Movies I love that just barely missed the cut:





15. A Single Man


It’s fitting that this film would feature Julianne Moore, as it bears a passing resemblance in tone to Todd Haynes’ amazing Far From Heaven, which also featured the ageless class act. A Single Man
also deals with people dealing with repressed lifestyles in an era that
doesn’t understand them and it also features some beautiful use of
light and shadow, showcasing first time director Tom Ford’s skill as a
director after years as a leading fashion designer.

Using a lot of Mad Men‘s
crew and resources allow the period film to have a legit and warming
style, but this is all about texture and Colin Firth’s central
performance is everything it’s been hyped as. Elegant, nuanced, and
magnetic. And in many ways, sexy.

Contributing Factors: Great tone, great music, beautiful use of color, and a terrific bit of work from Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and Ozymandis.
Performance to Savor: Firth is unstoppable. I never liked the guy all that much. Now I am a fan for life.
CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Worth coming out of the closet for.”
14. (500) Days of Summer (CHUD review)(Buy the DVD/Buy the Blu-Ray)

It’s very hard to make a romantic movie that doesn’t absolutely suck a room dry of all its honestly. Too often there’s too much comedy, too much melancholy, or too much reliance on the magnetism of the cast. It’s a hollow genre built on the backs of date night and the need of two people to find something to make them either feel better about their relationship or strive for something more.

This is just a good little movie. Expertly made, wonderfully acted (Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to impress), and surprisingly inventive. A sweet, honest, and special flick.

Contributing Factors: Elegant filmmaking. Just enough coldness to balance the heart. Great work by the leads and a willingness not to keep things too tidy.
Performance to Savor: Levitt. I GET it now.
CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Don’t change Deschanel when this comes on!”
13. Brüno (CHUD review)(Buy the DVD/Buy the Blu-Ray)

It’s not as consistently funny as Borat. It’s got a few moments that try too hard. Bruno isn’t nearly as lovable a character as some of Sacha Baron Cohen’s creations. If you can’t stand the sight of penis…

But this is a very smart, bold, and hilarious movie. One that knows what buttons to push and just how to hold a mirror to society in a way that is both subtle and sledgehammer-esque. There are a few really big laughs here and they really deliver but there are some great little moments that help maintain the charm. There are also some really borderline moments where it seems the star is just asking someone to either kill him or maim him terribly.

Regardless, it’s a brilliantly loony bit of work. 

Contributing Factors: The willingness to hold a mirror to the insane shit we do as a race, even if life and limb are at risk. The love of the taboo. The absolute fearlessness of Cohen. A sybian used as a parenting tool.
Performance to Savor: Gustaf Hammarsten. It takes a lot of nut and skill to hang with Cohen. The guy is aces.
CHUD.com Pull Quote: “So great your penis will scream your name!”
12. The Brothers Bloom (CHUD review)(Buy the DVD/ Buy the Blu-Ray)

I like Brick. It’s a cool little movie…

But I love The Brothers Bloom. It’s as if Wes Anderson and David Mamet had a baby and that baby was adopted and breastfed by Steven Soderbergh and then allowed to live with Rian Johnson for the summer. The result is a bouncy and energetic con movie that never forgets to have fun. It could have too easily gone into dark territory but instead always has a mischievous streak running through it that keeps the sometimes familiarity of the story from becoming leaden.

Adrien Brody is terrific, as are Rachel Weisz and Mark Ruffalo. Robbie Coltrane does that Robbie Coltrane thing. But it’s a chance for the filmmaker to really have a lot of fun with the visuals, editing, and an amazing old school movie score supplied by his cousin Nathan.

The resulting film is just sublime. Nothing really that new about it (well except for Mrs. Aronofsky juggling chainsaws), but it all goes down like sweet nectar.

Contributing Factors: The best soundtrack of the year. Great work by all the leads. A terrific sense of energy and playfulness from Rian Johnson. A terrific ending, one better than I could have hoped for.
Performance to Savor: Brody. The guy is good, really good.
CHUD.com Pull Quote: “If you love filmmakers riffing and having a blast, this is the movie for you.”
11. Moon (CHUD review)(Pre-Order the DVD/Pre-Order the Blu-Ray)

This was a pleasant surprise. An actual smart science fiction movie not built around the typical backdrop, and one that tells a very concise and small story that is engaging and as enriching as any that have been done in decades. And by David Bowie’s kid of all people!

Sam Rockwell gets a place to showcase his considerable acting skill in a movie that the audience is best left knowing NOTHING about going in. It feels like a movie that was left in a vault in 1971 and released on the sly, a contemplative and unique one that will hopefully joing stuff like Primer in the all-too-small subgenre of post-2000 thinking person’s science fiction.

A great little movie people need to see without watching the trailer of or doing any research about. It’s not going to rock your world with its mysteries, but part of the charm of Moon is that it’s truly its own unique animal that starts good, continues to be good, and finishes good without any lulls or stupid action sequences.

Contributing Factors: Much appreciated stillness in a film. Sam Rockwell at the top of his game. The hilarious facial features of the Kevin Spacey robot (slang). Smart filmmaking and a true science fiction story. Great, unique visuals. Low tech loveliness.
Performance to Savor: Rockwell. Rockwell, and Rockwell.
CHUD.com Pull Quote: “Tom Cullen’s favorite movie ever!”