10. The Infidel
I can't see this one turning up in too many "best of 2010" lists, but I found it to be a commendably fresh and topical British comedy. Consistently funny and heartwarming, this David Baddiel-penned indie film received a limited release in the UK, but deserved to be rolled out wide. Showing off star Omid Djalili's ability to front a feature film as a devout muslim with an identity crisis, as well as Baddiel's capacity for writing more than just books, radio and stand-up with success, I was given many a hearty laugh by The Infidel's gags.

9. [REC] 2
The biggest worry about a sequel is that it won't live up to the power of the original. Like most foreign language films, [REC] came out of no where and took just about everyone by surprise. Wow, some Spanish film-makers helmed a horror movie that's shot handheld and is actually scary, tense and involving? Yes, they did. Better yet, they did it with zombies. Well, not exactly the undead but they may as well be. And then they did it again with a sequel that matches the frightening flare and quality of its predecessor.

8. I Spit on Your Grave
A young woman is raped, beaten and left for dead. But she survives. Not only that but she returns to the scene of the crime and takes gruesome revenge upon those who turned her world upside down. That's a blunt description, but it's a blunt movie, and a very good one at that, which is not a common thing for me to say about a remake. I'm quite a fan of the original Meir Zarchi video nasty, but I Spit on Your Grave redux is that much nastier and all the better for it. It's a superior film: less raw and realistic, but all the more gruelling to watch and yet horrifically entertaining at the same time. A rare example of a film that's better than its source material.

7. Exhibit A
I feel like so few people have seen this film, yet I cannot recommend it enough. Now before you get put off by the fact that it was shot verite – that's "Blair Witch style" to the layman – let me assure you that this is one of the most astounding, shocking and poignant films I have ever seen. Few movies have left me reeling long after they've ended as much as Exhibit A. It's an unnerving, queasy drama about a video camera and the harsh reality that it has captured, as well as plenty of dark secrets. It begins so innocently and builds and builds until it reaches a raw, horrific climax that will leave you numb.

6. Toy Story 3
While I didn't enjoy this Disney-Pixar gem quite as much as most people – I thought it was missing something I've not been able to put my finger on since viewing – who could honestly say that this isn't one of the year's best? I don't think it's the masterpiece we were all hopeful for to conclude the colourful trilogy, but this beautifully animated tale of love, life and loss is still an emotionally powerful piece of cinema and a clear reminder of how we all grow up.

5. Buried
It may be somewhat cliche to call a film about a man stuck in a coffin beneath the desert for 90 minutes claustrophobic, but it's never reined more true than in Rodrigo Cortes' Buried. Ryan Reynolds steals the show – well, he's the only one in it – in a career-defining performance. Few films from this year can attest to being as unique and memorable as Buried. Barely any films in 2010 are even as simple, but it's the combination of masterful writing and direction that make it so compelling and suspenseful.

4. Monsters
I've never seen a film made for so little money that looks so good. To discover that Monsters isn't a big-budget Hollywood effort but an independent British film made for less than £500,000 is both astonishing and impressive. Former BBC visual FX guru Gareth Edwards practically made the film single-handedly with a camera, plane tickets and his two central characters, a real life couple who gradually fall in love on the backdrop of an alien invasion. It's not a monster movie perse, but a beautiful, mesmerisingly visual dream for cinemagoers. 

3. Kick-Ass
A comic book movie with a difference and a superhero flick with a twist – in that there aren't any actual superheroes – Kick-Ass is one of the quirkiest, oddest films of the year, but also one of the funniest. If you could keep a straight face while watching Hit-Girl's foul-mouthed and blood-spattered battles with the New York City underworld, you've probably had a little too much botox. 

2. Hatchet II
The world premiere of Hatchet II in London at FrightFest will remain as one of the most memorable nights of my life. Not only did I make my on-camera interview debut by being strangled rather affectionately (I hope) by the legendary Kane Hodder hard enough that I had a throbbing headache for the next hour, but I then watched him rip people limb from limb in the movie world 20 minutes later when Adam Green's Hatchet II opened the festival. Gracing the screen with all its bloody beauty, I was blown away by just how skull-smashingly entertaining it was. I was seated among thousands of like-minded horror fans, all of us cheering the gory exploits on the big screen. The ride of the greatest horror sequel of all time is certainly one to be had. 

1. Inception
I began my top 10 list with an "unusual" pick, so I'll cap it off with what will probably be the most common selection – although not undeservedly. Not at all. Christopher Nolan bounced back from his tremendous but still (in my eyes) overrated The Dark Knight with an intelligent masterpiece that has proven to be the most thought-provoking film of the year. There really isn't much to say about this that hasn't been already, so I'll conclude by commending another stellar performance by Leonardo di Caprio. He really is putting those ugly memories of Titanic and The Beach far, far behind.

BEST WORST MOVIE
I would be an absolute liar if I didn't give this dubious honour to the killer-bird-movie-gone-wrong, Birdemic: Shock and Terror. It is, bar none, the worst film I have ever seen, yet I still gave it three stars in my incredibly-fun-to-write review. Why? Because this reworking of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds is infinitely entertaining and unforgettably ridiculous. It's the Troll 2 of the 21st century.