My top 5 films of the year

Narrowing down all of the films I've seen in 2010 is a hard task. I've seen a lot of movies. I have a Cineworld Unlimited card which means I've seen the kind of films I probably would't have done, had I been paying £8 for each.

However, here's my attempt with one caveat: it's only based on the films I have seen so there's probably loads of great ones I missed or were only out on limited release.

5. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

It worth saying straight away that Werner Herzog's "reimagining" of the 1992 original is properly mental. The film is set in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and luckily for us, this has the good Nicolas Cage in it as opposed to the dialled in performances of some of his other films such as Knowing. He puts in one of the most memorable performances of the year, and it's one of those films that is hugely enjoyable from start to finish. The "iguana scene" might just be one of the weirdest and best things I've ever seen at the cinema. That, and other surreal moments like where a scene is viewed from an alligator's point of view only adds to the film's charm, but also ensures the film lasts long in the memory.

4. Toy Story 3

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Released 11 years since the previous film, I was skeptical to how good this was going to be. It seemed strange that Pixar would revisit the series after a long break and wondered whether they were looking to cash in on the nostalgia factor from the first two. How wrong was I? I should know that Pixar don't do bad films. They must have one of the most consistent track records for good films, and making huge profits. I wish the two were always intrinsically linked. I managed to get review tickets for film a month before general release and I was in for a treat. The film works really well for both adults and kids and kind of has something in for everyone. Worth also noting that this is probably the best 3D movies I've seen to date.

3. A Prophet

I didn't get round to seeing this on cinema so had to wait for the Blu-Ray edition to come out. I was genuinely gripped through out the film, and is one of the foreign language films you forget after about 5 minutes that you're reading subtitles because you're so engrossed. It's a crime / prison movie, but done with a real sense of realism and unlike some Hollywood films, you don't actually know how the story is going to end.

2. The Social Network

I thought this was going to be a 'by the numbers' film about the rise of Facebook done in a very matter of fact way in the way true stories often are on the silver screen. After all, since this is so recent in our memories we all know the story already don't we? What Aaron Sorkin, the writer, has done well is take something that could be incredibly dry (two lawsuits are used to tell the story) and told it an interesting way, focussed on the main personalities in this story. How much this is factual matters little, and in truth there are few likable characters in the film with the exception of Eduardo Saverin's character. The dialogue is brilliant, snappily delivered and the film's 120 minute run-time races by. It was always going to be a good film with the Sorkin writing and David Fincher directing. This was a tough one as it was very nearly my favourite film of 2010...

1. Inception

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Well it kind of had to be didn't it. A film of big ideas presented on a broad, sweeping canvas by Christopher Nolan. I was lucky to see it on IMAX, which is really where something of this scale should be seen. I remember reading about the project a few years back in a film magazine, not really knowing what it was about but looking forward to seeing it based on the director and cast attached. Well when I did it blew me away. It's a clever film done on a blockbuster budget, not to its detriment. I can imagine the studio could have easily said "no" to the film as blockbusters need to appeal to the lowest common denominator to get people through the doors. You had to concentrate during this film and I loved that about it. It is also a reminder of why cinema is brilliant, and how any idea can now be expressed on the screen. It's an epic spectacle that blows the simplistic likes of Avatar out of the water. I hope Warner Bros just keep giving Nolan money to get his ideas on to the screen as he really is one of the best directors in Hollywood at the moment. This is my personal favourite of 2010.

Obviously this is only 5 films out of many I have enjoyed so just wanted to give a shout out to a few others I really enjoyed:

The Girl who series - I hadn't read of the books so missed all of the hype. The first one was brilliant: brutal, uncompromising with a good story. The second meandered a bit and then the third brought it back on course. The two central characters of Lisbeth and Mikael are the reason you keep watching. I can't imagine the American remakes will be half as good.

Mesrine (parts 1 and 2) - a true life story told in an epic way. It's hard to believe the story is based on fact. Vincent Cassell is superb and makes me wish I've seen more of his films. Even though the film is in two parts, there are very different in tone. Worth watching when you have a spare 5 hours.

The Town - Affleck's second film, and it was a very good one. I love heist movies, and this is an interesting one. Also star's Jon Hamm, from Mad Men, and he is great in this too. There are some great shoot-outs and I really didn't know what would happen in the end.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed - A small scale British film with only three characters, done brilliantly. There are truly terrifying scenes in the film, and the first 10 dialogue free minutes of the film are inspired film-making.

Green Zone - Not quite "Bourne in Iraq" but nevertheless a enjoyable film. Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass make obviously make a great team and hope they continue to make more films.

Lastly, a quick one of my most disappointing film of the year, The Expendables. This could've and should've been so much better. I guess the cast were too good to be true. I was hoping for an unadulterated 80's action move throwback in the vain of Commando, but we got an uninspired story where Stallone tried to some emotional complexity to the main character. We didn't go to see men opening up to each other, we went to see loads of bad guys getting killed and shit being blown up!

Anyway, that's it. Looking forward to cinema in 2011.

- Baydr