10 Things That Blew Me Away at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show

I just returned from a short trip to Motor City and a certain little collection of cars up there.  In the past, I have seen coverage, read blogs and press releases, and gone to my local version, but this was the year to get there and see it all first hand.  Many things made my Born-and-Bred-Ohio eyes boggle out of their sockets, and I decided to put the biggest surprises down here for you all…

Not really movie and TV related, except for #1...

1. Johnny Drama's Car - the Lincoln from the opening credits of Entourage was the focus for that manufacturer - really?  I mean, I really like the show and all, but did anyone notice the electric test drive track that Ford had set up fifty feet away?  Yeah, you could drive one of their electric cars on the floor, but Lincoln just had a prop car from a series that only appeared in a  few actual episodes…Malcolm McDowell has had more screen time in that show than that Continental did…I thought it was cool that they had the car there…until I realized that it was all they had...
2. Maybach Leg Room: I am not exaggerating, you could sleep several children on the rear seat flooring area of this bad-boy…I have never really know much about Maybachs - other than the fact that they were expensive (starting at about $400,000 US) limousines.  However, these are not the seat-eight and hang your torso out of the sunroof deals, there is room for two (two what, giants?) in the back, and only two people (big console in there).  I thought my old Honda Element had a lot of leg room…tuns out I was wrong.
3. Hyundai Veloster - A Rip In Out Dimension -  I like smaller cars, something nimble, light, but also a smaller car that has some of the nicer features, leather, navigation, you know…Hyundai had a little three-door hatch that I thought was interesting (think a squashed Kia Soul…but more attractive) and I sat in it for  few moments…nice little car.  I was getting out when my buddy was checking out the back seat, through the back door on the passenger side…my side just had a single coupe-style door, the passenger side had two doors, like a sedan…I had one of those mind-shattering moments and then just started to wonder why it did not have two doors on either side…
4. Bentley's Swatch Selection: I could not get close to the Bentley's, they had a fence around their cars (NOT a velvet rope, I am talking a metal bulwark) to keep out the unwashed masses (I had showered that day, but I still did not warrant the "by invitation only" status that a select few did.  I was getting over my indignant spell (sure, most of their cars cost more than my house, but HOW DARE THEY?!?) when I saw about ten feet of leather on the back side of their display…I have been to custom furniture shops with less selection than this car…I had the choice of three different beiges when I built my house...
5. Too Many Dance Clubs:  I get how it works, you want to sell the experience of your brand and all that marketing blah-blah, but it seemed that each and every manufacturer was selling the same thing…if I get on board with them (i.e. give them thirty-or-so-grand) then I will be a character from Sex and the City.  Strobe lights and loud music a plenty.  It was a little neat at first, but soon became tiresome…especially the "VIP" second floor of the GM area devoted to the Volt…no ,you did not have to get past any bouncers to get up there, but I got the message about which basket their eggs are in.  Oh, and it also hit me that when they crank up their music, then you can't hear the next brand give their speeches and demos a few feet away…as a result, I felt more than heard the new Boss 302 Mustang from deep in Chevy country…
6. Old School Miata Door Handles:  I just celebrated 10 years with my beloved…Miata, that is…I love my little '95 - it a simple, light sports car and though not my daily driver, it has remained in my garage while other cars are cycles though for normal duty.  Mazda had a special edition they were showing off, and I noticed something strange - it had the first generation door handles on it!  Go Mazda, you did not call it out and most people would not care, but it was a nice little treasure for the Miataphiles of the world to discover.
7. A Buick With Three Pedals:  There was a tuned-up version of the new Regal (Opel Insignia in Europe) called the GS that was rotating for our approval.  I was excited about the return of the Regal…Buick is doing a lot of good things to shake their geriatric image, and this car is one of them…as it endlessly looped on the dais, I saw something through the open door…a third pedal - they are going to have a manual transmission Buick!   Sometimes, all it takes is a third pedal to make me smile…
8. An Ashtray!  I was sitting in the back seat of the hideously-ugly Porsche Panamera, amazed at how roomy and comfortable it was (not Maybach, but pretty nice) and I saw something on the door, pushed it, and out popped an ash tray.  I quit smoking some time ago, but am still bothered by the fact that most companies will sell you a "smoker's package" to give you what  should be standard equipment, as politically incorrect as it may be...
9. The Extremes: Green versus Not-Green-At-All:  Everyone seemed to be playing up to the environmentalist and the geared at the same time…often to some comic effects.  Honda had several Gran Tursimo 5 consoles set up for the public could get in a few laps of their cars…while on the other side of their exhibit, there was a hybrid simulator to let you compete for the best MPG;  which would you rather have on your home console?  Ford surrounded it's electric Focus and Fiesta exampled with the Boss 302 Mustang and their race-ready desert truck, the Raptor.  I see that they have to be all things to all people…but I will let you in on a little secret - I spend a little more time drooling on the Baja truck with 411 horsepower than I did on the econobox that ran on double-As...
10. The absences: I had been reading in the automotive press about some new announcement the week of the auto show, and just figured I would see these new cars in Detroit - WRONG!  McLaren just revealed the new MP4-12C…despite a name that makes be think of an obscure variant of an assault rifle, I was dying to see it…nope, not there.  I had also been chomping at the bit to take a look at the Local Motors Rally Fighter (maybe the most epic car name in a while) but they were absent as well… guess SEMA is the place for them.  Saab was absent from the show floor, had an outdoor display across the street…seeing as it was nine degree before wind chill…I pass on that one.  Conspicuously absent was Nissan/Infinity, which I think have dropped out of the auto show circuit in general…but seeing as I realized they were not present on my drive home, it was really not that big of a deal.

So, that brings me to the end of my list of little surprises…I had a great time at the show, the best $12 I have spend in some time...

-Mike



Joel Aron from Clone Wars at NASA

August 11th I had the opportunity to listen to Joel Aron, CG Director of George Lucas' growing show Star Wars: The Clone Wars, at the Teague Auditorium at Johnson Space Center. I am always fascinated with the approach to project management that those in the film industry seem to command. They are given such ridiculous schedules and feats to accomplish things that have usually never been done before.

Joel explained that after speaking with Star Wars fans repeatedly that no one really knew about their show so he set out to change that by traveling the country on a promotional tour. He's a very eloquent speaker with quick reactions to whatever we threw at him when question and answer time began. Someone actually asked him how much hard drive space they had at their CG lab. Really? That's the brightest question we could think up? Joel answered it very quickly by explaining how much memory goes into one CG explosion with billions of packets of information. I guess I can't really beat up our questioners too bad because my question wasn't pondered till leaving the Teague Auditorium:

"Is George Lucas similar to Walt Disney in his 'all things begin and end with me' approach in regard to the story line of the show? Or is he open to new ideas for plots lines and character growth? Thanks to our friends at Red Letter Media, a picture seems to hang around George Lucas that he is unapproachable by his peers."

Here is a short video taken at the NASA Teague Auditorium:

Here is the presentation Joel showed at the NASA auditorium.

Here is another interview with Joel Aron: on the Star Wars website.

New Car Movie

Hollywood, are you listening?  Make this story...for three reasons:

1. It is epic.
2. It is about cars and not juvenile.
3. it is true.

http://jalopnik.com/5497042/how-a-500-craigslist-car-beat-400k-rally-racers

-Mike MacGuffin

Chuck's Top 10 Movies...of the decade

By Chuck MacGuffin

Well, I decided to give it a shot; try to write what my favorite movies were in the categories assigned by Mike MacGuffin.  I admit that my knowledge is no where near the depth and incite that our very own Mike MacGuffin has, but that's alright.  Since I seem to represent a more average 'Joe' of the movie goer I should still represent with what mediocre movie jargon I possess and weigh in my thoughts for my favorite movies of the last 10 years.  Hope you enjoy.

1. War - The Patriot (Roland Emmerich, 2000)
Although it feels more like a drama for a great deal of time it is most definitely a war movie.  The story captures your attention like a slap in the face when our protagonist Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) witnesses the blatant murder of his son.  From Benjamin's daring rescue for his other son Gabriel Martin (Heath Ledger) to the fight with our antagonist Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) in the end, the movie captured my attention and delivered a wonderful reminder of the absolute horror this country once faced.

2. Super Hero - Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
Spiderman was a wonderful movie, but it lacks the sense of will that Batman possesses.  Iron Man was a complete surprise and absolutely wonderful, but lacks the humility of Batman.  I suppose that I just seem to relate more to Batman out of the three and enjoyed this movie more because of that.  I loved 'The Dark Knight', but it was much darker and heavy in its experience.  Batman Begins displayed the story we all love to see; the underdog wins.  But Bruce Wayne has a fortune, how is he the underdog?  If I have to explain then you didn't see the movie.  This adaptation was actually true to the original Batman comic book series where the first real Batman movie (Michael Keaton, 1989) fell short; specifically with the story details of who murdered Bruce Wayne's parents.

3. Automotive - Gone in Sixty Seconds (Dominic Sena, 2000)
Quite simply the reason for this choice is because of the sweet sweet cars (see the list below).  With an all star cast (Nicolas Cage, Giovanni Ribisi, Angelina Jolie, James Duval, Scot Caan, Robert Duval, and more) and a remake plot from the 1974 movie with the same title, it provided quite the enjoyable ride (no pun intended).  After seeing 'Eleanor', the 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 in the Chicago auto museum, I can understand why it is such a coveted beauty.  Here is the list of the cars with their nicknames that made this movie such fun: 

1-1999 Aston Martin DB7 - Mary
2-1962 Aston Martin DB1 - Barbara
3-1999 Bentley Arnage - Lindsey
4-1999 Bentley Azure - Laura
5-1964 Bentley Continental - Alma
6-1959 Cadillac El Dorado - Madeline
7-1958 Cadillac El Dorado Brougham - Patricia
8-1999 Cadillac Escalade - Carol
9-2000 Cadillac El Dorado ETC (El Dorado Touring Coupe) - Daniela
10-1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible - Stefanie
11-1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 - Erin
12-1953 Chevrolet Corvette - Pamela
13-1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Big Block - Stacey
14-2000 Ford F350 4x4 modified pick-up - Anne
15-1971 DeTomaso Pantera - Kate
16-1969 Dodge Daytona - Vanessa
17-1998 Dodge Viper Coupe GTS - Denise
18-1995 Ferrari 355 B - Diane
19-1997 Ferrari 355 F1 - Iris
20-1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 - Nadine
21-1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello - Angelina
22-1987 Ferrari Testarosa - Rose
23-1956 Ford T-Bird - Susan
24-2000 GMC Yukon - Megan
25-1999 HumVee 2-Door Pickup - Tracy
26-1999 Infiniti Q45 - Rachel
27-1994 Jaguar XJ 220 - Bernadene
28-1999 Jaguar XK8 Coupe - Deborah
29-1990 Lamborghini Diablo - Gina
30-1999 Lexus LS 400 - Hillary
31-1999 Lincoln Navigator - Kimberley
32-1957 Mercedes Benz 300 SL/Gullwing - Dorothy
33-1999 Mercedes Benz CL 500 - Donna
34-1999 Mercedes Benz S 600 - Samantha
35-1998 Mercedes Benz SL 600 - Ellen
36-1950 Mercury Custom - Gabriela
37-1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda - Shannon
38-1969 Plymouth Roadrunner - Jessica
39-1965 Pontiac GTO - Sharon
40-1999 Porsche 996 - Tina
41-2000 Porsche Boxster - Marsha
42-1961 Porsche Speedster - Natalie
43-1988 Porsche 959 - Virginia
44-1997 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo - Tanya
45-2000 Rolls Royce Stretch Limousine - Grace
46-1966 Shelby AC Cobra - Ashley
47-1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500 - Eleanor
48-2000 Toyota Landcruiser - Cathy
49-1998 Toyota Supra Turbo - Lynn
50-2000 Volvo Turbo Wagon R - Lisa

Eleanor is pretty, but I would have taken the Lamborghini Diablo.

4. Sci-Fi - Chronicles of Riddick (David Twohy, 2004)
What?!  Didn't that movie do horribly at the box office?  Yes it did, but that will not stop me from making it my Sci-Fi movie of the last 10 years.  The dramatic sequences, the deep landscapes, the vibrant colors, and the enormity of the enemy ships and destruction was absolutely surreal.  Pitch Black was a fantastic beginning to the series, but lacked the colossal impact Chronicles of Riddick had.  I actually met Keith David in the Atlanta airport once and thanked him for his performance in this movie and his attributions to Halo (The Arbiter).  He politely nodded his head and we ended in small talk as he went on his way.  I have not met Karl Urban or Vin Diesel, but thoroughly enjoyed their performances in this dark tale of the end of worlds.  The biggest surprise for me in this movie was the ridiculous performance by Colm Feore as Lord Marshal.  And by ridiculous, I mean wow, he was quite the convincing antagonist as he crushed everyone.

Chronicles of Riddick number three will be on its way soon...

5. Science Fiction - Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002)
But the movie has Tom Cruise you say!  True, and I still think it is a fantastic movie.  I do not have the 'anti-Tom Cruise' paranoia that many people seem to have these days.  He is still entertaining and this movie is no different.  From the peak into technology that is becoming a reality in some labs (http://www.charlesnick.com/2010/02/minority-report-cpu.html) bringing us G-Speak, to the reach into the future to snag our thoughts to solving crimes, the movie had me at hello.  Alright, I'll even admit that was absolutely cheesy and actually a little uncomfortable to say, but the movie sports an all star cast (Colin Farrell, Max von Syndow, and more) in a futuristic environment where we get a twist at the end.  I am a sucker for twists.  It may not have been as great a twist as 'The Usual Suspects', but it was a twist non-the-less.

6. Good Old Gunplay - Punisher (Thomas Jane, 2004)
What a fun, fun movie.  When I first saw previews of this version I thought it was going to be a bomb, but I was dead wrong.  From my disappointments of the first Punisher movie with Dolph Lundgren I was scared, let alone having a 'smaller' guy like Thomas Jane play the role.  I used to love comic books and this movie really brought to life that feeling that comic books seem to annotate when you read them.  From the guitar player he met in the diner to the Russian throwing him through walls and subverting his attacks, it truly is a real comic book movie.  X-men still never caught the feeling, Iron Man is getting closer, Tim Burton's Batman was very close, but this version of Punisher will never be forgotten.  John Travolta has a meager performance as the 'evil' Howard Saint and is not even listed as the general cast in IMDB, strange.

7. Zombie - Resident Evil (Paul W.S. Anderson, 2002)
It is sad that they will not let this franchise go.  They had a great start in the underground city, a painful hop to second (Resident Evil 2…getting worse), a ridiculous hobble to third (just plain bad), and now they are trying to stretch the franchise to home base with number four.  I was hoping that Milla Jovovich would say "NO MORE!!!," but she likes money too so now we have a fourth installment on its way.  Usually video game to movie adaptations are just plain bad, but I think the first movie in the Resident Evil series was able to break free from its ugly predecessors like 'Doom' and 'Street Fighter'.

For those video game players you must play 'Resident Evil 4' on the Nintendo GameCube or the remake of Resident Evil 4 for the Wii.  The story is very interesting and the gameplay is just awesome.

8. Mockumentary - District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009)
I'll be honest I had a hard time finding a good movie to throw in this category. District 9 is an amazing movie, but my vernacular is still growing in the movie world so it took me awhile to discover which movie qualified.  That means that I had to discover what a 'mockumentary' really is before I could pick one.  It was a term invented by the inventors of Spinal Tap (go figure).  From the beginning of the shaky cam and news casting to the shift away from our 'mockumentary' style where we are into our main characters world (Sharlto Copley), the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat.  Shying away from the typical American movie of up and down sequences (tension built then released) they hold us uncomfortably for quite awhile not letting us free from the tension.  Soon bringing us into the world of the aliens who came down from the ship they leave us with more questions than answers.  Why are they there?  What kind of weapons are those?  Were they in a mining ship?  Who are the ones who were in the 'little ship'?  Are they the leaders?  The questions go on and on and this is one reason that the movie was so amazing; they didn't spoon feed you every detail, but left a lot to your imagination.

9. Remake - Count of Monte Cristo (Kevin Reynolds, 2002)
I will never forget my favorite quote from this movie, "In return for your help, I offer you something priceless." "My freedom?" "No, Freedom can be taken away, as you well know.  I offer you my knowledge."  

The Count of Monte Cristo does have an all star cast, but primarily touches on my enjoyment of this historical era (Napoleon in Alba) and the witness of one mans journey through a searing 14 year trial in life.  Although most of us have never even come close to have experienced pain as this character does we still experience the alienation and unfairness laid upon his shoulders.  The sequences are wonderfully played from beginning to end, from betrayal to revenge and makes this movie one of my favorites for the last 10 years if not an all time favorite.

10. Biggest Surprise - Mission Impossible III (J.J. Abrams, 2006)
I remember watching this movie in a drive movie theater (yes, they still exist) and we were not there for Mission Impossible III.  Mission Impossible III was the 'free' movie we got to watch at the end of the night and it completely took me by surprise.  After seeing the first two in the Mission Impossible series I did not expect a good movie to come out of the franchise, especially with the ridiculously foolish nature of the second one; SUVs were able to keep up with sport bikes, Tom Cruise could ride an endo on the front tire while shooting at another bike, etc.  The third movie was non stop from the opening act (really a preview of the beginning of the third act) till the end.  You build a strong hate of Philip Seymour Hoffman's character (Owen Davian), who did a phenomenal performance, and wait for the surprise twists in the end of the movie.  Mission Impossible IV will be here soon by the way.

That's it!  Hope I was able to ruffle a few feathers to get your attention for a few short minutes during your seemingly long work day, I mean, break time.  Mike will have a few words to say about my choices of these movies I'm sure!

The Top 10 Movies of the Decade

By Mike MacGuffin

The hardest thing about writing a list that spans a decade is memory.  More recent films stick in your head better, and I see that most of these lists (and I am under no illusions that I am the only one making a top-ten here...) are filled with films that are within two years old.  True, something more recent can have better production values due to more realistic and less expensive SFX, but I don't honestly think that there has been a renaissance of film here since 2008.  So, I did everything that I could to jog my memory from the earlier parts of the decade...and to make things a little more interesting, I decided to give my list a "best in class" flavor...

1. War - Blackhawk Down (Ridley Scott, 2001)
BEST WAR MOVIE, period.  Why? You ask?  Great, I will tell you.  Every other war movie ever made has our heroes fighting towards some objective...press on, shoot on, go on...and you are rooting along with them to kick the butt that has been assigned to them by high command (or something to that effect).  When I watch BHD, every bone in my little body is screaming "Get out, run away!  Get the $*#@ out of there!" I have never been in combat, but this one feels closer than anything else I have seen to date. For me, nothing comes even close in this genre.

2. Super Hero - Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
Done to death?  Sure.  Overhyped with a deceased Supporting Actor?  Absolutely?  Protagonist with overdone raspy voice?  Check!  Nolan's opus could have been two movies (and I mean that in the good sense, not in the same (bad) sense of Jurassic Park 2) given where everything starts when the curtain rises and the emotional roller-coaster that ensues.  This damn flick put more character points than some seasons of television!  So much happens in this movie that I need a nap after watching it.  My admiration for this movie has less to do with Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, and more with the script that intertwined so many supporting characters and made me care about them.  The greatness of the script comes down to the final confrontation, which is Jokerless...and features one man with nothing to lose and another with everything to lose.  Oh, and Batman is there as well.

If not for the sheer epic (character) scope of Dark Knight, Watchmen would have been a shoe-in.

3. Automotive - Cars (John Lasseter and Joe Ranft, 2006)
Sadly, this has not been a good decade for Automotive movies...but I guess you could tell as I have put up a kids film as my best.  I have seen it maybe 200 times (my son went through a Lightning McQueen phase) and I can honestly say that this flick still holds my attention, while an episode of Dora makes me twinge on first viewing.  In our green, PC universe, this film is a celebration of the automobile in all its forms...and I love the fact that they don't bother to explain in great detail what "steer it with the throttle" means...either you get it, or you don't.

I was hoping against hope that Ronin was made after Y2K, but no, it was before all that.

4. Sci-Fi - Equlibrium (Kurt Wimmer, 2002)
Who the heck is this Christian Bale guy?  Did this movie even hit theaters?  Oh, well, it was a heck of an action flick done on a limited budget (try not to laugh at the white-on-white Cadillacs-of-the-future) that I caught on DVD.  Set in a distopian future (really, has anything besides Fifth Element had a non-distopian world to look forward to?) where emotions have been outlawed...not that bad a thing if you think too hard about it.  I am giving this the title of "Sci-Fi" (or have we adopted "SyFy" yet...) as this movie is less an exploration of the human condition and more an excuse to kick some serious butt with gun katas.  Yes, you read that right.  Great action makes up for gratuitous tugging at heart strings with a supporting puppy character.  This flick was proof that good SciFi was possible on a budget before District 9.

Sure, Star Trek could have been here, but too recent in one's memory...

5. Science Fiction - Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
This one has some real meat to it, and it is not a happy tale.  Very long takes (that do not really call attention to themlseves) and more gut-wrenching scenes than your average made-for-TV cancer drama.  This one also gives the most plausible version of the near-future (except for the whole lack of kids thing).  Not a fun movie, not something to put on for a few beers on a lighthearted Saturday night, but a deep and dark version of just how far people will go in terms of controlling life - kind of the true oxymoron of human existance.

NOTE: I could not catch The Road in any theaters near me, that one may well have been in here...

6. Good Old Gunplay - Doomsday (Neil Marshall, 2008)
Much like cars, there has been a pretty serious dearth of hard-core bullet-fests in the last decade.  Where are the Die Hards (yeah, I know...PG-13? Come on!)?  Where are the Hard Boileds?  Well, Doomsday presents a silly plot with kick-butt Rhona Mitra (who is no small part of my enjoyment of this film) shooting first and not even bothering to ask questions.  Old-school squib bullet effects combined with digital face-removals make for the best bullet action of the decade.  You want guns and a lot of stuff to blow up?  This one is your baby...

Oh, you think that 2012 was the only movie with a coll Bentley GT sequence?  This one has that disaster disaster beat by a mile...

7. Zombie - 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002)
The last decade has seen a pretty serious zombie Renaissance, whether it was Max Brooks' written contributions to the ethos, quite a number of video games, or a downturn in the economy making everyone (sort-of) wish for a Zombie Apocalypse to break up the tedium and stress of our normal lives, there were quite a number of movies from which to choose.  Why does 20 Days stand above the others?  Two words "Fast Zombies."  It was that kind of out of the box thinking that has changed an entire genre of filmmaking...okay, it was a heck of a lot more than that...this movie made the zombies scary again.  Take your standard, slow zombie, unlimited ammo bullet fest, and throw the whole thing on its ear.  No firearms (until the unfortunate third act) and zombies that are faster than you are...

Holy crap, a zombie movie that was actually scary...interesting...

8. Mockumentary - Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008)

I loved Blair Witch.  Not for the crappy acting or the overdone story, but for something that put me into the moment in a way that only vérité style camerawork can do.  Even though that film got a lot of press, the mockumentary subgenre never really took off as anything more than a parody, which was a bummer, because I think it is a great way to tell a story that you can't help but be invested in, because you are there.  With technological advances and  (to a lesser extent) viral videos sweeping the internet, Cloverfield was made as a big-budget moster flick that is told from a (literal) common person's view.  It is my hope that this style of filmmaking will continue into the future, and recent releases such as District 9 and Paranormal Activity (though very different films) may give some legs to this style that I have enjoyed all the way back to Special Bulletin and 84 Charlie Mopic.

9. Remake - Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)
Okay, is this one a remake or a reboot...hmmm...I am going to have to go with the Remake as Casino Royale was actually the first filmed Bond Adventure - long before Broccoli came into the picture.  I have always been a Bond fan (thanks much to the TBS Bond Marathons of my youth), but the concept was so stepped in the misogynistic values of a bygone era.  As times changed, and the world became a little more PC, many attempts were made (Dalton and Brosnan eras) to update the character in various ways, none of them terribly effective.  Royale really took Bond back to the roots of the Pre-Goldfinger fisticuff action.  Go back and see the fight scene at the (uncensored) end of From Russia with Love, and you will see that the Craig incarnation of Bond is nothing new, but that is not a bad thing.  To be honest, I was amazed that I liked this movie as much as I did - my bet was the only way to do justice to Bond was to make it a period piece when the Russians as the bad guys and men wore hats.

Yes, I know, Star Trek...awesome reboot, but there is no category in this list...be mad at me for wanting a nice even number (Top Eleven List sounds a little too Spinal Tap for my tastes...).

10. Biggest Surprise - The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006) 
Geeez, another Christian Bale movie?  Fanboy much?  I tell you "no" (Reign of Fire and Terminator Salvation are not listed, as they were bad movies, and Michael Cain is in three flicks here too, but he is also in every movie ever made).  I was dragged kicking and screaming to this one, as I had no desuire at all to see a nineteenth century period piece about competing magicians.  I saw the whole thing as something that could easily have Mike Myers and Will Farrell and a forgettable buddy comedy.  COMPLETELY WRONG...this one had me hooked from beginning to end, and this is one that bears repeated viewings, as even once you know the macguffins (and there not one but TWO big ones), there is still suspense and little details to notice.  Gotta love this one, especially as I never saw it coming.

So, what can one take away from my highly subjective lists of the last decade's best?  First, even years tended to be better, I guess I AM a Christopher Nolan Fanboy, and Michael Cain is the secret to me loving your movie.

Of course, tomorrow I am going to remember some movie that will replace one on the list, which will replace another, and so on...