Top Ten Movies That Need Some More Recogntion

10. The Way Way Back (2013)
How this film has gone relatively unnoticed with its stellar cast is a mystery to me. It’s a coming of age story where you find yourself hating Steve Carell. Loving Sam Rockwell as a fast-talking jokester who owns a waterpark. And Liam James playing the awkward teen better than anyone you’ve ever seen. It’s a movie that delivers on more laughs than expected, and in the end you believe that it only takes one person to change your life forever.

9. Jeff Who Lives At Home (2011)
A simple story that is so perfectly character driven that a relatively boring storyline becomes an encapsulating tale of faith. Jason Segel plays a spiritual wonderer looking for a purpose. He also lives at home with his mother. But you don’t feel he’s exactly some kumbaya bum (though he kinda is). When Siegel ‘s character begins to experience coincidences that he connects to a higher power, not only are you convinced of this supernatural power, but you wish you were Segel or at least right next to him for the ride.

8. Street Kings(2008)
A cop drama chalk-full of corruption, double-crossing, and drama, Keanu Reeves is a corrupt cop with some heart. But Reeves, with his stern-like tone and demeanor, adds an assassin-like element to the character-type. Reeves blends good guy, bad guy, corrupt guy, and confused guy into a believable and entertaining character. Forrest Whitaker is also superb as the police chief who has dirt on everyone. Whitaker delivers a performance reminiscent of his Oscar-winning role in the “Last King of Scotland.”

7. Falling Down(1993)
We are all just a bad day away from mentally cracking. That’s what Michael Douglas shows us in this media/social satire. After being stuck in traffic for just a little to long. Douglas’ character embarks on a journey across Los Angeles to see his daughter. During his journey he experiences the city’s diversity of people in a plethora of situations. The movie is scary not because the main character goes crazy, but because we don’t want to admit that we see ourselves cracking just like him.

6. Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
It’s a movie that pays off in the end. The film is simply humorous and casual until its finale, where the performances of Bruce Willis, Josh Harnett, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, and Lucy Liu come together to deliver a mind-blowing experience.

5. Unbreakable (2000)
While it was critical acclaimed, the movie doesn’t get nearly enough praise like M. Night Shyamalan’s other two films, “Sixth Sense” and “Signs.” Unbreakable shows how Bruce Willis is more than an action star. And Samuel L. Jackson delivers his best performance since “Pulp Fiction.” It’s a drama that explores how people shouldn’t be afraid to embrace what’s special inside them using devilishly dark scenarios and real-life scenarios. Willis’ son in the movie is fantastic and the child actor makes you wonder, what if my dad found himself to be super powerful?

4. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Yes, yes. I know there is a sequel coming out in September and it was a commercial success in theaters. But despite all this, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs deserves more recognition. Its use of facial exaggeration is the best you’ll see in an animated film. And rooting for inventor Flint Lockwood is only a small treat in this creative world of interesting characters combined with a plot that is one of a kind.

3. Timer (2009)
This Indie film puts a spin on finding our one true love. It asks if you could know when you were going to meet your one true love, would you want to know? Maybe the journey is the most important part? The film is light and humorous and really explores the topic without blatantly addressing it. It’s a question we don’t ask ourselves because its not a possibility. But after watching the film, you realize that love is worth risking everything for, but just don’t forget to enjoy live while you’re searching.

2. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
With the success of “Argo” and “The Town” people should really go back and take a look at the film that started Ben Affleck’s directorial success. A contemporary film noir that has brother Casey Affleck starring as a mumbling private investigator, the movie takes you in a billion directions, but makes sure you don’t get lost. Unlike “Argo,” the film really questions one’s moral compass while asking the lifelong question, if we do something wrong for the right reasons does it make it okay? Even more nerve-raking question, who are we as people to decide what’s wrong?

1. The Jacket (2005)
So a veteran on his way home is framed for murder, but instead of going to jail is committed to a mental hospital. At the hospital the head doctor dude drugs the vet and puts him in a morgue drawer for hours with a stray jacket on. While in the drawer he time travels to the future where he meets the grown-up version of the little girl he met on the eve he was framed for murder. Also he finds out that he is dead in the future and the question becomes can he prevent his fate from coming true? So that’s the plot, got it?

Yes I know this sounds like some exciting thrill ride of a movie. But it’s not as mentally-complex as it sounds. Adrien Brody carries the film in a way that only he can. We are scarred when he is scarred, anxious when he is anxious. And the chemistry between him and Keira Knightley is electric despite minimal interaction between the two. Brody delivers several memorable scenes in the movie that not only make you root for Brody, but want to be him despite his less than favorable situation. His moments of despair are all too real. The film’s cinematography is quietly spectacular. The camera shots are simple but used to perfection. It’s a film that has you begging for more Brody and it’s a piece that you won’t regret watching.