So, my list of movies to see in 2009 received quite a bit of traffic (and for some reason, continues to??), which took me by surprise.  I personally LOVE Top 10 lists, so it seemed only natural for me to continue with a list of not necessarily the biggest budget, highest grossing films of 2010, but some of the most interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I love the big budget, popcorn flicks as much as the next guy, but I can only take so much Harry Potter and Iron Man before I crave another Moon or Donnie Darko.

Anyways, ON with the list!! Here are the 10 movies you MUST see in 2010.

10. The Social Network

While there has been little released for this film, the fact that David Fincher is directing should be enough to pique your interest. Everything he has touched has been good, if not great. Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake and Rashida Jones will all add a very interesting mix to the unofficial biography of the rise of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.

9. Human Centipede

There’s not much to say about this, except weak stomachs need not apply. After being sent the trailer by my friend Steve, I quickly replied “Is this a joke?”.  Quickly discovering it was not, I scrambled to find it in any means necessary.  Let’s just say a viewing is set for the VERY near future, and I cannot wait.  It is in incredibly limited release, but I urge anyone who can find it, to watch it.

8. Machete

Ever since being lucky enough to see the FULL Grindhouse film in the theater (including Death Proof and Planet Terror), the action was broken up in the middle with the inclusion of what seemed to be fake trailers.  Well…. they were.  Thing is, Robert Rodriguez decided to take his trailer for Machete one step farther and turn it into a fully fledged feature film.

It will be ridiculous.  It will be over the top.  It will star Danny Trejo.  What else do you need to know???

7. Super 8

The reason this isn’t higher on the list is due to the fact it’s not actually coming out until NEXT summer. Hey… I cheated, but this year isn’t looking too stellar, so why not look forward to some ‘distant’ future releases?

But seriously, J.J.Abrams has delivered some pretty great stuff over the past few years and with Spielberg’s budget behind him, he might be able to produce something fantastic.

6. The Killer Inside Me

Michael Winterbottom has delivered mixed results over the years, but you can always count on him to create something unique. Being an enormous fan of Casey Affleck, this film is an easy choice for the top 10.  Casey has easily surpassed his brother in nearly every way…. which unfortunately, isn’t saying an awful lot.  I expect some great things from him in this role, let’s hope he pulls through.

5. Toy Story 3

While probably the most obvious choice for the list, it’s hard to deny that everything Pixar churns out is pure gold.  While the guys over at Dreamworks are figuring out how to get their latest fuzzy creature to crack the latest pop culture reference, Pixar screams ahead of them, both in the realm of visuals and more importantly, story-telling.  Toy Story 3 may be an unexpected sequel (I would have preferred a new Bug’s Life, but oh well), but I’m sure it will appeal to… well…. everyone.

4. The Other Guys

I can’t help myself, I’m a sucker for Will Ferrell. Ever since his stint on SNL, he’s clawed open and dug his way into my heart. He’s childish, ridiculous and over the top, but I don’t care. I laugh every time I see him, and that’s all you can ever ask from a comedian. The cast for this film is incredibly impressive, so I can’t wait to see if they capitalize on the available talent.

3. Inception

Just think of Christopher Nolan, Blade Runner and Children Of Men.  If those words get your mouth frothing, then this might be up your alley. Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen page and my favorite actor of the decade, Joseph Gordon-Levitt all star in this incredible looking thriller. It will perform terribly at the box office, but that’s fine… as I foresee a dedicated following upon its DVD release.

2. Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Even though this is only Edgar Wright’s 3rd REAL feature film in nearly 7 years, he’s already proven himself to be an A-list director.  With 3 MORE films slated for the next 2 years, he will be keeping himself busy. Let’s hope he can direct people who AREN’T his close buddies, Pegg and Frost.

1. Tron Legacy

From the second I saw the trailer first start up on the IMAX 3D screen, I got goosebumps… which doesn’t happen too often. I am crossing every one of my available fingers, hoping that Disney has allowed this film to go in the direction it needs to. While technology has obviously improved since 1982, I sincerely hope they haven’t thrown in too much unnecessary CG, which can be the case for a lot of recent big budget films *cough* Alice In Wonderland *cough*.

After finally finding a theater playing this nearby (a total of 3 in all of Ontario it seems), I did not hesitate to get out and see what I thought was going to be one of the best movies of the year.

Well, I was not disappointed.

Every minute of this epic oozed sci-fi goodness, made even better with an incredible score by none other than Clint Mansell (composer of one of the best soundtracks ever).  Duncan Jones made me feel as if I were right there alongside Sam Bell on the Lunar Industries station, with a set and effects rivaling those of films with MUCH higher budgets (Moon reportedly cost $5 million to make).  By using models and limiting special effects, it makes some of the shots even more impressive.

Sam Rockwell pulled off what might be one of the best performances I’ve seen in years. I’ve always liked him, even if he did pull off an average Zaphod Beeblebrox.  Kevin Spacey, as the voice of GERTY, did as good a job as you can expect voicing a robot with limited facial expressions.

The film quickly turns when Sam crashes one of the lunar rovers into a harvester unit and is knocked unconscious.  Upon his revival, he ventures out to see what had happened, however upon arriving at the scene of the accident notices a body in the crashed rover which is  eerily similar to his own.  Inevitably, Sam has a handful of questions, none of which GERTY is authorized, or programmed, to provide answers to.  The film takes on a mystery-thriller aspect at this point and it is where the striking resemblance to 2001 : A Space Odyssey is clearly apparent.

As far as science fiction films go, this is easily one of the best of the last decade.  Any true fan of film owes it to themselves to see this original masterpiece.

Synopsis : A fantastic first effort by Duncan Jones and another stellar performance by Sam Rockwell, perhaps one of his best.  Even if you aren’t a fan of sci-fi, the atmosphere and performances will keep you glued to the screen and with the rumour of a trilogy in the works, I couldn’t be happier.

Appearing completely out of the blue (at least to me!) is the first feature film from Duncan Jones, who surprisingly, is David Bowie’s first son. Moon, starring Sam Rockwell, does reek of 2001-style undertones, however with Rockwell’s screen presence, it seems more human. Don’t get me wrong, 2001 is one of my favorite films of all time, but you really have to let yourself go to really enjoy it.

Look for Moon to hit theaters on June 12th, 2009.