As the year has only just a few months old, I don't think it's fair to name the top-3 of movies of 2010, solely on movies that have already been released. Mainly, because there are so many great movies that yet have to be released. I actually expect my top-3 of 2010 to consist mostly of movies that are not out yet!

January/February has been dominated by movies that were released in 2009 (Avatar, The Hurt Locker), so those don't count either. What do we have left?
Lovely Bones, a disappointing new movie by Peter Jackson, When in Rome with Danny Devito, Easy Rom-Com Valentines Day, with Jennifer Garner, and Julia Roberts. Ugh...

However, if I really have to give you a top 3 for the first few months, these would be it:
3. How To Train Your Dragon: I haven't seen this movie yet, but as it originates from DreamWorks, it just HAS to be great!
2. Shutter Island: Excellent thriller, that finally again does justice to the acting talent of Leonardo DiCaprio.
1. Alice in Wonderland: Tim Burton at his best, with excellent casting of Johnny Depp. I'm sure no-one will remember who played Alice, but that's fine, she's not the real star here.. Sorry Mia!

As for what I expect from the rest of 2010:
3. Prince of Persia: This movie has been planned for such a long time, it seems they waited just to avoid Uwe Broll as a producer, who singlehandedly nearly killed the game-to-movie genre. I expect a lot from this one.

2. Wall Street 2. This one can go either way: It can be utterly great, re-establishing the movie as the one that put Wall Street in it's place, or it may turn out to just be a easy cop-out. I really hope the first will turn out to be true.

1. Tron 2. From what I've seen of this movie, it's going to do justice to the original Tron movie everyone has become to love or hate (depending on whether you like playing games or not). It's a true testament to the original movie, but with better CGI. I really expect this one to shine at christmas this year!

Well, first I think it’s only fair to limit the movies to those actually released in 2010, so films like Avatar are eliminated from consideration.

Then, I’ll take as my basic criteria 1) I’ve actually seen the film so that I can comment upon it and 2) the “freshness” ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. The latter is convenient because it gives me a cross-section of critical opinion.

I’ll also consider box-office, although that’s a smaller consideration for me when thinking about influence. After all, a lot of mainstream films may earn bundles of money but don’t necessarily add much to movie-making.

So….top three:
1) “How to Train Your Dragon” (98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes): The film is very much in the tradition of contemporary animated films, offering humor for both children and adults. As with the big-budget studios, the animation looks gorgeous but doesn’t rely on following the Disney or Pixar hyperrealism. Nor does it feel derivative of the tired Shrek series. What “How to Train Your Dragon” offers, besides the comforting formula of an animated film intended for family audiences, is a truly thoughtful ending. I won’t spoil if for you if you haven’t seen it, but the film isn’t afraid to suggest that heroic acts can have their costs – a worthwhile moment that adds poignancy to the film without becoming too saccharine. The film’s directors, Chris Sander and Dean DeBlois, are worth watching. And the voice actors – Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, and Craig Ferguson – turn in individualist and sometimes idiosyncratic performances.

2) “Oceans” (81% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes): Although the film doesn’t necessarily break much the way of new ground in terms of nature documentaries, at least narratively, it does do several things well. One, it proves there is a mainstream audience interested in seeing nature documentaries on the big screen, not simply in art houses, science centers, or on the Discovery Channel. Two, even if its imagery is rather predictable, the film uses cutting-edge technology to capture those images. Three, it’s entertaining on a deeply visceral level. Four, it’s another film that stakes a claim for the diversity of family films. Five, a portion of the first-week ticket sales, which goes to the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt a Coral Reef program, might be seen as a cynical marketing ploy. But it worked, which says something about audiences. “Oceans” has no stars, per se, but was directed by Jaques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud.

3) “Kick-A$$” (76 % fresh on Rotten Tomatoes): The film participates in the ever-rising popularity of the superhero genre, but with its own twists. Much has already been made about the use of vulgarities by child actress Chloe Morettz, which is one reason this film rises to the top for me. Such discussions about the use of language, which then brings up questions about violence (which too often gets a pass compared to language and sexuality), might point to some sort of tipping point about films. Or at least about films and children. That in itself makes “Kick-A$$” worthy of consideration in 2010. In addition, though, the film’s position on superheroes, adolescence, and empowerment is worth considering – it’s one of the more thoughtful depictions (far more than X-Men, for instance). Plus, Morezt and Nic Cage offer great performances, while Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are both solid. With “Kick-A$$,” director Matthew Vaughn continues making compelling films and his move into directing is worth watching.

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” gets an honorable mention (85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It’s a great film that faithfully realizes the Stieg Larsson novel, and is a successful hybrid of a mainstream thriller with a Norwegian sensibility, remaining darker than your average Hollywood glamorization of violence. But, although it’s listed as a 2010 release (which it is in the U.S.) the film was released in 2009 in Europe, where it was the #1 film. The film was directed by Niels Arden Oplev, and stars Lena Endre and Michael Nyqvist, all of whom were praised for their work. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is being remade by Hollywood. Nonethess, as a 2010 U.S. release, it would be my top choice.