Off the Radar or Underappreciated Movies
Movies that didn't get a lot of publicity, but I thought were terrific
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22 titles
- DirectorMenno MeyjesStarsJohn CusackAmanda PeetBobby ColemanA science-fiction writer, recently widowed, considers whether to adopt a hyper-imaginative 6-year-old abandoned and socially rejected boy who says he's really from Mars.You got to thinking if this kid really was from Mars. The young boy was fantastic
- DirectorSteven SchachterStarsWilliam H. MacyMeg RyanLL Cool JA Hollywood producer starts with his nephew's script on Disraeli, Jewish PM in 1800s UK, and ends filming in Cape Town with a black action star. Will a movie be made? Will he score Deidre?Very offbeat and funny. William Macy is very underappreciated as an actor
- DirectorGarth JenningsStarsBill MilnerWill PoulterJessica HynesDuring a long English summer in the early 1980s, two schoolboys from differing backgrounds set out to make a film inspired by First Blood (1982).British film with lots of laughs and some very tender moments as well. All around great family movie
- DirectorJessie NelsonStarsSean PennMichelle PfeifferDakota FanningAn intellectually disabled man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.Total tearjerker. Sean Penn's best role ever.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsJodie FosterLiam NeesonNatasha RichardsonIn a remote woodland cabin, a small-town doctor discovers Nell - a beautiful young hermit-woman with many secrets.Jodie Foster was amazing in this role
- DirectorGary RossStarsTobey MaguireJeff DanielsJoan AllenTwo 1990s teenage siblings find themselves transported to a 1950s sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that colorless, complacent world.
- DirectorBill PaxtonStarsShia LaBeoufStephen DillaneElias KoteasIn the 1913 U.S. Open, twenty-year-old Francis Ouimet played golf against his idol, 1900 U.S. Open champion, Englishman Harry Vardon.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsElliot PageMichael CeraJennifer GarnerFaced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.Not sure this was under publicized, but certainly under appreciated. This was Ellen Page's coming out movie and she and Michael Cera were hysterical
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsGeorge ClooneyJohn TurturroTim Blake NelsonIn the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsMatthew MacfadyenPeter DinklageEwen BremnerChaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.Terrifically funny British version of the movie...
- DirectorMarc AbrahamStarsGreg KinnearLauren GrahamAlan AldaRobert Kearns takes on the Detroit automakers who he claims stole his idea for the intermittent windshield wiper.Great movie about man vs corporation
- DirectorBob ClarkStarsTimothy HuttonRobert UrichKim CattrallJimmy Lynch is angry because his older brother, who was injured as a result of an off duty fire rescue, is denied benefits by the city.Timothy Hutton was great in this forgotten gem
- DirectorDrew BarrymoreStarsElliot PageDrew BarrymoreKristen WiigIn Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock-loving misfit finds a way of dealing with small-town misery after discovering a roller-derby league in nearby Austin.Ellen Page was outrageous in this coming of age movie.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsWill SmithMatt DamonCharlize TheronA down-and-out golfer attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddie.Not really a movie about golf, it's about relationships. Xlint flick
- DirectorAri GoldStarsAri GoldMichael McKeanJane LynchIn his quest to become the world's greatest air-drummer, a small-town dreamer must overcome obstacles and ridicule to save the day.Who would have thought a movie about air-drumming could be so entertaining?!
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJohnny DeppFrank LangellaLena OlinA book broker discovers his latest find may summon Satan.One of Johnny Depp's lesser known movies, but he (and it) were terrific
- DirectorMatthew VaughnStarsAaron Taylor-JohnsonNicolas CageChloë Grace MoretzDave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a superhero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.This is a must see. Nicholas Cage plays second fiddle to a 12 year old girl... I had a s**t eating grin on my face throughout the whole movie
- DirectorGary RossStarsTobey MaguireJeff BridgesElizabeth BanksTrue story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation.Great horse story but an even better people story.
- DirectorJessica YuStarsJimmy TsaiAndrew VoKhary PaytonA kid dreams of playing professional basketball in order to escape his dead-end job, living in the suburbs, his bossy older brother and running his Mom's ping pong classes.
- DirectorCharles Herman-WurmfeldStarsAdam CarollaOswaldo CastilloHeather JuergensenA 40-year-old who gave up a promising amateur boxing career 21 years ago is offered a path to the Olympics.
- DirectorGiuseppe TornatoreStarsTim RothPruitt Taylor VinceMélanie ThierryA baby boy discovered on an ocean liner in 1900 grows into a musical prodigy, never setting foot on land.
- 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.