1.
Toy Story 3- One of my favorite critics A.O. Scott pretty much sums it all up…. “this film — this whole three-part, 15-year epic — about the adventures of a bunch of silly plastic junk turns out also to be a long, melancholy meditation on loss, impermanence and that noble, stubborn, foolish thing called love. We all know money can’t buy it, except sometimes, for the price of a plastic figurine or a movie ticket.” Toy Story 3 will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with the toys one final time. The ending is poetic, and just beautiful. The final effect is indescribable…the whole movie is just flawless.
2.
The King’s Speech- Easily the best of the best drama contenders this year. The greatest thing about the movie is the phenomenal performances from it’s three leads. Colin Firth is g-g-g-g-g GREAT, as are Geoffrey Rush as Firth’s speech counselor and Carter as Firth’s loving wife. From the singing, to the cussing, to King George’s final speech, the movie is truly remarkable from beginning to end.
3.
The Kid’s Are All Right- A great cast, script, and story makes for a great movie. Annete Bening and Julianne Moore make a great couple, and their children also shined in their roles. I was fully immersed in the story, from beginning to end. The family values are hilarious, yet crazy. The film is remarkable.
4.
Kick-Ass- Each year, there is that one film. That one film that I walk in expecting to be disappointed, but come out amazed. That one film that I have an odd obsession with. And that film that gives me faith in the modern blockbuster. I love Kick Ass. Not since Spider-Man 2 have I wanted to put on a mask and run off to fight crime. The scenes with Hit Girl are jaw-dropingly hilarious. It’s so overwhelmingly violent, yet strangely sentimental. It’s dirty, bloody, crude, and I loved every minute of it.
5.
Tangled- What a great year for animated pictures. Tangled has everything one could want and more in a modern Disney Fairytale. It has great leads, hilarious sidekicks, a scary-ass villain, wonderful songs, and dazzling animation. It’s one of the best Disney films of the past decade, not that that’s much of a complement.
6.
Black Swan- Wow…that’s about it. Wow. Black Swan is scary, complex, dark, and extremely thought provoking. I’m SPEECHLESS. The dancing is very well choreographed, and it all looks polished. Natalie Portman shines in the leading role. Black Swan is the best mind- **** of the year, filled with complex characters, lesbian sex scenes, fingers slammed in doors, finger licking (cake), and a near perfect ending.
7.
Inception- Christopher Nolan has one hell of an imagination. Inception has a great story, backed up with fantastic special effects and acting. It’s 2.5 hour run time flies by with great action and suspense. I wish I fully understood the story…. but I don’t. If anyone says they fully understand the logic behind Inception, they are lying. It’s strangely complex, which is why it’s so multi layered in every sense.
8.
The Social Network- Fincher’s true tale about the history behind Facebook is one of the most rich and intriguing of the year. Filled with powerful performances by Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and surprise Justin Timberlake, the film is entertaining while still being enriching. The script is almost perfect, and the dialogue is spectacular.
9.
How to Train Your Dragon / Despicable Me- As I said earlier, this is a superb year for animated movies. Both How to Train your Dragon and Despicable Me had hilarious characters and stories. From Agnes to Toothless, these are both very character driven movies. Both are hilarious, both are well animated, and both had great messages.
10.
True Grit- Similarly to The King’s Speech and The Social Network, the acting in True Grit is superb. All three leads are extremely entertaining, specifically Jeff Bridges as the tracker. Kudos to the Coen Brothers for the hilarious and thrilling script and the near flawless direction.
11.
127 Hours- This IS James Franco’s movie, and damn does he give it his all. Danny Boyle is a great director, just coming off his best picture winner Slumdog Millionaire. The movie is really entertaining; all because of Franco’s fine performance. This inspirational tale also has great direction, script, and ending. <3
12.
The Town- Extremely entertaining and thrilling all the way through. The best Bank robbing movie since Michael Mann’s Heat. The robbery scenes were really well directed and thrilling.
13.
Get Him to the Greek – Easily the funniest non-animated film of 2010 (besides Kick Ass). From the story, to the comical situations, to the “furry walls”. Hilarious from start to finish.
14.
The Fighter- Great cast and acting by all, especially Christian Bale and Amy Adams. A really compelling boxing movie. I’m getting tired of typing ?

15.
Shutter Island- A tense and thrilling psychological mystery with a great performance by Leonardo DiCaprio. Great twist in the end didn’t see it coming. I also loved the mood and dark atmosphere of the film.


Honorable Mentions- Rabbit Hole, Easy A, Salt, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Winter’s Bone, Exit Through The Gift Shop