First off, I haven't seen enough bad films to warrant a worst-of list. I must say that the problem with this year wasn't the amount of bad films, but the overwhelming abundance of mediocre ones. However, I did manage to come up with this list of 10 great movies.
10. Tron: Legacy I expect many people to either do a double-take or stop reading at the mere sight of this title. The naysayers who scoff at this film do not know what they are missing. "Tron: Legacy" provides a rich, immersive experience as visually and viscerally exciting as anything seen in the original "Star Wars" films. It is timely as well. The 1982 sci-fi classic "Tron" was about people trapped inside a computer program. So, what better time to release a sequel to that film than right now, the age in which people reside in cyberspace, enslaved by social networking sites?
9. Cropsey This documentary explores the most terrifying kind of urban legend — one that has come true. The film follows the legend of Cropsey, an escaped mental patient who lived in the abandoned Willowbrook State School (essentially a mental institution) of Staten Island, coming out at night to snatch children off the streets. The real-life Cropsey linked to the disappearance — and possible murder — of five children in the late 1980s is a man named Andre Rand. The ambiguity surrounding his crimes is the deep chill at the center of the film. The film's eerie revelation is that the truth is a range of possibilities, as in an urban legend.
It is fitting for this ambiguous film to be released in this age of uncertainty, in which everything from the economic crisis to the rise in CO2 has no end in sight. Therefore, much like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” did during the Vietnam era, “Cropsey” reflects our nation's current fearful state. The enemies of this post-9/11 world are omnipresent, lurking in the shadows — and our subconscious — like the legendary Cropsey himself.
Watching this film is like being trapped in a mesmerizing nightmare. Despite its disturbing material, it has a sense of fun about itself. You can catch directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio hiding smiles as they tell this story, spinning it like a vintage campfire yarn. Their enthusiasm is infectious.
8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Watching this film was like witnessing the birth of a legend. In one of the best performances of the year, Noomi Rapace plays the iconic Lisbeth Salander, a goth-girl computer hacker roped into a scandalous world of intrigue. Better than most American suspense films of 2010, this Swedish thriller put me on the edge of my seat and had me coming back for more. Its blend of gritty realism and comic book urgency made for an exhilarating ride. Note: This is technically a 2009 film, but it was released in the United States in 2010.
7. The King's Speech As the stammering King George VI, Colin Firth is the emotional anchor of this intimate historical drama. He makes you feel the painstaking birth of a leader and the weight of the responsibilities he carries. Screenwriter David Seidler and director Tom Hooper convey the arduous process behind the rhetoric involved in governing a country — and giving a voice to the voiceless. As the man who gives a voice to the stuttering George, Geoffrey Rush delivers a performance as tender and poignant as Firth's.
6. Inception Like most people, I often find dreams hazy and forgettable. With this film, director Christopher Nolan has created dreams that are vivid and unforgettable. In that sense, perhaps the film is a love letter to cinema, the place where dreamworlds are fleshed out and infused with life. In the film, a team of dream specialists, led by Leonardo DiCaprio, aims to provide catharsis rather than simply pull off heists of the mind. That mirrors Nolan's goal for the viewers as well. Rather than simply dazzling or tricking them, he broadens their horizons and open their minds, as he does in all his films.
5. Black Swan This film takes what could have been a simple story about a professional ballet dancer under stress and makes you feel as though the world is literally crashing around her. I love films in which seemingly normal fears and pressures manifest themselves into nightmarish visions. As the ballerina in question, Natalie Portman makes her paranoia and inner turmoil our own. And director Darren Aronofsky creates a palpable sense of dread that lingers throughout the film — and stays with you long after the closing credits.
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. the WorldBrazenly original and thrillingly alive, this film is one of the best comedies of the last 20 years. It is also one of the greatest love stories, told with the kinetic urgency and visual dazzle of a video game. The film is every geek's fantasy — nerdy boy meets beautiful girl and engages in battle to protect her. Each and every moment of this film is as thrilling and suspenseful as the experience of first love. This is writer-director Edgar Wright's masterpiece.
3. The Social NetworkFrom its dorm-room origins to the lawsuits that followed, the founding of Facebook proved to be a much more compelling story than moviegoers predicted. Despite its incisive look at online alienation, this film is not merely a muckraking indictment of the digital age. And unlike most Facebook junkies, it considers the emotions of the people behind the computer screens. Jesse Eisenberg portrays founder Mark Zuckerberg as a lonely man in a crowded room, an innovator with his head in the clouds. Justin Timberlake sinks his teeth into the role of Napster founder Sean Parker, the devil on Mark’s shoulder. And Andrew Garfield is the beating heart of the film as Mark’s best friend and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Even more effective than these performances is the somber elegance of director David Fincher’s aesthetic. The most powerful shots in the film are those of Mark sitting under the cold, unforgiving lights of Facebook’s headquarters, contemplating the effects of his emotional distance.
People often criticize Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin for the ironic hipster detachment they bring to their work. “The Social Network” proves that criticism invalid with its emotional drama and its embrace of human connection in a disconnected world.
2. 127 Hours This film is not only one of the best movies of the year; it is the quintessential survival story for our time — a time in which our country, like hiker Aron Ralston, is trapped between a rock and a hard place. Like him, we need to accept great sacrifices in order to survive. In addition to its piercingly relevant story, the film presents us with a refreshingly old-fashioned character — an adventurer who finds comfort in the great outdoors instead of the vast reaches of cyberspace (unlike this year’s other major real-life figure, Mark Zuckerberg). James Franco carries the film with a great physical, and metaphysical, performance. With very few words, he makes Aron’s pain — and euphoric liberation — our own. And director Danny Boyle fills every frame with indelible imagery and kinetic verve, making the film a triumph of style and substance.
1. The Fighter In a largely disappointing year for cinematic endeavors, this film restored the thrill of movies. That thrill the moviegoer gets when a film fires on all cylinders with powerful performances, a gripping story and a transporting soundtrack. “The Fighter” is also far more than an Oscar-bait boxing movie in the vein of “Rocky.” The boxing is merely the catalyst for engrossing family drama. The relationship between underdog fighter Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his unstable trainer Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) makes for one of the most complex, emotional stories about brothers you will ever see. Bale immerses himself in the role as deeply as you will lose yourself in the film. Director David O. Russell imbues the story with modern visual flair and the heart of old Hollywood, making the film familiar and fresh at the same time. “The Fighter” is the rare genre movie in which you never know what is going to happen next. It is utterly enthralling, inspiring and altogether remarkable.
Honorable Mentions: "Toy Story 3," "The Kids Are All Right," "Solitary Man," "Restrepo," "Winter's Bone"