I managed to see a lot of movies this year but missed an equally large number, courtesy a full course-load. But, I still saw enough to complie this list.

5. Strangers With Candy

A small indie movie that was a prequel to a TV series of the same name. A very limited release and a surprisingly low 60% on RT meant that the movie slipped under everyone’s radar when it came out this past summer. Even if you haven’t seen the series, the movie is still a rib-tickler with some terrific acting by Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris. Plays out a lot like a run-of-the-mill teen movie but is a billion times better in the quality of the script and the freshness in the comedy. Fans of the series will adore it and comedy lovers will love this movie. Highly underrated.

4. Snakes on a Plane
Thank You For Smoking

Surprised to see it at #4? So am I. But the ones to follow were better movies overall. SoaP had the fun factor and all the hype. Oh, it also had Samuel L. Jackson a lot of muthaf’ing snakes on a muthaf’ing plane! One thrill ride this. Cheesy, B-grade movie credentials be damned - the movie was extremely enjoyable. Unfortunately, the hype wasn’t enough to ensure success as the movie more or less bombed at the box-office. Watch it noentheless and see what all the fuss is about!

Yes I added a second movie at #4. Only because I totally forgot about this one. A scathing satire on tobacco lobbyists, Senators, and Hollywood, this movie was hilarious. The book of the same name was excellent too and really fleshed out the characters a lot more. Aaron Eckhart was pretty much born to play the role of Nick Naylor, the tobacco industry’s top spin-wizard. Must-watch!

3. The Departed

A movie by Martin Scorsese with a cast of several talented actors and a strong script. An out and out action thriller, this movie was definitely one of the best action films of the year. Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen team up with a surprisingly mature Leonardo Di Caprio and Matt Damon to serve up a delightful treat in the acting department. Everyone is fantastic and the movie moves with a good pace in spite of the length. Oh yeah, by the way, the movie is about the Irish mafia in Boston and the cops after them. There’s double agents on both sides and everything ends well, albeit in a rush of deaths.

2. Little Miss Sunshine

It’s unfortunate that LMS ended up not being my top movie. Here’s a great movie to watch - probably not with family because of the language and some content. Funny and sensitive at the same time, the story is about a dysfunctional family that tries to come together so that little Olive can take part in the Little Miss Sunshine contest in California. The movie stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette, and Greg Kinnear - all three turn in stellar performances. This is a small movie that made it big. Made on a modest budget and initially a limited release, the movie was overwhelmingly popular and forced the studio to open it to a wide release. The movie ended up making more than $50 million at the US Box Office and is an absolute delight!

1. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

I didn’t have to check the accuracy of my memory even with the ginormous title that this movie brings to the table. Such was the wondrous work of Sacha Baron Cohen. An absolute laugh-riot chronicling the adventures of Borat and his producer Azamat who come to America from Kazakhstan to understand some of their culture and subsequently use it to better Kazakhstan (hence the title). Rude, loud, and extremely offensive only begin to describe what this movie is about. No point in me wasting more words here - go read my exclusive post on the movie. While short at just under 90 minutes, this movie is well worth your money, whether you see it in the theaters or on DVD.

I ended up with three comedies on that list. Compare that to just 1 last year. There were disappointments this year as well. Here they are:

Pirates 2
X-Men 3

Both movies were hyped beyond belief but suffered from weak scripts. Pirates seemed slow and Depp not as good as in the first. Pirates 3 needs to be better. X3 threw in a boatload of mutants but was a bit of a mess. Cyclops and Professor X killed off? And what was up with Magneto feeling sorry at the end? Brett Ratner was a poor choice of director I say.

Other Good Movies that just missed out:

MI:3
V For Vendetta
Inside Man
Slither

Others I wanted to see but couldn’t:

An Inconvenient Truth
The Descent
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
This Film is Not Yet Rated
United 93
Casino Royale