So, we've finally closed the book on 2010. Now, even as we transition into the newest year, this is when many people reflect back on the season before. In the movie world, this is also when critics and movie lovers take the time to review yesteryear year tweakyip. And undoubtedly, this is awards season. With the Critics' Choice Awards in only several weeks and the Oscars significantly less than 8 weeks ago, suffice to say the red carpet is officially out.

Today, I'm going to throw myself into that very ring even as we bring you Couch Potato Club's 2010 Movie Awards. In advance, though, I wish to proceed and say, I'm going to get this done diverse from those big award shows. For just one, you'll see a number of the typical categories, but likewise you will see some off-beat ones. Also, call me crazy, but I believe the largest factor in judging a movie is its entertainment value. Granted all the other little facets of earning a movie help to make a movie better, however I believe entertainment succeeds a movie's technical prowess in order to define whether it is good or not. So, you won't be seeing me awarding these "artsy" movies just for their "cinematic achievement" (whatever the hell that is). Instead, I'll be judging on good ole entertainment value (with acting, story, etc. playing factors).

So, without further ado, here would be the winners of the very first annual Couch Potato Club Movie Awards.

Best Film: Inception

For me personally this came down to Inception and Black Swan.I've honestly spent days mulling it over in my head which would be my movie of the year. However, in the end, Inception wins out. Inceptionwas also perfect in a sense. With intelligent writing, good acting, fun action, great cinematography and so on and so on, the movie turned out to be awesome style with great substance. Nolan proved once more here why he is certainly one of (if not THE) most sought after filmmakers today. A narrative genius. After watching this movie, it made me realize just what a god-send Nolan would be to Hollywood really. Everybody in Hollywood ought to be taking notes. This is exactly how a blockbuster movie ought to be done. Let's not kid ourselves, blockbuster action movies will continue being the bread and butter of Hollywood for a while to come. While this is alright, the issue usually is based on that they're so shallow and cliche and just "eh" ;.They usually just depend on cool action sequences and awesome looking special effects. Not Inception, though. This movie provides all that, but actually brings substance to that particular style giving us an engaging and mind-bending/intelligent storyline to go with it. This perfect blend makes Inception my movie of the year.

Best Actor: James Franco - 127 Hours

I've said it before and I'll say it again: you wish to test the merit of an actor? Throw him in a movie where he is virtually the only person ever on-screen and he has to transport the entire movie himself. Where the complete weight of the entire movie rests most assuredly on his shoulders. Will he shine? Will he crumble? This is the test. Others have proven themselves in the exact same way (Will Smith, Tom Hanks). And truly I believe this (and the "retard role") is one of many biggest ways to test an actor and see if he's one of many greats. So, enter James Franco and 127 Hours.Playing a mountain climber that gets trapped under a boulder and is all alone, Franco is left to transport an entire film on his own. Does he succeed? Damn right he does. With flying colors at that. Keeping it interesting, conveying a selection of emotions through the film and sucking you in all by himself, Franco clearly shows he'd the mettle to tackle this kind of daunting task and come on top. For that reason, he's my actor of the year.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Natalie's performance in the Aronofsky psychological thriller is completely brilliant. Her best work to-date in my opinion. Playing a position that will require her to eventually transition from sweet little naive princess girl to girl-gone-wild (in a dark side kinda way), she hits every beat without missing a step. I believe the largest factor for an excellent actor/actress is range. You can now shine in a part that has been just made for them (in line making use of their natural persona), but range and playing different personas/characters is where an actor/actress can show their true prowess. In Black Swanalone, Natalie Portman has shown, in only the 2 hours, that she has more range than most actresses around. She exhibited more range in a single performance than most do within their entire career. For this kind of brilliant performance Natalie Portman gets my vote as actress of the year. I don't think this is even up for debate.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale - The Fighter

Here's another that I'm is just a given and isn't up for debate. Bale absolutely stole the show in every scene he appeared in The Fighter.The weight reduction alone shows Bale's dedication to his craft. Furthermore, the way he surely could lose himself for the reason that crackhead persona and in to the role of Dicky Eklund just further proved what a fantastic actor Bale is. To actually demonstrate how brilliant his performance was, the video clip of real-life Dicky during the credits showed you simply how well Bale nailed that performance. It had to almost be like looking in a reflection for Dicky.

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo - The Fighter

Yes, the supporting cast of The Fighter was just great. They're those that kept this movie afloat. Leo's turn because the "white trash" overbearing mother was great and was another (along with Bale's performance) that really helped this movie shine. Without these two, The Fighter bombs.

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan

Like I said, best film was down to Black Swan and Inception for me. Aronofsky's work here was damn near perfect. This was an exceptionally directed movie. From the camera shots to the music to the story-telling to what he got out of his cast, Aronofsky did a good job in conveying this thriller story very aptly on all levels. As one of the best modern directors, it's no real surprise that Aronofsky continues to impress year after year.

Best Screenplay: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin - Black Swan

For me personally, screenplay/story is just about the biggest factor in determining whether a movie is entertaining. Afterall, lacking any intriguing and entertaining story, your movie is merely going to suck. However, it's no real surprise that this, for me personally, came down to Black Swan and Inceptionagain; both movies vying for my Best Film award. However, in the end I have to go with Black Swan edging out in this category. The story was great in my opinion. Very thrilling and intriguing story that left you on your own seat the complete while through. To top it off, though, was all of the subtext present through the film. From the "life imitates art" to the "greed can consume us all" to the commentary of simply how much pressure can be put on an entertainer and the risks they ensue when losing themselves in an efficiency in order to be "perfect" ;.This script had it all and fired on so many cylinders. Truly was a good story and I loved how the key character's life began to mirror the very character she was attempting to play on stage.

Best Ensemble Cast: The Fighter

I suppose after the prior supporting awards, this would come as no surprise. However, I will say I was also seriously considering The Town with this award which had an excellent all-around performance from its entire cast. However, the cast of The Fighter performed well in all areas. Even Mark Wahlberg was decent enough (and I don't particularly look after him). Though, he was the weak link and his actual character was boring. However, everyone turned in fine performances that, in general, really pulled you into the household in the film. Then a performances of Bale and Leo really just pushed the overall ensemble on the top. Meanwhile, Amy Adams delivered an excellent performance as well standing out.

Breakout Performance of the Year: Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone

The movie itself, I discovered was fairly overrated. However, Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone did an absolutely wonderful job of playing the role of Ree Dolly. If not on her behalf, the entire movie would have been a wash. However, her performance was excellent to watch. It managed to get even more worthwhile as I obtained to witness that this girl is truly a very adept actress. Before this, I had only seen her in 'The Bill Engvall Show' where she plays the normal cliche ditzy teenage girl. Which, honestly, there are a million and one girls in the nation that may pull that off tweakyip. Watching her go from that ditzy teenager to the gritty and convincing performance was definitely a treat for me personally and showed me her worth. For that, she receives my Breakout Performance of the Year award.