For better and worse, this is one of those movie years when there’s widespread agreement among the early awards-givers and, presumably, among critics putting together their ritual 10-best lists. It’s better because the movies winning consistent favor are really good, and worse because they’re so few in number. While the pickings haven’t been slim, they haven’t been bountiful either.
My choice for the year’s best movie is “The Social Network.” If that means I’ve succumbed to a herd mentality, so be it; herds can stampede in the right direction. The film’s ambition is what I admire most. It grabs onto a genuine phenomenon in contemporary life and tells us things we didn’t know about it.
A whisker-close second is “The King’s Speech….”