Top 5 of 2010: Alex’s Picks

Choosing my top five films of 2010 has been extremely tough, and I’ve had to rack my brains to come up with a conclusive list. This is not because there have been so many poor films released, but that there have been a lot of exceedingly good ones, which has seen a some great films miss out, such as How to Train your Dragon, Catfish, Ponyo, Shutter Island, Four Lions, I could go on. But there had to be five that made the cut, so here it is, *commence drum roll* my belated Top 5 of 2010:

5. Made in Dagenham
At the rear of list is a film that was unjustly and shockingly underrated by critics and did not receive the kind of praise that it deserved. This quintessentially British film was the feel good flick of 2010, demonstrating the fight for women’s working rights in a nostalgic and entertaining look back at 1960s Britain. It combines a powerful message with an entertaining and emotional storyline, among some great performances from some of Britain’s best. Sally Hawkins stands out in the lead role as the mild-mannered factory worker, Rita, who sticks up for herself and instigates change in a male dominated society.

4. Kick-Ass
Another British film that makes into my top five is the hilariously violent and outrageously funny Kick-Ass. This different take on a super hero film will have you in stitches as well as providing some excellent and tremendous action sequences that will shock you and entertain you. But as well as this, Kick-Ass also has some emotional depth and characters that engage the audience enough that you’ll really care about what happens to them. This is all thanks to a terrific script written by director Matthew Vaughn and screenwriter Jane Goldman.

3. The Social Network
David Fincher’s The Social Network is a beautifully engineered film about the phenomenon of our generation, Facebook. Aaron Sorkin’s script provides great, snappy dialogue with wit and intelligence that grasps your attention from the moment the film begins. Instead of being a comment of the nature of Internet and social networking site, it is a gripping story of betrayal, friendship and success. Jesse Eisenberg and co. also provide a collection of amazingly dynamic performances for such a young, up and coming cast.

2. Inception
Narrowly missing out on the top spot is Inception, and boy was it close. Christopher Nolan shows us here that it is possible to make a big budget, blockbuster of a movie that is still intelligent, and doesn’t have to spell out every single plot point to its audience. Hopefully the big Hollywood studios will see Inception and realise that blockbusters can still be smart and compelling stories. Inception is a film that will stick in your mind, whether it’s the magnificent zero gravity fight-scene or the spectacular ending, which had me and just about everyone else talking for hours after.

1. Toy Story 3
The ending to arguably the best film trilogy of all-time, it has to be Pixar’s Toy Story 3. And what a terrific conclusion it was; the film does everything right: it’s wonderfully funny, poignant, emotional and is just really entertaining to watch. It is a movie which genuinely appeals to all audiences, whether it’s children, teenagers or their parents and grandparents. The Toy Story trilogy will always have a special place in mine and the hearts of everyone my age, as we’ve grown up with it, and watching it end made me reminisce about my own childhood. Thank you Pixar.