The King's Speech 
In a year that produced zero four-star movies, this little gem, about the Duke of York overcoming his stutter, emerged late in the game to show how it's done. With superlative writing, pacing and acting - particularly from soon-to-be-Oscar-winner (there, I said it) Colin Firth - director Tom Hooper's masterful biopic speaks volumes.
The Social Network 
Mark Zuckerberg must be pissed. When rumors of a "Facebook movie" surfaced, the young CEO was quick to poo-poo the endeavor as an obvious attempt at cashing in. Little did he know David Fincher would craft such an undeniable crowd-pleaser, with the help of Jesse Eisenberg's pitch-perfect performance and Aaron Sorkin's inimitable dialogue. Mark Zuckerberg doesn't like this.
Inception
Say what you want - it was a dream, it wasn't a dream, who the heck cares? - no movie had the water-cooler conversation buzzing like Christopher Nolan's dizzying head-trip. Not since Freddy Krueger has someone toyed so diabolically with our dreams.
Toy Story 3
At this point it's no surprise when Pixar churns out another animated hit. Whatever the recipe is for great storytelling, these folks have it down. The culmination of the "Toy Story" trilogy is every bit as funny, exciting and touching as the best live-action movies. If you're not in tears by the end, your heart may be made of plastic.
127 Hours 
While there were other three-and-a-half star movies this year, few of them were as unforgettable as Danny Boyle's visceral (literally - yuck!) visualization of Aron Ralston's harrowing true story. Who knew a guy trapped by a rock - and James Franco, for that matter - could be this enthralling.
