Top 5: Overlooked Movies
Overlooked Movies is the next Top 5 - a topic that I feel utterly unqualified to examine. Preparing a list of films that deserve a larger audience is a noble aim that all critics should relish, but I started this blog in an attempt to continue my own film school education, so therefore my list of overlooked films will not be as sophisticated as a seasoned filmmaker or pundit. Nevertheless, we soldier on. For this list, the films considered must be gems that the general public most likely are not familiar with, but definitely should be.
Gibelwho Productions Presents Overlooked Movies:
5. Down with Love
4. Noises Off…
3. What Dreams May Come
2. Duplicity
1. 13th
Down with Love (2003): A modern sex comedy made in the style of the 1960s pillow talk flicks starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day, this film is half homage and half parody. With bright colors, overly melodramatic acting, and numerous plot twists, this romantic comedy rises above a mere chick flick. Renee Zellweger in particular delivers a stunning performance of a monologue where she recounts the film’s plot with her newly revealed twist - all in one shot with no cuts. These few minutes of her brilliant non-stop acting earned this films place on the list just by itself, but the charming music video that plays during the closing credits, which teamed Zellweger with Ewan McGregor (who both had recent successful turns in film musicals), is the icing on an already scrumptious movie cake.
Noises Off… (1992): In 2002, I visited New York with my theater group and we saw an evening performance of the Noises Off… revival on Broadway. We were fortunate to get seats close to the front and myself, along with twenty or so fellow teenagers, discovered the joyous hilarity of the antics in the play within a play; I was laughing so much my sides hurt and tears were streaming down my face. Difficult for a film adaptation to live up to that magical theater experience, but Noises Off… manages to capture much of what made that night special. The madcap mishaps, comedy of errors, and miscues all add up multiple laughs that I wish more people could have the pleasure to experience.
What Dreams May Come (1998): The film follows Robin Williams as he enters the afterlife and gives a hopeful and artistic vision of heaven, one inspired by paintings as a connection to the land of the living. When his wife on Earth commits suicide, he chooses to enter into Hell in order to find her. Williams gives an incredibly empathetic performance, one that shows more depth than his more popular comedic past. Although a lesser known Williams film that explores more serious subjects, it is incredibly compelling and one that has become more relevant since his passing.
Duplicity (2009): The film follows two con artists who team up to steal from their major corporate employers, each who are racing to develop the next big product that will make them millions of dollars. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen are a delight to watch and the script demands the viewers attention by including beat by beat twists and turns. For example, a particular section of dialogue is used several times throughout the film, each time with different meaning due to the unfolding context of the story. The film is funny, sexy, and complex, and is a shame that it is one of Roberts and Owen’s lesser known films.
13th (2016): The basis of this list is to cite films that more people should be exposed to - and this is overwhelmingly the case with Ava DuVernay’s documentary film. Tracing the history of mass incarceration of black people from the ending of slavery with the Thirteenth Amendment in the US Constitution to the modern day prison industrial complex that focuses on incarceration for profit, DuVernay weaves together an educational narrative that features many different voices articulating the outrage that is our country’s prison population today. This film should not be overlooked - it should be screened in classrooms, legislative floors, and in prisons where men and women who are locked up can understand the current state of the union and we all can begin action to break the cycle that DuVernay documents.
Honorable Mentions:
Maria Full of Grace (2004): This film won a great deal of recognition when it was released, hence it was not included on the main list, but it still deserves to be mentioned. The story follows Maria, who in desperation becomes a drug mule that travels between Colombia and the US. With a heartbreaking performance by Catalina Sandino Moreno that tackles harrowing subject matters, the film should be seen as a reminder of the real world girls who undertake these desperate and dangerous crossings.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013): It is questionable whether a Coen brothers film can be considered overlooked these days, but this film may be lesser known amongst their broader canon. The film follows a down on his luck folk singer portrayed by Oscar Isaac, a man constantly getting in his own way, yet has the musical talent to truly move the hearts that hear his songs. The music is the hidden gem in this film, with Isaac displaying real talent, and contributions from Marcus Mumford, The Punch Brothers, Justin Timberlake and more, all under the direction of T Bone Burnett.
Weiner (2016): This film is a stunning look at political momentum that crashes down through one man’s continued folly. The filmmakers had unfettered access to politician Anthony Weiner’s attempted comeback in the 2013 New York City’s Mayoral race, which means they had an up close view when his second sexting scandal became public. Watching the disbelief of Weiner, his staffers, and his wife as everything crumbles around them is incredible and almost unbelievable that they allowed this all to be captured on film; when asked why they were given this access, Weiner can only muster a resigned shrug. A must see trainwreck.
