Previous 10: 7 October

A few remarks about the films below. 1.) Hunger is easily the finest film among these ten, but it may not get an official US release before the new year. If that's the case, void it and get it ready for 2009's best of. 2.) The Happening is easily the worst film on this list. I can appreciate those who found it howlingly awful, but it really has nothing going for it, unlike something like The Fountain. And yes Zooey Deschanel, who threw away any "hip cred" she wanted to get with her album after appearing in this film, looks like that photo I chose during the entire film. 3.) Even though I included The Visitor on the top list, I wasn't moved by it as so many others seemed to have been. Instead, I thought it was just a fine acting showcase for Richard Jenkins and Haaz Sleiman. 4.) I debated where Forgetting Sarah Marshall should fall on here, as I think I liked it, but couldn't say that I laughed much. It's the same way I felt about Knocked Up, but Knocked Up was pretty much better on every level. I guess I don't find the zany antics of male insecurity that funny. Hmmm. 5.) Jason Patric and Samantha Morton are perfect in Expired, and I know you've also missed seeing Illeana Douglas onscreen as I have.

La Crème

Expired - dir. Cecilia Miniucchi - USA - Truly Indie - with Samantha Morton, Jason Patric, Illeana Douglas, Teri Garr, Jonny Mack

Hunger - dir. Steve McQueen - UK/Ireland - IFC Films - with Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Stuart Graham, Liam McMahon, Brian Milligan, Lalor Roddy

Religulous - dir. Larry Charles - USA - Lionsgate - with Bill Maher

The Visitor - dir. Thomas McCarthy - USA - Overture Films - with Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Hiam Abbass, Danai Gurira

Les Autres

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - dir. Nicholas Stoller - USA - Universal Studios - with Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Russell Brand, Mila Kunis, Bill Hader, Liz Cackowski, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd

Four Minutes [Vier Minuten] - dir. Chris Kraus - Germany - Wolfe Releasing - with Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, Sven Pippig, Richy Müller, Stefan Kurt

A Secret [Un secret] - dir. Claude Miller - France - Strand Releasing/IFC Films - with Cecile de France, Patrick Bruel, Ludivine Sagnier, Julie Depardieu, Mathieu Amalric, Sam Garbarski

Shelter Me [Riparo - Anis tra di noi] - dir. Marco S. Puccioni - Italy/France - Wolfe Releasing - with Maria de Medeiros, Antonia Liskova, Mounir Ouadi, Vitaliano Trevisan

The Bad

The Happening - dir. M. Night Shyamalan - USA/India - 20th Century Fox - with Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, Betty Buckley

Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer - dir. Jon Knautz - Canada - Anchor Bay - with Trevor Matthews, Robert Englund