With the year of 2016 almost at the halfway point, it’s a good time to start looking back at some of the films we may have missed this year. Seeing as the off-season is getting busier and busier with every year, more modest to wonderful hits are getting buried by those that would steal their thunder. For every Deadpool or Captain America: Civil War, there’s at least one other flick that’s not getting the love they deserve. That said, keep your eyes peeled for the following 11 flicks that are well worth your time, and just might be hitting a Redbox kiosk near you in the near future.
Eddie The Eagle
When a feel-good sports picture does its job, it hits you hard. This year, Eddie The Eagle did just that, as it combined an endearing Taron Egerton with a cranky Hugh Jackman, to make the most heartwarming comedy two comic badasses could front. Much like the true story at the heart of the film’s plot, Eddie The Eagle is all about victory of the heart, rather than pure athletic prowess. It’s not a hard hitting film, but it’s a pretty damned warm blanket of an underdog story that also serves as a reminder that the summer Olympics are coming, and another underdog will need the world’s cheering.
The Witch
Are you a horror fan that craves a slice of delicious living, or at the very least an old school horror flick that takes a minimalistic approach? Then The Witch requires your signature in blood, as it is a scare based entertainment that trades in modern trappings for a stripped down, measured approach to scares. Is there gore? Yes. Is there a palpable presence that said evil possesses? Quite a couple actually. But most importantly, is the ending a cop out? It’s safe to say that no, it is not. In fact, the ending is the cherry on the psychologically twisted sundae that the film serves up, and it is indeed, delicious.
The Nice Guys
Yes, we’re going to tell you to see The Nice Guys again. No, we’re not going to apologize, as Shane Black’s 70’s themed noir-comedy is as delightful as advertised – and then some. With the team of Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe charming and disarming the audience with their shenanigans, one hell of a period based soundtrack, and the usual tight visuals / comedic timing you’d expect from Black’s best films, we can’t recommend this one enough. And considering the film’s fast decline on the box office charts, it sadly looks like we’re right.
Keanu
How? How could you have missed Key and Peele’s action-comedy, centered around an adorable little kitten? While Keanu may have been the motivation for the film's’ plot, the wisecracking humor and nonstop action also helped this film make for a fun ride at the movies. Not to mention, the film serves as a secret parody of The Boondock Saints, which plays out just as hysterically as you’d hoped. Keanu is everything a summer comedy should be, and above all else, it has a real cat that’s just waiting for you to ooh and aww at it whenever it appears on screen. So technically, this film doubles as a stress reliever.
Triple 9
Ask anyone who’s been around the movie industry, and they can tell you that an ensemble cast is either a sign of a good script attracting even better talent, or the indication that a script needs a lot of help. Triple 9 is a case of the former scenario, as John Hillcoat applies his gritty viewpoint on the world to a more urban / modern setting. Thankfully, he doesn’t lose his teeth, and it’s partially thank to an all-star cast that should have spelled success, but unfortunately got lost in the shuffle.
Sing Street
Adolescence is hard enough in its natural form, but if you couple that with trying to form a successful 80’s pop band, it’s just going to complicate things to a whole other level. Which is why John Carney’s Sing Street struck a chord with the inner child in all of us, as its creative tribute to the era of pastels and the rise of another rather successful Irish band entertained us to no end. That, and the film has the added benefit of showing co-star Aidan Gillen on screen in a capacity that doesn’t involve threatening children.
Midnight Special
It’s hard to imagine a film like E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial working outside of a sugar-coated Spielbergian fantasy. Yet Jeff Nichols manages not only to turn Midnight Special into that exact sort of film, he does so with a more adult veneer to the plot detailing a father and his specially powered son on the road trip of their lives. With Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, and Adam Driver all part of the all-star cast, it’d be easy to focus solely on the adults. That’s not the case though, as up-and-comer Jaeden Lieberher plays the extremely gifted child, who feeds off of the performances around him and amplifies their worth.
Everybody Wants Some!!
The fact that Everybody Wants Some!! somehow slipped under the popular radar baffles us to no end, as it’s technically a "spiritual sequel" to Richard Linklater’s cult classic, Dazed and Confused. And somehow, that’s exactly what happened to the 80’s flavored college picture, which is just as effective and memorable as its predecessor. Don’t let the lack of big names fool you, Everybody Wants Some!! is the sort of film you could easily kick back with on a summer night, with a cold beer and open eyes.
Green Room
It’s a bold claim to say that Green Room is going to be the best thriller you see this year, but it’s one we’re willing to back up. All at once claustrophobic and expansive, Jeremy Saulnier’s indie survival thriller pits Anton Yelchin and his bandmates against Patrick Stewart and his skin headed brethren. Yet with that sort of description, the film doesn’t devolve into chaotic scenery chewing. The villains are as smart, if not smarter, than our heroes; but our heroes have heart, and rational thinking skills. The last 20 minutes of this film are tauter than most product out there now, and the ending is a perfect cap to all that comes before it.
Demolition
"Jake Gyllenhaal tears down his house, after becoming fed up with a malfunctioning vending machine." The log-line almost makes Demolition sound like a Funny or Die short waiting to happen. It’s only when you take into account the fact that this machine malfunctioned during the loss of his wife, thus fueling a heavy journey of introspection and deconstruction, that Demolition starts to sound like the champion of a film it really is. Never has an extreme home makeover been more emotional, and in some parts, more hysterical.
High Rise
Class warfare and dystopia are pretty in when it comes to the movie business, and while The Hunger Games and Snowpiercer have done pretty effective jobs when it comes to exploring this well trodden ground, they were still pretty safe. High Rise doesn’t play safe, starting with its 1970’s setting, and working its way up to its all-star cast of social climbers, lead by a sometimes nude Tom Hiddleston. Sure, it seems like a more vertically moving version of Snowpiercer, but instead of giving us a typical "hero’s quest," we’re treated to a psychological examination of a man who has everything… except a solid grip on the world around him. With the year of 2016 almost at the halfway point, it’s a good time to start looking back at some of the films we may have missed this year. Seeing as the off-season is getting busier and busier with every year, more modest to wonderful hits are getting buried by those that would steal their thunder. For every Deadpool or Captain America: Civil War, there’s at least one other flick that’s not getting the love they deserve. That said, keep your eyes peeled for the following 11 flicks that are well worth your time, and just might be hitting a Redbox kiosk near you in the near future.
Eddie The Eagle
When a feel-good sports picture does its job, it hits you hard. This year, Eddie The Eagle did just that, as it combined an endearing Taron Egerton with a cranky Hugh Jackman, to make the most heartwarming comedy two comic badasses could front. Much like the true story at the heart of the film’s plot, Eddie The Eagle is all about victory of the heart, rather than pure athletic prowess. It’s not a hard hitting film, but it’s a pretty damned warm blanket of an underdog story that also serves as a reminder that the summer Olympics are coming, and another underdog will need the world’s cheering.
The Witch
Are you a horror fan that craves a slice of delicious living, or at the very least an old school horror flick that takes a minimalistic approach? Then The Witch requires your signature in blood, as it is a scare based entertainment that trades in modern trappings for a stripped down, measured approach to scares. Is there gore? Yes. Is there a palpable presence that said evil possesses? Quite a couple actually. But most importantly, is the ending a cop out? It’s safe to say that no, it is not. In fact, the ending is the cherry on the psychologically twisted sundae that the film serves up, and it is indeed, delicious.
The Nice Guys
Yes, we’re going to tell you to see The Nice Guys again. No, we’re not going to apologize, as Shane Black’s 70’s themed noir-comedy is as delightful as advertised – and then some. With the team of Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe charming and disarming the audience with their shenanigans, one hell of a period based soundtrack, and the usual tight visuals / comedic timing you’d expect from Black’s best films, we can’t recommend this one enough. And considering the film’s fast decline on the box office charts, it sadly looks like we’re right.
Keanu
How? How could you have missed Key and Peele’s action-comedy, centered around an adorable little kitten? While Keanu may have been the motivation for the film's’ plot, the wisecracking humor and nonstop action also helped this film make for a fun ride at the movies. Not to mention, the film serves as a secret parody of The Boondock Saints, which plays out just as hysterically as you’d hoped. Keanu is everything a summer comedy should be, and above all else, it has a real cat that’s just waiting for you to ooh and aww at it whenever it appears on screen. So technically, this film doubles as a stress reliever.
Triple 9
Ask anyone who’s been around the movie industry, and they can tell you that an ensemble cast is either a sign of a good script attracting even better talent, or the indication that a script needs a lot of help. Triple 9 is a case of the former scenario, as John Hillcoat applies his gritty viewpoint on the world to a more urban / modern setting. Thankfully, he doesn’t lose his teeth, and it’s partially thank to an all-star cast that should have spelled success, but unfortunately got lost in the shuffle.
Sing Street
Adolescence is hard enough in its natural form, but if you couple that with trying to form a successful 80’s pop band, it’s just going to complicate things to a whole other level. Which is why John Carney’s Sing Street struck a chord with the inner child in all of us, as its creative tribute to the era of pastels and the rise of another rather successful Irish band entertained us to no end. That, and the film has the added benefit of showing co-star Aidan Gillen on screen in a capacity that doesn’t involve threatening children.
Midnight Special
It’s hard to imagine a film like E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial working outside of a sugar-coated Spielbergian fantasy. Yet Jeff Nichols manages not only to turn Midnight Special into that exact sort of film, he does so with a more adult veneer to the plot detailing a father and his specially powered son on the road trip of their lives. With Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, and Adam Driver all part of the all-star cast, it’d be easy to focus solely on the adults. That’s not the case though, as up-and-comer Jaeden Lieberher plays the extremely gifted child, who feeds off of the performances around him and amplifies their worth.
Everybody Wants Some!!
The fact that Everybody Wants Some!! somehow slipped under the popular radar baffles us to no end, as it’s technically a "spiritual sequel" to Richard Linklater’s cult classic, Dazed and Confused. And somehow, that’s exactly what happened to the 80’s flavored college picture, which is just as effective and memorable as its predecessor. Don’t let the lack of big names fool you, Everybody Wants Some!! is the sort of film you could easily kick back with on a summer night, with a cold beer and open eyes.
Green Room
It’s a bold claim to say that Green Room is going to be the best thriller you see this year, but it’s one we’re willing to back up. All at once claustrophobic and expansive, Jeremy Saulnier’s indie survival thriller pits Anton Yelchin and his bandmates against Patrick Stewart and his skin headed brethren. Yet with that sort of description, the film doesn’t devolve into chaotic scenery chewing. The villains are as smart, if not smarter, than our heroes; but our heroes have heart, and rational thinking skills. The last 20 minutes of this film are tauter than most product out there now, and the ending is a perfect cap to all that comes before it.
Demolition
"Jake Gyllenhaal tears down his house, after becoming fed up with a malfunctioning vending machine." The log-line almost makes Demolition sound like a Funny or Die short waiting to happen. It’s only when you take into account the fact that this machine malfunctioned during the loss of his wife, thus fueling a heavy journey of introspection and deconstruction, that Demolition starts to sound like the champion of a film it really is. Never has an extreme home makeover been more emotional, and in some parts, more hysterical.
High-Rise
Class warfare and dystopia are pretty in style when it comes to the movie business, and while The Hunger Games and Snowpiercer have done pretty effective jobs when it comes to exploring this well trodden ground, they were still pretty safe. High-Rise doesn’t play safe, starting with its 1970’s setting, and working its way up to its all-star cast of social climbers, lead by a sometimes nude Tom Hiddleston. Sure, it seems like a more vertically moving version of Snowpiercer, but instead of giving us a typical "hero’s quest," we’re treated to a psychological examination of a man who has everything… except a solid grip on the world around him.
