My top 20 films of 2010 minus a few!

I set out to compile a list of the top 20 films I had seen this year and have miserably failed at this challenge. I am not sure whether during the five months I was travelling I missed any films of critical acclaim (I suspect not, as I was away during blockbuster season) or that 2010 was just not a very good year for cinema. Do not get me wrong there have been some fantastic movies, just not that many of them. The list had to be cut from 20 because I found only 10 films actually worth a mention, so here they are:

10. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Quirky, at times silly offering from Edgar Wright. Micheal Cera again proves his worth.  Being a geek has never been so cool.

9.Buried. Who would have thought the concept of Ryan Reynolds being buried underground for 90 minutes could have been quite so enthralling? As uncomfortable and claustrophobic as it is engrossing. Nice to see something a bit different out there.

8.Shutter Island. I managed to see this film 4 times this year including twice on South American night buses, including once in Spanish. Scorsese's homage to Hitchcock, as thrilling as it gets.

7.Inception. To be fair I slept through large chunks of this film due to ridiculous jet-lag, however from the bits I did see it looked fantastic and so it is here on merit and mostly due to the fact that Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Cillian Murphy could be in just about anything and I would love it.

6.The Town. Reaffirms Ben Afflecks status as a quality director. Good old fashioned thriller. Strong performances from Affleck and Jeremy Renner.

5.Toy Story 3. Completes the perfect trilogy. Each film has been better than the last, and the third is a triumph. Pixar prove once again that in the animation stakes nobody can touch them.

4.Winters Bone. The bleak tone and mood of this film reflect the characters struggle for survival amidst poverty and violent surroundings. As authentic a portrayal of this somewhat alien world as you will find.


 3. A Prophet. So much more than your standard prison melodrama. Gritty and violent. One of the best prison thrillers ever made.

2.Kick Ass. I expected just another comic book blockbuster, but what Kick Ass gave us was so much more. Easily the funniest and equally most ridiculous film of the year. It is completely wrong at times but it works. Hit girl undoubtedly the hero of 2010!

1. The Social Network. At first I thought how ridiculous, a movie about facebook, but Fincher has pulled it off. Relevant, sharp and fast paced. Eisenberg is perfect as Zuckerberg.

So thats it, as far as quality goes, I found it extremely difficult to seperate the top 6, any of them could have taken the number 1 spot on my list. They epitomise what is so great about cinema, and although I could not find 20 films for the list, I'll take 10 great films over 20 average ones any day!

2011 is looking really exciting in terms of cinema. The next few weeks sees the release of 127 hours, Black Swan, True Grit and The Kings Speech amongst many others. I for one am truly excited to see what cinema throws at us in the next year.