Col Needham's Hidden Gem and Under-appreciated Movies of 2015
I'm the Founder and CEO of IMDb. I already shared my Best Movies of 2015 list. This is a list of ten 2015 titles which I feel did not get the recognition they deserved and/or did not fare as well via IMDb ratings or MetaCritic scores so you may be tempted to skip them.
All of these are worth seeing IMHO, although, as I am fond of saying, "Differences of opinions about movies make the world go around."
All of these are worth seeing IMHO, although, as I am fond of saying, "Differences of opinions about movies make the world go around."
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10 titles
- DirectorRupert GooldStarsJames FrancoJonah HillFelicity JonesWhen disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo - who has taken on Finkel's identity - his investigation morphs into a game of cat-and-mouse.This is my #1 film of 2015 but mentioning it again because it has not received the awards recognition it deserves. The scene between Felicity Jones and James Franco is my favorite scene in any movie of the last five years. Felicity deserves an Oscar for this scene alone (she deserved one last year too but that is another story).
- DirectorRick FamuyiwaStarsShameik MooreTony RevoloriKiersey ClemonsLife changes for Malcolm, a geek who's surviving life in a tough neighborhood, after a chance invitation to an underground party leads him and his friends into a Los Angeles adventure.One of the most energetic movies of the year and you often here me defining "slippery slope" in the style of our hero Malcolm.
- DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsChanning TatumMila KunisEddie RedmayneA young woman discovers her destiny as an heiress of intergalactic nobility and must fight to protect the inhabitants of Earth from an ancient and destructive industry.This was a fun, well-made science fiction movie which does not take itself too seriously (by ironically playing seriously ... guess people missed the point).
- DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsSandra BullockBilly Bob ThorntonAnthony MackieA battle-hardened American political consultant is sent to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival working for another candidate.I saw a sharp political thriller with an outstanding performance by Sandra Bullock with a script of which Ben Hecht would have been proud. No idea what movie everyone else saw.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsMatthew McConaugheyNaomi WattsKen WatanabeA suicidal American befriends a Japanese man lost in a forest near Mt. Fuji and the two search for a way out.This made my long list of best movies of the year. We saw it at Cannes before inexplicable (to me) bad word of mouth killed it by the end of the day.
- DirectorTerry JonesStarsSimon PeggKate BeckinsaleSanjeev BhaskarA group of eccentric aliens confers a human being with the power to do absolutely anything, as an experiment.This is funny from start to finish and seems to be gaining better user votes despite the grumpy critical reaction which is unfounded.
- DirectorBen PalmerStarsLake BellRory KinnearKen StottA single woman takes the place of a stranger's blind date and finds the perfect man for her.Good reviews, but its IMDb user rating should be higher. I have now seen this three times (once at the cinema and then twice more with visiting friends/family, none of whom had seen it so the word is not out there). Excellent chemistry between Simon Pegg and Lake Bell and one of the best comedy scripts of the year by BAFTA 2015 Brit-to-Watch Tess Morris.
- DirectorAri SandelStarsMae WhitmanBella ThorneRobbie AmellA high school senior instigates a social pecking order revolution after finding out that she has been labeled the DUFF - Designated Ugly Fat Friend - by her prettier, more popular counterparts.I have a soft spot for high school comedies.
- DirectorNancy MeyersStarsRobert De NiroAnne HathawayRene RussoSeventy-year-old widower Ben Whittaker has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin.Under-appreciated by critics but a good strong IMDb user rating for a comedy at least.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsTom HiddlestonJeremy IronsSienna MillerLife for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.This film is off-the-charts mad (in a good way). Cleverly set as if 1975 was the future with a crazy performance by Tom Hiddleston; the critics reviews swing from declaring a work of genius by director Ben Wheatley to less than favourable.