LA Times’ Kenneth Turan’s Best of 2010

10 slots, 23 titles. Because Kenneth Turan clusters a few movies in matched sets and calls a 3-way tie for #1.

1. “No. 1, in triplicate It’s not just that good things traditionally come in threes. I’m splitting the top slot of my 10 best list among Inception, The Social Network and Toy Story 3 for a reason. I’m doing it because, considerable evidence notwithstanding, I still believe in Hollywood movies. So I’m encouraged beyond measure when studio films not only please both critics and audiences but also so dominate their moment in time that you have to see them or be left out of the national conversation.”
2. Animal Kingdom
3. Inside Job & The Tillman Story
4. Ajami, Eyes Wide Open, and Lebanon
5. The King’s Speech
6. Night Catches Us & Nora’s Will
7. A Prophet, Mademoiselle Chambon & White Material
8. “Two tiny gems (Kisses and Prince of Broadway), two offbeat animated films (A Town Called Panic, The Secret of Kells), and a pair of proficient Hollywood entertainments (Unstoppable and The Town) helped brighten this year.”
9. True Grit
10. Winter’s Bone