My Top Five Favorite Films of 2010

As far as quality goes, 2010 was certainly a questionable year in Hollywood at first. The start of the summer looked hopeful with films like Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood leading the pack. But when those two and other thought-to-be hits didn't hit the blockbuster status that studios had hoped for, there was reason to worry about the rest of the summer, and the rest of the year for that matter. When Toy Story 3 and Inception saved the summer, it restored our hope and got us excited for the Fall movie season. When films like The Social Network, Black Swan and The King's Speech became critical and audience darlings, filmgoers became more optimistic for the remainder of the movie calender. It was clear that the last few months of 2010 brought out the big guns to cure us from the effects of a mediocre first half.

I know this list is late, but after having to put off previous reviews to make room for final exams, it took me a while to finish my reviews for the films I saw between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Most of the time, a lot of the Oscar-bait films don't get wider releases until the end of December or the beginning of January anyway; so I can't get my list out around the same time as the other critics do, which is at the end of the year. It's easier for them, since they have the privilege to see them before they hit theaters. I also always want to make sure that I've seen, if not all, most of the movies that I've wanted to see. Now that I'm all caught up, I finally have the list for my top five films of the year. Since I've only seen around 30 movies this year, it makes more sense to choose five instead of ten, like on other year-end lists. Other critics see more than 100 in a year, so there's more for them to choose from for a Top Ten list. So without further ado, here are my favorites.

1) Toy Story 3 - We knew it had to come to an end sometime. The story that we all grew-up with gave us one of the most bittersweet of finales. For those that were young when the adventure started, it enriched their childhood. For those that were adults, it helped them remember it. Pixar had a huge responsibility to create a fond farewell to our cherished group of toys. They've never had a movie that lacked heart, and it's safe to say that with Toy Story 3, Pixar outdid themselves. The outcome was one of the best film trilogies of all time, a masterpiece in animation and a hallmark in cinema. Tears were shed as we had to let go of these characters; but it's hard to envision a more perfect conclusion. It was clear as daylight that the filmmakers had a sincere passion for these characters. Woody and Buzz's journey is over, but they will always have friends in us.

2) The Social Network - Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin reinforced the power of the written word with what was easily the alpha script of the year. The characters, especially Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, conveyed spark after spark of energy as they delivered the world-class dialogue. Director David Fincher is known to be a perfectionist, and it was evident in this film. Everything about The Social Network got etched into your mind with all of it's filmmaking brilliance. Although the plot was launched by the creation of Facebook, it was not all about the website. It concerned best friends who shared in a major communication revolution, only to then share in a detest of one another. It was a new age movie with an old fashioned moral center.

3) Inception - If there is any contemporary director that can seamlessly mix both action and subject matter that makes you think, it's Christopher Nolan. He gave us a film that wasn't just entertaining, but brainy. With a cast of mostly Oscar nominees, every performance was up to par to go along with the complex playground of mind games. The visual effects were, without a doubt, the year's superlative. They weren't there for the sake of being there. The visuals were a crucial part in keeping this adventure going. Inception's refreshingly inventive story will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to Hollywood, letting them know to not be afraid to feed moviegoers something imaginative.

4) The King's Speech - David Seidler's screenplay was a simple story, but a good one that was well told. With Colin Firth as King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as his unconventional speech therapist, it was an archetypical relationship between a student and his teacher. Between the film's dramatic and comical moments, we rooted for this royal underdog to get rid of his fear of public speaking and tap into his bravery to deliver a wartime speech. The charismatic cast brought all of their charm in full force, and I enjoyed every minute of it. With its execution of character development, story and acting, The King's Speech is a first-rate model on what a motion picture should be.

5) The Fighter - Sports dramas usually run the risk of being cliched and hit-or-miss, but The Fighter was a standout. With the use of its shaky-cam style of filming, we got the impression of watching a real out-of-control family that included a determined young boxer (Mark Wahlberg), his crack addict half-brother (Christian Bale), and their domineering mother (Melissa Leo). David O. Russell's film spent as much time out the ring as it did in it, providing a gritty look into the problems the family was confronted with. Of course, boxing was intricate to the plot; but when you sum it up, it was all about the family that helped Micky get to his moment of glory.

It sure was a challenge picking my top five favorites of the year out of all of the achievements done in film this year, but here they are. These movies exemplified everything you need to make a quality work of art, and for that, we must thank the creative teams behind them. There isn't an argument that 2010 had its ups and downs; but when all was said and done, it ended on a high note. With that, I'm very much interested to see what the new year has to offer the silver screen. If it's like previous years, 2011 will be unpredictable, and that's part of the fun.