Like I said in my underrated Disney movies post, not every movie can be a hit. Sometimes, they get panned by critics. Others just aren’t as well-known. For whatever reason, the movies on this list are mostly ignored by the film community, and I hope to change that. Will it work? No. Do I love these movies anyway? Absolutely. I’m only including films I haven’t talked about before on this blog, so just go into this knowing that I still recommend Inside Llewyn Davis, Ophelia, About Time, and Hail, Caesar.
Unicorn Store
Watching this movie actually inspired me to write this list. It’s one of my new favorite movies--and I’ve never heard anyone talk about it. Ever. And to be honest, I’m not sure why. It’s got two major stars--Brie Larson (the film also serves as her directorial debut) and Samuel L. Jackson, and everyone knows they play flawlessly off each other, as seen in Captain Marvel. The story follows Kit (Larson), who fails out of art school and takes a job at an advertising firm. It looks as if this job is going to finally quell her free spirit when she gets a letter from The Salesman (Jackson), and when she goes to The Store, it’s revealed that if she can prove herself worthy, he will get her a unicorn--which she’s dreamed of since she was a child. Sure, it’s whimsical and just the slightest bit weird, but it’s also heartwarming and made me cry, so that’s a definite plus. It’s one of my favorite films I’ve ever watched, and I think everyone should see it. If you’re interested in watching it, it’s currently streaming on Netflix.
The Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Taika Waititi’s love letter to his homeland of New Zealand goes shockingly underappreciated for a film by one of the most well-praised directors of the current time. It’s a coming of age story combined with a road trip that doesn’t actually concern a road, and it has no right working as well as it does. Teenage Ricky (Julian Dennison), who we’re immediately given a list of the faults of, is handed off to another foster family, this time with Bella (Rema Te Wiata), who doesn’t try to change him--just accept him. He finds his place there (alongside his new dog Tupac); however, a life-changing event that’s better experienced for the first time while watching the film, he finds himself on the run through the New Zealand bush with nobody but Tupac and his foster father Hec (Sam Neill), who never took to him chased by his officer Paula (Rachel House), who likens herself to the Terminator. It’s absolutely a wild ride, and I loved every second of it. The relationship between Ricky and Hec is so beautiful, and the actors play off each other flawlessly. Like Unicorn Store, it’s currently streaming on Netflix, and honestly, what are you waiting for?
Spies in Disguise
Hear me out: Spies in Disguise is actually good. The voice work by all the actors, especially Will Smith and Tom Holland, is fantastic, and it’s got an important lesson about friendship and how you can find unlikely allies everywhere--including in pigeons. Holland portrays Walter, a super-smart yet incredibly geeky teenager (you know, as he tends to do these days) who gets a job working for HTUV, the secret agent agency employing Lance Sterling (Will Smith), the current best secret agent. However, he’s not very good at his job, and nobody really takes him seriously--that is, until he tells Sterling he can make him disappear. After a minor run-in with the law, Sterling tracks down Walter and, while trying to find what will make him disappear, drinks a potion, for lack of a better term, that turns him into a pigeon. It’s just as weird as it sounds. Holland and Smith are a powerful duo that I never would have seen coming, the jokes were far more mature than I ever expected them to be, and the supporting cast including Ben Mendelsohn and Karen Gillan really add depth to the movie. Spies in Disguise is an unexpectedly good movie that I recommend to anyone who enjoys animated movies. It’s currently streaming on HBOMax, but I’ve seen it coming on the movie channels on DirecTV, so there are plenty of places to watch it.
A Monster Calls
Ever wanted to cry over the sad tale of a tree monster, a young boy, and his mother who has cancer? Cool! Here’s the movie for you! Based on the book by Patrick Ness (who also wrote Chaos Walking, which, if you’ve been following my blog, you know I adore), A Monster Calls follows the story of Conor O’Malley, a young boy who, upon finding out that his mother’s cancer has worsened, is visited by a monster that comes from the yew tree in his backyard. The monster (voiced spectacularly by Liam Neeson) offers Conor three stories in exchange for one: his own. With shining performances from Felicity Jones (Rogue One) and Sigourney Weaver (Alien) in secondary roles, A Monster Calls leaps from the screen and into the viewers’ hearts. This story is best experienced when you aren’t aware of what’s going to happen in each of the stories the monster tells (or in Conor’s), so I’m going to refrain from saying too much more other than you should definitely find a place to watch this movie and do so as soon as possible. I promise you, it’ll change the way you look at life.
Yesterday
You know what? I didn’t think this movie was going to be good. I’m not a huge fan of The Beatles, but it looked funny, and I watched it. And it was actually super entertaining. As you are probably aware, the story follows Jack, a struggling musician, after he wakes up after a blackout and realizes that nobody but him remembers the Beatles. Jack, in search of both success and the chance to share the music he grew up loving with those around him, begins rerecording their music. Obviously, since humanity is apparently hardwired to adore the Beatles, he finds the validation he has been searching for. It’s a sweet movie, and I definitely recommend it.
Tolkien
This might be the love I have for the Lord of the Rings trilogy in both movies and books messing with my taste in things, but I enjoyed every minute of Tolkien. Maybe I was blinded by the academic aesthetic of the whole thing, which was one of the best parts of it. Anyway, this movie’s worth watching even if just for the friendship the titular character shares with his school friends, which seems lifted straight from the pages of the screenplay of films such as Dead Poets Society. Lily Collins shines as Edith Bratt, Tolkien’s love interest and later wife, and the scenes she and Nicholas Hoult shared were some of my favorites in the entire movie. I really just think this is a fun, cute movie that everyone should give a try, especially if they’re fans of biopics.