'Twas a Very Good Year: Best Movies of 2010

Is it too late to post a "Top Films of 2010" list? I don't think so. Considering that Hollywood has refused to put out any great films so far this year, I figure this list is not so much overdue, but overly necessary.

In my opinion, 2010 was a very good year for film—so much so that I have 16 that I thought were excellent enough to list. Usually, I have a difficult time finding 10. Not all of them are Hollywood-made, but definitely still worth mentioning.

In ranking order, the best movies of 2010 (that I saw) are:

1. Black Swan (Aronofsky's direction and command of tone is perfect here)
2. The King's Speech (Simple, but moving royal bromance; guy meets therapist, guy loses therapist, guy gets therapist at the end)
3. Inception (Christopher Nolan is apparently too bold and brilliant for the Academy—my favorite comment on the 2011 Oscar nominations: "Apparently, Inception directed itself.")
4. Winter's Bone (Jennifer Lawrence had a better performance than Portman)
5. Another Year (Very funny and warm film)
6. The Kids Are All Right (A well-balanced dramedy with not a single weak actor in the ensemble)
7. Exit Through the Gift Shop (Few documentaries make you wonder what the definition of Art really is)
8. Inside Job (This doc will make you facepalm yourself at least 136 times; I'm still pissed off thinking about it)
9. Easy A (Underrated and hilarious)
10. Somewhere (I love films that take their time yet make a point)
11. Last Train Home (Heartbreaking and, at times, overwhelming to comprehend)
12. My Dog Tulip (This is really a 2009 film, but wasn't released in the U.S. until '10... it is the only dog film that I don't find stupid or demeaning to humans)
13. Shutter Island (Scorsese's best film since "Casino")
14. The Illusionist (Dark and fanciful, it ain't no Triplets of Belleville, but the animation is top notch)
15. How to Train Your Dragon (More original and engaging than I expected)
16. Carlos (Strange how a filmmaker can make a terrorist intriguing without glorifying or advocating his actions)

You may be wondering where in the blue hell is The Social Network, 127 Hours, or Toy Story 3. I thought those films were good, but not worthy enough for me to say that you should get up, get dressed, drive to a theater, and pay the $8-$16 for a ticket to see them. (If you go to a matinee or small theater, you pay around $8, but if you like the PTOCs—Pretentious Theatres of Choice—with assigned, comfortable seats like me, you pay around $16.)

Yes, The Social Network had fun dialogue (you can't tell me that Aaron Sorkin wasn't jizzing all over himself while writing it), but if I want to see a film about an ingenious asshole, I'd rather see Citizen Kane, where the protagonist actually has a sense of depth and vulnerability. I never once cared or rooted for Zuckerberg in the movie, and if it weren't for the dialogue, I would have fallen asleep.

And no, Justin Timberlake did not help.

I liked the energy and vibrancy of 127 Hours (typical Danny Boyle flair), and it was most effective at the very end when Ralston cuts his arm off. Still, I couldn't help but think throughout the entire film that if Ralston wasn't so arrogant, he wouldn't have been in his predicament. Yes, he does come to realize this, and I agree that it is a very badass tale of survival, but in the end, I felt that there was more style than substance to the film as a whole.

Toy Story 3 had some fun moments, but the movie got so heavy-handed at the end, I felt that Pixar was trying too hard to squeeze tears out of my eyes. It didn't work. On Wikipedia, it states that an early plot idea was to have Buzz Lightyear dolls recalled, which I thought made for a stronger story than another escape plot. The toys already escaped Sid's house in the first film, and had to survive an airport in the second; escaping a day care center isn't exactly as thrilling.

Last year's films aside, 2011 has not been a total loss. Win Win, starring Paul Giamatti, is a good dramedy. Rango is solid, as is the newly released Bridesmaids, which is as funny as it is formulaic. If you have free time this week, go see any of these movies, and you will not be disappointed.

I still expect more and better from Hollywood. From what I'm seeing with 2011's box office figures, audiences are getting slightly smarter, and more unwilling to spend money on utter crap. Hollywood is capable of better, and 2010 proves it.