Best Films of 2010 – Holly Hilliard

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While I reflected on the many films I had seen during the year 2010, I realized that most of them weren’t actually that great. Dear John, Valentine’s Day, She’s Out of My League, Iron Man 2, Knight and Day, Easy A – all horrendous movies. I was almost doubtful I would even find five that I thought were worthy of being called Best Picture. However, the films I have finally chosen are ones that I would recommend to anyone – friends, family, random strangers, you name it. They are movies that I enjoyed and that I would definitely see more than once if given the chance.

1. Toy Story 3 – When Andy drove off to college and left his toys behind, I’ll admit, I got emotional. And who wouldn’t? Toy Story 3 is so much more than a kid’s movie; it’s a comedy, it’s an action-adventure, it’s a tearjerker and it has a universal appeal that cannot be disputed. Also, Ken and Barbie were my favorite characters of any movie this year, hands down.

2. Shutter Island – I’ll start by saying I hate psychological thrillers. And yet somehow, this movie fascinated me. It’s dark, captivating and totally unpredictable, and the ending kept me awake for days afterward. Oh, and Leonardo DiCaprio should have been nominated for a Golden Globe.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Finally, a Harry Potter film that didn’t make me cringe because of bad acting and mutilated plot lines! For anyone who obsessively read and/or re-read the last book (like me) this movie actually followed J.K Rowling’s work almost dead on. Though a few scenes were perhaps a little… different than imagined (the scene with Ron and the horcrux was unexpected, to say the least), overall, I thought it was surprisingly satisfying. Now for Part II…

4.  Inception – Yes, two Leonardo DiCaprio films made my top 5. But who could dispute the fact that he was one of the best actors of the year? Like Shutter Island, Inception was enthralling, forcing me to question reality for days after I saw it. Admittedly, it was somewhat over-hyped – the week Inception hit theaters I read so many Facebook statuses about it that I almost didn’t want to see it – but it is definitely a must-see.

5. Despicable Me – When it hit theaters, I had no desire to see this film – I thought it was going to be another cheesy kid’s movie that would in no way compare to Toy Story 3. (It’s not Pixar, after all.) But I was pleasantly surprised. Steve Carell was an excellent choice for the voice of Gru, making the character entertaining and endearing. And unlike many other films released in 2010, Despicable Me is one that I would actually see again.