In something of a last minute frenzy, I invited UK film bloggers to take part in a poll to show off what films we thought were well good in 2010. I'm glad to report that we had a decent response, with 29 bloggers contributing their top ten films of the year, including bloggers from HeyUGuys, Blogomatic3000, The Incredible Suit and Radio Times film critic/BBC 6Music DJ Andrew Collins.
The rules were pretty simple - a top ten list of films which had been given a general release (rather than simply a festival run) in the UK. The 29 bloggers who took part came back with 84 different choices in total, with over 40 of those films receiving at least two votes. A wide net, indeed.
In compiling the results of the poll, I used a points system whereby first place was granted 10 points, second place 9 points and so on until tenth place received 1 solitary point. In case of a tie, the films were separated first by the number of votes they received and then I came up with a couple of other boring differentials. None of this affected the top 25 films. In the end, only two films were really in the running to come out on top anyway.
The top 50 films are after the jump but first, I want to thank everyone for contributing: Jon Lyus (HeyUGuys), Matt (DarkMatters), Andrew Jones (NonsenseFilm), Jack Kirby (Blogomatic3000), Gareth (Uncle Frank's Film Blog), Nicola Balkind (Uncultured Critic), Neil (The Incredible Suit), Andrew Collins (Never Knowingly Underwhelmed), Sam (24fps), Intermittent Sprocket, Tara (I Heart The Talkies), Glen Byford (Hunchbakk), Ambrose Heron (FILMdetail), Dempsey (TheMovie411), Natasha Hodgson (Best For Film), Vicki Isitt (Veni-Vidi-Vicki), and from Filmshaft - Martyn Conterio, Michael Brooks, and Alan Simmons. Cine-Vue had a strong presence in the poll also, so thanks to Daniel Green, David Sugarman, Rob Savage, Jack Porter, Russell Cook, and Stephen Leach from that site. And finally, thanks to Alicia McBride, Ced Yuen and Jake Tobin who write for this very blog.
#50 Hot Tub Time Machine
#49 Youth In Revolt
"The perfect vehicle for Michael Cera's awkward acting, that he does so well. His smooth and chaotic alter ego is a rare chance for him to shine and subvert his constant stereotyping." (Glen Byford, Hunchbakk)
#48 Whatever Works
#47 Of Gods And Men
#46 Carlos
#45 The Killer Inside Me
#44 World's Greatest Dad
"Occasionally uncomfortable, often hilarious, always brilliant: it's THE FILM THAT TOOK THE WORLD BY SURPRISE! Or at least both of us who saw it. Good job, "marketing department"." (Neil, The Incredible Suit)
#43 The A-Team
"A big dumb action film with an engaging cast pulled together by a worthwhile script with explosive set pieces that saved the film from critical panning and placed it firmly as one of my favourites of the year." (Glen Byford, Hunchbakk)
#42 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
#41 Lourdes
#40 Crazy Heart
#39 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
"The surprise, yet nevertheless deserved recipient of this year's Palme d'or prize, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's bizarrely surreal tale is one of this year's true cinematic originals." (Daniel Green, Cine-Vue)
#38 Precious
#37 Mary & Max
"It is a beautiful, honest, and unique portrayal of human connection with brilliant animation and design supported by a fantastic and memorable soundtrack." (Vicki Isitt, Veni-Vidi-Vicki)
#36 The Illusionist
"...every frame is exquisitely crafted and deeply moving." (Stephen Leach, Cine-Vue)
#35 Splice
"Almost certainly the creepiest film of the year, 'Splice' delivered both Cronenbergian body-horror and Freudian psycho-sexual warfare, all wrapped up in creature-feature packaging and great visual effects" (Jack Kirby, Blogomatic3000)
#34 Catfish
#33 Unstoppable
#32 Machete
#31 Book Of Eli
#30 The Brothers Bloom
"With a sort of 'In Bruges' style of humour, 'The Brothers Bloom' is quirky, enjoyable and definitely worth a watch if you haven't already." (Vicki Isitt, Veni-Vidi-Vicki)
#29 Buried
"The greatest film about a box since 'The Box'. Director Rodrigo Cortés sticks to pleasingly old-school filmmaking while Ryan Reynolds keeps it grounded. Grounded! Ah, deary me. *wipes eye*" (Neil, The Incredible Suit)
#28 I Love You Phillip Morris
"This endearing and entertaining tale of gay love, con jobs and prison breaks strikes a perfect balance between saccharine sweetness and laugh out loud humour, with great turns from both Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor." (Glen Byford, Hunchbakk)
#27 The Town
"Although 'Gone Baby Gone' received positive reviews, I really think this film has put Ben Affleck on the map as a great director." (Vicki Isitt, Veni-Vidi-Vicki)
#26 Easy A
#25 Exit Through The Gift Shop (13 POINTS, 4 VOTES)
#24 Tron Legacy (14 POINTS, 2 VOTES)
"'Tron: Legacy' has flaws, but these are outweighed by the pure sensory pleasure on offer." (Ced Yuen, FADED GLAMOUR)
#23 Somewhere (15 POINTS, 3 VOTES)
#22 Whip It (16 POINTS, 4 VOTES)
"Drew Barrymore directs and stars in this film alongside Ellen Page and Kristen Wiig about a female roller derby team. It's a shame it never saw wide theatrical release because it's a fantastic and enjoyable film." (Vicki Isitt, Veni-Vidi-Vicki)
#21 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (20 POINTS, 4 VOTES)
"The young leads have grown up and so has the film, and yes, the tone is getting darker - instead of simply being light entertainment or perfect Sunday afternoon fodder, us muggles are given a twist on a post-apocalyptic road movie and a horcrux that makes its own Harry and Hermione porn." (Glen Byford, Hunchbakk)
#20 Mother (21 POINTS, 3 VOTES)
#19 Monsters (22 POINTS, 5 VOTES)
"A low budget, independent sci-fi parable-come-road movie, 'Monsters' skilfully uses the aftermath of alien & human integration as a telling parable of how fear and prejudice can tear communities asunder." (Daniel Green, Cine-Vue)
#18 Up In The Air (24 POINTS, 6 VOTES)
#17 Bad Lieutenant (27 POINTS, 4 VOTES)
"When Nicolas Cage met Werner Herzog the result was this bizarre and exciting film, which lit a firework under the arse of the crime genre and ran off giggling manically." (Jack Kirby, Blogomatic3000)
#16 The Secrets In Their Eyes (27 POINTS, 5 VOTES)
"Winner of last year’s Oscar for best foreign feature, this slow-burning, generation-spanning whodunnit was captivating and moving." (Jack Kirby, Blogomatic3000)
#15 How To Train Your Dragon (28 POINTS, 5 VOTES)
#14 A Single Man (28 POINTS, 6 VOTES)
"A combination of Colin Firth’s compelling performance and Tom Ford’s stylish direction created this heartbreaking and quietening film about love and, more importantly, loss." (Jack Kirby, Blogomatic3000)
#13 Dogtooth (30 POINTS, 5 VOTES)
#12 Another Year (31 POINTS, 7 VOTES)
"Narrowly missing out on the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Mike Leigh's latest is a subtle exploration of happiness and despair, with a fantastic cast featuring some of British cinema's brightest talents." (Daniel Green, Cine-Vue)
#11 The Kids Are All Right (34 POINTS, 8 VOTES)
"A heart-felt approach to attitudes surrounding the modern day family and a testament to the power of original indie filmmaking." (Stephen Leach, Cine-Vue)
#10 Winter's Bone (36 POINTS, 6 VOTES)
"Bleak and unforgiving, but Jennifer Lawrence was the outstanding performer of the year for her role in this." (David Sugarman, Cine-Vue)
#9 Enter The Void (37 POINTS, 5 VOTES)
"Easily the most sensually evocative film of the year, combining awe-inspiring visuals with a drug-soaked tale of life, death and everything in between." (Daniel Green, Cine-Vue)
#8 Shutter Island (48 POINTS, 9 VOTES)
"This is my favourite Martin Scorsese film. It still has moments that don't quite work perfectly, but it's a great final package and the ensemble of actors are wonderful." (David Sugarman, Cine-Vue)
#7 Four Lions (65 POINTS, 10 VOTES)
"Filled with both mirth and tragedy, 'Four Lions' proved to be the year’s most intelligent comedy and reminded us all once more of Chris Morris’s superlative satirical talent." (Jack Kirby, Blogomatic3000)
#6 A Prophet (79 POINTS, 10 VOTES)
"Forget comparisons with 'Goodfellas' and 'The Godfather'; 'A Prophet' is a crime-thriller classic in its own right, featuring an incredible breakout performance from lead actor Tahar Rahim as the tormented lead, Malik El Djebena." (Daniel Green, Cine-Vue)
#5 Inception (85 POINTS, 12 VOTES)
"Minds were blown, brains were melted, eyes were popped. All of which made a terrible mess, but when it's this entertaining you really can't complain. Unless you're the one cleaning the cinema." (Neil, The Incredible Suit)
"Another seminal mind-bender from 'Memento' director Christopher Nolan, proving that Hollywood blockbusters down have to be dumb to do well." (Daniel Green, Cine-Vue)
#4 Kick-Ass (85 POINTS, 14 VOTES)
"The year's best action comedy by a long way. Just for the record: it's a lot better than the comic it's based on." (David Sugarman, Cine-Vue)
"Although Aaron Johnson had the leading role in the film, Chloe Moretz was definitely the star, and I'm certainly looking forward to 'Kick Ass 2'." (Vicki Isitt, Veni-Vidi-Vicki)
#3 Scott Pilgrim vs The World (92 POINTS, 14 VOTES)
"Insanely high expectations may have led to initial disappointment, but this panoply of pixellated punch-ups comes out fighting with every repeated viewing. Quality Edgartainment." (Neil, The Incredible Suit)
"It was stylistically a unique film, with some great dialogue and a fantastic cast, and I'm definitely partial to Michael Cera." (Vicki Isitt, Veni-Vidi-Vicki)
"Edgar Wright's third major release is a witty, inventive and utterly joyful cinematic experience. I expect it will be quite some time before we see another film of such exuberance and technique." (David Sugarman, Cine-Vue)
#2 Toy Story 3 (140 POINTS, 21 VOTES)
"As soon as the opening credits had rolled it felt like being in the company of old friends again, instantly sucked in to the story and possibly over reacted to the situations Woody and Buzz were thrown into with a giddy excitment, enthralled by the action and feeling like a big kid." (Glen Byford, Hunchbakk)
"A perfect end to a near-perfect trilogy, Pixar's delightful 'Toy Story 3' has just the right concoction of humour, wit and heart to captivate audiences of all ages, as we say a final farewell to Woody, Buzz and the gang." (Daniel Green, Cine-Vue)
"It brought together adults and children, and made grown men weep - you know who you are." (Vicki Isitt, Veni-Vidi-Vicki)
#1 The Social Network (147 POINTS, 21 VOTES)
"A film which will go on to define a generation." (Stephen Leach, Cine-Vue)
"More than just "the Facebook movie", this was the thinking technophile's film, with a tense, gripping story that may be a little beyond those whose updates consist of 'sticking the kettle on', 'just eating my sandwich' and a deluge of other X-Factor related statuses." (Glen Byford, Hunchbakk)
"The script, the acting, the direction...everything about this film is excellent." (Vicki Isitt, Veni-Vidi-Vicki)
"It is a near-flawless film, crafted by the exceptional dialogue of Aaron Sorkin and the consummate directing skill of David Fincher." (Saam Das, FADED GLAMOUR)
*****
84 films, only one winner. Yes, I am pretending to be the voiceover person off of 'The Apprentice'. I apologise. It was a tight race but in the end 'The Social Network' emerged victorious. From a personal perspective that was especially pleasing as it happens to be my favourite film of 2010.
In other news, I certainly didn't expect Gasper Noé's 'Enter The Void' nor 'Dogtooth' to feature so highly. It'd be great to hear some of your thoughts in the comments below. Did we miss any films out that you were expecting to see? Have we failed to "get" 'Inception'? Is 'Shutter Island' overrated? TELL ME.
We're a collaborative British music, film and TV blog. "Trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop."
