The Best Films Not Enough People Have seen
This is a list compiled of films that may not be on the radar of most people. Some might be small independent films, others might be foreign films. Some might even be films with big stars that went unnoticed.
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- DirectorBrad AndersonStarsWoody HarrelsonEmily MortimerBen KingsleyA Transsiberian train journey from China to Moscow becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder when an American couple encounters a mysterious pair of fellow travelers.A twisty Hitchcockian like film that doesn't shy away from the legendary directors similar traits. Includes a superb cast.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.One of the better murder mystery films I've ever seen. Memories isn't about solving the murder and catching the person that's responsible. It's more of a character study about the lives of the investigators and how murder cases can literally consume ones life.
Memories of Murder feels a lot like Zodiac in many ways. - DirectorNorman JewisonStarsHoward E. Rollins Jr.Adolph CaesarArt EvansAn African-American officer investigates a murder in a racially charged situation in World War II.Another great murder mystery. A Soldier Story is known for the very strong performance from a very young Denzel Washington in one of his first roles.
Tons of great supporting performances all around. Adolph Caesar was nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar nomination. The film was also nominated for Best Picture.
I know it's crazy to call a film that was nominated for Oscars as underrated, but I have rarely met anybody that has seen it. - 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 must see for fans of football. Everybody knows that one obsessed sports fans. Hell, you might even be that person. Big Fan is an entirely realistic portrayal of such a fanatic. Unlike Robert DeNiro in The Fan.
Patton Oswalt gives the best performance of his career. He's actually an underrated actor. - DirectorCarl FranklinStarsDenzel WashingtonTom SizemoreJennifer BealsA Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.Another Denzel Washington film that I just never hear people talking about. Devil in a Blue Dress is a modern day noir film. It's equipped with everything you would find in your typical noir film including long-legged dames and some great narration from Denzel.
- DirectorChristopher MorrisStarsWill AdamsdaleRiz AhmedAdeel AkhtarFour incompetent British terrorists set out to train for and commit an act of terror.I get it. It's kind of hard to sell a film that follows a bunch terrorists, especially when that film is a comedy.
The terrorists are portrayed as bumbling fools. More importantly, they are portrayed as normal people. Four Lions supplies quite a few big laughs, but will also have you contemplating where terrorists come from and what makes them tick. Ouch...bad pun. Some of them just get wrapped up in the moment for all the wrong reasons. - DirectorRémy BelvauxAndré BonzelBenoît PoelvoordeStarsBenoît PoelvoordeJacqueline Poelvoorde-PappaertNelly PappaertA film crew follows a ruthless thief and heartless killer as he goes about his daily routine. But complications set in when the film crew lose their objectivity and begin lending a hand.Yikes. Two hard sells in a row. Man Bites Dog is not for everybody. It's a documentary style film that literally follows a serial killer around town as he's committing these awful crimes.
During his kills, the killer will literally turn to the camera and give tips about his craft. It's disturbing and darkly humorous at the same time.
The fact that the film is shot in black and white assures that there is literally no shred of warmth in the film. - DirectorGuillaume CanetStarsFrançois CluzetMarie-Josée CrozeAndré DussollierAn accidental discovery near a doctor's estate stirs up some painful memories eight years after his wife's hideous murder, and now, things are bound to take a turn for the unexpected. Does the good doctor know more than he's letting on?Based on a Harlan Coben book and is currently being remade for American audiences. Tell No One is one of the better thrillers I've seen in a while. Hollywood has kind of stopped making true thrillers, to it's refreshing to find one here.
There are tons of twists and turns in this one, but it's played very well and always kept me guessing. - DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsBrigitte LinTakeshi KaneshiroTony Leung Chiu-waiTwo melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.Chungking Express is a breath of fresh air compared to a few of the films earlier on my list. To put it simply, Express is about love and how finding it isn't always an easy task.
Sometimes it's fast and straight forward. Other times it's a winding road with numerous detours along the way. Chungking Express also includes a killer soundtrack. Making great use of the Momma's and Poppa's California Dreaming. - DirectorJonathan MostowStarsKurt RussellJ.T. WalshKathleen QuinlanA man searches for his missing wife after his car breaks down in the middle of the desert.What's not to like about Breakdown? It has action, thrills, mystery and tons of twists. I'm not sure why, but this Kurt Russell film has gone completely under the radar for over 15 years.
- DirectorJoe CornishStarsJohn BoyegaJodie WhittakerAlex EsmailA teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion.Attack the Block is such a fun survival horror film. The genre has become kind of bloated over the years, but Attack the Block is a welcome addition. It never takes itself too seriously, and that's a good thing.
In a weird way, I got a Goonies vs. aliens vibe from this one. - DirectorGregg ArakiStarsBrady CorbetJoseph Gordon-LevittElisabeth ShueTwo pre-adolescent boys both experienced a strange event and later it affects their lives in different ways. One becomes a reckless, sexually adventurous prostitute, while the other retreats into a reclusive fantasy of alien abduction.A young Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives an amazing performance as a young adult dealing with the fact that he was molested by his baseball coach as young boy. He then reconnects with a friend from his childhood who was also molested by the coach, but he has repressed it.
I very solid film about how molestation can ruin ones life. - DirectorHenry BeanStarsRyan GoslingSummer PhoenixPeter MeadowsA young Jewish man develops a fiercely anti-Semitic philosophy. Based on the factual story of a K.K.K. member in the 1960s who was revealed to be Jewish by a New York Times reporter.Another film with a very strong performance from one of today's biggest actors. The Believer stars Ryan Gosling as a Neo-Nazi that is trying to change his ways.
The Believer echoes many of the themes of American History X. - DirectorChristine JeffsStarsAmy AdamsEmily BluntAlan ArkinIn order to raise the tuition to send her young son to private school, a mom starts an unusual business -- a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service -- with her unreliable sister.Sunshine Cleaning is an uplifting film that features two of the best young actresses working today in Emily Blunt and Amy Adams. They play sisters who start a business that deals with cleaning up crime scenes.
The film really focuses on the complicated relationship between sisters. - DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsRalph FiennesAngela BassettJuliette LewisA former cop turned street-hustler accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in Los Angeles in 1999.Kathryn Bigelow has been showered with praise recently (and rightly so) for her films The Hurt Locker and last years Zero Dark Thirty. Before that she was known for the Patrick Swayze/Keanu Reeves sunburned surfer caper flick Point Break.
That's too bad because Strange Days is a superior film that might have been a little ahead of it's time. Strange Days is easily one of the better sci-fi films of the past two decades. - DirectorMikael HåfströmStarsClive OwenJennifer AnistonVincent CasselWhen two married business executives having an affair are blackmailed by a violent criminal, the two must turn the tables on him to save their families.Another film that seems to borrow a lot from the works of Alfred Hitchcock. Especially Strangers on a Train. I don't think Derailed gets enough respect for being a solid thriller with some good twists and a decent payoff. Maybe it will be one of those films that finally starts getting more attention in 30 years.
- DirectorAdrian GrunbergStarsMel GibsonKevin BalmoreDaniel Giménez CachoA career criminal nabbed by Mexican authorities is placed in a tough prison where he learns to survive with the help of a young boy.There was a time when Mel Gibson's name meant big box office. Now you can find him in the direct to DVD bin at Wal-Mart. If you find Get the Gringo in the bargain bin, pick it up.
It's vintage Gibson and one of the more satisfying films I've seen from Mel in a while. Gibson plays a two-bit thief that crashes his car over the Mexican border while fleeing from police. His idea is that Mexico would be a better option. So much for that. He finds himself in a Mexican prison that looks more like a little city. It includes shops, clubs and even families. It's also run by a ruthless drug lord.
Mel soon befriends a young kid. There's more to it than that, but I won't give it away. You're going to have to dig through the bargain bin or check Netflix. - DirectorCraig ZobelStarsAnn DowdDreama WalkerPat HealyA normal Friday service at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is going on.I'm not sure what's more disturbing. The storyline of Compliance or the fact that it's based on a true story.
Some of you might remember the story of a fast food worker who was asked to strip naked and do many other unspeakable acts all because she was following orders over the telephone from somebody who she thought was the police.
It's an interesting film and makes you think about how far people will go when they are trying to follow rules. Compliance will also have you contemplating the fact that it's never a bad thing to stand up for yourself if you are being asked to do something you don't believe in. There's nothing wrong with saying no. - DirectorDavid Hugh JonesStarsRobert De NiroKathy BakerEd HarrisTwo Vietnam vets search for the strength to face up to their horrific war experiences, but their friendship begins to splinter when one becomes romantically involved with the other's sister.Jacknife was filmed a town over from me, so I kind of had to see it. Considering it has such a great cast (DeNiro and Ed Harris) I hardly every hear anybody talk about it.
Jacknife is sort of like a poor man's Deer Hunter without the Vietnam flashbacks. - DirectorWoody AllenStarsColin FarrellEwan McGregorHayley AtwellThe tale of two brothers with serious financial woes. When a third party proposes they turn to crime, things go badly and the two become enemies.Ewan MCGregor and Colin Farrell play brothers that turn to a life of crime during desperate times. I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan, but I think this one has gone unnoticed and I'm not sure why.
Colin Farrell never seems to get the benefit of the doubt for roles like this and that's too bad because he gives a very strong performance here.