I’m going to be gradually adding to my Top 10 Indie Films of 2010 list, since, well, the year’s not over and I’m expecting to watch at least another five or so pictures which have the potential — yes, I know, it’s very last minute of me! — of making the grade.

Have no fear, folks. The cat will remain firmly in the bag until month’s end, but suffice it to say the following films are definitely in the running:

• Jens Pulver | DRIVEN: Gregory Bayne‘s exquisite documentary on UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver poignantly depicts the life of the aging mixed martial artist and brawler and he’ll be looking forward to in the years ahead, cauliflower ears, mashed nose, and battered body and all. Superbly shot. Many emotional moments, which is unusual for an indie documentary.

• The Grover Complex: Karen Bullis‘ & Fernando Noor‘s maiden picture about the life and angst of a phallus-obsessed teenage dude, Grover, and his struggle to find acceptance amongst both his peers and foes — not to mention the girl he loves — is more on the dramedy side, but an excellent film for what the filmmakers had to endure to make their production a reality.

• World Full of Nothing (WFON): Jesse Pomeroy‘s scintillatingly-good examination of our interwebs-centric culture and the gullibility of Joe Public online comes full-frontal in this spartanly — though excellently — shot film about what happens when internet celebrity culture is carried way beyond the pale.

• Yesterday Was A Lie (YWAL) : I personally think that writer-director James Kerwin is a living, breathing genius who accidentally happened across filmmaking and the cinematic arts one fine day. Prepare for a noir-era throwback as actors Kipleigh Brown and Chase Masterson remind us why we never wanted the 1940s to end…

• Solitary: Greg Derochie‘s $50,000 genre-shattering mystery thriller starring newcomer Amber Jaeger is enough to cause you to develop a hankering for independent film yourself. Grab the RED ONE camera, some of your acting/filmmaking friends and fans, and shoot the hell out of a script that sings. I’m not shocked this film garnered as many audience awards as it did. It was that good!

• Baystate Blues: Mark Lewis aims an invasive beacon on the grit of life’s complicated relationships in his inaugural ensemble feature shot for an astonishingly low $18,000. In a dialogue-heavy piece such as this one (by necessity, due to the lowness of the budget) casting was truly everything, and Lewis chose sagely.

Four more titles to go…and a couple of weeks left…stay tuned.

One Response to “2010 Top Ten Indie Films | Work-In-Progress”