Over the past month, many Top Ten lists have been published by various critics as a summation of the year in film. So I thought I’d offer a review of the best of 2010 from my perspective here in Korea. So far this year, I have seen 52 films/TV seasons, many more than I had in past years at this time. There are still a number of acclaimed films I haven’t had a chance to screen, such as BLUE VALENTINE, TRUE GRIT, THE KING’S SPEECH, and 127 HOURS, but there are also many films I had the chance to see by being here in Korea. My problem with many of the lists coming out of America is the limitations they place, confining themselves to films released theatrically in the US in 2010. While I can understand this, I feel it is giving away too much power to distributors. Thus my list includes films which debuted in 2010, whether in theatres, DVD, at a festival, or on television. I have also decided to rank full seasons of television alongside feature films, since the distinction between these seems to be breaking down. If you want to count the 5 1/2 hour CARLOS, made in three parts for French TV, why not include seasons of TV? Here are some thoughts on the best of the year, as well as the complete list of films/tv, ranked in order of preference.

Before getting to my favorites, I was able to see a number of films that show up on many best of lists that I personally found underwhelming: THE SOCIAL NETWORK, BLACK SWAN, WINTER’S BONE, and INCEPTION. None of these films is bad, and I mostly enjoyed them (although I found INCEPTION at times dull). But all seem vastly overrated, and the near unanimous praising of these films points to a certain limitation of imagination and breadth within critic circles. There were many fine American films this year, and a few of them are in my own Top Ten. But there are just as many, if not more, exciting and important work coming from other countries, much of it ignored.

For me, there has only been one masterpiece this year: Lee Chang-dong’s POETRY, which I saw during its brief theatrical run in May and again at Pusan in October. It combines great direction and writing from Lee along with a brilliant performance from Yoon Jeong-hee to produce a powerful statement about the current state of Korean society. It provides a useful comparison with Bong Joon-ho’s MOTHER, the current Korean critical darling of American critics. The performance of Kim Hye-ja in MOTHER has been rightfully praised, but I think the role itself fits into a “crazy bitch” (Bong’s words) stereotype that many critics, especially male critics, are quick to accept. Unfortunately, the equally good Joon in the far superior POETRY will likely not get near the attention because it dares to aim its critique at a morally bankrupt middle class and features its elderly female character as its hero.

Among my other favorites: another great comedy from the ultra-consistent Hong Sang-soo, HAHAHA; Mark Romanek’s film version of Kazuo Ishiguro’s NEVER LET ME GO, a literary adaptation crossed with dystopian sci-fi that asks important questions about class privilege very relevant to our current world; the third season of BREAKING BAD, a series quickly becoming a serious contender to greatest television show other than THE WIRE; the Australian crime family drama ANIMAL KINGDOM, proving that familiar territory can be reinvigorated with the right style and tone; John Cameron Mitchell’s RABBIT HOLE, with some of the best acting of the year along with the best representation of grief that I have seen on film; Im Sang-soo’s THE HOUSEMAID, a radical re-imagining of the 1960 original that joyfully argues for class warfare; and two documentaries that blur the line provocatively between fact and fiction, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP and CATFISH.

The compete list is given below. All films above four stars are ones I feel are truly great and critically defensible. The four star films I enjoyed for the most part but not ones I would argue strongly for. Three to Three and a half stars are films with serious flaws but nevertheless worth seeing. Below three stars would be films I found serious problems with and would not want to revisit. As usual, I saw very few films in this category, because I am not a professional critic and can thus pick and choose the material I personally find most compelling.

5 stars

1. Poetry

4 1/2 stars

2. Hahaha

3. Never Let Me Go

4. Breaking Bad Season 3

5. Animal Kingdom

6. Rabbit Hole

7. The Housemaid

8. Exit Through the Gift Shop

9. Catfish

4 stars

10. Carlos

11. The Kids Are All Right

12. Louis Season 1

13. Cyrus

14. Restrepo

15. Let Me In

16. The Two Escobars

17. The Fighter

18. Once Brothers

19. Friday Night Lights Season 4

20. The Social Network

21. Community Season 1

22. South of the Border

23. Mad Men Season 4

24. In the Shadows

25. Terriers Season 1

26. Pig Iron

27. Hilarious

28. I Saw the Devil

3 1/2 stars

29. Winter’s Bone

30. Somewhere

31. The Town

32. Black Swan

33. Two in the Wave

34. Get Him to the Greek

35. How to Train Your Dragon

36. Greenberg

37. Swimming in Nebraska

38. Through Korean Cinema

39. Submarino

40. Inception

41. Entourage Season 7

3 stars

42. Babies

43. How I Met Your Mother Season 6

44. Scott Pilgrim VS. The World

45. 24 Season 8

46. Kick-Ass

47. Rosalind

2 1/2 stars

48. Shutter Island

49. The Office Season 6

2 stars

50. All Good Things

51. The Man From Nowhere

52. The Enemy Lines

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