No. 5 - The Town

Plot Synopsis

Set on the dangerous streets of Charlestown in Boston, long-time thief Doug Macray (Ben Affleck) starts to fall for bank manager Claire Keesy, the hostage of his most recent bank heist. As their relationship grows, FBI Agent Adam Frawley closes in on Doug and his gang, and he starts to question the direction of his life…

Review

Ben Affleck set foot on the long road to redemption with his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone. With his second full length feature, The Town, he’s nearing the end. It seems strange to the Unlimited Crew that a man as seemingly useless as Mr. Affleck has been able to emerge as one of Hollywood’s most exciting new directors. But The Town cements his unlikely status as a respectable figure in Modern Cinema.

The realism of The Town is what makes it stand tall above other crime thrillers in recent memory. Rather than the overblown action sequences that has become typical of the genre, Affleck opts for action that is gritty, brutal and most importantly, realistic. But whilst it has sufficient violence to please action fanatics, the true brilliance of The Town lies in its strong central performances and heartfelt emotion.

Oscar nominated Jeremy Renner is brilliant as Doug’s loose cannon friend ‘James Coughlin’, and the late Pete Postlethwaite turns in a frightening performance as the local florist and crime lord ‘Fergie’. But this is Ben Affleck’s film, his performance and direction are so skilful and disciplined it’s crazy to think he ever starred in films as uncompromisingly shit as Gigli, and Pearl Harbour.

Verdict

The Town is an excellent, if not entirely original crime thriller that has enough thrills, violence, romance and heart to please most movie fans.

Rating - ****

Jack's Sleep-o-meter - 20%

No. 6 - Shutter Island

Plot Synopsis

U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels and his new partner Chuck are sent to an island investigating the disappearance of a patient at a hospital for the criminally insane.

Review

Scorsese and Dicaprio team up for the fourth time in Shutter Island, Unlimited Crew’s 6^th best film of 2010, and it’s probably their finest effort together yet. From the epic score to its noir-esque visuals, Shutter Island oozes with style, class and a deeply dark sense of insanity. Though some have argued the film didn’t connect on an emotion level, it succeeds most everywhere else.

It has a strong cast with some great performances, (Dicaprio, Ruffalo and Kingsley are all terrific), yet the  characters are very stereotypical to the genre. This somewhat dampens their impact as performances, leaving the supporting characters as unoriginal and thus somewhat banal in their actions as the film proceeds. But Dicaprio in the lead role is tremendous and was one of many leading actors robbed of an Oscar nomination this year.

Whilst the film’s climax is somewhat predictable, its execution is dynamic. As the final scene fades out and the credits roll, we The Unlimited Crew would be shocked if you weren’t satisfied. It’s a dark, haunting, thrilling film that may lack in originality and emotion, but more than makes up for it with stunning visuals, great performances and filmmaking flair from a master director.

Verdict

An old fashioned detective movie with a strong psychological twist. Shutter Island grips its audience from the first scene and doesn’t let go. Epic.

Rating - *****

Jack’s Sleep-o-meter – 15%   

No. 7 - The Social Network

Plot Synopsis

Mark Zuckerberg is hired to help create a social networking site called the Harvard Connection, but he has a better idea and secretly begins to create The Facebook. As his plans come to fruition and the site evolves, he distances himself from his best friend and business partner Eduardo Saverin, and befriends Sean Parker, the founder of Napster...

Review

It’s a movie about Facebook, starring Justin Timberlake; of course it’s fucking good! The Unlimited Crew are big fans of Facebook and the former N-Sync star so it should come as no surprise that we loved Fincher’s latest offering. The Social Network is a sharp, fast paced, often amusing character study of the Facebook creator as played by a mesmerizing Jesse Eisenberg.

The supporting cast are also terrific, Armie Hammer plays the Winklevoss brothers to full comedic effect as a couple of young, good looking, athletic but slightly idiotic rich boys. Whilst Andrew Garfield plays the most empathetic character of the film Eduardo Saverin, who gets replaced by the suave, charismatic big shot Justin Timberlake as Jesse’s business partner.

The story cleverly unfolds through different character perspectives, the blame shifting from person to person, providing an unbiased story rather than just a relentless attack on Zuckerberg. But due to this balanced approach, the drama of the events is weakened, resulting in a slick, clever and fascinating movie that's just somewhat lacking in emotion. 

Verdict

As good as a film about Facebook never should be.

Rating - ****

Jack's Sleep-o-Meter - 40%

No. 8 - The Other Guys

Plot Synopsis

When two hero cops accidentally kill themselves, outcasts Mark Whalberg and Will Ferrell seize the opportunity to become New York City’s new crime fighting force...

Review

If you think of film as a deep form of visual and expressive art then The Other Guys probably is not your 8^th best film of the year. If you think of film as pure entertainment and escapism like The Unlimited Crew do, then FUCK YEAH it is! From The Rock and Samuel L Jackson’s cameos to the immortal line “I feel like we’re literally driving around in a vagina,” The Other Guys is probably the comedy highlight of 2010.

Ferrell and Whalberg are terrifically mismatched as police partners with Whalberg turning in one of the most surprising comedic performances of the year as ‘Terry Hoitz’, almost making The Unlimited Crew forget about the abominations that were ‘The Happening’ and ‘Max Payne’, but not quite, because they sucked donkey dick.  Anyway, the film falls down when its convoluted plot unfolds and Steve Coogan’s (amongst a couple other) crap characters come into play, but the chemistry between the two stars keeps the film rolling until it picks itself back up with more hilarity, and genuinely impressive action sequences.

Verdict

Despite a shaky middle act and incoherent plot, this is probably the funniest live action film of 2010 with Mark Whalberg’s performance as the jealous, constantly pissed off Terry Hoitz nothing short of comic gold.

Rating - ****

Jack’s Sleep-o-meter – 20%

No. 9 - Toy Story 3

Plot Synopsis

Andy has grown out of his toys and is on his way to college, leaving Woody and his gang in what appears to be paradise at a children’s day-care centre, but soon they realise Sunnyside isn’t quite what it seems...

Review

Critics and fans alike fell in love with this threequel the moment it hit our screen back in 2010. With strokes of comic genius, visual pizzazz and fantastic voice performances from its impressive ensemble cast, Toy Story 3 is deservedly number 9 on our Official Top Ten Movies of 2010. But truth be told, The Unlimited Crew didn’t find it (quite) as tear-jerking as everyone made out, nor as strong as the previous two. Not that we didn’t think it was great, just somewhat lacking originality, reusing ideas and formulas from Toy Story 1 and 2. However, what it may lack in uniqueness it makes up for with some of the funniest scenes of the trilogy.

As well as its heart and humour, this third instalment reaches new heights of peril with the group finding themselves in some seriously intense near death situations, but as impressive as such scenes may be, you never really believe anything bad is going to happen to them. And that’s where the problem lies, although the film appeals to all ages, it is at heart a kids film, so you can’t expect anything but a happy ending, making it somewhat predictable, but undeniably enjoyable.

Verdict

An epic finale to an almost perfect trilogy. Whilst Toy Story 3 doesn’t offer as many fresh ideas as we’d hoped, it maintains the magic of its predecessors and wraps up the series in satisfying, heart warming fashion.

Rating - *****

Jack's Sleep-o-meter - 10%

No. 10 - Buried

Plot Synopsis

Buried is a thriller made to take claustrophobic cinema to a new level. For 90 minutes we are trapped with the Everyman  Paul Conroy in a wooden coffin buried six feet under somewhere in the Middle East, knowing as much about his situation as he does, which is very, very little.

Review

Buried is number ten in our epic countdown because it succeeds at what it sets out to do, to be the most intense film of 2010. It makes its audience almost unbearably uncomfortable; being drawn into Conroy’s hellish situation, feeling his dread and desperation as he tries to save himself from an almost inevitable death. Reynolds lives up to the hype by turning in one of 2010’s most fascinating performances. Whilst his character may not be the most interesting, he’s one of the most realistic. Reynolds singlehandedly captivates his audience through Conroy’s struggle and at times makes it easy to forget it’s only a film.

The premise is simple but intriguing, and arguably one that would be more effective as a short; but in its 90 minute running time it continuously gains momentum, gradually becomes more and more difficult to watch. To pull off such a risky concept as well as this is an impressive feat for any director, and to do so whilst keeping his audience as enticed as we The Unlimited Crew were is quite remarkable. Up to its last dying seconds you’ll be on the edge of your seat, gasping for breath, feeling Conroy’s panic until the film reaches its dramatic climax...

Verdict

As intense as any other film you’re likely to see, Buried isn’t for the faint of heart, but for everyone else, it’s a near agonizing, astonishing experience.

Rating - ****

Jack’s Sleep-o-meter – 0%

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2010

That's right, us boys have collectively decided on the finest releases of 2010. This list is currently top secret but worry not! We will present it to you in the form of an epic countdown! Number 10 will be revealed soon so keep your eye out!