend, Andy Knightley (Frost), that the reason why he’s still determined to finish the Golden Mile is that, in his eyes, it’s all that he’s got at this point.

This overall theme of growth is also reflected in an effective role-reversal for Pegg and Frost. This time around, Pegg is playing the immature man-child while Frost is the sensible one that tries (and often fails) to get his former best friend to grow up, whereas in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz it was the other way around. And while their characters spend most of the film at odds with each other over an incident from their past, sort of like how Tim and Mike’s friendship from Spaced was impacted by an incident when they were younger, their comedic camaraderie is still just as great as ever, resulting in two of the best performances of their careers and arguably their best from this whole trilogy. And just like the other Cornetto films, they’re backed by an excellent supporting cast, which includes Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, and Eddie Marsan as the other friends in their group (Oliver, Steven, and Peter, respectively) and Rosamund Pike as Oliver’s sister Sam, who happens to be an old flame of Gary’s. Thus, The World’s End is an incredibly satisfying conclusion to this trilogy of films that Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost collaborated on over the course of a decade. Again, it may not be the ‘funniest’ of the three Cornetto films (that honor goes to Hot Fuzz) but it may just be my personal favorite of the bunch because it’s a perfect representation of Wright and Pegg’s overall growth as filmmakers. This results in a film that is surprisingly full of emotional depth amidst all the cheeky British humor.  

Rating: 5/5!

Now, of course, if things had turned out differently, Wright’s next film would’ve been Ant-Man, a project that he’d been working on ever since the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2006. Sadly, he ended up leaving the project in 2014 due to creative differences with Marvel Studios’ now-disbanded Creative Committee. It is indeed a shame that he had to leave on that note on a film that he’d been working on for nearly a decade. Thankfully, though, Peyton Reed managed to do an excellent job in Wright’s place and made sure that the film wasn’t going to turn out as disastrous as the internet expected it to be. And to be honest, Wright was much better off working on a ‘true Edgar Wright’ film like Baby Driver instead of a film where he was clearly going to be limited by the influence of a Creative Committee (which, again, has thankfully been disbanded). Heck, right now we’re dealing with a similar situation with the Han Solo spin-off film. Its original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, left the project due to creative differences with Lucasfilm, and while they’ve already tapped Ron Howard to take over for Lord and Miller, the internet’s already anticipating a disaster because, of course, it’s the internet. But as I noted last time, I’m sure that it will turn out just fine given the franchise’s recent track record… and by that, I mean everything since Lucasfilm was bought by Disney. Because, after all, Disney’s other big subsidiary franchise, the MCU, managed to do just fine with Ant-Man even after all its scandalous pre-production hubbub. And on that note, if there are still people out there who haven’t gotten over Wright’s Ant-Man departure yet… just remember that everyone involved in that production has clearly moved on from the whole ordeal with little issue.

And that concludes this Directorial Retrospective on the almost-complete filmography of Edgar Wright. Thanks for following along and be sure to sound off in the comments below with your own thoughts on the Cornetto trilogy and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Also, you can expect a review of Wright’s newest film, Baby Driver, sometime this week. Until then… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63V-ZNDPChU

Top 10 Films of 2010

Since we are nearing the end of 2013 and I’m already starting to develop lists for both my Top 10 Best and Worst films of the year, I decided to take a look back into the past and do Top 10 lists for the best films of the year for both 2010 and 2011. I chose these years in particular because these were the first two years where I really started to get into the ‘film critic’ business. I have done lists for both of these years in the past, but these lists have no doubt changed since then. First up, here are my picks for the Top 10 best films of 2010; overall, this was a very good year of movies overall thanks in part to some great sequels, surprising remakes, and compelling dramas. Before I get into the actual Top 10, I have three honorable mentions.

Tron: Legacy

1982’s ‘Tron’ is well regarded as a cult classic of the 80’s but it took 28 years to make a sequel. However, in the end, I think the sequel does manage to be as good as the original. The visuals are spectacular, the film’s techno-based soundtrack by Daft Punk is one of the best film scores in recent memory, and while the writing may not exactly be great, the acting is pretty good all around, primarily from Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, and Garrett Hedlund. Like with this year’s ‘Oblivion’, director Joseph Kosinski does an excellent job at setting up the universe of ‘The Grid’. However, also like with ‘Oblivion’, he needs better writing.

The Karate Kid

This was a film that, at first, I wasn’t particularly interested in; maybe because it was a remake of a classic underdog story or because it didn’t really appeal to me. Thankfully, I was proven wrong as this movie is one of the rare remakes that are just as good as the original. This film has incredible cinematography, which is mainly thanks to the film’s backdrop; China. Both Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan do terrific jobs in the lead roles and the film does a great job at detailing the relationship between student and master in which they work together in order to succeed. I have to give this movie a lot of credit because it truly did catch me off guard.

Unstoppable

Here’s another movie that sort of caught me off guard, but in the case of this movie, it was in the sense that this film actually got really good reviews from critics when it was released, which I really wasn’t expecting from an action movie about a runaway freight train. In the end, this was a very entertaining popcorn flick. It has you at the edge of your seat from beginning to end, and Denzel Washington and Chris Pine both do excellent jobs; the two have great camaraderie. It’s the final film from director Tony Scott, two years before he tragically committed suicide, but it’s perhaps one of his best efforts.

Kicking things off at Number 10 is a sequel that, while not as good as the original or its successor, is still a very entertaining entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

10. Iron Man 2

From a series standpoint, ‘Iron Man 2’ is the weakest of the ‘Iron Man’ movies. That’s mainly because the filmmakers went a little too far in ‘upping the ante’ for the sequel. The main problem with the film is that there are just too many characters in it, meaning that some don’t get the proper character development they deserve, particularly the main villain Whiplash. However, despite this, the movie is still very entertaining as a whole and Robert Downey Jr. is still excellent as always in the role of Tony Stark (although this film plays up his arrogance just a bit too much). In the end, while the writing could have been better, this is another entertaining entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and another step towards what would come later with ‘The Avengers’.

At number 9 is the most underrated film of 2010, as it performed pretty poorly at the box office despite solid reviews from critics. It’s a real shame because this is a really creative and entertaining film.

9. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

First off, let me just say three things about this film. Yes, it is incredibly weird. Yes, the first 30 minutes or so are rather slow and boring. Yes, the main character is rather unlikable because he abandons his sweet and caring girlfriend for someone else. Despite all of these ‘disadvantages’, the movie is just awesome. Director Edgar Wright’s slick and kinetic direction is perfect for this adaptation of the graphic novel series of the same name. As for the slow opening, once the first of Ramona’s evil Exes appears, the film picks up the pace and immediately improves as a result of it. The film’s many references to video games make it one of the best ‘video game’ movies out there. The irony about this is that it’s not even based off of a video game. Again, it’s too bad that this movie didn’t perform well at the box office because it’s another excellent film from the director of some of the best comedies in recent years; ‘Shaun of the Dead’, ‘Hot Fuzz’, and ‘The World’s End’, three films that could also sort of be called ‘underrated’ because they didn’t really perform well commercially here in the U.S.

In between ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, Christopher Nolan made this awesome movie, which earns the Number 8 spot on this list.

8. Inception

As a director, Nolan has been known for movies with complicated plots and storylines and this film is no exception. You really have to pay attention during the movie; otherwise you’ll get lost pretty quickly. Thankfully, the movie is incredibly entertaining from beginning to end with some incredible action sequences, the standout being the scene where Joseph Gordon Levitt’s character Arthur fights off bad guys in a rotating hallway. Acting is rock-solid all around and Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent as usual in the lead role of Dom Cobb. My only real complaint is that at times the movie is a little slow. It’s only 2 and half hours long but when I saw it in the theater, it felt like four hours. But in the end, Nolan delivers an exciting and overall very smart sci-fi film; one of the best of the last decade.

Number 7 is a film where, technically speaking, it mainly consists of its lead actor being the only one on screen for the majority of the film. But in the case of this movie, is that really a problem?

7. 127 Hours

‘127 Hours’ is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s accident in 2003 when he was trapped by a boulder while traveling through a canyon in Utah, ultimately having to cut off his arm in order to survive. That scene in particular is obviously not for the faint of heart, but the whole movie in general is backed by a terrific performance by James Franco as Ralston and director Danny Boyle’s top-notch direction.

From one movie that’s not that easy to watch to another, Number 6 is ‘a love story’ that is anything but one.

6. Blue Valentine

Let’s be honest; this film is rather tough to watch. It’s about a married couple whose marriage is in heavy decline. Not exactly the best film for a romantic ‘date night’, is it? In fact apparently this film is sometimes put in the ‘romance’ section of video stores; talk about misleading. Trust me guys, you don’t want to watch this movie with your loved one unless you want to be sleeping on the couch for the night. But despite that, this movie is still very good mainly because of the execution. Yes, it’s a movie that focuses on a declining marriage but director Derek Cianfrance also does a great job of showing what happened before all of this, when main characters Dean and Cindy first fell in love. But the best part about this whole film is the performances from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as Dean and Cindy. Because the film was shot in a way so that the two of them can get more acquainted with each other during shooting, their performances feel even more real. This is one of the best dramas to come out in recent years though, like I said, it’s not the best recommendation for ‘date night’.

Starting off the Top 5 is the film that may have come out more than a decade after its immediate predecessor but nevertheless it was a fitting conclusion to one of the best trilogies ever.

5. Toy Story 3

It’s rare when the third film in a trilogy manages to be just as good as the first two films, but ‘Toy Story 3’ succeeds at doing that. The writing is once again excellent and also very mature at the same time; none of the emotions that are conveyed in the film feel cheap; they feel very real (and this is a movie about living toys, for crying out loud). Of course, this film isn’t afraid to take some dark turns, namely the ‘fake-out’ near the end and yes the ending of this movie is guaranteed to have you fighting back tears. It ends the series on a high note and while it’s not really the best in the series, this is probably the only true trilogy where every entry in it is fantastic.

As I mentioned earlier, ‘The Karate Kid’ was one of those rare remakes that managed to be just as good as the original. In the case of Number 4, dare I say it, this film might actually be better than the original.

4. True Grit

The original ‘True Grit’, starring John Wayne, Glen Campbell, and Kim Darby, is a classic in the western genre but in a way, the Coen Brothers’ remake is superior because of the change in overall tone. For lack of a better term, this version is ‘grittier’, with a more determined Mattie Ross, a more pathetic but still badass Rooster Cogburn, and an ending that is far from being a happy one. My only real complaint is that the villains were rather lackluster compared to their counterparts from the original film, despite very good performances from both Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper. Still, this remake succeeds by taking the bold route and not going with a traditional happy ending.

When it was first announced that the final entry in this famous series would be split into two movies, I was rather hesitant but in the end this ended up working in the series’ favor.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

This film is proof that you can split a film into two parts if you have enough material to work with, unlike other certain films (I’m looking at you, ‘Breaking Dawn’).  Compared to ‘Part 2’ and the final battle of Hogwarts, ‘Part 1’ may seem rather uneventful seeing how most of it consists of Harry, Ron, Hermione on their travels to destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes. But as a whole, I like that this one was a change of pace from the previous films where it was always them going to Hogwarts and then fighting Voldemort and/or his evil forces at the end. This film also gives leads Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson a chance to shine in their respective roles, especially seeing how they’re usually the only ones on screen for the majority of the film. The film serves a great set-up for the finale and another fantastic entry in the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise.

At Number 2 is the film that proved the following fact; Ben Affleck’s career was back on track after it was on a severe downturn in 2004.

2. The Town

On the surface, ‘The Town’ is sort of your traditional heist/thriller film but with Affleck behind the camera as the director, the film holds your interest from beginning to end. It’s also very well acted; in the lead role, Affleck proves that he’s improved as an actor by giving a very reserved but strong performance as career criminal Doug McRay. But the one who steals the show here would have to be Jeremy Renner as Doug’s ‘loose cannon’ best friend and co-partner James Coughlin. Thanks to films like this, ‘Gone Baby Gone’, and ‘Argo’, Ben Affleck has become one of the best directors working today.

Finally, at Number 1 we have the film that manages to be something more than just being about the beginnings of its eponymous creation.

1. The Social Network

The idea of a movie about Facebook seems rather ridiculous, but director David Fincher succeeds at bringing one to the big screen. How? Basically, it’s by making a movie that manages to be more than just the story of how Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook. It’s also the story about how Zuckerberg made many enemies in the process of becoming the world’s youngest billionaire, whether it’s ‘stealing’ the idea from the Winklevoss twins or getting his friend/business partner Eduardo Saverin’s shares in the company diminished. Add in Fincher’s unique visual style, Aaron Sorkin’s superb writing, and terrific performances all around and you have yourself a movie that may not be entirely accurate but is easily one of the best dramas in recent years and my pick for the best film of 2010.

Check back later this week for the top 10 films of 2011.