Film Feature: The Top Overlooked Films of 2010

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“Four Lions”

Four Lions
Photo credit: Film4

Chris Morris’ scathing black satire isn’t quite the masterpiece that “In the Loop” was, but it’s easily funnier than any other film released in 2010, and perhaps the only film worthy of being nominated in the Best Musical or Comedy category (take that Golden Globes!). After researching the widespread ineptitude of terrorists, Morris decided to become the first serious filmmaker to mine their fundamental absurdity onscreen. The results are profoundly squirm-inducing to say the least, but also rather cathartic. Some of the exchanges between British jihadist Omar (Riz Ahmed) and his bumbling band of brothers could’ve easily been performed by Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington. Like Dan Reed’s 2009 documentary “Terror in Mumbai,” this film illustrates how terrorists must become entirely dependent on others to think for them in order to be a “success.”

“Get Low”

Get Low
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Robert Duvall may not have many lines in Aaron Schneider’s slight yet splendid mystery, but he leaves an impact on the viewer that words can’t adequately express. He plays aging hermit Felix Bush as a prisoner of his own circumstances. It’s clear that something inside of him died a long time ago, but it’s unclear what or how until the end. That’s when Duvall is truly allowed to shine, and his climactic monologue is among this year’s most powerful and unforgettable moments in screen acting. The rest of the picture isn’t quite up to Duvall’s level, but it has a certain whimsical charm. As the local funeral director desperate for business, Bill Murray is looser, funnier and more playful than he’s been since…well, “Zombieland.”

“The Ghost Writer”

The Ghost Writer
Photo credit: Summit

In what I dearly hope will not be the final film directed by the great Roman Polanski, Ewan McGregor delivers his best work in years as the skeptical ghostwriter of a former Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan) harboring fatal secrets. There’s nothing particularly profound or innovative about this twisty thriller. It’s just one hell of an entertaining ride. Spectacular suspense scenes are peppered with Polanski’s signature brand of gleefully dark humor usually aimed at the luckless protagonist, who can’t ride a bike without it getting stuck in gravel. Brosnan is excellent as the ruthless politician whose benign façade becomes an object of morbid fascination, while Olivia Williams provides delicious intrigue as his wife. And let’s not forget the stellar work of composer Alexandre Desplat, whose score evokes the brooding sprit of Bernard Herrmann.

“I Am Love”

I Am Love
Photo credit: Magnolia

Though Luca Guadagnino’s unabashed melodrama was not overlooked by critics, its leading lady has been repeatedly snubbed in the Best Actress race. That’s somewhat of a travesty, considering the fact that Tilda Swinton has rarely been more ravishing than she is here, playing the role of a Russian immigrant straining to the perfect wife of a rich textile owner in Milan, when she begins to fall for her son’s friend, the gifted chef Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini). Like Aronofsky’s “Black Swan,” this film transcends its rather contrived script, thanks to spellbinding acting, direction and cinematography (courtesy of Yorick Le Saux). Paying affectionate homage to the Sirkian theme of forbidden love between classes, as well as Visconti’s portrayal of the upper-crust Milanese, “I Am Love” moves with the ebb and flow of a rapturous fever dream, as its characters become intoxicated by the allure of sudden passion.

“Youth in Revolt”

Youth in Revolt
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

Michael Cera may have been the wrong choice for Scott Pilgrim, but he was at the peak of his comic genius in Miguel Artera’s problematic yet riotously hilarious adaptation of C.D. Payne’s book series. His teenage characters speak with an eloquence beyond their years, while their minds (and hormones) remain fixed in adolescence. Think Charlie Brown meets “Superbad.” As horny hero Nick Twisp, Cera is finally granted the opportunity to stretch outside of the neurotic comic persona that he’s mastered, particularly when Nick adopts the alter-ego of mustached chain-smoker Francois in a desperate attempt to win the girl of his wet dreams, Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday). His character’s newfound assertiveness provoked applause and guffaws at the advanced screening I attended, and is sure to delight Cera fans on DVD.

Move on to page three for…drum roll please…The Top 5 Overlooked Films of 2010…