14 DAY TRIAL // 2010 has been an excellent year for the movie industry, critics and industry insiders agree. Since it's nearly over now, it's time to step back and have a look at which were the most successful, commercially and critically, releases of the year.
Several media outlets have rushed to have their Best Of lists out there while the clock is still ticking on 2010 – among them is also IMDB, the largest movie database out there.
Its top 10 is a mix of box office success, critical reception and, of course, moviegoers' rating and, while some entries in it are none too surprising, some are quite unexpected.
At number 10 is “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” a comedy / action movie starring Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the heroes of a uniquely devised and well made comic-book-like universe.
Rated 7.9 out of 10 by users of IMDB, the film got critics' praises for being revolutionary both in its treatment of the story and its depiction of characters, while every scene is almost painfully packed with visuals to the max.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I,” billed as the first part of the grand finale of the “Harry Potter” franchise, lands in at number 9, also with a 7.9 score out of a possible 10.
Considered – with good reason – the darkest and gloomiest installment in the series, the film not only made a killing at the box office (as expected), but also got critics to consider it as more than just a family flick, even prompting talk of a possible, albeit still somewhat unlikely, Oscar nomination.
“Shutter Island,” a film by Martin Scorsese, starring this year's biggest star Leonardo DiCaprio, comes in at number 8 with 8.0, while “Kick-Ass,” a visually stunning satire of our culture and the comic-book obsession / craze, is at number 7, with the same user rating.
“Tangled,” a modern take on Rapunzel's story by Disney, considered by some critics the best animated film of the year, lands in at number 6 with 8.1, while “How to Train Your Dragon,” a coming-of-age story also in 3D animation, is one step ahead, with 8.2, at number 5.
On the fourth place (8.2), we find this year's blockbuster “The Social Network,” the film on Facebook, its founder and the lawsuits it incited, a superb take on our contemporary culture, where social networking and the digital world come to take the place of real human interaction, presented in sparkly and extremely witty dialog.
“Toy Story 3” is up next, with an 8.7 rating and one of the biggest grosses ever, while underdog “Black Swan,” the film with the greatest odds at this year's Oscars ceremony which will take place in February, lands in at number 2, with an 8.9 rating.
The top position goes to “Inception,” with a good score of 9.0: written and directed by Chris Nolan, the film is a visually stunning construction based in the realm of dreams – within dreams, within dreams.
So, here is the IMDB top 10 list of the best films of 2010. Tell us in the comments below if your favorite didn't make the cut or what other release you would have included.
