A Serbian Film
This is the most disturbing movie anyone will ever see, or at least I hope so. It sets a new bar in the torture sub-genre of horror that Saw created several years ago. I’m confident in saying that this is the only movie that has ever made me genuinely sick to my stomach. That said, what it does, it does well. This is a very niche genre, so not much praise will ever be given to movies like this, but it does its job very well. I feel a bit queasy writing this right now.

Black Swan
Good performances from both Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. It reinvigorated the story of Swan Lake and was twisted in its own way.

Mother
A great thriller out of China. I saw this a long time ago, so I can’t say too much about it now, but it is good.

The Fighter
I debated between this and The King’s Speech, but I like the story in The Fighter more, it’s a bit darker and a bit more real to me. There’s more struggle, and there were strong performances all around.

Blue Valentine
A nice heartbreaker with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. I’ve been a fan of Gosling ever since I saw United States of Leland a few years ago. He’s definitely an underrated actor. The two of them work well together, and the sexual tension in this movie is very real.

127 Hours
Being an outdoor-enthusiast of sorts (trail-running) This movie felt close to me. Certain scenes of hallucination of drinks were all too real, and Franco gave a great performance in a tough role (not too many actors can engage the camera for an hour without any cast around them)

I Love You, Philip Morris
This got buried somehow, but both Carrey and McGregor gave strong performances, but quirky movies like this seem to get shafted by Awards shows. This is an extraordinary story that is shocking to be true.

Secret of Kells (2009/2010)
Technically a 2009 film, this didn’t make it stateside until 2010, so I feel I should include it. The story is good, and the visuals are phenomenal, who says you need 3D for a visual masterpiece?

The Ghost Writer
Ewan McGregor was great in this, with a good cast surrounding him. A subtle thriller, the ending was well executed and not overplayed.

Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole
This might seem out of place, but this movie has the best (3D) animation of any movie to date. It set the bar pretty high and is far more visually pleasing than any Pixar movie.

Special mention:
The King’s Speech
Get Low (a great character piece and Robert Duvall was perfect)