Who Should Win Big at the AFI Awards for 2010 Films?

When viewers look for a serious take on the best films of the year beyond what wins the Oscars, they often look to The American Film Institute. It's a non-profit organization, as well as a nationally recognized independent institute with a mission to educate people on film. It also aims to preserve the films of the past, present and future.

At the end of each year, AFI chooses to honor what it deems as the top ten films of the year. AFI recently acknowledged its list for the best best films of 2010: "The Social Network," "The Kids Are All Right," "Inception," "Winter's Bone," "True Grit," "127 Hours," "Toy Story 3," "Black Swan," "The Town," and "The Fighter."

To look at why such films were chosen and to guess which films will ultimately make the top spot at the award ceremony, it helps to look at the people were on the 2010 jury for AFI. Among them were Jane Gaines (Columbia University), Leonard Maltin (famous film critic, "Entertainment Tonight"), Diablo Cody (producer/writer), Claudia Puig (USA Today), and Tom Pollock (Chair, AFI Awards Jury for Motion Pictures).

As its official website promises, the purpose of the AFI Awards is to honor excellence in the moving image arts. It also tends to award films that move the art form further, movies that make you think and feel by forming the art of the motion picture in an innovative way. For these reasons, I feel that the top movie by AFI will be "Black Swan."

While I agree that Natalie Portman's performance-and the beautiful, strong vision by Darren Aronofsky-should be tying at the top for the amazing film that is "Black Swan," my personal favorite from the list in "The Kids Are All Right." The real and surreal aspects of the story of what really is an ordinary family in odd circumstances in "The Kids Are All Right" really moved me. The strong direction and memorable acting kept the film in my mind for months after I saw it.

I am still crying over "Toy Story 3." It's a movie for any kid who ever really loved her teddy bear or doll. I also think it and "The Town" should win big at the awards. I have seen all but three of the AFI nominated films, and I think they chose wisely.

However, I am still looking for "Formosa Betrayed" on the list of AFI Top 10 Movie List of 2010. In my opinion, "Formosa Betrayed," which stars Will Tiao and James Van Der Beek, has an important message, superior writing, and excellent direction, and it also earned a place on the AFI Top Movies of 2010.