You can look at this list as a sequel of sorts to lists that J.D. and I wrote in 2006. The Top 10 Overlooked Movies lists were designed to give you something to rent that you may not have heard about or had the wrong idea about. Think of this as an updated version of that list, inspired in part by the new Ricky Gervais film “The Invention of Lying,” opening this weekend. He starred in a great little romantic comedy from last year that disappeared from theaters without a trace (see #10) and it got me thinking again: What other new-ish movies do I never hear anything about anymore? What happens to great films after they suffer disappointing box office runs? The answer? They turn up here.

If you have an idea for your own Top 10 list, email me at eric@scene-stealers.com.

10. Ghost Town (2008)

He saw dead people, but nobody saw this movie. As a self-centered dentist who must grapple with the fact that dead people are suddenly asking him favors at every turn, Ricky Gervais is just testy enough to feel make the silly seem authentic—and very, very funny. He also pulls off the tricky task of convincing an audience to love a prickly bastard and root for his romance with ghost Greg Kinnear’s widow (Tea Leoni). Writer/director David Koepp peppers his movie with just enough cynicism and to keep “Ghost Town” from falling into bad rom-com Hell, and when things do get a little sappy, it actually works.

9. Zathura (2005)

This is the little-seen kids-oriented movie that Jon Favreau directed right before he did “Iron Man.” On the surface, it’s a story about a house that gets transported without warning into outer space by a mysterious board game. There’s a visiting spaceman, a giant robot, and the lizard-like Zorgons to contend with, but most of all, “Zathura” is about the camaraderie and friendship of two young brothers (Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo) that’s always marred by varying degrees of competition and jealousy. Favreau shows that even before “Iron Man” he knew how to strike just the right balance between character and fantasy. (Sidenote: It was co-adapted from the book by David Koepp, who also co-wrote and directed “Ghost Town.” Weird.)

8. The Lookout (2007)

Having adapted the Elmore Leonard novels “Get Shorty” and “Out of Sight,” screenwriter Scott Frank makes a sure-handed directorial debut with this modest crime caper set in Kansas City. Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is crippled with guilt and not able to function at a normal cognitive level anymore after a tragic high school car accident. His roommate is a blind father figure played by Jeff Daniels. Things get complicated for Chris when he meets a shady new crowd and they draft him into a scheme that he isn’t entirely aware of. Gordon-Levitt (who would go on to do “500 Days of Summer” and “G.I. Joe” this year) shines as the regretful loner and Matthew Goode (”Watchmen”) is magnetic as his new friend. The crime element is well-played, but its the characters you’ll really remember.

7. The Upside of Anger (2005)

The best female performance of 2005 in any movie was Joan Allen’s funny and fearless turn in a misrepresented film called “The Upside of Anger.” The hard-drinking, hard-charging Terry Ann Wolfmeyer is the razor-sharp creation of writer/director Mike Binder and, though you may think from the ad campaign that it is a touchy-feely family film, you’ll know from the moment you see Allen dismiss her daughter’s dreams in a fierce verbal barrage that you are in for more than you bargained for. Snappy dialogue is a rare find in Hollywood these days, and Allen and co-star Kevin Costner are on their game in this biting movie that avoids sinking into sentimentality until the moment it becomes almost unbearable not to.

6. The New World (2005)

The fact that the touching love story between John Smith (Colin Farrell) and young native princess Pocahontas (Q’orianka Kilcher) in Jamestown, Virginia probably never took place does not take away from writer/director Terrence Malick’s ability to tap into an emotional core that few directors achieve. The movie feels strange and new, like the English explorers must have felt coming upon a land unseen by “civilized” eyes, or how the native Algonquin people must have felt seeing those huge ships sail up to their shores. It also dismantles the entire rose-colored vision of America’s discovery and re-imagines historical events like the first Thanksgiving, all with the director’s trademark impressionistic style.

5. The Matador (2005)

Although he travels to exotic locales and is paid handsomely to be a “facilitator of fatalities,” Julian (Pierce Brosnan) is desperate and lost. He’s losing his knack for being a hitman, and realizes the trivial nature of his existence. His life is a series of frenzied one-night stands when he meets a mild-mannered salesman in Mexico City (Greg Kinnear). The two form an unlikely friendship, and soon Kinnear is doing all sorts of things he shouldn’t be. This is a funny, stylish movie from writer/director Richard Shepard that constantly feels as if it’s going to fall apart, yet it never quite does. It also showcases a depraved comedic side of Brosnan that is kind of a shock after all those years of playing the suave James Bond.

4. The Fountain (2006)

Before the neo-realism of “The Wrestler,” director Darren Aronofsky achieved a unique kind of narrative cohesion that defied traditional plot-driven mechanics with this lovely, stirring, and personal film. The combination of moody music, beautiful visuals, and rhythmic editing transports viewers back and forth through 16th Century Spain, a present-day medical struggle, the Fountain of Youth, the Tree of Life, and a future where Hugh Jackman floats through space in a clear bubble. While the ultimate meaning of the film may be up for interpretation, there’s no denying the film’s power to overtake the viewer. It’s narrative cohesion comes not from story, but rather the exquisiteness of its images and its transcendent life/death themes.

3. The Black Dahlia (2006)

Brian DePalma’s hugely theatrical adaptation of James Ellroy’s dark novel is one of the most criminally misunderstood movies in recent memory. Advertised as a film based on the real-life events surrounding L.A.’s most notorious unsolved murders, audiences and critics were instead treated to the pulpy, operatic descent into darkness of two 1940s L.A. cops (Aaron Eckhart and Josh Hartnett) and the woman they both love (Scarlett Johansson). Flamboyant camerawork and extravagant set design apparently weren’t enough to clue people in that this was meant to be a lusty and overheated soap opera set against the backdrop of a sick and twisted Hollywood. This is black noir the likes of which have never been seen, and the exaggerated acting by all involved is just part of the fun. This one is destined for a re-evaluation.

2. Speed Racer

To dismiss one of the most inventive movies in recent memory as a candy-colored assault on the senses is missing the point completely. This groundbreaking offering from the Wachowski brothers was unfairly bashed like no other movie last year. Like most films that are ahead of their time, though, I’m sure that “Speed Racer” will have its day. Rather than depicting reality, 14 different effects houses worked together to create a new form of “layered unreality” where nothing that is seen on the screen can actually exist in real life. The goal? A live-action interpretation of Japanese anime. The effects teams literally pieced together layer upon layer, essentially becoming the production design heads and “virtual” cinematographers. The pacing is frenetic, and the movie is probably too long for its own good, but as a bold experiment in storytelling, nothing else from last year is as invigorating.

1. Broken Flowers (2005)

Jim Jarmusch’s “Broken Flowers” tackles life’s ambiguous big picture and comes up with– guess what?– more ambiguity. A compelling portrait of loneliness tied together by a mystery plot, this meditative film has a wide-open array of interpretations. What it does subtly and surely, by putting Bill Murray’s eminently likable face on a character who stands in for our own existential nightmares, is ask us to face our own past and future. Does examining one’s regret require a complete flameout like Murray’s unfortunate Don Johnston, or will the inevitable march of time deal us cards of redemption? Murray keeps his hand close to his chest, wearing his best Poker face, and standing in for the viewer throughout. Devious in its simplicity, “Broken Flowers” has two transcendent moments of truth for every one silly and charming moment. Murray is alternately heartbreaking and hilarious in a role that Jarmusch wrote specifically for him, and there are no two better supporting performances in 2005 than the ones by Frances Conroy and Jeffrey Wright.

Tags: films, new, overlooked, overlooked movies, ten, top, Top 10 Lists, Top 10 Overlooked Movies of the Last Five Years, top ten, underappreciated

The title of this list could very well be “Top 10 Overlooked Contemporary Movies That We Thought Up Off the Top of Our Heads That You Should See if You Haven’t.” I have the oldest movie on the list, and even it came out after I was born. These are films that, one way or another, have stuck with us personally. Meanwhile, it seems, they have received little attention from the mainstream media, and may lie on your local DVD rental shelf for months at a time without being rented. Yes, these films do have some sort of personal connection with each of us, but they are not merely nostalgic. We recommend any movie on our respective lists with a full rock fist way up, and believe that they all deserve a look and possibly a re-evaluation. I hope you enjoy them … Note: Updated list of Overlooked Movies from 2005-2009 is here.

Eric’s runners-up: To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Wonderboys (2000), The Passeneger (1975), Dark City (1998), To Die For (1995), Sexy Beast (2000), Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
J.D.’s runners-up : Tune in Tomorrow (1990), Cradle Will Rock (1999), Serenity (2005), Fearless (1993), Standing In the Shadows of Motown (2002)

Eric’s List

1. Series 7: The Contenders (2001) 

Director Daniel Minahan was way ahead of the curve in this warped film about a reality show where randomly-picked contestants must kill or be killed in a popular TV reality show. Apparently America wasn’t ready for a movie with a ruthless gun-toting heroine in a late-term pregnancy (the mesmerizing Brooke Smith), because it had a release of only 10 theaters. Thanks to DVD, you can experience all of Minahan’s dark black humor and spot-on satire of our culture’s obsession with sensational “reality” programming now. This is the rare “timely” satire that only gets more prescient with age. Extra bonus: Filmed on digital video!

2. Bulworth (1998)

Warren Beatty laid it all on the line as the director, star, co-writer and co-producer of this nutso political satire about an aging liberal senator who takes a hit out on his own life. Knowing his death is imminent, he all of a sudden begins to speak (gasp!) the truth. What could have been a tiring lecture on the sad state of fake politicians and staged media becomes a strangely funny and ballsy ride, as Senator Bulworth begins to rap all of his speeches and hang with Halle Berry. Hollywood movies rarely get this confrontational, but Beatty used all his power and cred to get this anomaly made. Extra bonus: Beatty’s dope rhymes!

3. 24 Hour Party People (2002) 

I still have barely a passing interest in the music that came out of Manchester, England in the 80s and 90s, but this extraordinary Michael Winterbottom film is a self-referential hybrid that mixes documentary footage with an original script that is sparklingly alive with the excitement of the hedonistic times it portrays. Steve Coogan plays Factory Records head honcho/TV personality Tony Wilson, through which the stories of Joy Divison, New Order, and the Happy Mondays are told. Whether speaking directly to the camera or to one of the many rock stars playing minor bit parts in their own stories, Coogan is the glue that holds together a movie that zings wildly from despair to ecstasy in mere minutes. Extra bonus: Filmed on digital video!

4. Miami Blues (1990)

Alec Baldwin’s best performance ever is in this very funny and surprisingly touching little-seen gem, based on the crime novel by Charles Willeford. He plays cocky and stupid Frederick “Junior” Frenger, an ex-con on the run who accidentally kills a Hare Krishna by breaking his finger at an airport, then steals both the badge and false teeth of Sgt. Hoke Moseley (Fred Ward), the cop who’s chasing him. He meets a hooker named Pepper (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and they try, in their own twisted way, to complete their vision of the suburban American dream. It is a movie so weird, sad, and wonderful, it’s a wonder it ever got made. Extra bonus: Baldwin’s Tony Montana impression!

5. River’s Edge (1987)

Youthful alienation has never been as crippling as it is in Tim Hunter’s disturbing tale of a teenage boy who strangles his girlfriend to death and his group of friends who do nothing about it. Believe it or not, a pre-“Bill & Ted” Keanu Reeves is the conscience of the pic, while Ione Skye and Crispin Glover are his burnout friends. Dennis Hopper follows up his psycho role in “Blue Velvet” the year before with another one here, playing a crazed madman with an affinity for blow-up dolls. Ironically, Hunter would go on to direct several episodes of “Blue Velvet” director David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.” It also contains the best Keanu line ever, to his Mom’s boyfriend: “The only reason you stay here is so you can fuck my mother and eat her food. Motherfucker! Food eater!” Extra bonus: lots of thrash metal, including early Slayer!

6. Bamboozled (2000)

Spike Lee’s shocker is a finger-pointing black comedy, the kind he’s often accused of making and rarely actually makes. The writer/director savagely parodies racist stereotypes on all sides when an honest-to-God modern minstrel show becomes the most popular program on American TV. Damon Wayans takes early Nic Cage and Crispin Glover-like quirkiness to a new level as Pierre Delacroix, a television executive (with the most annoying voice ever) assigned to come up with a show that would appeal to a black audience. Out of frustration, he offers the most racist idea he can come up with, thinking that it will get him fired. When the opposite happens, the movie gets more and more painful to watch, suggesting that we need to learn from the mistakes of the past rather than try to pretend they never happened. Think of it as a pre-cursor to Kevin Willmott’s scathingly funny “Confederate States of America.” Extra bonus: Filmed on digital video!

7. Babe: Pig in the City (1998)

This much-maligned sequel to the 1995 Best Picture nominee “Babe” sank like stone at the box office due to its darker tone and the fact that it almost completely abandons the popular Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell). Directed by George Miller, who did all the “Mad Max” films and wrote the screenplay for the original “Babe,” it features some of the most expertly staged physical comedy and chase scenes of all time, especially considering many of them are mainly animal actors. It’s an inventive, sometimes quite frightening journey for Babe the talking pig as he finds himself in “the big city,” a marvel of creative art direction which contains every famous monument in the world. Extra bonus: a 78-year old Mickey Rooney!

8. The Ice Storm (1997)

Although not filmed in 1973, this chilling adultery drama is set in that same year, a strange time for parents who are still looking to fulfill all the promises of the sexual revolution. Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, and Joan Allen star in this elegant adaptation of Rick Moody’s novel, directed by recent Oscar winner Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain”). It may be his best movie, due in no small part to devastating performances by his three leads, plus subtle and appropriately confused portrayals by four young actors named Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood, Katie Holmes, and Christina Ricci. Extra bonus: Wife-swapping has never been less fun!

9. The Long Goodbye (1973)

Robert Altman’s revisionist take on Philip Marlowe turned Raymond Chandler’s famous tough guy detective into a rumpled, weary Elliott Gould and updated the setting for the turbulent ‘70s. It’s an inspired choice that provides much in the way of sarcastic humor and a sly comment on a Los Angeles that was radically different from Marlowe’s original 1940s L.A.. Altman’s long takes and roving camera, along with veteran actor Sterling Hayden’s riveting portrayal of a tragic Hemingway-esque writer, help give the film a melancholy tone that’s completely missing in all other Chandler adaptations. Extra bonus: Gould shops for cat food for 10 minutes!

10. Pieces of April (2003)

Writer Peter Hedges (“About a Boy,” “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”) made his directorial debut with this small independent family comedy. The surprise Oscar nomination of Patricia Clarkson gave it a little extra steam, but it barely made a dent (under 3 million) at the box office. Clarkson is full of icy, acerbic wit as a dying cancer patient and Oliver Platt is at his best as her exasperated husband trying to get his suburban family to their eldest daughter’s NYC apartment for Thanksgiving. Hedges’ writing is sharper than ever, and Katie Holmes makes the family black sheep April her most likable role yet. Extra bonus: Filmed on digital video!

J.D.’s List

1. Real Genius (1985)

Along with “Say Anything,” “Real Genius” epitimizes the best of the films that are often considered ’80s movies. This did for me what “Sixteen Candles” or “The Breakfast Club” did for everybody else. Val Kilmer is fantastic alongside William Atherton (the jerk from “Die Hard”) and Gabriel Jarrett who played Mitch - the youngest student admitted to a school of geniuses. Jarrett’s career didn’t take off after this breakout role, but he has been spotted in “Apollo 13” and an episode of “The West Wing.” “Real Genius” is extraordinarily quotable and has a permanent spot on my must watch list.

2. Hard Eight (aka: Sydney) (1996) 

Director Paul Thomas Anderson has gone on to bring us “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia,” but before we all knew his name he directed “Hard Eight.” Originally titled “Sydney”, Phillip Baker Hall (”Magnolia”) played the then title role as a Las Vegas grifter who takes the struggling John C. Reilly under his wing without clear reason. We later learn Sydney’s motivations as Reilly and co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson get involved in deep dark sin city trouble. Anderson’s talent was unmistakable even then and Phillip Baker Hall’s performance rivals his work in “Magnolia,” both of which frankly, deserved Oscar nominations.

3. Highlander (1986)

I saw this movie 17 times in the theatre. There was a dollar theatre in town and as a seventh grader the combination of swords, immortality and a Queen soundtrack rocking the big-screen were more than enough to dominate my pliable little mind for the better part of the next year. “Highlander” would go on to spawn more features and a moderately popular TV series, but none of it would do justice to the original film. It was the “Matrix” of its time, furthering the science-fiction genre on film and telling a new story. Director Russell Mulcahy’s vision included some of the most memorable transitions I had ever seen, including a fade between star Christopher Lambert’s face and the face of the Mona Lisa on a building mural and an aquarium water line becoming a Scottish lake in the highlands. The movie grossed less than 6 million in the U.S. at the Box Office, and even though it ascended to cult status on video it has never enjoyed its rightful place as a groundbreaking, undeniably original classic.

4. Six Degrees of Seperation (1993)

Two words: Will and Smith. Stockard Channing and Donald Sutherland co-star in this adaptation of a stage production that was the best vehicle imaginable to “seperate” Smith from his squeaky-clean “Fresh Prince” persona. As a laser sharp con-man claiming to be the son of acting great Sidney Portier, Smith sweeps into the world of the social elite and swindles absolutely everyone. This is definitely one of those little films with a bigger than life career changing performance. After this one, Hollywood had no choice but to look at Smith differently, even if the ticket buying public had no idea what he was capable of just yet.

5. That Thing You Do! (1996) 

Tom Hanks’ first and only feature film serving as the director, “That Thing You Do!” is as well-executed as it is charming. Featuring a cameo from Mrs. Hanks, Rita Wilson, the cast of “That Thing You Do!” make it nearly impossible to dislike. Liv Tyler, Tom Everett Scott and Steve Zahn are a sugary-sweet bunch of kids from Pennsylvania whose perfectly catchy song comes along at just the right moment to live a “Beatlemania-like” adventure before they become the “one-hit Wonders.” What’s not to like, it’s so good I think I’ll stay up and watch it tonight.

6. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) 

Almost, but not quite a Coen Brothers movie, “Hudsucker Proxy” was directed by Joel Coen and Sam Raimi (”Spider-Man”). Easily one of Tim Robbins’ (”Bull Durham”) finest moments, “Proxy” has extraordinary art direction and powerhouse performances from Paul Newman and Charles Durning and yes, even Jennifer Jason Leigh. The scene with Leigh and Robbins as she fakes her way through a recital of an old school song, both of them cawing and whooping away, is enough on its own to recommend this movie. It has the Coen vibe and then some…”you know, for kids.”

7. Everything Is Illuminated (2005) 

The most recent of my list of overlooked films, “Everything Is Illuminated” is the best small film of 2005. Directed by Liev Schreiber and starring Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, and Boris Leskin, “Illuminated” is an adaptation of the incredible novel of the same name by author Jonathan Safran Foer. I saw the film and then read the book and believe both to be examples of the absolute best in film and literature of the last decade.

8. Gattaca (1997)

“Gattaca” is a truly beautiful film. Director Andrew Niccol (”Lord of War”) uses washes of color and exquisite art direction to create a spectacular vision of a future where genetic engineering has become common place and is central in determining a person’s potential and opportunities in society. “Gattaca” is dark, smart and captivating. Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and a then unknown Jude Law are at their collective best and this is a must see for anyone who appreciates the kind of sci-fi that doesn’t come complete with phasers and Klingons.

9. The Music of Chance (1993)

I have often said of the film “The Music of Chance” that the jury is still out. It’s the trick question I always ask other film nuts, desperate for someone else to tell me what their experience was since I’m still not sure how I feel about it. The cast is sensational and includes Mandy Patinkin, James Spader, Charles Durning and Joel Grey. Patinkin picks up Spader in a ditch, they end up at Durning and Gray’s place in a high-stakes poker game and it just keeps getting weirder from there. I have been bothered by this film for years, it remains firmly stuck in my craw. Try this one if the next time you’re lining up your Netflix you find yourself thinking…”I know! I really want to watch something strange and totally unsettling!”

10. Cadence (1991)

I love a man, and his name is Martin Sheen - honestly, when has he ever not delivered - in my mind he is one of the real treasures of American cinema. “Cadence” is Sheen’s only directing credit and it features both Charlie Sheen and lesser known brother of Charlie and Emilio, Ramon Estevez. There is a melancholy about this film that always affects me in a memorable way. This isn’t to say the film is without some serious flaws, but Martin and Charlie give some pretty heavy and inspired performances and the ensemble led by Lawrence Fishburne is phenomenal. It deals with fathers and sons and war and duty, sadly it was received quietly, but “Cadence” like the rest of these overlooked gems deserves it’s day in the sun.

Tags: 10, movies, overloked, overlooked films, overlooked movies, ten, top, top 10 overlooked movies