Films of 2010

(bearing in mind I haven't seen A Prophet or Toy Story 3)

Hello,

In case you might be interested (although I don't see why you would be), here are my top 10 films of 2010.

10. Catfish.
Entertaining and sad documentary about one man's journey into Facebook's heart of darkness. No less riveting for its dubious authenticity.

9. The Bad Lieutenant
Scorsese meets David Lynch: Nicolas Cage is let off the leash with great effect in Werner Herzog's drug-soaked drama about a desperate, hopelessly medicated cop.

8. Four Lions
Surprisingly lightweight but extremely funny Ealing-style comedy from Chris Morris about a gang of would-be suicide bombers.

7. The Other Guys
I loved this genre-destroying comedy starring Will Ferrell and Marky Mark Wahlberg as a pair of mismatched police detectives trying to make a name for themselves as heroic crimefighters. Very, very stupid but with an impressively high gag hit-rate.

6. Kick Ass
One of the few superhero movies I've enjoyed, and one that manages to be affectionately subvert its genre. Incredibly violent, totally childish and gleefully irresponsible, in a good way.

5. Up In The Air
The film that gave George Clooney a chance to toy with the dark side of his screen persona, playing essentially a lonely loser. A mostly heart-warming and slick comedy with a surprisingly sad conclusion.

4. Inception
A rare example of an intelligent, complex blockbuster, which also packs an emotional punch. In a tradition continued from The Matrix, the special effects are all the more impressive thanks to their being intrinsic to the film's slightly tortured logic.

3. Let Me In
Surprisingly good Hollywood remake of the Swedish vampire horror Let The Right One In. The superb performances by the two young leads make this a moving experience, allied to some truly scary sequences, including possibly the most terrifying car crash I've ever seen on screen. I actually preferred this to the austere original.

2. Greenberg
Ben Stiller gets to flex his acting muscles in this downbeat existential comedy about a New York musician house-sitting for his brother in LA as he recovers from a breakdown. An amazingly natural supporting performance from Greta Gerwig as the girl who attempts to pull him out of his shell made this a really special film, along with some hilariously awkward moments. And it also had the best abortion gag of the year.

*drumroll

1. The Social Network
A perfect marriage of writer and material: Aaron Sorkin produced the smartest script of the year, consisting largely of brilliantly funny sarcasm and pithy putdowns. Who'd have thought a story about bickering computer nerds could be so compelling and moving? The acting is faultless, particularly from Jesse Eisenberg, who looks like he's sucking a lemon throughout, and Andrew Garfield as his jilted business partner. Manages to tell a cracking story and say something profound about the nature of our relationship with social networking and the internet.

Stinker of the year: Cemetery Junction
Soppy and uninspired coming of age movie whose script seems to have been cut and pasted from a dozen better ones. Slight and almost entirely unfunny. It's hard to believe that this came from the same minds as The Office.

Honourable mention: Crazy Heart
Pretty much a country music version of The Wrestler, with a devastating central performance by Jeff Bridges that was about ten times better than the film itself.

That's it! Feel free to post your disagreements and general virtiol...