As the Oscars once again arrive on schedule, I am reminded of the movies that won’t be invited to partake in the festivities. There are many movies released every single year. Some are fantastically lucrative at the box office (The Avengers), some are critical darlings (Django Unchained), and some are epic in their scope (Argo). But there are others, films that fly so far under the radar you forget they even have a pulse, and yet they are dynamic movies. Every year these dynamic films disappear from theaters quickly because they don’t fit the other three categories I outlined above. I wish to pay homage to what I feel are the five most underrated films of the past 30 years.
5. Jackie Brown (1997)
I think I was one of the few people in my circle of friends/acquaintances who didn’t absolutely adore Pulp Fiction. While I like Tarantino’s style, there was always something about that film that just didn’t strike me as… funny. It was too overdone, in my opinion, whereas Jackie Brown took the idea to a new level. And too many people expected it to be just like Pulp Fiction, which it most certainly isn’t. The acting is well-done, particularly by Robert DeNiro and Pam Grier, and the timing is on throughout. It’s a long one, but it’s well worth it. Majorly underrated.
4. Better Off Dead… (1985)
This is the one film from my list that doesn’t hearken back to a time period I clearly remember. In fact, the first time I saw this movie was in 2005, a full twenty years after it was released in the theater. John Cusack got all the attention (well-deserved) for Say Anything… but Better Off Dead… may just be the better movie. It was much more subtle than Say Anything…, but it encapsulates the quirky nature better as well. If the 1980s were to be captured in one film, this is it. Ironically enough, John Cusack thought he was portrayed as way too quirky (huh?) and denies liking how the film turned out.
3. Sliding Doors (1998)
I will admit that Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t one of my favorite actresses, but I do like two movies that she was in: A Perfect Murder, and this one. I am a huge fan of alternate realities, so I was definitely interested in seeing how Peter Howitt (writer/director) handled it in film. Books tend to do the genre much better justice (go figure), but this is the one movie I think makes up enough ground between the two forms of media. It is very difficult to make the audience connect with a film that makes you think so much in order to follow the two different paths. Miss Paltrow does a fantastic job juggling both roles, however, and that makes the movie. It’s understandable why this film did poorly at the box office and in video sales, but for someone who likes alternate realities, this is the one you should see.
2. Road to Perdition (2002)
Tom Hanks was just coming off of two phenomenal films, 2000’s Cast Away, and 1999’s The Green Mile, when he arrived at theaters with Road to Perdition. This was Empire Boardwalk before Empire Boardwalk was even thought of, and Hanks was the bad guy for possibly the first time. I think audiences didn’t embrace him as such, which spelled doom for the film. At least at the box office. But I loved it from the start. Hanks’ performance is second-to-none, and Jude Law plays an able assistant/henchman as well. I would even venture to say it was one of the best dramatic films of the century so far. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of either Tom Hanks or of dark dramas.
1. Vanilla Sky (2001)
What’s most surprising about this movie even being on this list is that this was Tom Cruise at the height of his powers. With the success of Jerry Maguire, the Mission: Impossible franchise, and his star turn on 1999’s Magnolia, it was sky’s the limit, and it turned out exactly that way. Sky, of the Vanilla variety, was panned both critically and by fans, and I’m still not sure why. Sure, it is an odd film, stretching the limits of reality, but it featured two of the most bankable actors at the time (with his love interest, Penelope Cruz, as well), and it was well-advertised. But I think the disconnect was too evident, and I think the audience wanted to just watch “another Tom Cruise action flick,” and this wasn’t it. I love the movie precisely because it’s not just like any other Tom Cruise film, and because it was well-written and well acted.
Sam
Sam's Online Journal 