Best of 2010

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Peep this sucka MCs: our regularly updated list of the best films released in the United Kingdom between January 1st 2010 and December 31st 2010.


1		A PROPHET *Bold and yet subtle, powerful and yet understated, very long and yet not quite* too long: this is a blatant masterpiece that deserves to be seen at the cinema.**
2		SHUTTER ISLAND Scorsese’s most artful film in decades wrapped up as his most commercial. Daring, intriguing and well deserving of a second viewing.
3		BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS Werner Herzog (with a little help from X-to-the-Z) delivers the year’s most bizarre, hilarious and oddly poignant movie, packed full of classic Cage moments.
4		SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD A gloriously diverse range of styles, influences and achingly cool cast members come together for a truly singular action movie. Don’t believe the box office.
5		DOGTOOTH Art dresses up as cinema in this provocasplosion from Greek director Giorgos Lanthimos. And it’s actually getting a UK release on the 23rd April.
6		EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP You can stop being ’so over him’ now because Banksy’s directorial debut is the most (or depending on your viewpoint, first) poignant thing he’s ever done.
7		UP IN THE AIR Top quality performances and spot-on direction from Señor Reitman make this the pseudo-indie film to beat for 2010. Great titles too!
8		MOTHER Bong Joon-Ho’s epic mother-son drama is a beautifully crafted exercise in being amazing, from the exquisite title sequence to the transcendent ending.
9		WORLD’S GREATEST DAD The year’s best proper US indie film: complete with acres of satire, yet another great performance by Robin Williams and fuck all moral worrying. Huzzah!
10		THE KILLER INSIDE ME Casey Affleck makes every other Hollywood actor look like an incompetent fool in this beautiful, daring smash from the ever-surprising Winter Bottom.
11		THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL Apparently they do make them like they used to, because The House of the Devil is just as good as the 80s suspense classics it pays tribute to.
12		TRASH HUMPERS Harmony Korine’s OAP-horror romp is a disarmingly comical if pathologically disturbing experience. Love it or hate it, you won’t forget it in a hurry.
13		INCEPTION A cast to end all casts and a final hour that’s almost entirely amazing can’t quite make up for all the awful dialogue, blatant exposition and missed opportunities.
14		GREENBERG Baumbach and the Gerwigster push Mumblecore within four inches of mainstream, while Ben S. doesn’t even slightly resemble the star of The Heartbreak Kid.
15		TOY STORY 3 By no means perfect, but Pixar do a good job of concluding the beloved franchise with grace, wit and only a couple of crap new Randy Newman tracks.
16		KICK-ASS Pretty amazing stuff if you can train your mind to ignore the confused pacing, disjointed plot and nonsensical supporting characters.
17		FOUR LIONS Not quite as poignant as you’d hope, but the Subversion King’s debut feature is easily hilarious and anarchic enough to warrant a place on this list.
18		DOUBLE TAKE The sort of movie that makes me come over all Sight&Sound: a taut, eloquent mega-montage of Hitchcockian mystery and Cold War politics.
19		FATHER OF MY CHILDREN Despite some incredible moments and a ‘wonderful atmosphere’ as the poncier me would put it, sometimes movies are just too slow.
20		WHIP IT! The hands-down best family film in a long long while was 111 minutes of proper fun, but might have been the nail in the coffin for Ellen Page’s versatility.
21		PRECIOUS Full of so much gimmicky visual shit that it’s hard to even justify it’s inclusion on this list, until you remember the unbelievable acting skills on display.
22		I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS I promise we’re not intentionally putting all of this year’s gay movies right at the bottom of this list. ILYPM is very funny, very brave and just a little bit aimless.
23		A SINGLE MAN It looks a treat and Colin Firth has never been so completely un-bad, but Tom Ford’s direction isn’t quite as sharp as his suits. Zing!