This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"127 Hours" (directed by Danny Boyle) • How can a movie whose main character can't move be so full of action? How can a movie whose true-life ending is so widely known be so full of surprises?
Director Danny Boyle manages both tricks in this exciting and inspiring drama, based on the memoir of climber Aron Ralston and his experience of getting his arm pinned by a boulder in a Utah slot canyon. James Franco's portrayal of Ralston, at turns cocky and contrite, is a wonder. But what's amazing are the kinetic images Boyle uses to get inside Ralston's head, as he realizes that life and family are precious enough to sacrifice part of himself to experience them.
2. "Exit Through the Gift Shop" (directed by Banksy) • A filmmaker fails to make a documentary about street artists, so he becomes an artist himself — leaving one of the street artists, the elusive Banksy, to pick up the camera in this scathing satire on the hype-filled art world.
3. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (directed by Edgar Wright) • A Toronto slacker (Michael Cera — who else?) meets the girl of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, raised partly in Sandy) and goes through video-game-like battles to win her in a romantic comedy for the 21st century.
4. "Inception" (directed by Christopher Nolan) • The guy who reinvigorated the "Batman" franchise sucks us into a dream within a dream within a dream, in a brilliantly crafted thriller that became the year's twistiest mindbender.
5. "The Social Network" (directed by David Fincher) • In delving into the origin of Facebook, this sharp drama examined the prickly nature of intelligence — and, in Jesse Eisenberg's smart portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, explored why the guy who made "friend" a verb couldn't hang onto his own.
6. "Another Year" (directed by Mike Leigh) • The master of British ensemble drama scores again, showing the stability of a long-married couple (Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen) in contrast to the unhappy souls (one of whom was notably played by Lesley Manville) in their circle of friends.
7. "Catfish" (directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost) • This insightful documentary looks at Facebook on the user's level — and how one naive photographer fell in love online, only to discover the Internet is a place of self-invention and self-delusion.
8. "Winter's Bone" (directed by Debra Granik) • Never been to the Ozarks? You won't say that after seeing this densely atmospheric and riveting mystery in which a teen (astutely played by Jennifer Lawrence) bucks a code of silence to find her missing daddy.
9. "Toy Story 3" (directed by Lee Unkrich) • Pixar revisits the animation studio's most beloved characters, the forgotten residents of Andy's toy box, rediscovering the joy of play as their owner says goodbye to childhood.
10. "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" (directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg) • Can we talk? Rivers certainly can, in this revealing documentary that chronicles her personal highs and lows — and the tenacity that has allowed her to survive in the brutal world of show business. movies@sltrib.com