Tag: Missed Movies

Missed Movies Roundup: It’s Kind of an Unstoppable Train Edition

Below are some links to good reviews of some good movies that we liked that you might have missed in the theater. They are now available on Blu-Ray and DVD.

(1) It's Kind of a Funny Story Obsessed with Film gives It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010) a mediocre review, but I kind of like its conclusion that if the movie is “taken as a light-hearted comedy that weaves in a few serious issues in along the way, then it’s not too bad.” I agree there is a lot one may criticize about the film, but if you just go with this coming-of-age story about a teen facing depression who checks himself into a mental hospital, it is an enjoyable movie. It was refreshing to see Zach Galifianakis play a more serious role than he does in movies like the Hangover films.

(2) Unstoppable (2010) features big stars Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, so it was not under the radar when released. But like me, you may have missed it when it was in theaters. The movie, based on a true story, is about a train with nobody on board that is running on the rails through towns at high speed. The cast, including Rosario Dawson, is excellent and Washington and Pine do a great job as two regular Joe railroad workers. Unstoppable is not your typical action movie.

Because Unstoppable is based on a true story, it is not overblown and is realistic, focusing on character as well as some excellent tense action sequences. It creates a nice balance between story and action. Big Hollywood has a good review. See the preview below.

(3) Finally, Listal.com has a list of “The 20 Most Underrated Movies and More. . .” Most of the choices are very good, including In the Valley of Elah and A Perfect World (and I even found lesser movies like Fever Pitch entertaining). There are a few I have not seen yet, but the list makes me want to check them out.

{Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they may not have received the recognition they deserved when released.}

What did you think of these movies? Leave a comment.

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    Why Wasn’t Conviction a Best Picture Nominee? (Missed Movies)

    Conviction (2010) had a lot going for it. The movie is a compelling true story and an inspiring tale about family love. It features a murder mystery. One of the characters is a real-life famous lawyer. It has outstanding actors. Why was the movie not even mentioned at Oscar time? Why did it flop at the box office, ranking 150th in box office for 2010 after its October release?

    Conviction Hilary SwankMovie marketers often face a dilemma. To get people to see their movie, they have to tell potential viewers enough about the movie to create interest (or in the case of comedies, the best or only laugh lines — as I recently experienced while watching Cedar Rapids (2011)). But then, potential viewers may feel they do not need to see the movie unless there are other compelling reasons to see it. Plus, true stories are often already familiar. One recent excellent movie that had the familiarity challenge was Conviction (2010), starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell. But the movie is still worthwhile viewing.

    Conviction follows the true story of Kenny Waters, who was sentenced to life in prison for a murder. His sister Betty Anne Waters believed in him so much that to prove him innocent, she earned her G.E.D., graduated from college, went to law school, passed the bar exam, and became a lawyer. It is an amazing story featuring hard work and a lot of luck.

    The reason that Conviction did not do better at the box office may have been that the story was too predictable (although 127 Hours faced a similar challenge), or maybe the story was too conventional. Or maybe the fascinating story lost something when converted to a 107-minute movie. The story is incredible because of the years the sister labored to free her brother while he was in prison. But it is hard to convey time in a movie, and to do so may have required a longer movie. Would it have been a better movie if it were longer, and would people have gone to see a longer movie?

    Or maybe the movie was just cursed. There is a tragic ending to the story not shown in the movie. Other actors (Phillip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly) dropped out of the lead male role, and sixteen hours of crucial footage was ruined by an airport x-ray. Meanwhile, some family members were not happy with the final movie.

    But even if you know the story, should you see the movie? It is still entertaining, due largely to the fine acting by Swank and Rockwell. The movie also features Melissa Leo, who recently won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work The Fighter, and an excellent performance in a small role by Julliette Lewis. It is unfortunate that more people did not see Conviction because the story shows something that happens in the criminal justice system more often than we would like to believe.

    Conclusion? Although this review points out some problems, these criticisms are an attempt to determine why such a compelling story with great acting did not translate into a big box office or a more perfect film. Conviction still is very good and worth viewing. But if you plan to see it, do not watch the trailer below. Conviction is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

    You may know how the story ends, but in case you do not, I will not ruin it. If you want more information, you may watch a local news story about the case and the release of the movie. Also, see the Chimesfreedom review of 127 Hours about how another movie faced the familiarity problem.

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    The Tillman Story (Mad Movies)

    The Tillman Story, Pat Tillman

    The Tillman Story (2010) is one of those movies that reveals information about a story you thought you already knew. As you probably recall from extensive media coverage, Pat Tillman was an Arizona Cardinal football player who enlisted in the U.S. Army after the 9/11 events in June 2002. Director Amir Bar-Levi’s movie delves into the story behind Tillman’s life and his death in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.

    At the time of his enlistment and after his death, Tillman was portrayed by the government and the media as an American hero who gave up a lucrative NFL contract out of patriotism and then died as a hero saving the lives of other American soldiers. The truth, however, was something more complex.

    Much of the movie focuses on the struggle by the Tillman family to discover the truth about Pat Tillman’s death. Tillman was a hero, but he did not see himself as anything special and he did not want his life or death used for propaganda purposes. Similarly, his family is interesting, colorful, intelligent, and sympathetic in their attempts to cut though all of the government deceit.

    The movie is both heartbreaking and uplifting. You can see the pain in the faces of the Tillman family members when several government officials appear before Congress to lie about the cover-up regarding Tillman’s death. It is frightening to see people with power who are incompetent, dishonest, or both. But you also admire the determination and love of the family to seek the truth, no matter what the costs.

    The family worked hard to honor Pat Tillman as a real person, not as a cartoon character created to serve the government’s purpose. Among their efforts, there is the Pat Tillman Foundation, developed to assist veterans through education and community.

    I have intentionally avoided revealing too much about the movie, because you should see it for yourself and find your own outrage.

    The Tillman Story, which many people missed when it played in theaters, is narrated by actor Josh Brolin and was recently released on DVD and Blu Ray.

    Missed Movies is our series on very good movies that many people did not see when first released.

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    Missed Movies Link Roundup

    The following websites discuss some very good movies you might have missed:

    (1) Captain Obvious discusses David Lynch’s The Straight Story (1999), about an old guy who drives a tractor from Iowa to Wisconsin to see his brother. The movie, based on a true story, is unlike most of David Lynch’s movies, although there are some nice small Lynch touches.  Richard Farnsworth was a great actor, and this may be his best role.

    (2) Concrete Hunter talks about Please Give (2010), one of the best movies from last year that received good reviews but was more overlooked than it should have been. The movie follows two families living in New York and how their lives intersect, and the characters seem very real.

    (3) You likely have seen this one, but if not, run out and get The Night of the Hunter (1955). The Onion has a review of the new Criterion DVD release.

    (4) Salon has a good slideshow discussion of 10 Brilliant Comic Book Movies, featuring several interesting surprises and reappraisals of flawed but compelling movies.

    Finally, in the category of “Movies You Wish You Would Have Missed,” Popdose has a fun article about movie sequels that killed the good will of the originals, thus called “Killogies.” Star Wars anyone?

    Missed Movies is our series on very good movies that many people did not see when first released.

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    Missed Movies: Solitary Man

    Michael Douglas There are two types of good movies.  First, there is the movie that you enjoy while you watch it and then never really think about again — until you are flipping TV channels and come across it and think, “Oh yeah, this was good.”  Second, there is the movie that you continue to ponder long after you watch it. The movie may stay with you for any number of reasons.  Maybe a character reminded you of someone. Maybe the movie puzzled you in a good way. Maybe there was a scene you cannot stop thinking about.

    The 2009 movie Solitary Man falls into the latter category for me. The movie features one of Michael Douglas’s great acting roles and is worth it for that alone.  Douglas plays a womanizer and former car dealership owner who sees many of his bad decisions catch up to him. You may not like or admire the character, but he comes across as a real person, not a caricature, and you most likely will want to see what happens next.

    Solitary Man has an excellent cast, including Susan Sarandon and Jesse Eisenberg (recently in The Social Network).  The scenes between Douglas and Danny DeVito are excellent in a way that may only be possible when played by two old friends portraying two old friends.  In the DVD extras, Jenna Fischer (who you might know from The Office) recalls how when she read the script before knowing the cast, she could only think of Michael Douglas in the lead role.  Douglas does such a great job, there is only one other person I could imagine in the role.  As he has aged, Douglas reminds me more and more of his father, Kirk Douglas, who I might also imagine here as Ben Kalmen.

    [I am not giving away much about the ending, but if you plan to see the movie and do not want to know more about it, skip this paragraph.]  The ending of Solitary Man is one reason I keep thinking about the film.  The end is not an exciting explanation point, but more of a small question mark.  I was reminded of a Tom Hanks movie where a lot of people did not like the ending, but I did.  Here, the ending seemed perfect and true to the movie and the character.  If you have seen Solitary Man, you may read more of a discussion of the ending in this interview with the writer/directors.

    Like many movies in my Movies You Might Have Missed series, you should not watch Solitary Man expecting it to be one of the great movies of all time, but it is a small, entertaining, and thoughtful movie that you might enjoy.  I’m surprised that the movie did not get the attention that it deserved.  Some reviews at the time praised the movie as a smaller version of Douglas’s fine work as an aging English professor in Wonder Boys, because of some similarities between the characters.  But the movies are very different, so you should not be expecting Wonder Boys II.

    While Douglas’s Wonder Boys character had more of a slapstick element, Solitary Man seems more grounded in day-to-day reality.  There are moments of humor, but Douglas creates a real character of flesh and blood.  And, even though you may not admire the character, you will see flashes of humanity and real life here. And that is what creates movies you think about long after the screen goes dark.

    Missed Movies is our series on very good movies that many people did not see when first released.

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