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movies/tv Underrated/Overlooked Movies?


Spidey10

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Wanted to talk about some movies that I really like/love that either failed at the box office, were slammed by critics, or just really aren't talked about that much.

 

9- Based on an Oscar winning short film and produced by Tim Burton, 9 is a PG-13 post apocalyptic animated film that takes place in an alternate 1930's world where machines have killed all life on Earth, but this scientist manages to transfer parts of his soul into nine ragdolls before dying. The last doll, 9 is destined to stop these machines and continue life on Earth. This film got a mixed reaction from critics and audiences upon release and didn't do well for Focus Features, but I think this film is a well directed, dark, and beautifully animated film that's worth seeing.

 

Legend Of The Guardians The Owls Of Ga'Hoole-  I'm actually a pretty big Zack Snyder fan. I love 300, Watchmen, Man Of Steel, and Batman V Superman (Ultimate Cut). But the one film of his that I rarely see discussed is his animated film based on the book series Legend Of The Guardians. I actually think this is one of his best film and a great adaptation of the first 3 books in the series. It follows a barn owl named Soren as he meets his heroes in the Guardians Of Ga'Hoole, a group of warrior owls who protect the world from the evil Pure Ones led by Metal Beak (Who gets Soren's brother Kludd to join them). A classic hero's journey tale mixed with gorgeous animation, cool mythology, and exciting action makes for a great experience. Such a shame this movie never got a sequel.

 

Swiss Army Man- When you hear about a movie that follows a guy befriended a farting corpse, you'll probably think "Who thought of this dumb idea?" And yet the directors and A24 found a may to make it work. This film is really funny (Yes the fart jokes actually work) and charming with great performances from Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, Prisoners, There Will Be Blood) and Danial Radcliffe (Showing once again that he can be more than just Harry Potter).

 

The Accountant- A very underappreciated action film. Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff, an autistic accountant who makes his living uncooking the books of criminal and terrorist organizations around the world. As someone with autism, I thought Affleck pulled off the role really well and the film was more character focused than I expected. Strong supporting performances by Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, and John Lithgow as well.

 

A Silent Voice- I watched this anime film on Netflix a couple of months ago and it's one of the most emotional films I've seen in awhile. It's about this teenage boy who bullied a deaf girl in school during his middle school years. He feels incredible amounts of remorse for his actions and is trying to make things right with the girl. Like I just mentioned, the film is incredibly emotional (Kind of teared up towards the end). You feel angered at the protagonist for what he did, but you see that he has changed and really does feel sorry. 

 

8mm- I feel kind of bad for Joel Schumacher. Because of how bad Batman And Robin turned out, he's now viewed by many as a punchline. But I think some people forget about other movies that he's made like The Lost Boys and 8mm. This film stars Nicolas Cage as a private investigator who's trying to solve this murder mystery where this woman was killed on film. The film is really dark and creepy (Understandable given the subject matter) and Cage gives a really good and committed performance. Yes I love insane over the top Cage as well, but he's also a really strong actor in general. You also have Joaquin Phoenix and James Gandolfini in supporting roles.

 

Macbeth/Assassin's Creed- I decided to put 2 Justin Kurzel films on here as he's become one of my favorite filmmakers right now. With Macbeth, he made my personal favorite Shakespeare adaptation with great performances from Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, a powerful score by his brother Jed Kurzel, and some of the best cinematography I've ever seen. And with Assassin's Creed, despite the fact that it was a big failure with critics and at the box office, I'll still defend it. It's not flawless, but I thought his visual style fit the film and it's lore really well and once again he got strong performances from Fassbender and Cotillard and got his brother to make another amazing score. It's a film that gets better on multiple viewings IMO. Best video game film ever made.

 

Warrior- This film was my favorite film to come out of 2011. Director Gavin O'Conner (Who also made The Accountant) made a powerful drama about two estranged brothers (One a teacher and the other a former marine) and their formally alcoholic father. Fantastic performances from Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte. 

 

Stardust- Based on a novel by Neil Gaiman (Coraline), Stardust is a magical fairy tale about Tristan who meets a fallen star from the sky (Now in human form) named Yvaine and eventually starts to fall for her while an evil witch is out to use her for eternal youth and beauty. This film captures the magic of a fairy tale like story so well, Charlie Cox and Claire Danes play off each other incredibly well, and there's a supporting character in this film played by Robert De Niro that's so unexpected for a De Niro character and it's amazing.

 

Vampire's Kiss- When a lot of people think of Vampire's Kiss, they seem to think of it as a so bad it's good movie starring Nic Cage similar to The Wicker Man. I disagree. This film is meant to be a dark comedy about an already unstable and not so great man who thinks he's turning into a vampire. So Cage's over the top and screaming performance here is actually brilliant (You also get to hear him scream out the whole alphabet). Cage has actually said that this is his favorite role that he's played and he was so dedicated to the role that he actually ate a real cockroach in one scene.

 

So those are some films that I consider underrated or underappreciated, but what about you guys? What would be some of your picks? What do you think of mine? Comment and let me know and thanks for reading. :0)

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5 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

Two movies I seem to be alone in that I loved them.

 

"Hudson Hawk" (1991)

"Tank Girl" (1995)

 

 

I have yet to see either, though Tank Girl looks like fun.

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No underrated/overlooked movies really come to mind, but looking at your list I do have some thoughts. I would say "9" wasn't overlooked as it was nominated for best animated feature. But of course, maybe underrated. It's score on rotten tomatoes is 57% and I would say that's kind of low, but I would only put it in the 65%-70% bracket personally, so not exactly labeling it as great. I would say the film is not very rewatchable for much besides the art and tone of the film. Not many films like it, but characters are a lil stale and plot is a leaves much to be desired, but yes a good film. 

A Silent Voice, I find many people that watch it definitely say that it's a great film, but I would def. say it's underrated like wow. I was crying hard in that film, one of the most satisfying films I've ever seen and one of the best animated films I've watched. Such an original story about friendship and self love and just wow! I saw it and wow the next day I watched it again. Def, wanna watch it again soon. In my top 10 fav films (must mention that there's like 20 films in my top 10 cuz it's hard to choose favs XD)

Swiss Army Man is def one of my fav films as well (like in my top 40). Totally agree that the film just works great, tho I can see how some could see how the film to a turn towards the end of the film. Def. have to look much more metaphorically to enjoy the film, and I could def. see that being a turn off for some peeps, because the link in meaning is somewhat muddy, and someone could say "it's up for interpretation," but like that works for some films, and I could see both sides of the argument that it doesn't work here, but I find personal meaning within the film. 

Legends of the Guardian was a film I saw when I was younger and I was like wow! such a great film, and then never watched it again, soooooo yea. XD

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1 minute ago, Misscellanio said:

No underrated/overlooked movies really come to mind, but looking at your list I do have some thoughts. I would say "9" wasn't overlooked as it was nominated for best animated feature. But of course, maybe underrated. It's score on rotten tomatoes is 57% and I would say that's kind of low, but I would only put it in the 65%-70% bracket personally, so not exactly labeling it as great. I would say the film is not very rewatchable for much besides the art and tone of the film. Not many films like it, but characters are a lil stale and plot is a leaves much to be desired, but yes a good film. 

A Silent Voice, I find many people that watch it definitely say that it's a great film, but I would def. say it's underrated like wow. I was crying hard in that film, one of the most satisfying films I've ever seen and one of the best animated films I've watched. Such an original story about friendship and self love and just wow! I saw it and wow the next day I watched it again. Def, wanna watch it again soon. In my top 10 fav films (must mention that there's like 20 films in my top 10 cuz it's hard to choose favs XD)

Swiss Army Man is def one of my fav films as well (like in my top 40). Totally agree that the film just works great, tho I can see how some could see how the film to a turn towards the end of the film. Def. have to look much more metaphorically to enjoy the film, and I could def. see that being a turn off for some peeps, because the link in meaning is somewhat muddy, and someone could say "it's up for interpretation," but like that works for some films, and I could see both sides of the argument that it doesn't work here, but I find personal meaning within the film. 

Legends of the Guardian was a film I saw when I was younger and I was like wow! such a great film, and then never watched it again, soooooo yea. XD

Didn't know 9 was nominated. Thanks.

 

Highly recommend rewatching Legend Of The Guardians. Looks great on Blu Ray.

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13 minutes ago, Spidey10 said:

Didn't know 9 was nominated. Thanks.

 

Highly recommend rewatching Legend Of The Guardians. Looks great on Blu Ray.

Oh nevermind it wasn't. Opps, but still stick with what I say. Eh, don't particularly feel like it XD

But I did think of some films.

Unbreakable, one of my fav films of all time time as well (top 40 possibly), but always kinda looked at as "not as good as The Sixth Sense" but it's personally my fav M. Night movie (not that I like too many of his films ahaha). Jackson's performance is outstanding and the vivid comic feeling Night is able to deliver is amazing! Especially a specific scene where

Spoiler

David (Bruce) carries his wife up the stairs and the camera is at an angle where is just shows the wife in his arms (not David's legs/head) and it's supposed to parallel a hero who flies (Superman) carrying the damsel through the air and wow! Best shot in the film. 

Also, Eighth Grade to me was a film that was seriously overlooked the year it came out. To me, it was best picture nominee worthy and best actress nominee worthy. Incredible comedy drama that's very mature that makes one feel very empathetic for the main character imo. 

Also, The Farewell 2019 Great performances, great story, great script, score, etc. but no nominations for anything. Sad face. 

Mans of course one of my number 1 fav films “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” which  was the best movie I saw that came out in 2019. Didn’t need to win best Picture or anything but would’ve been nice if it got the foreign film nomination. Of course, “Lea Miserables” got nominated and I haven’t seen that so can’t really prejudge. 

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3 minutes ago, Misscellanio said:

Oh nevermind it wasn't. Opps, but still stick with what I say. Eh, don't particularly feel like it XD

But I did think of some films.

Unbreakable, one of my fav films of all time time as well (top 40 possibly), but always kinda looked at as "not as good as The Sixth Sense" but it's personally my fav M. Night movie (not that I like too many of his films ahaha). Jackson's performance is outstanding and the vivid comic feeling Night is able to deliver is amazing! Especially a specific scene where

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David (Bruce) carries his wife up the stairs and the camera is at an angle where is just shows the wife in his arms (not David's legs/head) and it's supposed to parallel a hero who flies (Superman) carrying the damsel through the air and wow! Best shot in the film. 

Also, Eighth Grade to me was a film that was seriously overlooked the year it came out. To me, it was best picture nominee worthy and best actress nominee worthy. Incredible comedy drama that's very mature that makes one feel very empathetic for the main character imo. 

I love Unbreakable as well. One of the most grounded superhero films I've ever seen. Willis and Jackson nailed it as Dunn and Glass. And it surprisingly was the start of an interesting trilogy with Split (Which I enjoyed) and Glass (Which I'm a defender of).

My personal favorite M Night film is Signs with Mel Gibson. He understood that the things you don't really see can scare you more than the things that do.

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1 minute ago, Spidey10 said:

I love Unbreakable as well. One of the most grounded superhero films I've ever seen. Willis and Jackson nailed it as Dunn and Glass. And it surprisingly was the start of an interesting trilogy with Split (Which I enjoyed) and Glass (Which I'm a defender of).

My personal favorite M Night film is Signs with Mel Gibson. He understood that the things you don't really see can scare you more than the things that do.

Yes very grounded and I love Split. 

Was not a fan of Glass tho and Signs tbh is one of the worst films I’ve ever seen XD 

when it comes to Night I only like Unbreakable, Split, and The Sixth Sense. 


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Just now, Misscellanio said:

Yes very grounded and I love Split. 

Was not a fan of Glass tho and Signs tbh is one of the worst films I’ve ever seen XD 

when it comes to Night I only like Unbreakable, Split, and The Sixth Sense. 

 

Wow. Drastically different opinions collide. XD

 

You aren't alone though. I've heard many different opinions of Signs. Might be M Night's most divisive film.

 

Worst film of his though is easily The Last Airbender. Granted I read that it had a lot of production problems and executive meddling, but the final product is one of the worst big studio films ever made.

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2 minutes ago, Spidey10 said:

 

Wow. Drastically different opinions collide. XD

 

You aren't alone though. I've heard many different opinions of Signs. Might be M Night's most divisive film.

 

Worst film of his though is easily The Last Airbender. Granted I read that it had a lot of production problems and executive meddling, but the final product is one of the worst big studio films ever made.

Honestly, hard for me to decide which film I dislike more between the two. Last Airbender was always the worst film I’ve ever seen, and then I saw signs, and then I saw Grudge (2020). Of course, it’s not like I’m actively trying to figure out which movie dislike more ahaha


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1 minute ago, Misscellanio said:

Honestly, hard for me to decide which film I dislike more between the two. Last Airbender was always the worst film I’ve ever seen, and then I saw signs, and then I saw Grudge (2020). Of course, it’s not like I’m actively trying to figure out which movie dislike more ahaha

Didn't bother seeing Grudge. Came out the first weekend in January and usually those films always end up sucking.

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You’ll probably find my movie taste weird, but anyway:

Hobo with a shotgun – one of my favorite films. It’s a very well-made trashy black comedy about justice. I didn’t expect much from it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Undisputed 2 – probably the best fighting choreography I’ve seen in a relatively unknown movie. That’s it really, but that was enough for me to watch it several times.

The Guest – people approach it as a horror/slasher and are often disappointed, but The Guest is so not it. It’s very atmospheric, the soundtrack makes 50% of the film, and the lead actor is wonderful.

As for animated movies, The Road to El Dorado comes to mind. I really enjoyed it, but for some reason I never see it referenced or mentioned anywhere, unlike some lesser known film like The Emperor’s New Groove or Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
 

1 hour ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

"Hudson Hawk" (1991)

Yay, I found another person who's seen this movie! Honestly, I find it to be one of those "so bad it's good" films, but it's probably just me. 

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Little Miss Sunshine- Fun comedy adventure that for some reason never got the love it deserved, I loved the characters and story and how the flow is handled! It's perfect for what it is to me

Twister- people tend to dislike this movie but I really like it?? Tornado movies are few and I thought for what it was it was fun, as long as you don't think about it too hard haha. British southern actor is actually pretty funny.

Akira- Atleast as far as the west goes. I can see why it didn't go over well when it came out cos of the ultraviolence and nudity, it was too hardcore for the US at the time, but it definitely should have set off bigger waves than it did

Gyo!- technically a direct to video, but I thought this adaptation of the Junji Ito manga was really well done and interesting in how it deviates from the story, being creepy, thrilling and being a new experience. Shame it didn't make it to theaters

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I think SW sequel  trilogy isn't a huge waste or bad as many say. There moments that were unnecessary and rather rushed but overall I prefer that over the spin-off anytime. I have grew sick and tired of hearing shit like "I won't consider it as part of SW because I hate it". Okay I respect your opinion but crying over and over like that, won't make it disappear. I appreciated it for bringing something new to the table. And I happen to enjoy it and be more appreciative towards it, mainly the Rise of the Skywalker. 


                 

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♪ "I practice every day to find some clever lines to say, to make the meaning come through"♪
 

 

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6 hours ago, Pastel Heart said:

Twister- people tend to dislike this movie but I really like it?? Tornado movies are few and I thought for what it was it was fun, as long as you don't think about it too hard haha. British southern actor is actually pretty funny.

Twister? Underrated and overlooked? That's one of the most quotable movies of the 90s and the special effects still hold up. Heck, it inspired an entire generation of storm chasers. I mean, maybe back in '96 it was overlooked, but that was the same year Independence Day came out. 

 

As for my own offerings, no one really talks about Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron. A very beautiful film that takes a more mature and down to earth approach to the animated animal protagonist genre when a stallion tries to return to his herd after being captured by humans in the wild west. 

And speaking of animated offerings, no one talks about Cats Don't Dance. Another beautifully animated musical that got thrown under the bus by WB. It delved into deep issues for a kids film like discrimination and working harder than everyone else to achieve the same thing. It also had the setting of 1930s hollywood, which isn't tapped into enough, let alone in animation. 

 

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16 hours ago, Oleks said:

Yay, I found another person who's seen this movie! Honestly, I find it to be one of those "so bad it's good" films, but it's probably just me. 

You summed it up exactly! It's so bad, I watch it any time I stumble upon it on TV. It's so bad, that I illegally downloaded a DVD rip! LOL! I love it!

One of my favorite lines?

 

When Bruce Willis is riding on the ambulance gurney, a woman throws a lit cigarette out the window of her car. He catches it, and takes a drag, grimaces and says:

"Ew, Menthol!"

 

For some reason that really makes me laugh each time I see it. I don't even smoke!

17 hours ago, Spidey10 said:

 

I have yet to see either, though Tank Girl looks like fun.

It is. The character of Tank Girl is like a slightly saner Harley Quinn, that doesn't indiscriminately kill people and commit crimes. 

13 hours ago, Dustlicious said:
  • Inside Man (2006)

I LOVED "Inside Man"!

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                Thank you Sparklefan1234!!!

 

 

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18 hours ago, Spidey10 said:

Legend Of The Guardians The Owls Of Ga'Hoole-  I'm actually a pretty big Zack Snyder fan. I love 300, Watchmen, Man Of Steel, and Batman V Superman (Ultimate Cut). But the one film of his that I rarely see discussed is his animated film based on the book series Legend Of The Guardians. I actually think this is one of his best film and a great adaptation of the first 3 books in the series. It follows a barn owl named Soren as he meets his heroes in the Guardians Of Ga'Hoole, a group of warrior owls who protect the world from the evil Pure Ones led by Metal Beak (Who gets Soren's brother Kludd to join them). A classic hero's journey tale mixed with gorgeous animation, cool mythology, and exciting action makes for a great experience. Such a shame this movie never got a sequel.

Man, I love this movie. Somehow, despite its irrelevance in the movie scene and its difference from the books, it’s the movie I quote more than any other. Definitely underrated! :Daydreaming:

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13 hours ago, Dustlicious said:

The Dark Knight Rises (201

  • Law Abiding Citizen (2009

The Dark Knight Rises? Underrated or overlooked? One of the most praised films of the new age! Literally Can’t go anywhere without peeps considering it one of the greatest films of all time and is always called the best superhero film ever.  It didn’t get nominated for many academy awards so there’s that I guess for “overlooked.”

Also, I love Law Abiding Citizen citizen! Great film I never hear anyone talk about so kinda agree there. 

 

7 hours ago, Pastel Heart said:

Little Miss Sunshine- Fun comedy adventure that for some reason never got the love it deserved

Akira- Atleast as far as the west goes. I can see why it didn't go over well when it came out cos of the ultraviolence and nudity, it was too hardcore for the US at the time, but it definitely should have set off bigger waves than it did

Little Miss Sunshine is praised critically all around! Def. got the praise it deserved. Fantastic film indeed. 

Also, Akira, the 80’s were a more close minded time, animation was not taken as seriously, and peeps didn’t wanna watch foreign films, but like nowadays Akira is cited as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, animated film of all time! Usually gets put on a list with spirited away, toy story, lion king, and beauty and the beast. So I guess it was overlooked back then but def. not looked that way anymore. 

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1 hour ago, Misscellanio said:

The Dark Knight Rises? Underrated or overlooked? One of the most praised films of the new age! Literally Can’t go anywhere without peeps considering it one of the greatest films of all time and is always called the best superhero film ever.  It didn’t get nominated for many academy awards so there’s that I guess for “overlooked.”

I have noticed that it has been called disappointing by some years after it's release. I still think it's a great film and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Sure there are some plot holes, but it doesn't ruin the film for me.

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9 minutes ago, Spidey10 said:

I have noticed that it has been called disappointing by some years after it's release. I still think it's a great film and a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Sure there are some plot holes, but it doesn't ruin the film for me.

Ohhhhh just realized it was the dark knight rises, and the dark knight are two different things. Oops 

I find that the third film is rated just fine. It’s my fav of the 3 personally, but 87% on RT is a good rating for it. I would probs do like 82-82


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2 hours ago, Misscellanio said:

Also, I love Law Abiding Citizen citizen! Great film I never hear anyone talk about so kinda agree there.

And the reviews for it say it's bad... Don't know how... :huh:

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5 minutes ago, Dustlicious said:

And the reviews for it say it's bad... Don't know how... :huh:

Well I def. think 26% is too low but wouldn’t say it’s a masterpiece. 


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5 minutes ago, Misscellanio said:

Well I def. think 26% is too low but wouldn’t say it’s a masterpiece. 

Yeah it's surely not a masterpiece, but bad? No way.

 

Also for the Dark Knight Rises, it's mainly people casually saying it's bad because they hated the ending. I think the issue there was just expectations that were way too high after what honestly was a masterpiece.

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