For this blog I try to see everything that I can that looks halfway decent. I try not to subject myself to films that I KNOW are going to be both awful, but a waste of time and money. However, sometimes a film won't come out to a theater near me or I just missed it during its run and am too late to post a review. This doesn't mean these films don't still deserve their fair share of recognition. Below are five films (so far) in 2015 that weren't reviewed by me but are still worthy of your attention.
Maggie
Maggie is a quiet film about zombies and Arnold Schwarzenegger. I realize the word 'quiet' and zombie/Arnold don't really go hand in hand. And while I still would've love to have seen a zombie action film where Arnie single handedly takes on the Zombie Apocalypse... this film does service to the zombie indie fare and even shows us that Arnold still has some acting chops left in him. The story is about a father who has to reconcile with the fact that his only daughter has been infected with the zombie virus and only has a limited time left. He's living with the nightmare that he knows, very soon, he will have to kill his daughter. It's a zombie-drama, but it's a very well made film.
The Gift
The Gift was a widely released movie that I always had a bit of curiosity about, but just wasn't able to see it. From the trailer, it looked like your standard stalker flick where a dude slowly stalks a family leaving them gifts and forcing a friendship, until they tell him to go away and he snaps and goes crazy, leaving them terrible gifts, killing their pets, until finally trying to kill them. We've seen this movie a hundred times before, but there was something about The Gift that made me wonder if we're defying the convention here. Joel Edgerton makes his writing and directing debut and in my head I felt like his debut film wouldn't be one where he copies a genre that has long since been dead. Then, it got a decently high score on rottentomatoes and I had to check it out. So, after doing so I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is it a very different movie than the normal audience is expecting, it's also very suspenseful. What's great is that there is a lot of audience interpretation throughout about what exactly is going on, but this doesn't distract from the narrative on screen. The ending, while a little bit more fucked up than most people would like, is still a twist that I didn't see coming until right when it was happening. Also, watching Jason Bateman portray a raging douche was something refreshing and awful to watch.
Beasts of No Nation
You may have not heard of this film, but you've probably seen it heavily advertised on your Netflix account. That's because it wasn't released for theaters and when the film was made, Netflix bought the rights to it to show exclusively online and streaming. It's Netflix's first full-length feature film and it is a doozy. It tells the story of a young boy in Africa whose parents are gunned down by rebels and who escapes into the jungle only to be swept up by a faction commander and turned into a child soldier. It is a very difficult movie to stomach, but it is a beautiful film to watch. Cary Joji Fukunawa, one of the creators of the first season of True Detective, left the show before the second season (thank God) to make this film. It's a gorgeously shot film, but its subject matter will lend probably only a single viewing. Also, along with the brilliance that is Idris Elba, this is some of the best child acting on film I've ever seen.
The End of the Tour
The End of the Tour is another film that I really wanted to see, but didn't come out near me. It tells the story of an interviewer from Rolling Stone magazine (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and his week long trip with writer David Foster Wallace (Jason Segal) who he is interviewing. This was a movie that grabbed me from the beginning. It's a very dialogue heavy film, but it's between two genius minds (one who looks up to the other, and the other who tries to downplay his intelligence in order to feel 'normal'). It explores the humanity behind the elite and the famous. The conversations range from hilarious to heartbreaking. It's got moments of humor, but you watch it for the Sorkin-esque back and forths between the two leads. Jason Segal will be forgotten for this role, but he turns in a performance that is Oscar-worthy.
Bone Tomahawk
I'm willing to wager that pretty much anyone reading this has not heard of Bone Tomahawk, which is a shame. However, in 2015 there really is no way to market this film. It's a western led by Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins, and Matthew Fox. Westerns and Kurt Russell don't really have much box office selling power (unless, of course, Tarantino's name is attached). However, this film is one of my favorites of the entire year. Don't be discouraged that it's a western, especially if you aren't a fan of the genre. Because although it is the over-arching genre and selling point, there is a lot of genre crossing going on in the film. It's action packed, it's a slow moving drama, it's hot moments of downright laugh-out-loud hilarity, it's got elements of horror, and the gore is some Eli Roth might even have to look away at. It's nothing short of an incredible film. Russell plays a town sheriff and friend to a man whose wife is kidnapped by cannibal Indians. Him and his posse trek across the frontier trying to find her and avoid getting killed themselves. Each performance is magnificent but Richard Jenkins steals the show. He's not just the comic relief, but he's the guy you want to comment on everything. There is something for everyone in this film and it's one you can find on Amazon to stream cheap. I highly recommend you taking a look.
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