Now that that 2010 is safely in our rear-view mirror, it’s a perfect time to look back at the movies that came and went.
In all, I saw 57 movies at Essex Cinemas from July 1 through December 31– including 15 in 3D, and 5 in the new T-REX theater.
Sure– that’s quite a few movies, but there were actually six flicks that played at Essex Cinemas that I did not see: Charlie St. Cloud, Vampires Suck, The Last Exorcism, Case 39, Paranormal Activity 2, and Saw 3D.
So here are the best, the worst, and the in-between.
Best animated ‘younger kids’ movie: Despicable Me 3D
Runner up: Megamind 3D
Worst ‘younger kids’ movie: Yogi Bear 3D
Best non-animated ‘younger kids’ movie: Ramona & Beezus
Runner up: Nanny McPhee Returns
Most ‘maybe a little animation would have helped’ movie: Secretariat
Best ‘older kids’ movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Runner up: Gulliver’s Travels 3D
Worst ‘older kids’ movie: Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole 3D
Best romantic comedy: How Do You Know
Runner up: Life as We Know It
Worst romantic comedy: Going the Distance
Funniest movie: The Other Guys
Runner up: Easy A
Most un-funny movie: Dinner for Schmucks
Best ‘people shooting stuff’ movie: Red
Runner up: Salt
Worst ‘people shooting stuff’ movie: Faster
Best testosterone-filled, dude-driven, ‘guy’ movie: The Expendables
Runner up: Predators
Least: Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D
The one movie you should have seen but didn’t: The American
Runner up: Morning Glory
The one movie you should have skipped but didn’t: Jackass 3D
Most ‘bad script, cool 3D’ movie: Tron: Legacy 3D
Runner up: Step Up 3D
‘The script is bad, and the 3D is bad, too’: Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore 3D
Most fun to just sit back and watch: Tangled 3D
Runner up: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Least fun (and not very good, either): Hereafter
Scariest movie: Let Me In
Runner up: Devil
Least scary (though it tried) movie: Skyline
Best sequel: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Runner Up: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 3D
Worst sequel: Little Fockers
Most ‘not as good, now that I think about it’ movie: Love and Other Drugs
Runner up: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Most ‘even better, now that I think about it’ movie: Machete
Most ‘I now have faith in humanity’ movie: Unstoppable
Runner up: Legendary
Most ‘I weep for humanity’ movie: The Switch
Most surprisingly worth your money: Burlesque
Runner up: Avatar: Special Edition 3D
Most surprisingly un-worth your money: Due Date
Most ‘should have been great but wasn’t’: The Tourist
Runner up: The Next Three Days
Most ‘should have been terrible but wasn’t’: Piranha 3D
Best screenplay: The Social Network
Runner up: The Town
Worst screenplay (possibly ever): Eat Pray Love
Best performances by an entire cast: The Fighter
Runner Up: True Grit
Worst performances by an entire cast (possibly ever): You Again
and finally…
Best movie: Black Swan
Runner up: Inception
Worst movie: The Last Airbender 3D