Top 10 of 2010

What, I needed time to think. And see True Grit, which took forever to come out on DVD. Sorry, but 6 months is forever in the high stakes world of sporadic movie blogging. At least it was worth it as the Coen Brothers' latest cracked the vaunted top ten. Imagine if I had been waiting for Little Fockers.

***Disclaimer: This is my list and not the official SMC rankings. That list is still being transcribed by albino monks.***

So, what kind of film gets into my top ten? There's no formula, of course, because what a waste of science that would be. It is more the feeling of enjoying the act of watching a particular film, be it the story itself, the acting, the cinematography, the music, or, as is the case with the best of the best, the beautiful confluence of all the above. (Note: if the script contains the word "confluence," it is more than likely a pretentious mess.) All kidding aside, you never quite know why a great piece of art moves you, but you definitely know when it does. The why only matters if you actually get paid to be a critic.

1. The Social Network (David Fincher, director)

2. Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky)

3. Never Let Me Go (Mark Romanek)

4. Inception (Christopher Nolan)

5. Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance)

6. Winter's Bone (Debra Granik)

7. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright)

8. Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese)

9. True Grit (Joel & Ethan Coen)

10. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard)

Hmm. There you go. I'm good with the top three. The rest could be mashed up without much of an argument from me. Black Swan was better the second time around, and honestly, it has a strong claim on number one. Overall, a solid year, although almost entirely thanks tot he final quarter.

So?