Ted's Movie Reviews - Top 10 by Year

| 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |

2009

  1. The Hurt Locker, A, non-stop tension and excitement
  2. Up, A, rich characters, good story, a little manipulative
  3. Inglorious Basterds, A-, great cast of characters as Tarantino shines
  4. Avatar, A-, fun and exciting in 3-D despite flat characters
  5. State of Play, A-, fun, fast-paced newspaper investigation
  6. The Hangover, A-, bachelor party in Vegas with good writing
  7. I Love You, Man, B+, chick flick for men saved by two strong leads
  8. Star Trek, B+, brainy sci-fi series gets mindless makeover
  9. District 9, B+, Gory, violent, but thought-provoking sci-fi piece
  10. Up in the Air, B+, Clooney brings charm to this character study

2008

  1. Doubt, A, well-written showcase for great acting
  2. Madagascar 2, A, consistently funny with strong characters
  3. Young at Heart, A, fun, bittersweet movie about octogenarian rockers
  4. Iron Man, A-, superhero flick features solid acting and writing
  5. Ghost Town, A-, cute, funny, romantic; this is a nice movie
  6. Bolt, A-, good movie about a lost dog and his sidekicks
  7. The Dark Knight, A-, big action movie runs a little long; great joker
  8. Wall-E, B+, Buster Keaton and Metropolis meet Pixar
  9. Hancock, B+, a movie about a failing superhero has a twist
  10. In Bruges, B+, very dark comedy about gangsters with ethics

2007

  1. Charlie Wilson's War, A, surprisingly funny and smart
  2. Michael Clayton, A, well-made movie, strong story, good acting
  3. Ratatouille, A, less action and more focus on story and characters
  4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, A, well-realized movie version better than the book
  5. Juno, A-, good writing and strong characters, cute movie
  6. No Country for Old Men, A-, intensely compelling with a bad ending
  7. Meet the Robinsons, A-, surprisingly good animated movie
  8. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, A-, funny, well-made sendup of music biopics
  9. Once, B+, overly indie movie but well worth watching
  10. Live Free or Die Hard, B+, big, fun action movie

2006

  1. An Inconvenient Truth, A, important message, but told incredibly well
  2. Inside Man, A-, great caper movie is a pleasure to watch unfold
  3. United 93, A-, detailed retelling of 9/11 makes great drama
  4. Stranger Than Fiction, A-, a nice offbeat movie
  5. V for Vendetta, A-, Batman meets Orwell in a classic face off
  6. Letters From Iwo Jima, A-, well-made movie, but speculative
  7. The Illusionist, A-, great-looking short story brought to life
  8. Thank You For Smoking, B+, funny take on spin control
  9. The Devil Wears Prada, B+, cute Cinderella story, Streep great as stepmother
  10. Dreamgirls, B+, solid story and performances, but needed focus

2005

  1. Crash, A, nice story of strangers running into each other
  2. Munich, A, simple story of vengence gets complicated fast
  3. Walk the Line, A, great story with outstanding performances
  4. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, A, the dark side of business
  5. Lord of War, A-, arms dealing movie works on many levels
  6. Revenge of the Sith, A, this is why they did the 2 prequels
  7. Just Like Heaven, A, sweet, funny romance
  8. Serenity, A-, rewarding, but only for those who watched Firefly
  9. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, A-, a great story brought to life
  10. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, B+, a welcome return for Wallace and Gromit

2004

  1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, A, weird, fun, sweet, and scary
  2. Riding Giants, A, surfing movie combines adrenaline and education
  3. Troy, A, surprisingly good but largely overlooked movie
  4. Garden State, A, warm, sweet, and eccentric with great characters
  5. Proof, A-, nice mix of family, math, romance, and dementia
  6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, A-, the best of the series so far
  7. Sideways, A-, enjoyable but not terribly complex road trip movie
  8. The Incredibles, A-, somewhere between Toy Story and Monsters, Inc.
  9. Finding Neverland, A-, sweet and sentimental without being syrupy
  10. Collateral, B+, good writing, good performances, cool look

2003

  1. Return of the King, A, a fitting finish for this epic series
  2. Finding Nemo, A, warm, funny, exciting, and fun
  3. The Italian Job, A, well executed caper movie
  4. Mystic River, A-, good story, strong performances
  5. Big Fish, A-, enjoyable group of stories that tell a bigger one
  6. American Splendor, A-, unusual, entertaining look at a comic book writer
  7. Love Actually, A, cruder than some Hugh Grant movies but it delivers
  8. Freaky Friday, A-, well-made remake updates the story for the 00's
  9. Seabiscuit, A-, at times hammy, but a triumphant story nonetheless
  10. Holes, A-, good for kids with outsized villains and legends

2002

  1. Chicago, A, fun entertaining movie delivers on everything
  2. We Were Soldiers, A, Vietnam gets the Blackhawk Down treatment
  3. The Quiet American, A, solid acting does justice to a great book
  4. Spider-Man, A, great action movie, great hero, great villain
  5. 24 Hour Party People, A-,
  6. Catch Me If You Can, A-, well-crafted story and fun to watch
  7. Dogtown and Z-Boys, A-, solid story of and by 70's L.A. skateboarders
  8. Spellbound, A-, very good story of kids in national spelling bee
  9. The Two Towers, B+, impressive scale
  10. Signs, B+, neat hybrid of soul searching plus monster movie

2001

  1. Blackhawk Down, A, absorbing and intense action movie
  2. Fellowship of the Ring, A, impressive start
  3. Gosford Park, A, well crafted
  4. Moulin Rouge, A-, succeeds in spite of itself
  5. Ocean's 11, A-, well executed caper film
  6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, A-, entertaining, but loyal to the book to a fault
  7. Vanilla Sky, B+, like doing a jigsaw puzzle without seeing the box
  8. Kate and Leopold, B+, nice romantic comedy
  9. Monster's Ball, B+, very slow but powerful
  10. The Others, B+, a very solid scary movie

2000

  1. Almost Famous, A, really fun and well-balanced
  2. Gladiator, A, very strong movie with a weak ending
  3. The Patriot, A, similar to Gladiator, very solid
  4. Family Man, A, well-done alternative reality movie
  5. Traffic, A-, a hard look at many sides of illegal drugs
  6. You Can Count on Me, A-, a neat portrait of some realistic people
  7. Erin Brockovich, B+, solid lawyer movie, arbitration ending fizzles
  8. Bounce, B+, good performances but not a lot of chemistry
  9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, B+, good story and fights, cheesy effects
  10. The Cell, B+, stunning visuals, cool ideas, dumb detective story

1999

  1. Being John Malkovich, A-, lots of neat ideas, great puppet sequences
  2. The Sixth Sense, A, well done and effective without being gory
  3. IMAX: Elephants of Africa, A, best IMAX movie I've seen; and it has a plot
  4. The Matrix, B+, very cool
  5. Toy Story 2, B+, just as good as the first one and maybe better
  6. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, B+, obscene, but still very funny
  7. The Iron Giant, B+, good story, always entertaining
  8. Rushmore, B, a neat character, but the movie strays
  9. Election, B, good, but it's just about a high school election
  10. Three Kings, B, the Gulf War's only movie legacy?

1998

  1. Out of Sight, A-, great chemistry and dialogue
  2. The Spanish Prisoner, B+, fun and intriguing, but the ending fizzles
  3. The Truman Show, B+, interesting idea, good performances
  4. Gattaca, B+, great story and fine side performances
  5. Zero Effect, B, offbeat but fun take on Sherlock Holmes
  6. Babe: Pig in the City, B+, great acting performances by animals
  7. Pleasantville, B-, not subtle, but fun to watch
  8. Saving Private Ryan, B, not sure what they are trying to say
  9. Antz, B, not the Disney formula, no Disney magic either
  10. A Bug's Life, B, fun to watch, but lacks depth

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