The Bullet's Top 10 of 2010

Here are ten favorite films of 2010!

10. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Visually stunning.
 9. Kick Ass - Some of the best actions scenes I've ever seen.
 8. The Fighter - A career-best performance from Christian Bale and a top-notch cast.
 7. The Town - Phenomenal sophomore effort from Affleck.  An amazing heist film with real emotion.
6. The Social Network - A classic.  Witty and fast-paced dialogue match the time-bouncing narrative.

5. The Ghost Writer - Roman Polanski's TGW is a masterpiece of a thriller.  Ewan McGregor puts forth one of his best performances to date as a replacement ghost writer.  His predecessor turned up dead and he slowly is drawn into a web of conspiracy and intrigue.  Gripping from beginning to end.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - For all of my thoughts check out my review.  Its tough for me to rank the Potter films, but this would certainly be either first or second on the list.  While clearly setting up the events of Part 2, Part 1 was able to deliver a tense narrative punctuated wonderfully by the three leading performances.

3. The Book of Eli - There is just so much that I love about this film.  The setting, story, characters, acting, visuals, score - pretty much everything is incredible.  Eli has one of my all-time favorite action set-pieces in any film.  And it revolves around a small, white house in the middle of nowhere.  What the Hughes brothers do with the camera in that scene is breathtaking.  Throw in a stellar performance by Gary Oldman as the main protagonist, hell-bent on finding the last remaining Bible and you have one spectacular film-going experience.

2. Tron Legacy - I saw Tron and Inception more times than any other films in 2010 (ten times at least).  For my full thoughts please check out my review.  Tron is a spectacle that must be seen.  This is one of the most memorable films, for me, in recent memory.  When I listen to the score (as I do quite often) I can pinpoint the exact scene in which the music is playing.  I can't do that for many films (Star Trek and The Dark Knight are two others).  Its just a complete package that deserves way more recognition than it received.

1. Inception - There really isn't much to say about Inception.  Just watch it and you'll understand.  Christopher Nolan continues his insanely impressive winning streak with the mind-bending crime/caper/heist thriller, Inception.  It was nominated for seven Academy Awards...and frankly should've been nominated for more.  The visual effects were mind-boggling, the score was enthralling, the characters were intriguing and entertaining, the dialogue was sharp.  I loved absolutely every aspect of this film and still do.  There is a certain heart and passion on screen that few films can come close to.  Very few directors have the gall to show us one of the last scenes of the film first (as he did in Following, Memento and The Prestige and to a degree Insomnia), but Nolan pulls it off brilliantly, taking the audience on a journey.  By the time the real ending rolls around we've all forgotten about Saito sitting at that long table, spinning Cobb's top.  A work of art.

Bearded Bullet.