Tom Clift's Top Ten Films of 2010

.

 
Written by Tom Clift

It's that time again, where all the critics and bloggers around the world are publishing their lists of the best (or at least their favourite) films of the year. Living in Australia as I do, where releases are often delayed, there are still a few notable 2010 films that have I have yet to see, including Catfish, The Fighter, Never Let Me Go, True Grit and 127 Hours. Because of this, the following should not be considered my definitive picks - that list will go up some time in mid-March. I hope.

In the mean time however, the following are my current top ten films of 2010.

10. BLACK SWAN
Darren Aronofksy continues his well deserved streak of critical adoration with this sexy and intoxicating psychological drama, one that utilizes Tchaikovsky’s main theme from Swan Lake to nightmarish effect, and features a magnificent array of performances topped by a career best turn from Natalie Portman.

9. ANIMAL KINGDOM
One of the best films to come out of my native land of Australia in years, first time director David Michôd exhibits enormous talent in this Shakespearean family crime drama, a film filled palpable sensations of panic and dread, and containing one of the best performances of the year from the menacing Jackie Weaver.

8. PREDATORS
Nimrod Antal understands action filmmaking; in his half sequel half reboot of the Predator franchise, the editing never obscures the action, the ensemble cast plays every moment one-hundred percent straight-faced, and the pacing is calculated perfectly to build the tension before paying it off in increasingly exciting scenes of carnage.

7. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
Edgar Wright’s homage to geek culture throws almost every film genre (not to mention references to music, television, anime, other movies, comic books and videogames) into a blender and turns it to high; the resulting blend is an eye-popping, exciting and unyieldingly funny movie that will remain a favourite with Gen-Y film fans for many years to come.

6. EXIT THROUGH THE GIFTSHOP
Spectacularly original, ironically funny, defiantly independent and effortlessly cool – the fact that this documentary about the world of street-art might be nothing more than an elaborate prank by the world’s most renowned street artist not only makes it that much more interesting, but also reflects better than anything the anti-social past time that it supposedly documents.

5. FOUR LIONS
The smartest dumb movie since Team America, this under-seen British black comedy about five bumbling Jihadist terrorists is both a savage political satire and a ridiculously silly farce – director Chris Morris risks upsetting a lot of dangerous people with a film that is vaguely horrifying, occasionally poignant, often insightful and always, always hilarious.

4. TOY STORY 3
The best entry in one of the best trilogies in cinematic history, Toy Story 3 is yet another triumph from Pixar Animation Studios; a funny, mature, touching, beautiful film whose wonderful characters, despite having not appeared on screen in over ten years, can still conjure in me lost feelings of nostalgia and childlike wonder.

3. SHUTTER ISLAND
Despite a predictable storyline, Martin Scorsese displays a level of filmmaking skill in Shutter Island that few directors living can equal; through is a masterful combination of sights and sounds, Scorsese creates a near perfect atmosphere of tension and unease, resulting in the most aesthetically intense psychological thriller since Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, and a film that more than overcomes it’s narrative drawbacks.

2. INCEPTION
The best piece of blockbuster filmmaking since the previous film by the same director, Christopher Nolan creates with Inception a slice of crowd-pleasing summer fun that also ticks the three most important boxes that any film can in my opinion tick: a thought provoking narrative, genuine emotional drama, and absolute, mind-blowing spectacle.

1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK
A stunningly absorbing and superbly acted drama with a flawless pace and mesmerizing aesthetic, the David Fincher directed, Aaron Sorkin scripted dramatization of the founding of Facebook is the best film and first masterpiece of the fledgling decade, a film in which every element from the screenplay to the score hums perfectly in tune with mind of its protagonist; Jesse Eisenberg gives a revelatory performance (hands down the best of 2010) as Mark Zuckerberg, a character who, with his quick wit, abrasive personality, social ineptitude and ruthless behavior, represents both the best and the worst of a generation of people who live their lives online.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: The American, Lebanon, The Kings Speech, The Ghost Writer.

And that does it, or at least it does until March. So tell me: what films have I missed? Share you favourite movie of 2010 in the comment section below!