20. The Happening* – A movie that only an M. Night fanboy could love, right? Well then, guilty as charged. Somewhere around “The Village” people started turning on Shammy and I just never quite got why. This movie is as powerful and deep as any of his other films, and in my mind only suffers because he decided to take the violence into hard R territory, which to me ruins some of the mystery and nuance. If this was a PG 13 film it may have been one of my all-time favorites, as is I still thought it was an extremely thought provoking look at commitment in the face of tragedy (for a true look at my insanity remind me to tell you how this movie is about marriage sometime.) Though most now call M. Night a sham, I, for one, am still still willing to proclaim Sham-WOW!
19. National Treasure 2 – The best Indiana Jones movie of the year.
18. Dan in Real Life – Usually the movies I love have an element of largeness to them, whether it be larger than life action/special effects or big ideas that make you think for hours afterward. So it means something when a simple movie like this can crack the top 20 for the year. There is nothing spectacular going on here, other than a heartfelt story that feels incredibly genuine, and a cast that has their parts locked down. Well worth your time to check out.
17. Prince Caspian – I’m fairly convinced I only love these movies for message and nostalgia, but it’s my list so Narnia will be represented.
16. Hairspray – This movie is worth watching for the music alone. Amazing songs, with some pretty amazing performances around it. Unfortunately I found the message to be a bit of a minefield, so it stole some of that joy. Still, I’d watch it again tonight just to see the musical parts.