My favorite movies of 2010.

Christopher Nolan's four-tiered epic dreamscape of sprawling proportions is a testament of a true master's genius at work. Derived from an original concept, and developed throughout the years as a pet project, things finally came together for Nolan when he made studio bigwigs happy with his one-two gritty reboot and its equally brilliant sequel of Batmans, a huge payday was imminent to grease the wheels on this thing and some years later we, the audience, finally got a chance to see it with all the buzz and hype that surrounded the movie. Watching it, it feels like every cent and dollar was money well spent, no frame wasted and every actor on the roster more than up to the challenge to adhere to Nolan's stylistic tics and brilliant vision.

More than anything, Inception really is a unique cinematic experience bustling with inventiveness and balls-out insane set pieces that are truly inspiring and something to behold. Aided by some fantastic DP-work by Nolan's long time collaborator Wally Pfister and Hans Zimmer's hauntingly mesmerising musical output and that infamous booming, ear-piercingly loud horn that is to become 2010's most recognizable film score. In a sea of remakes, reboots, prequels and sequels; Inception is that beacon, the light at the end of the tunnel and truly is one of the greatest films of 2010, if not, of all time. The best film of the year.

The project was met with much skepticism when it was first announced, "a Facebook movie starring Justin Timberlake? Fuck that!" and so they said, and I admit, I was one of the cynics who shrugged it off even when Fincher was announced as director. But boy were we all wrong. The film's rat-a-tat rapid fire dialogue courtesy of the West Wing's Aaron Sorkin combined with David Fincher's meticulous firm grasp of his craft, infamous for his 99-takes-a-scene and bringing out the best out of the actors he's working with. Which speaking of, was also one of the great things from this movie. Jesse Eisenberg wears the Mark Zuckerberg character like a suit and surely after this no one would even dare compare him to Michael Cera. Andrew Garfield impresses as well as CFO Eduardo Saverin, with every nuance and subtleties as equally powerful and devastating when he's talking about cannibalizing chickens or smashing laptops. Sexyback Timberlake proves he's got the acting chops as the sleazy looking Sean Parker. And to top it all off is a delightful score from Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and his buddy Atticus Ross.

Edgar Wright's third cinematic effort and quite possibly his best output yet, is a pop culture blender of everything relevant to the Generation Y; from movies, TV, literature, comics and videogames. 'Scott Pilgrim' is a delightful, madcap riotous romp peppered with flashy neon lights musical sequences, fantastically choreographed fight scenes and delightful visual gags to satiate your twee little hearts. Bryan Lee O'Malley's kinetic, hipster-approved comics series from which this was based on was done justice by Edgar Wright, with his keen eye for quirkier sensibilities and enlisting the help of a who's-who of the independent, underground garage rock music scene like Beck and Metric. Everything coalesces like white on rice and all the pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly well.

What else can be said, other than Scott Pilgrim is simply, 100% pure unadulterated awesome. There is nothing quite like it.

An uproarious delight from Brit Chris Morris that tells the tale of four idealistic Jihadists and their grand scheme of spreading terror in the hearts of every innocent citizens and laymen. The movie wields its belly aching hilarity like a loaded gun and confronting the delicate issue of terrorism head on and toe to toe. There's a lot of hilarious and unforgettable moments in the movie, some making me snicker just simply thinking about it but it also gives you something to think about. And then maybe laugh a bit more after that. Sorry Hollywood but this is the best comedy of 2010.

Danny Boyle knocks one out of the ballpark once again with the triumphant true to life story of mountaineer Aron Ralston and the grueling 127 hours he spent with his right arm wedged between a canyon wall and an 800-lb boulder. Yeah, that's what Danny Boyle had to work with and should it have been tasked to a lesser director, it probably wouldn't have worked as well as it did. Huge props of course, should be given to Danny Boyle, the visual genius that he is and his DP's Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak with their briskly paced and frenetic camera work almost akin to Aron's free-spirited, wily adventurous lifestyle and AR Rahman's pop rock infused musical score that elevates the whole film experience to a new level. But really, I would be remiss if I didn't give praise to the film's highlight coup-de-grace, the film's lead and all around workhorse James Franco. A brilliant and astonishing one man show tour-de-force and quite possibly one of the best lead male performances I've seen in the past 10 years. The Oscar gold should be knocking at his door any moment now.

A straight-up, no holds barred revenge film from the deep, dark twisted annals of Korean auteur Kim Ji-woon, I SAW THE DEVIL is mercilessly brutal in its portrayal of violence and the tense atmosphere never lets up, like a pounding of a hammer to the head, its got you in a vice grip for two hours until you are numb from everything else and that sweet, sweet aftertaste and realization that what you just saw is probably the greatest shit you've ever seen in your whole lifetime. Some of the set pieces and the bursts of violence are so magnificently crafted and inspired it would make Quentin Tarantino cream his pants. And that's not even the best part, Oldboy's Choi Min-sik gives a deliciously wicked evil performance as the serial killer is of the top drawer, high caliber mold.

A delightful humanist drama set against the backdrop of the boxing world, David O. Russell re-teams with his I Heart Huckabees star Mark Wahlberg, THE FIGHTER tells the tale of Irish slugger Micky Ward and the ups and downs and exploits of his boxing career and his tumultuous relationship with his junkie brother, Dicky. The fight scenes are fantastically choreographed and the decision to shoot it ala HBO added a layer of realism that have not been seen in boxing movies of yore. Mark Wahlberg drops his Funky Bunch persona and delivers a one-two punch performance and definitely a career highlight for him, the dames of the movie, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo also shines in their respective roles. But the real highlight for me, and the centerpiece of the whole deal is Christian Bale's off the charts, method portrayal of washout pugilist turned drug addled dope head Dicky Ward. Should another actor have been cast and it would have probably been way overboard and probably a lot of shouting but Bale gave Dicky the humanity buried in all that heroin, crack and speed in his system, and it made his redemption all the more sweet and well-earned.

I never would have expected in a million years but this makes two DiCaprio performances in my top ten and although some would omit one or the other to make way for some other film but this is just too damn good to cancel out in my opinion. SHUTTER ISLAND is a brilliantly crafted psychological thriller with yet another fantastic display of powerhouse performance from DiCaprio, Scorsese paints a stark and desolate landscape that is both chilling and very unnerving and the influence and imprint of the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock in this movie is undeniable. It may have divided audiences and critics and whatnot but Shutter Island sits firmly on this list as one of the best films of 2010.

A superhero film with high rewatchability value, a kick-ass (pun!) soundtrack and balletic, ultra violent fight scenes; Matthew Vaughn's KICK-ASS is the most delightful, most absurd and deliciously wicked film I've seen all year and the best time I've had watching it in a theater packed with a great audience who laughed and cheered in unison every second of the way. The psychopathic father-daughter duo played with aplomb by both Nicolas Cage (his best performance in years!) and newcomer Chloe Moretz was the highlight of the film for me, with Cage pulling off a hilarious Adam West impression and his over-the-tip antics put to good use and Moretz lighting up the screen with bodily dismemberment and awesome karate ninja moves. I've probably seen this more than I can count, and there is no end in sight. I will never get tired of this flick. Cunt.

It should be stipulated in every year end list that if a Pixar film is not in your top 10, it should considered irrelevant, invalid and moot. Because really, up to this point in time, Pixar can virtually do no wrong. Its almost near exhaustion all the high praises and cheers that we've all given them and Toy Story 3 is yet another cog in their near perfect track record. Deeply felt and high on nostalgia that's also bordering on equally depressing, grimy stuff (you know what scene I'm talking about) and all the the gamut of emotions reaching its peak with a magnificently well done and an amazing end to a truly brilliant trilogy. I haven't cried this much over a toy since my GI Joe collector's action figure was stolen by a homeless man.