The American Film Institute's list of Top 10 Films of 2010, announced on Sunday afternoon by the AFI, includes "The Social Network," "Inception," "Toy Story 3" and "The Fighter."
The AFI also saluted "Black Swan," "The Kids Are All Right," "127 Hours," "The Town," True Grit" and "Winter's Bone" as the films "which best advance the art of the moving image; enhance the rich cultural heritage of America's art form; inspire audiences and artists alike; and/or make a mark on
American society."
The list contains almost all of the films considered top Oscar contenders — with the notable exception of the British-made "The King's Speech," which was not eligible because it did not meet the qualifying requirement of being primarily American.
"The King's Speech" did, however, receive a Special Award from the AFI, as did the documentary "Waiting for 'Superman.'"
On the TV side, AFI's Programs of the Year included "Glee," "Modern Family," "Mad Men" and "Boardwalk Empire," as well as the new series "The Walking Dead" and the HBO miniseries "The Pacific."
The AFI list was chosen by a jury chaired by producer and former studio chief Tom Pollock. The jury also included writer Diablo Cody, editor Donn Cambern, director Lee Daniels, academics Jeanine Basinger, Jane Gaines, Akira Mizuta Lippit and Michael Wood, AFI exec Bob Gazzale and critics Leonard Maltin, Elvis Mitchell, Claudia Puig and Lisa Schwarzbaum.
A separate television jury was chaired by producer Richard Frank and included writer-directors Steven Bochco and Marshall Herskovitz and actress Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Generally, films on the AFI list make up most of the Oscar Best Picture slate, though its inclusion of only American films leaves off movies like the 2008 Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire."
Last year's list included five of the eventual 10 Best Picture nominees, including winner "The Hurt Locker" as well as "Precious," "Up in the Air," "Up" and "A Serious Man." It also included the ultra low-budget "Sugar" and the mainstream comedy "The Hangover," but not "Avatar" or "The Blind Side."
The creative ensembles behind the 10 films and television shows will be honored at a luncheon sponsored by Hewlett Packard on Friday, January 14 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.
The lists:
AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE TOWN
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER'S BONE
AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
THE BIG C
BOARDWALK EMPIRE
BREAKING BAD
GLEE
MAD MEN
MODERN FAMILY
THE PACIFIC
TEMPLE GRANDIN
30 ROCK
THE WALKING DEAD
AFI SPECIAL AWARDS
THE KING'S SPEECH
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN
