A Few Words About My 2010 Top-Ten List

To be eligible for my list, a feature film must have opened theatrically in Los Angeles in 2010. Sometimes a film will have opened elsewhere earlier or will not open elsewhere until later - them's the breaks.

After trying to place my top ten into exact spots, I quickly realized I couldn't, so I'll cover #s 2-10 alphabetically in one note and #1, of which I am supremely confident, in another.

I try to avoid the fallacy of recency, but the majority of the year's best movies clearly came out after summer. Exclusion from my list may mean only that I didn't get around to a worthy entry, but inclusion this year indicates a film of rare quality.

In the next few notes, I'll list some honorable mentions, some of the year's best documentaries, and my vote for the worst movie of the year.