The 20 Best Lesser-known Movies from 2010
Some of the best movies I have seen this year, but none of them had any kind of advertising, and most didn't get a reasonable release until they came out on DVD in 2010. Go rent them today - they deserve to be seen!
List activity
10K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
20 titles
- DirectorJ BlakesonStarsGemma ArtertonEddie MarsanMartin CompstonA rich man's daughter is held captive in an abandoned apartment by two former convicts who abducted her and hold her ransom in exchange for her father's money.Quite literally one of the best films ever made, The Disappearance of Alice Creed is a riveting thriller driven by extremely interesting characters.
- DirectorNigel ColeStarsChristopher WalkenAlessandro NivolaSharon StoneThe son of a thrifty conman begrudgingly joins his father on the road.One of my personal favourites of the year. It stars Christopher Walken, Alessandro Nivola and Sharon Stone on a road trip, but the best kind of road trip. It's a comedy on the surface, very funny, but with real characters and perceptive insight into who they are.
- DirectorDerrick BorteStarsDemi MooreDavid DuchovnyAmber HeardA seemingly perfect family moves into a suburban neighborhood, but when it comes to the truth as to why they're living there, they don't exactly come clean with their neighbors.The Joneses is smart, original and inventive. It takes "Keeping up with the Joneses" to new places that I never thought of.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsZac EfronClaire DanesChristian McKayIn 1937, a teenager is cast in the Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar", directed by a young Orson Welles.I would have assumed that Richard Linklater, one of the greatest screenwriters, would have earned more respect than what the studio showed him with this film. Finally with its DVD release this year, people should be able to see the spectacular performance by Christian McKay as Orson Welles and the great work that Linklater did in this coming-of-age dramatization.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsMadeline CarrollCallan McAuliffeRebecca De MornayTwo eighth-graders start to have feelings for each other despite being total opposites.Flipped is a very cute story of young love. Our young heroine and hero are great and funny characters and performed flawlessly by the young actors. It's extremely well written and over all a great film especially for fans of the genre.
- DirectorJac SchaefferStarsEmma Caulfield FordScott HolroydKali RochaIf a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know?An extremely inventive romantic comedy, TiMER puts a smart, original and science-fiction spin on the genre.
- DirectorJames IvoryStarsOmar MetwallyAnthony HopkinsCharlotte GainsbourgOmar wants to write an authorized biography on a dead writer and travels to a farm in Uruguay to meet the trustees - the writer's brother, widow and cute mistress/mother of his daughter.Like a good book, The City of Your Final Destination has intricate characters in detailed locations and is a great film for literature fans.
- DirectorRobert SiegelStarsPatton OswaltKevin CorriganMichael RapaportA hard-core New York Giants fan struggles to deal with the consequences when he is beaten up by his favorite player.A soulful examination of a New York Giants football fan. Big Fan is a dramatic character study but when a plot develops it becomes a dark comedy.
- DirectorRussell BrownStarsAustin PeckBryce JohnsonRoma MaffiaTwo writers must face a dilemma that is common to anyone who has ever had an artistic friend: what happens when you have to give feedback, and the news isn't good? Sam, an aspiring screenwriter, and David, a successful magazine editor, have been pals for years. When David doesn't appreciate Sam's latest attempt, it opens a fissure in their friendship, one that spreads through the rest of their lives. Ultimately, both men must reevaluate their motivations to write, their need for praise and validation, and what it means to see yourself as you actually are.Very funny when they analyse a script, very personal when it touches on the true nature of friendship, and very introspective when they scrutinize personal motives. Funny, but The Blue Tooth Virgin cuts to the core of writing and artistic expression.
- DirectorRaymond De FelittaStarsAndy GarciaJulianna MarguliesSteven StraitPrison guard Vince tells Molly from acting class, that one inmate is his 24 y.o. love child. Vince takes him home to stay with his family - straight A son with fat girl fetish, college dropout/stripper daughter and cute wife.City Island is the type of film that should be up for Best Cast Ensemble of the Year. A dysfunctional family dramedy that's high on the dysfunction and comedy, and centers on Andy Garcia who should be winning all major acting awards if only the studio gave this film a decent release.
- DirectorTim Blake NelsonStarsEdward NortonKeri RussellHenry Max NelsonAn Ivy League professor is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown, where his twin brother, a small-time pot grower, has concocted a scheme to take down a local drug lord.Starring Edward Norton and Edward Norton in a phenomenal performance, Leaves of Grass is a fantastic dark comedy. It's violent and funny, and it's also a character study at its heart.
- DirectorRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsChristian CookeFelicity JonesTom HughesA 1970s-set comedy centered on three young working class friends in a dreary suburb of Reading.Written and directed by Ricky Gervais, Cemetery Junction is not at all what you would expect. It's a funny and touching look at coming-of-age in 1970s England. It features a fantastic cast of young new-comers.
- DirectorCheryl HinesStarsMeg RyanTimothy HuttonKristen BellA high-powered attorney duct tapes her adulterous husband to the toilet ... right before their home is invaded by burglars.Serious Moonlight is more than a romantic comedy, and also the opposite. It's a darkly comic take on getting a divorce with a few crimes thrown in for good measure.
It's the last film by the late, great Adrienne Shelly. Money earned from her films goes towards a foundation in her name that helps women film-makers achieve their dreams. I recommend spending your money on Serious Moonlight. Rest in peace, Adrienne. - DirectorEllie KannerStarsBijou PhillipsIan SomerhalderJane SeymourWhen things get tough for Carys Reitman (Bijou Phillips), she does what any emotionally-isolated girl would do: she goes to strangers' funerals.Wake is an interesting, thoughtful film. It passes itself off as a romantic comedy but it takes some darkly comic and also some insightful turns. It stars Bijou Philips as Carys Reitman, one of the more interesting and weirdly-sympathetic characters in the genre, rounding it off as more of a character study than romantic comedy.
- DirectorEdward BurnsStarsMax BakerKerry BishéEdward BurnsJohnny Rizzo is about to trade his dream job in talk radio for some snoozeville gig that'll pay enough to please his fiancee. Enter Uncle Terry, a rascally womanizer set on turning a weekend in the Hamptons into an eye-opening fling for his nephew. Nice guy Johnny's not interested, of course, but then he meets the lovely Brooke, who challenges Johnny to make the toughest decision of is life.Again, Nice Guy Johnny is just a romantic comedy, but writer and director Edward Burns is great at making romantic comedies. It's a small film, but it stars up-and-coming actors with real, engaging chemistry, and ultimately, it's cute, funny and nice.
- DirectorDaryn TuftsStarsChristopher GorhamAlyssa MilanoMichael LandesJesse meets Ethan, someone she could finally fall in love with, but then she meets Troy, and now she has a dilemma.Okay, so My Girlfriend's Boyfriend is just a romantic comedy, and not quite as original as the film-makers probably intended, but for fans of the genre, it is way more thoughtful and with actual effort put into it by the writers and actors than any of the big budget romantic comedies available.
- DirectorPaul SchneiderStarsBilly CrudupPaul GiamattiDavid HornsbyA comic tale of three would-be entrepreneurs who set out to invent a rocket belt. The clash of their mismatched personalities soon dissolves the business into a morass of recriminations and retaliations, kidnapping, and murder in this parable of American dreams and delusions.Pretty Bird has great actors exploring complex characters, with an inventive premise about an inventive company. It's funny and smart.
- DirectorJake GoldbergerStarsThomas Haden ChurchElisabeth ShueMelissa LeoDon McKay, a high school janitor who leaves his hometown after a tragedy, returns 25 years later to rekindle a romance with his old flame, who is dying, but this homecoming brings McKay more than he bargained for.Don McKay is definitely out there. But it's a well made film where they tried piecing together different genres. It didn't work for some but I thought it was a rather ingenious attempt to be original. It's a dark thriller meets character study meets romantic drama, and then after that it takes even stranger turns.
- DirectorJim StrouseStarsSam RockwellEmma RobertsRob CorddryA comedy centered on a has-been coach who is given a shot at redemption when he's asked to run his local high school's girls basketball team.The Winning Season is like every other sports film wtih a down-on-his luck coach who turns around a struggling sports team. But this one stars Sam Rockwell, and as such, it is genuinely funny and dramatic.
- DirectorJulio DePietroStarsAlexis BledelScott PorterBryan GreenbergCalm and quiet Daniel starts on Wall Street. His womanizing colleague, Tommy, encourages him to meet women. He unknowingly meets Tommy's girlfriend, Beth, and ends up in her 5 women book club. Will he find the woman?The Good Guy sounds as if it's another twenty-something girl sorting out her love life and career in a romantic comedy. The very surprising thing which puts this film above its competition, is that it's a drama, dark and somber.