So the time has come to make my list of the top 10 movies from 2010. For a year when there was quite a bit of disappointment, there were quite a few movies that were fantastic. Without further ado, here is my top 10:

1) The Social Network – No film this year had a better script than this one.  Bravo Aaron Sorkin! The speed which they talked and the verbal sparing that happened was like watching a fight with words. David Fincher is a master of the intro credits (see Se7en and Fight Club) and this has the same amazing credit sequence. The rowing scene was also shot in a very inventive way.

 

2) Black Swan –Natalie Portman delivers the best leading female performance of the year is this dark thriller. Darren Aronofsky shows off his talent in direction by putting the audience in the mind of someone going crazy.  I felt like I was going crazy along with Nina and not just watching her.

 

3) Inception – Just what I needed in the middle of a summer of busts. Some of the most memorable scenes of the year and in this film (Hallway fight, city folding onto itself, and the top spinning at the end). I love how it made you think after the film and I was still piecing it together the next day. Christopher Nolan was the best director of the year for me with how he was able to pull off multiple dream layers without losing the audience.

 

4) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – Anyone that grew up on video games, comic books, and music needs to see this movie. There are references to them throughout the movie and it’s so cleverly done.  I had more fun watching this movie than any other this year.

 

5) Toy Story 3 – What an emotional ride this movie was! It had such funny parts (the tortilla man and Spanish Buzz come to mind) and so sad (the incinerator scene and the end when the toys are given away).  Pixar doing what they do best, making movies that emotionally connect to the audience.

 

6) 127 Hours – James Franco deserves an Oscar for this leading male performance. The whole movie relied on his portrayal as he is really the only one in the movie and he pulled it off in spades. I love Danny Boyle’s direction as well.  The camera in the straw was brilliant.

 

7) How to Train Your Dragon – Hands down, the best 3-D movie of the year. I’ve never had a sensation of flying like I did in this movie.  Dreamworks stepped up and delivered a movie to rival Pixar. If you’ve ever owned a pet, you need to see this movie.

 

8) The Town – One of the best heist movies I’ve scene. Ben Affeck has become a better director then he ever was as an actor.

 

9) Catfish – The best documentary I saw this year.  It tells the story of modern day relationships and how the internet affects them. The scene where they went to visit his girlfriend for the first time is the most tense scene I saw this year. My heart was pounding out of my chest.

 

10) Kickass – A movie that slid under the radar. It is the comic book movie I always wanted. Hitgirl is one of my favorite characters of the year.

 

There are a few others that deserve to be mentioned:

True Grit – The Coen Brothers doing what they do best. Great dialog.

Easy A – The best comedy of the year.

The Fighter – Christian Bale delivers the best supporting male performance of the year and Amy Adams as well is the best supporting female performance.

Shutter Island – Scorsese…enough said.

Exit Through the Gift Shop – A great documentary that changes as you watch it. I don’t want to spoil anything so just go watch it. It is on Netflix instant.

It was a great year in cinema and I had a blast watching all these films. Even though we had some bad movies, the cream rose to the top.  Did I leave any off the list that were your favorites?  I hope I peaked your curiosity enough to go see some of the movies you may have missed.  I highly recommend all of these fillms and hope you enjoy them as well.