1. "The Social Network": When writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher teamed up for a movie chronicling the rise of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Hollywood perked up with excitement. The film presented a chance for two of modern film's greatest creative minds to expose the story of the very man who made "private life" a thing of the past. Initially marred by controversy regarding the credibility of the film's storytelling, "The Social Network" went on without further hitches. Complemented by a talented ensemble of young actors such as Jesse Eisenberg, Armie Hammer and Andrew Garfield, the film delivered pure cinematic bliss.
2. "Toy Story 3": Even if this movie had sucked and hadn't become the highest grossing animated film of all time, its nostalgia factor would have at least counted for something. Though college students might not be Disney-Pixar's usual target audience, at the end of the day, we grew up with Andy, Woody and Buzz. Adult themes of rejection and sacrifice pervade the plot, blending subtly into the mesh of old favorite characters, new faces and both cute and clever comedy. The addition of the villainous Lotso (voiced by Ned Beatty) challenges not only the toys' loyalties to Andy, but also the very possibility of love being shared between a child and his toy. But what the film does best is call out to your inner child, reminding you that technical adulthood is not the death knell of playtime.
3. "Inception": Love it or hate it, "Inception" was the most talked-about movie of the year. Christopher Nolan's imaginative film follows Leonardo DiCaprio's Cobb, a dream "extractor," as he invades a number of characters' dreaming minds to retrieve and implant information. After directing two blockbuster Batman films, Nolan followed up with an equally expansive movie that deftly fused the cerebral and the visceral. "Inception" never relents in challenging its viewer — new concepts and aspects of the plot are revealed every few moments, while the action sequences keeps things from feeling stale. Nolan's witty script sidesteps cliche and keeps the movie fresh and innovative.
4. "Winter's Bone": "Winter's Bone" is a movie for art film intellectuals about a world they will never know. Played out in the culture of plaid shirts and missing teeth, the film is a believable, superbly well-acted story of determined toil against a landscape of the direst straights. As we follow 17-year-old Ree, she provides for her family, navigates the gang culture of the Ozarks and conquers injustice with axe in hand. While there is an impressively Hitchcockian use of music to keep the audience on its toes, the true skill of the movie lies in its illustration of an alien world. From its battered and snow-encrusted set dressing to its unknown cast, the movie pulls viewers in and holds them in the vise grip of a rusted rabbit trap.
5. "How to Train Your Dragon": Against all odds, DreamWorks Animation this year produced a film that wasn't mired in lazy pop culture references, hackneyed celebrity voices or anything involving Shrek. Instead, "How to Train Your Dragon" was perhaps 2010's most pleasant cinematic surprise: A beautifully wrought coming-of-age fable that was just flat-out fun to watch. In a village of burly dragon-hunting Vikings, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), a scrawny, cerebral tween, befriends a fearsome Night Fury dragon rather than slaying it. "Dragon" offers a great story along with some real laughs and thrills, all wonderfully rendered in above-par computer animation. There's something here for moviegoers of any age.
6. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1": The penultimate installment of J.K. Rowling's epic series features the wizard friends in the midst of a psychological battle worthy of Sam and Frodo. Though the series' most low-key movie to date, its focus on the emotional difficulty of the trio's mission gives the story some much needed variety, and it's nice to see the range that Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have developed as actors. After six movies filled with more lighthearted magical romps, a darker tone made "Hallows: Part I" one of the best Potter flicks.
7. "The Kids Are All Right": Lisa Cholodenko intrigued us after 2002's "Laurel Canyon," but it took until this year for America to see how well she can follow up good work with even better material. "The Kids Are All Right" matter-of-factly portrays a family with two lesbian women at the head without resorting to cheap laughs or stereotyping. The family of four is thrown for a loop when the children's sperm donor is dragged onto the scene by the son's curiosity, and his presence disturbs the family structure. The film is one of the year's best because of the high caliber of acting talent (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo all give stunning performances) and the genuine humor and moments of reflection on values in a society where filial norms are rapidly changing.
8. "Shutter Island": Martin Scorsese's psychological thriller tantalized and tormented audiences with its innovative incorporation of flashbacks and stalwart cast. "Shutter Island" was a macabre roller coaster ride back in time, replete with blindsiding twists and turns. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as 1950s U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigating a mental hospital located on an isolated island off of Boston Harbor. During Daniels' investigation, the film juxtaposes reality and delusion, as seemingly sinister doctors and certifiably insane patients sway DiCaprio's emotions and motives. Riveting portrayals from DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley — not to mention DiCaprio's thick Boston accent — are not to be missed.
9. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World": Based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel series, "Scott Pilgrim" was a dream come true for the acne-ridden, Nintendo-playing, Comic-Con enthusiast youth of America. In the movie, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) goes on a whimsical journey of destruction, battling the seven evil exes of Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to earn her devotion. With dazzling special effects and a unique cinematic quality, director Edgar Wright's shockingly witty caricature of contemporary adolescents has garnered a cult following, despite it's sub-par box office gross.
10. "The Town": Bostonian Ben Affleck directed this gripping action movie set in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood. Affleck stars as ringleader Doug MacRay, the mastermind behind a group of men who make their living robbing banks, but life changes when he falls in love with the victim of one of his heists, a bank manager named Claire (Rebecca Hall). The tension between his guilt and his feelings for her make for a multifaceted plot that combines both romance for those so inclined and plenty of action. Thankfully, Affleck didn't decide to ruin it all with an overly-happy-go-lucky-ending, so "The Town" avoids the faults of other obnoxious, date-friendly movies. Added bonuses: Medfahd shout-out, as well as Blake Lively looking like a hooker and strange nun masks.
