As a forewarning, I have NOT seen all of the movies on that should be on this list, and the final list probably wont come out until March or April.
1) 500 Days of Summer - This is the way romantic movies should be. UNIQUE in what they do, actors fit their roles perfectly, overall a spectacular movie.
2) Inglorious Basterds - Now, this is tricky. #2 could easily be District 9 or Avatar, but Quentin Tarantino delivers again. He manages to bring humor to a horribly sad topic (Persecution of Jews in WW2) by essentially making a Revenge gang that brutalizes Nazis with lovable yet scary characters. A typical, but amazing, Quentin Tarantino "The action of this movie is done through dialogue) type of movie.
3) Avatar - Not enough can be said about Avatar. Honestly, if the story completely sucked, I'd be tempted to give it a 5 based on the work James Cameron put into REALIZING this masterpiece after 15 years of development. Its funny to think that 15 years ago he had ideas that he had to wait/create his own technology to develop. Whats really amazing about Avatar is that its such a simple premise. The Matrix + Pocahontas is a SIMPLE way of putting the plot, but thats the main ideas of it. But this movie has so much more than that. If you havent seen this movie, GO WHILE IT IS IN THEATERS. The 3D Effect is ABSOLUTELY amazing, its how 3D SHOULD BE DONE in every movie (Even though its not perfected by Avatar, its damn close). The dialogue is surprisingly well done, and overall this movie is just great. I want to push it up higher, and it deserves it, but the other movies just did more for me. If Cameron had done District 9 (Same ideas, Cameron's budget/power), that might be the greatest Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie of all time (From someone who LOVES Star Wars, thats saying a lot). But we can dream, can't we?
4) Up in the Air – Wow. A really old idea (Good guy doing a heartwrenching job) taken in a unique way. Suprisingly unpredictable AND Predictable at the same time. Weird how that worked out. It has three unique feelings in the movie, comedy, an awkward romance, and a feeling of sorrow for the main characters (Clooney, Farmiga and Kendrick). A really spectacular movie.
5) District 9 - The most original idea for a movie Ive seen in a long time. A 30 Million dollar budget for this movie makes you laugh, because you think its impossible, but it got done. An unknown actor plays the lead, and absolutely kills it. This movie is thought of in the most wonderful way, shot even better, and the plot flows flawlessly. What more could you ask for?
6) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - I actually gave this movie a 5, and I dont know if I would keep it at that if I watched it a second time, but this is a great movie. It delivers on everything that Transformers 1 did, and makes it better. Its a typical summer blockbuster, and somewhat confusing during the fight sequences, but this movie is a winner. Worthy of the 5 spot.
7) The Blind Side - While I love me Sports(Watching, trying to play, video games, etc), I always approach sports movies with caution. Outside of a few, most suck. This is certainly an exception. The Blind Side tells the truly unbelievable story of Michael Oher, in an oddly un-dramatic way(For me, at least). I mean, I went in knowing he was a high draft pick in the NFL Draft, so the movie approached its drama in a weird way. In the beginning it shows Michael in trouble with the NCAA, and then tells the story, so really the whole time he is in peril, you just don't directly see it. It then takes a conventional way to show peril, which again, I never felt. Its pretty feel good through and through.
8) The Hangover - Words cant describe how funny this movie really is. It seems like it should be an idea that has been done about 15,000 times by now (Bachelor party, they lose a guy, Dude, Wheres my Car-esque reconstruction of the night before begins). The roles that people play make this movie. Zach Galifinakis LOOKS and acts like the guy who would be the "outcast" of a group of guys, and sure enough he starts the movie out like that. This really is just a piece of gold that I'm amazed wasn't made sooner (Maybe it was, and that one just sucked)
9) Star Trek - Probably deserves to be ahead of The Hangover, but I'm putting it here more on what the Hangover did, not what Star Trek didnt. I never followed or watched the original series or movies, but I have a general idea of what happened, and this movie is a PERFECT reboot of the series. It got people entertained in what might have been somewhat a "social taboo" (Star Trek nerd-ery) in a fun and entertaining way. Great job.
10) I Love You, Man - From "The New Kids on the Block" (Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, that gang) in the best movie they've made since Superbad. Extremely funny movie, from the awkward Bromancing scenes to the love for Rush, spectacular movie.
The last thing I want to mention is, the movie I want to rewatch and reassess is District 9. I remember liking it alot more than Im ranking it, so this list may get edited on its own.
