Well 2010 was a lean year for exceptional movies, but it did have enough standouts to form a top 10 list.  Many of you may disagree when it comes my choices of the ‘best’ so here are the criteria I used to judge the nearly 300 films viewed this year.  The best films must have exceptional acting, directing and screenplay.  Additional elements are cinematography, use of computer graphics/make-up/special effects, choreography, art direction, music and editing.

My number one film, The Fighter topping all the other films for acting, directing and screenplay while adding amazing choreography and special effects during the boxing scenes.  Sound artist Anton Gold hones in on the smacking of cringing body punches while in the background you can hear the boxing audience jeering and cheering.  The soundtrack lead by music master Michael Brook (Country Strong, Into The Wild) sets the tone and era of the compelling film.

Number 2 in my top ten is The Social Network for excellent acting, direction and screenplay.  Here the true story is intriguing, moves along at a fast clip and entertains.  For the full 120 minutes I was glued to the screen wanting to know more about this amazing man who created Facebook.

Number 3 is Black Swan for excellent acting, direction and screenplay.  The choreography is amazing, costumes brilliant, use of special effects shrewd and music magical.  The exquisite ballet moves by the actors look as if you are watching professional dancers.  The somber and chaotic mood set by the characters makes the film delectably dark.

Number 4 goes to The Kings Speech for excellent acting, direction and screenplay.  The standout performance by Colin Firth as the King who stammered is brilliant.  Couple this with costumes that fit the period, the immersive original score by Alexandre Desplat (Twilight: New Moon) and creative cinematography by Danny Cohen (John Adams- Cable TV) and you have a solid film that fits Oscar’s mold.

Number 5 is Inception for enjoyable performances, excellent direction and mind blowing CGI/Cinematography. Add to this the amazing music by Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight) and the most unique editing this year. It is an art direction dream come true and you can bank on it for Oscars.

Number 6 is Let Me In for amazing performances, strong direction and an intriguing screenplay.  The special effects here are smart and the musical score brings a feeling of dread and horror to the film.  Terrific make up turns the ordinary into gruesome with all the gory details. Let Me In is a horror flick love story that makes the blood of life an instrument of death.

Number 7 is the action thriller with comedy Kick-Ass loaded with first-rate acting, skillful direction and a top-notch storyline.  The fighting action choreography, stunts and cool special effects make the film realistic enough to make even the devout action junkie cringe.  Kick-Ass features a kick-butt musical score that makes the film high-energy, enhancing the quick tempo story.

Number 8 is Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 with all the returning voices that made the previous two episodes winners in the eyes of moviegoers of all ages.  The lively story with a bevy of new characters keeps the comedy rolling yet adds some sticky challenges along the way.  It’s no wonder it was the highest grossing film for 2010 amassing over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.

Number 9 has The Town featuring extremely good acting, direction and a taught script.  The intrigue woven story with unforgettable characters is enough to call this a winner, but adding Robert Elswit’s (There Will Be Blood) rigid cinematography adds a chilling all the way to the bone marrow.

Number 10 is The Kids Are All Right that molds a daring cast in a conflict-ridden storyline with extraordinary direction making it a winner.  The subject matter drives this film delving into alternative social mores that most filmmakers only skirted in 2010.  Direction here cunningly keeps the film interesting and realistically believable.

Tie Number 10 is Love & Other Drugs with excellent performances by the whole cast, superb direction and touching storyline.  Exceptional acting by Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway should get them Oscar nominations.  The challenging subject matter and strong chemistry between the stars makes the film a must see.

1. ~The Fighter $47,685,409 (66) ww/NA  Prod Bud/NA

2. The Social Network $93,282,159 (29) $196,622,026 ww $40,000,000 PB

3. ~Black Swan $49,297,535 (64) ww/NA $13,000,000 PB

4. ~The King’s Speech $23,916,055 (107) ww/NA $15,000,000 PB

5. Inception $292,571,392 (5) $823,571,392 ww $160,000,000 PB

6. Let Me In $12,134,935 (126) ww/NA $20,000,000 PB

7. Kick-Ass $48,071,303 (65) $76,657,804 ww $28,000,000 PB

8. Toy Story 3 $415,004,880 (1) $1,064,184,497 ww $200,000,000 PB

9. The Town $92,176,640 (30) $141,476,640 ww $37,000,000 PB

10. The Kids Are All Right $20,811,365 (113)  ww $24,633,388 $4,000,000 PB

11. ~Love & Other Drugs $31,267,088 (89) ww $44,643,321  $30,000,000 PB

~ = November/December release; First $ amount is US only; (Ranking in 527 releases); ww= Total including World Wide distribution;  PB= Production Budget for the film; NA= information Not available.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY:

How other films faired in 2010

Honorable Mention For Best Film: City Island, Conviction, Winter’s Bone, The Rabbit Hole, 127 Hours, How to Train Your Dragon, I Love You Phillip Morris, Get Low, Alice In Wonderland, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Blue Valentine

Best 3D effects in a film for 2010: Alice In Wonderland, Despicable Me, Resident Evil Afterlife, Piranha 3D, Step-up 3D

Action thrillers: The A-Team, Unstoppable, Iron Man 2, From Paris With Love, Red, Tron: Legacy, The Expendables, Resident Evil Afterlife, Legion

Compelling thrillers (including Horror): Salt, The Next 3 Days, Knight and Day, The Book of Eli, Legion, The Crazies, The American, Brooklyn’s Finest, Animal Kingdom

Top Animation: Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon

Comedy: Micmacs, The Other Guys, Cop Out, Due Date, Dinner for Schmucks, The Back-up Plan, Morning Glory, City Island, Flipped, Get Him to the Greek, The Switch, How Do You Know, Mid August Lunch, The Extra Man, The Good The Bad The Weird

Drama (Including Musicals): Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Burlesque, For Colored Girls, Chloe, Stone, All Good Things

Documentary/Biopic/True Story: Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, A Film Unfinished, Secretariat, Oceans, Cool It, Lebanon, The Runaways, Made in Dagenham, Countdown to Zero, Casino Jack and the United States of Money, Freakonomics,

Period Piece: The Last Station, Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky, Hemingway’s Garden of Eden

Most disgustingly weird yet mesmerizing (Not for the Squeamish): Piranha 3D, Jackass 3D, Machete, The Human Centipede

Worst Films (Avoid them): The Virginity Hit, Clash of the Titans (awful 3D), Date Night, Sex and the City 2, Eat Pray Love, The Bounty Hunter, Easy A, Hot Tub Time Machine, Killers, Vampires Suck, Hereafter, Lottery Ticket, Skyline, Furry Vengeance,  Greenberg,  Wild Grass, The Box