ACE's TOP 10 FAV MOVIES OF 2010

1. The Social Network

            Like most, when I first heard that Hollywood was gearing up to produce a movie about facebook, I shook my head in disgust. Then, slowly, all the pieces started to fall into place. Aaron Sorkin was writing it, David Fincher was going to direct, and the cast was full of young, up and coming actors that weren't the type to make you cringe. It became a perfect storm to create not only the best film of the year, but also the most timely.

            This film is more than the sum of it's parts. The Social Network is not just a well done movie about facebook, it's about us and how we communicate with each other as people. The Social Network is an opportunity for reflection. It's a chance to see that the more "connected" we are, the more disconnected we might be becoming from our own humanity. The last scene in the film is of Mark Zuckerberg alone at his computer; this is the defining image of our generation.

2. Black Swan

            Black Swan is psychological horror at its finest. Natalie Portman delivers the performance of her career playing Nina, a ballet dancer in pursuit of perfection. It's this crusade that leads her down the winding road of sanity where her nightmares start to manifest themselves in her waking life. The line between what is real and what is imagined begins to blur as the tension mounts to a crescendo, leaving us spell bound.

3. Let Me In

            Let me in is proof that not all remakes are a waste of time. While not straying from the original concept enough to be the next John Carpenter's The Thing or Cronenberg's The Fly, the film manages to impress with its own merits. It trims the fat from the Swedish version of which it’s derived and focuses more on the relationship between the two main characters. The film asks you to examine the idea of accountability and the exploration of a child’s innocence. It’s only real faults can be contributed to a few cases of heavy handed CGI. Let me in manages to be one of the most underrated and/or dismissed films of the last few years.

4. Inception

            Inception shows us that a complex concept and a nuanced script is not a recipe for a box office bomb. In fact, Inception won over critics and the box office with unbelievable effects and an amazing cast; not to mention the talented direction of Mr. Nolan. Along with District 9 a year ago, Inception is a beacon of originality in an ocean of sequels and remakes. I will admit that I didn’t feel all that emotionally connected to the film. In the end, I was won over because it excelled so much in all the other departments.

5. [REC] 2

            Like the direct sequel to the original Halloween, [REC] 2 picks up the very moment where the first film leaves off, almost making it seem as if it’s really just one movie as opposed to two. At first glance, the movie might come off as a shaky cam, zombie movie and that’s what it is, but it’s one that is executed very well and manages to mix up the zombie genre just enough to let it rise above the competition. It’s not a ground breaking film by any means, but it is another promising horror film coming from somewhere that’s NOT the United States and I’m all for that.

6. The Fighter

           Great film all around. Christian Bale has a lock on the best supporting actor Oscar.

7. 127 Hours

           Danny Boyle succeeds in making one man's battle for survival engaging enough to keep us interested for a whole film; while James Franco gives us the best performance of his career. My only beef was that I've come to expect Danny Boyle's movies to be SO different from each other that I felt a lot of his editing and music choices were a little too reminiscent of his work on Slumdog Millionaire.

8. The Kings Speech

           Everything about this film was perfect. The acting, directing, and writing were all top notch. That's the problem. The film was a little too perfect. It was the apex of "Academy fare."

9. Shutter Island

          What can I say, I'm a sucker for Scorsese and horror movies. Beyond that, I think the film was shot beautifully. I also tend to enjoy most things that Leonardo Dicaprio is in.

10. Splice

           This is how I like my science fiction. Imaginative, timely, and disturbing as it asks you larger questions. What I don't like is when a film manages to achieve those goals for two thirds of the film only to sacrifice it all in favor of becoming a generic horror movie in the last act.