JC 1010E

#5: Invictus

Synopsis: Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

What I thought: Great performances, great soundtrack, and very inspirational. Not sure what else to say. It's pretty amazing what Mandella was able to accomplish through the use of the rugby team in his own country.

#4: Toy Story 3

Synopsis: The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.

What I thought: This movie is funny and touching all at the same time. Maybe not the kids favorite animated film from 2010, but for anyone who grew up having seen the first two films in this series can't help but be touched by the poignant story of Andy and his toys.

#3: An Education

Synopsis: A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.

What I thought: I saw this movie early last year when it was getting a lot of hype coming up for the Academy Awards. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Carrey Mulligan gives a superb performance in the lead role and the relationship between the two characters is very believable. A disturbing but touching film about youth and love.

#2: Inception

Synopsis: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception.

What I thought: I'm still not sure if I know what is real or not in this dream world, and we may never know. Big summer blockbuster that really threw people for a whirl, especially the crazy hotel/hallway fight scene. Reminded me of The Matrix in the sense that it questions the reality that we actually live in. Nolan is easly one of my favorite directors after this film, the Batman series, and Memento.

#1: Walk the Line

Synopsis: A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

What I thought: I had never heard many songs by Cash prior to watching this film (of course I knew the classic Ring of Fire) but afterwards I quickly added several of his songs to my music library. Besides the music, the acting was superb (they sang all of the songs themselves) and I was blown away by the performance that Witherspoon gives here (totally earned the Oscar that she won for the performance). I didn't realize Cash was such a bad boy, but this is a must see film about his life. If you're asking why I just saw this 5 years after it came out, it's because I was in Russia when it was released.