BEST FILMS of 2010
I thought 2010 was a terrific year. There were dozens of career performances. I also feel that the tone of the year was far more adult oriented than in other years. 2010 didn’t seem to be as dominated by sequels, fantasy flicks and superhero movies. I was also surprised quite a lot more than in previous years. Four of my Top 10 were total shocks — I will let you figure out which ones. All in all, this ranks as one of the deepest years in recent memory.
Of course, there are always a great deal of stinkers imposed upon us every year — and as usual, you can scroll to the bottom of the page for the worst of the worst.
So, without further ado, let’s start with the Top 10 Movies of 2010…
1. Blue Valentine
Two of the best performances of the decade.
2. Somewhere
Another masterpiece from Sofia Coppola.
3. The American
Clooney stars in the most cerebral thriller in years.
4. The Social Network
Perhaps the best screenplay of 2010.
5. Monsters
A monster movie that has nothing to do with monsters.
6. Black Swan
Natalie Portman gives the performance of a lifetime.
7. Tron: Legacy
The most pleasant surprise of the year.
8. Buried
An amazing achievement on a tiny canvas.
9. Catfish
Don’t give away the secret.
10. Toy Story 3
I hardly ever put animated films in my Top 10′s.
Below, you can find all of the star ratings handed out so far in 2010…
(please click the titles for the full review)
Blue Valentine
Somewhere
The American
The Social Network
Monsters
Black Swan
Tron: Legacy
Buried
Catfish
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Greenberg
Never Let Me Go
Inception
Easy A
Unthinkable
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
Repo-Men
Animal Kingdom
Salt
Chloe
4.3.2.1
The Kids are All Right
Cell 211
Centurion
Letters to Juliet
Hot Tub Time Machine
Frozen
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Knight and Day
The Joneses
The Book of Eli
The Last Airbender
Splice
The Ghost Writer
Triage
Winter’s Bone
The Happy Housewife
Rabbit Hole
She’s Out of My League
Machete
A Call Girl (Slovenian Girl)
The Other Guys
Date Night
Bitch Slap
The Expendables
Enter the Void
I’m Still Here
Dinner for Schmucks
Countdown to Zero
Cyrus
When in Rome
Kick-Ass
The Fighter
Stone
The Killer Inside Me
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Get Him to the Greek
Unstoppable
From Paris with Love
Extraordinary Measures
Red
The Story of F***
My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
Love and Other Drugs
Sex and the City 2
I Love You Phillip Morris
The A-Team
n/a
THE END
thought your site might be interesting, esp after your review of blue valentine;
then had a look at your 2010 top10, and had to re-think and comment:
1. Blue Valentine
Two of the best performances of the decade.
OK, WELL, GOOD PERFORMANCES
2. Somewhere
Another masterpiece from Sofia Coppola.
“LOST IN TRANSLATION” DOES IT ALL SO MUCH BETTER
3. The American
Clooney stars in the most cerebral thriller in years.
CEREBRAL??? THIN, THREADBARE, HORRIBLE STORY, WOODEN ACTING AND NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO THINK ABOUT; CATEGORICALLY ONE OF THE WORST OF 2010
4. The Social Network
Perhaps the best screenplay of 2010.
SCREENPLAY YES, SURE; ACADEMY FAVE FOR BEST PIC IS LUDICROUS, FOR THERE’S LITTLE FILM IF ANY
5. Monsters
A monster movie that has nothing to do with monsters.
WHATEVER
6. Black Swan
Natalie Portman gives the performance of a lifetime.
NATALIE HAS 1 1/2 (TEARFUL) EXPRESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE NONSENSICAL CHARADE
WHAT’S WORST IS WHAT IS (AND YOU ARE, INEXPLICABLY) MISSING:
Winter’s Bone
The King’s Speech
True Grit
I Am Love
The Secret in their Eyes
The Ghost Writer
and any number of others…
you take the time, the space, the thought…
ZC
Bone, Speech, Grit and Ghost all received positive reviews and are listed just outside the Top 10. As for the entire concept of Top 10′s… You do realize that you will never ever find any critic who will ever agree with you 100%, right? It will never happen. 1000′s of critics. Hundreds of years. You will never find a Top 10 that will coincide with yours. You will very rarely find a list where you won’t have even the most minor of complaints. That is a fact of criticism. Disagreement is not a bad thing.
I’m confused, what points are used to determine the best? In fact, there are many films in different countries are good.
I think without any doubt “Inception” is the best movie of 2010, with “Kick Ass” a close second. Worst movie goes to the appalling “Grown Ups”.
Adam H.
I am reasonably sure that “Inception” will improve with time. I am curious to see how it plays in a second viewing knowing what I know now. I still feel that a better version of the film would eliminate the snow sequence and replace it with more memories of the central couple. As for “Kick Ass” — it certainly has its place as a entertaining little film, but I can’t fathom it making too many Top 10 Lists. It strikes me as too silly and lightweight for that type of praise. Thanks for commenting!