It always happens. Several great movies get released in succession, and other movies just as great slip through the cracks and don’t get the attention they deserve. The following are the ten movies that fell off the radar because of a lack of media attention, a few bad reviews, or because they were trying to achieve something different. Let’s have a look at the 15 best overlooked movies of all time:
15. The Vast of Night (2019)
Nearly everyone in town is attending a school basketball game. Fay operates the switchboard, and Everett hosts a radio program. All at once, an odd sound comes through the line. The pair sets off to discover where it originated.
Taking place in 1950s New Mexico, The Vast of Night puts a darkened town to excellent use. A single voice on the phone can carry an entire scene. You strain to hear every word, then hope the caller will stop. It takes real courage to center so much of a film on people who sit and listen. Yet once those calls begin, walking through the town feels far less safe.
14. Coherence (2013)
Having dinner with friends can already be awkward enough. Throw in a comet and a power outage, and this group is in for a far worse night. Eight friends gather for a meal. Before long, a house down the street starts to look far too much like their own.
Coherence draws its scares from things you can’t quite put your finger on. Someone comes back through the door, and the room feels off. You’ll try to keep track of who went where, though the guests don’t offer much help. They’re frightened, and they make the kind of rash decisions you might make too.
13. Blue Ruin (2013)
Dwight is after revenge. He is terrible at it. Macon Blair portrays a man who lives in his car and returns home upon learning that the person who killed his parents is about to be released from prison. In most action movies, that would be the signal to load a gun and get to work. In this case, Dwight gets injured and has no clue how to tend to his own wounds. Blair seems out of his depth right from the beginning.
You can watch a poor decision take shape before he has even had a chance to realize it himself. Director Jeremy Saulnier keeps the violence grim, and then makes Dwight live with the consequences of what he’s done. You’ll spend much of this film hoping he’ll stop.
12. The Station Agent (2003)
Peter Dinklage makes a great deal of a single look here. As Fin, a man who inherits an old train depot in New Jersey, he craves room to be by himself. A talkative food vendor has different ideas.
Bobby Cannavale plays Joe, the kind of man who takes a brief reply as a signal to keep talking. Patricia Clarkson is Olivia, an artist carrying grief of her own. They keep running into Fin, and the film allows those brief chats to develop into a friendship.
A huge plot isn’t necessary when you care this much about who might stop by. You’ll understand why Fin wants some quiet, even as you hope Joe returns.
11. Leave No Trace (2018)
A home in the woods sounds peaceful, until you realize how much effort it takes to remain hidden. Ben Foster plays Will, a war veteran who lives with his daughter, Tom, in a forest close to Portland. They follow their own rules and know how to survive. Then they are discovered, and other people begin making the rules for them.
Debra Granik lets you see why Tom might long for a home with a roof, even as her father finds that way of life hard to endure. Neither of them has to say it outright in a grand speech. Thomasin McKenzie can say a great deal with a single glance at Foster. You watch Tom weigh what she wants against her fear of hurting her dad. It’s a difficult position for a child to be in, and the film gives her space to be more than just someone who has to care for him.
10. Moon (2009)
A year before we got Inception and a year after we got the juggernaut The Dark Knight, 2009 was a great year for movies. Avatar, Splice, Fast and the Furious, Inglorious Bastards, and Star Trek were just a few of the great movies we got to see.
Unfortunately for Duncan Jones’ Moon, it wasn’t a great year. It’s a shame because the movie was masterful. It should have gotten the same attention as all those movies mentioned. Hell, it was a better movie than Terminator Salvation and Wolverine: Origins.
In the movie, Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, who is nearing the end of his three-year contract. Along with Kevin Spacey, he is the sole caretaker of a mining base on the moon. The movie soon becomes a Fight Club when Sam Bell encounters another Sam Bell. Or does it?
9. Life Aquatic (2004)
Image Source: imdb.com
Life Aquatic is a strange movie, but hey, it’s Wes Anderson. Like all his movies, this is a charming film with plenty of laughs and soul.
It is understandable why it got the reviews it did. But listen, when have the reviews been right? 2016 presidential election, anyone? If you’ve ever enjoyed a Wes Anderson film, you can’t miss this.
8. I’m Not There (2007)
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A film about one of the best rock and roll living legends of recent times sounds like a great idea. Why not get Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw in the same movie?
That’s exactly what happened in I’m Not Here when they all played the same role. They all played Bob Dylan. Still, Cate Blanchett’s performance did garner praise, but the movie still fell off the radar. If you’re a fan of rock and roll, you can’t miss out on this experience.
7. Valhalla Rising (2009)
Probably the most brutal film on the list unless you’re a barbarian. Valhalla Rising is a bloody affair, but hey, don’t let that put you off. It stars Mads Mikkelsen, and if you can endure his cooking from Hannibal, you can stomach this movie.
Plenty of brutal movies get the recognition they deserve, but the problem with this movie is that it’s slow. The movie doesn’t focus on dialogue but on images and emotions. Naturally, you get one of the best performances by Mads Mikkelsen because of that.
6. Mary and Max (2009)
Image Source: imdb.com
Life’s unfair if you’re a claymation movie. It’s even harder if you have a good story, but many people don’t know you. That is the life of Mary and Max. The story revolves around two lonely individuals who become pen pals, considering they live halfway around the world.
Okay, the plot isn’t great, but the presentation is. I’m not talking about the visuals. I’m talking about the subject. The movie has not just one but many elements, ranging from loneliness to anxiety and depression. The movie did garner great reviews, but don’t take their word for it. It’s a movie not to be missed.
5. The Guard (2011)
Ireland meets the USA. What can go wrong? For starters, the movie isn’t as famous as it should be. Again, it’s like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang that deserves to be watched and rewatched.
It’s a comedy movie, so do yourself a favor and watch it, especially if you’re into buddy cop movies.
4. The Fountain (2006)
Image Source: IMDb.com
Beautiful, poignant, and strange. Well, 2 out of 3 isn’t always a win. But The Fountain is an exercise in filmmaking. People either love it or hate it. For some, it is a masterpiece, while for others, it’s 2 hours they’ll never get back.
Best to see if you’re a fan of the actors or the director before you sit down to watch this one.
3. The Grey (2011)
Why many people haven’t seen this is a mystery. Perhaps the movie’s greatest asset proved to be its undoing. It’s not your typical Liam Neeson film.
The movie couldn’t have come out at a worse time. Still, I can’t see anyone else pulling off that role other than Liam. Do yourself a favor and watch the film. Anyone who has watched it has something good to say about it, even the wolves.
2. In Bruges (2008)
This movie can be summed up as follows: one partly inconsequential dialogue, two scoops of outstanding artistic direction – okay, I’m getting carried away. But the movie does that to you. It’s a dark comedy film.
Great acting from everyone involved, even the dwarf. It’s a brilliant movie that focuses on ideas rather than action. You’ll find yourself laughing uncontrollably, only to tear up the next.
1. The Fall (2006)
It’s criminal that this film is not a classic. Released the same year we got classics like The Departed, Prestige, and Little Miss Sunshine, The Fall was a movie that hardly anyone saw. It’s one of the most gorgeous movies ever made.
The story and characters in it have all the ingredients for this to be a great movie. The story is simple, the visuals are breathtaking, and the ending is spectacular. If cinema is a visual medium, then The Fall is one of the best cinematic films in recent times.
Hope you like our list of the best overlooked movies of all time. Feel free to share your views in the comments below!
Moon such a mind blowing film