1. "The Social Network"(2010)
Welcome to the 2010s where you can have 5,000 'friends' that you hardly know and fewer real ones than in any previous generation. The rise of Facebook founder and future multibillionaire Mark Zuckerberg was certainly deserving of first-class treatment from one of our most acclaimed filmmakers, and David Fincher delivered one of the decade's first great films. I accepted the friend requests of Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, and this talented trio is aided by an Oscar-winning Aaron Sorkin screenplay as they launched a cyber revolution. "Network" is timely and terrific(I reluctantly joined the FB bandwagon after it's release), and is sure to get better with age. Of course, it didn't win Best Picture(more on that in a minute).
2. "Toy Story 3"(2010)
My personal favorite film of the year and I know I'm not alone. A(then)record-breaking billion dollar worldwide gross, 99% on RT(FIND me the ONE guy that didn't like it!) and the Best Animated Feature Oscar tells the story. I was skeptical of Pixar's ability to replicate the magic more than ten years after the equally joyous "TS2", and never more delighted to find that my doubts were completely unfounded. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen lead the charge as the toys plan their escape from the prison-like Sunnyside daycare center and prepare for life after Andy(now a college-bound teenager). We laughed at Michael Keaton's Ken doll and cried at the sight of that incinerator, tempting me to call this Pixar's peak(sorry, "Frozen" fans). Until a fourth film arrives(perhaps an inevitability), "Toy Story" has to be considered one of the greatest trilogies of all time.
3. "The King's Speech"(2010)
Colin Firth received major plaudits for stepping out of the 'Brit Pack' to play the stammering King George VI in this stately, handsomely-mounted fact-based historical drama. Director Tom Hooper focuses on the relationship between 'Bertie' and his Australian speech therapist(a typically terrific Geoffrey Rush), while Helena Bonham Carter(taking a break from Burton) was never better as the young 1930s version of Queen Elizabeth. "Speech" took the top prize at the Academy Awards, and seems destined for a "Dances with Wolves"-style backlash for being the safest choice. Online "Inception" fans can shut their mouths. This is a very good movie, and I'm not stuttering.
4. "Black Swan"(2010)
Director Darren Aronofsky followed up his masterwork "The Wrestler" with another haunting exploration of a highly-guarded profession, the ultra-competitive world of NYC ballet dancing. Natalie Portman picked up the Best Actress Oscar for her beautifully-bruised ballerina, a performance she'll probably never better. The physical and mental abuse is eye-opening, as she strains to stay one step ahead of her sexy younger rival Mila Kunis and avoid the fate of her older, damaged predecessor(a welcome Winona Ryder). The hallucinatory third act teeters over-the-top, but this is a tense, skillfully-rendered look inside a fragile mind and the dark side of obsessive ambition.
5. "The Fighter"(2010)
The sweet science has unquestionably served as the backdrop for more quality cinema than any other sport. Mark Wahlberg nursed this tale of tenacious welterweight champ Mickey Ward for five years, ultimately turning to his "Three Kings" director David O. Russell to enter the hallowed hall of superior fight flicks. Christian Bale took a break from Batman to bag the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in a show-stealing turn as Ward's wayward brother "Dicky" Eklund. Behind these men are two great women, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo, both nominated for Best Supporting Actress(the latter won). Wahlberg rises to the occasion with the right crew in his corner- pardon the cliché, but this time he scored a knockout.
6. "True Grit"(2010)
A grizzled Jeff Bridges proved a more than suitable replacement for the legendary John Wayne in this highly respectable remake of the 1969 Western of the same name. The Coen brothers were behind the camera directing The Dude as he hunts a band of killers that include Barry Pepper and Josh Brolin. Matt Damon always seems to saddle up with good material, and his role as Rooster Cogburn's backup is no exception. Lush cinematography enhances this classy cat-and-mouse game which calls back to the genre's heyday with a 21st Century sheen to sit comfortably among the Coen bros' best work.
7. "The Town"(2010)
Ben Affleck officially got out of movie jail in this Boston bank robbery barnburner that got the decade off to a sizzling start and marked him as a(dare I say) Eastwood-caliber actor-director("Argo" was 2012's Best Picture). Charlestown is the armed robbery capital of the world according to Affleck, and a ripe setting for blue collar crime that compares favorably to Michael Mann's masterpiece "Heat". Ben can boast of a similarly solid cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively, John Hamm, Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper. In his sophomore outing, Affleck displays the skill and confidence of a veteran filmmaker, which I fully expect him to become as Warner Bros. appears to be banking big-time on Boston's favorite son.
8. "The Kids Are Alright"(2010)
Annette Bening(is she the most underrated actress ever?) and Julianne Moore are totally believable as a longtime lesbian couple whose marriage is tested by Mark Ruffalo's randy sperm donor in this indie gem that the masses predictably paid little attention to. Director Lisa Cholodenko's script(which she co-wrote) is semi-autobiographical, and the rewarding results were shot in less than a month for $4 million en route to becoming a Sundance darling. "Kids" is more than alright, it's an exemplary example of social progress that wryly reflected a rapid acceptance of 'unconventional' families.
9. "Blue Valentine"(2010)
While we're on the subject of indie triumphs, I give you Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in an achingly realistic romance from a director(Derek Cianfrance) that gave up his salary so he could shoot these loser-lovebirds on the streets of Brooklyn for $1 million("Iron Man 2" cost $200 million, folks). Williams is one of the finest actresses under age forty, and Gosling might as well have been courting me with that ukulele, because I previously couldn't pin down his appeal and now consider myself a fan. You may or may not be rooting for the brewing breakup of this pitiful pair. This ain't "The Notebook".
10. "127 Hours"(2010)
James Franco(briefly) had the world convinced that he was one of the industry's best young actors in this gripping account of a carefree mountain climber's harrowing five-day ordeal in the isolated Blue John Canyon of southeastern Utah. Aron Ralston amputated his right arm with a dull two-inch knife after it was pinned under an 800-pound boulder on a lone hike in April 2003. An inspiring story of hope and survival under extreme duress, "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle took an 'un-filmable' near-tragedy and turned it into an urgent one-man show. I'm still waiting for Franco to find another faraway incline to fall into.
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