Underrated Movies

I have been thinking of all sorts of random topics that I can write about and this one was definitely one of the lists that I would like to cover on my blog. I am sure I could write about 100s of movies, but I would love to share some movies that people may have missed in years past. These could also have been movies that were overlooked in theaters.

Two of my favorite movies from last year Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and Kick-Ass, were movies that were not properly marketed, although I don't know how you could have properly marketed comedic action comic book/video game movies. People who knew about it were excited for it, but I am guessing a ton of people who would have really enjoyed them did not watch them. I have been preaching the greatness of these movies since I saw them. I just wish there was a way to get more people in contact with them. They are no doubt geeky movies, but that does not mean only geeks would enjoy them.

I recently watched Its Kind of a Funny story, and wrote about it in a previous entry of my blog, but I just think it is an all around good movie that even I was guilty of overlooking. It is funny, but I could also relate to the angst, and depression the main character was going through. I think lots of people have been through tough times psychologically.

Please don't stop reading this here, but I really enjoy Airheads. It has a decent rating of 5.7 on IMDB.com. I am not telling you that the story is great, but I think its a funny movie. Adam Sandler before he got too big, Brendan Fraser at the top of his game, and Steve Buscemi, all have some great scenes. Chris Farley is in this as well, not a lot, but in a decent role.

Big Fan: Comedian Patton Oswalt puts on a great dramatic performance. I really thought he could have been nominated for what he was able to do, but then again I might be a little biased. I guess this isn't completely a drama, more of a dark comedy, but either way I loved the slower pace, and the crisis that the main character is going through. Worth checking out for sports fans and non sports fans alike.

I guess I am going to just work my way through my dvd binder, I don't know when I will stop, I could just write a really long post and split it into a few parts.

Next in the binder is American Splendor. I think this movies was one of the first roles that drew Paul Giamatti lots of critical acclaim, I remember lots of them wanting him to be nominated for best actor for this movie. Its another movie in the drama/dark comedy spectrum. It follows the life of Harvey Pekar, who created a comic that followed his life. I love how the movie is made, and just about every aspect of the story in it. Really well made, and underrated in my mind. It has a score of 90/100 on metacrittic.com which is a very good score. Just a movie not enough people have seen.

Not something that has neccessarily been overlooked, but Baseketball is still such a very watchable movie, and it really foretold a lot of the issues that would come in the sports world. If you have not seen it, and lover comedies like I do, you have to watch it. I think its a comedy about sports, that works really well for a nonsports crowd.

Be Kind Rewind: I remember seeing a trailer for this movie online, and then I waited forever for it to be released in the Eau Claire area, but that never happened. Now it wasn't an amazing movie, it was though, a very heartwarming story with some good laughs in it.

Cinderella Man: Based on a true story, this movie is about a boxer, his family, and his manager during the depression. Starring Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti, it really showed a lot of what the depression was like for some people, and also how this everyman boxer could bring inspiration to lots of people in such a dark time. It really isn't a sports movie, it is so much more than that. I don't think it ever hit it that big at the box office. Definitely worth checking out.

Deep Blue Sea is a guilty pleasure of mine. I love me some LL Cool J and his parrot named Bird. I think this movie is entertaining, and I remember it from when i was in middle school. Its got some jumpy scenes but not scary really. I think its a great movie to watch with friends and laugh about.

Fanboys: this movie was delayed in its release for a few years, but its a funny journey of some kids to steal a copy of Star Wars Episode 1 so they can see it before it is released. Its a bit dated, but its an entertaining movie for Star Wars geeks.

High Fidelity: This is easily my favorite John Cusack movie. I also really like the sound track. I really seem to connect with movies about male heartache, because I am a romantic at heart and am yearning for my own romance. I am sure that I have gone through some of the different things that he went through in this movie. Trying to understand what the point of relationships are.

Hot Rod: Its from the guys who have since become more famous for their music in The Lonely Island. This comedy is quite clean, although it is kind of weird and random. It is very funny and will make you laugh no matter who you are.

Hot Shots and Hot Shot Part Deux: If you want to see Charlie Sheen in his prime, these are the movies to watch. They are slapstick humor parodies. I enjoy these movies, I can remember watching them when I was younger, I think the nostalgic feel that I have for these movies also helps in my enjoying them.

Kung Fu Hustle: The only foreign film that I have included on this list, although I was considering including Amelie, but I thought it was adequately rated. This movies is a Kung Fu Comedy, you have to watch some subtitles, but it is totally worth it. I remember being rumors of a sequel being made, but I don't think that has happened, so far at least. It has some good action to it, as well as some cool fight scenes. There are of course some slapsticky laughs, but I can't complain about that one bit!

Black Dynamite: This movie was a late addition to the list, mostly because it had just slipped my mind until now. Its a parody of the whole genre of Blacksploitation films. Its so well done, I know there is a sequel to this currently being worked on. It is comedic at times because of how it shows different things that happened in these exploitation films, but the story itself is funny and interesting. There are some fight scenes. It is definitely a movie that not enough people have seen.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:  Another guilty pleasure of mine. I would not argue that this is a good film, but that it is very enjoyable. I love the idea of combining the worlds of numerous literary characters into one world. The characters are all cool, and Sean Connery never hurts. This movie definitely appealed to my geeky side.

The whole Leprechaun series. These movies are my favorite bad horror movies. These movies are just so funny. I have to thank my older brother for being into them, he really turned me on to these movies. The series is up to 5 or maybe 6 movies. I have 1 and 2 on one dvd and 5 on another dvd. Jennifer Aniston is in the first movie. Some of the action scenes are so ridiculously funny, that you just have to see them.

Easy A: I passed this movie by when it first came out because, although I enjoy Emma Stone, I didn't think the story would be that interesting, but it really truly was. I am glad that I watched it, and it is actually on Instant Netflix, or at least it was. It is a funny story, but also has a very heartfelt side to it.

Mystery Men: This might be my favorite Ben Stiller movie ever made. Its a random group of "superheroes" I put that word in quotes because they have some of the least appealing talents out there. The town has a hero, played by Greg Kinnear, who is a sell out and is also kind of washed up. I don't want to spoil any of it for those who have not seen it. Really worth checking out, I promise!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: This is an anti-romantic movie of sorts, with Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. I think Dennings is quite underrated, she does a really great job in this movie. The movie has a lot to do with music, but also with life and with relationships. It really makes you think about those things, while also enjoying the movie.

Orange County: I love this movie. Colin Hanks and Jack Black have some great interplay in this movie. It also has some good John Lithgow action involved in it as well. Its about how someone learns to deal with his very messed up little family.

Poolhall Junkies: I found out about this movie from my roommate freshman year of college, its a lot like rounders, but involves pool. I think the dialog has a more jokes to it, and it generally more witty than Rounders. There is no Matt Damon or Edward Norton, but there is some Christopher Walken action and the brilliant Chazz Palminteri.

The Rocker: Another underrated movie from Emma Stone. It also has Rainn Wilson in it, and Jason Sudeikis, who as I am writing this is hosting the MTV Movie Awards. This movie has a very redemptive quality to it. And wow as I am writing this Emma Stone just walked on stage too. I guess I just had to write about this movie, it is fate. This movie is funny, and for the most part clean.

Short Circuit: This movie is a classic from my childhood. Who doesn't enjoy an 80's tale involving robots? This is just not the same type of robot movie, it has heart to it, and it also has Steve Guttenberg, and a guy who sounds like he doing a bad impression of Apu from the Simpsons. I will always have nostalgic feelings for this movie, but its also very entertaining.

Starship Troopers: This is one of those movies that I will always watch if it is on tv. It is just a very entertaining movie, that has some relationship drama built into it. Oh yeah and aliens, I forgot to mention the aliens. Its not the highest quality alien movie, but it is an entertaining one nonetheless.

Stranger Than Fiction: This might be my favorite Will Ferrell performance. He does such a great job of playing the straight man in this movie. I also enjoyed the performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal, and really all of the story in this movie.

Super Mario Brothers: This movie is a classic for what it isn't. What it isn't is a good movie. Its terrible, in fact. I really wish there would be a cool Super Mario Brother movie, but I guess i will have to settle for the terrible one. They somehow got Dennis Hopper to play King Koopa, but the story just does no really seem to make that much sense. Anyone who is familiar with the video games should be able to enjoy this bad movie.

The Terminal: I enjoy Tom Hanks' performance in this movie, and also Stanley Tucci's performance. A lot of this movie is about what some people are willing to do for love. I think that sums up a lot of it without giving away too much. You get to hear Tom Hanks talk in an accent. Isn't that enough to entice your interest?

Unbreakable: I think this is by far my favorite movie from M. Night Shyamalan. I love the job done by Samuel L. Jackson. I love the comic book-ishness of this movie. The movie does a pretty decent job of capturing the motives behind some people in the world, or what they would really be if supervillains existed.

And last but definitely not least, Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids is 89% fresh on Rottentomatoes.com and The Hangover part 2 is very rotten at only 35%. These number represent the percentage of reviews of the movie that were positive. I think this movie was just very original. Its not a chick flick, it just happens to be a very funny movie that happens to have mostly female characters.

Well I guess I have proven that I can write a long post about movies. I think this is a list that I can add to over time as well and repost the article, so comment a lot. Even suggest your own movies if you would like.

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.